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The Efficiency Expert
The Efficiency Expert

Chapter XI

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Context Illustration Reading 1/34 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
CHRISTMAS EVE.
It was Christmas Eve.
Elizabeth Compton and Harriet Holden were completing the rounds of their friends' homes with Christmas remembrances--a custom that they had continued since childhood.
The last parcel had been delivered upon the South Side, and they were now being driven north on Michigan Boulevard toward home.
Elizabeth directed the chauffeur to turn over Van Buren to State, which at this season of the year was almost alive with belated Christmas shoppers and those other thousands who always seize upon the slightest pretext for a celebration.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Efficiency Expert

Chapter XI

Reading 1/34 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
CHRISTMAS EVE.
Line 2
It was Christmas Eve.
Line 3
Elizabeth Compton and Harriet Holden were completing the rounds of their friends' homes with Christmas remembrances--a custom that they had continued since childhood.
Line 4
The last parcel had been delivered upon the South Side, and they were now being driven north on Michigan Boulevard toward home.
Line 5
Elizabeth directed the chauffeur to turn over Van Buren to State, which at this season of the year was almost alive with belated Christmas shoppers and those other thousands who always seize upon the slightest pretext for a celebration.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “The last parcel had been delivered upon the South Side, and they were now being driven north on Michigan Boulevard toward home.”

Being auxiliary verb US /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading “The last parcel had been delivered upon the South Side, and they were now being driven north on Michigan Boulevard toward home.”

Continued noun US /ˈcontinued/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “Elizabeth Compton and Harriet Holden were completing the rounds of their friends' homes with Christmas remembrances--a custom that they had continued since childhood.”

Last noun US /last/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The last parcel had been delivered upon the South Side, and they were now being driven north on Michigan Boulevard toward home.”

Over preposition US /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading “Elizabeth directed the chauffeur to turn over Van Buren to State, which at this season of the year was almost alive with belated Christmas shoppers and those other thousands who always seize upon the slightest pretext for a celebration.”

Since preposition US /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading “Elizabeth Compton and Harriet Holden were completing the rounds of their friends' homes with Christmas remembrances--a custom that they had continued since childhood.”

Those determiner US /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading “Elizabeth directed the chauffeur to turn over Van Buren to State, which at this season of the year was almost alive with belated Christmas shoppers and those other thousands who always seize upon the slightest pretext for a celebration.”

Toward preposition US /təˈwɔːrd/

in the direction of

From this reading “The last parcel had been delivered upon the South Side, and they were now being driven north on Michigan Boulevard toward home.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “The last parcel had been delivered upon the South Side, and they were now being driven north on Michigan Boulevard toward home.”

All words in this reading · 70

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Elizabeth Compton and Harriet Holden were completing the rounds of their friends' homes with Christmas remembrances--a custom that they had continued since childhood.

alive

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Elizabeth directed the chauffeur to turn over Van Buren to State, which at this season of the year was almost alive with belated Christmas shoppers and those other thousands who always seize upon the slightest pretext for a celebration.

almost

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Elizabeth directed the chauffeur to turn over Van Buren to State, which at this season of the year was almost alive with belated Christmas shoppers and those other thousands who always seize upon the slightest pretext for a celebration.

always

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Elizabeth directed the chauffeur to turn over Van Buren to State, which at this season of the year was almost alive with belated Christmas shoppers and those other thousands who always seize upon the slightest pretext for a celebration.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Elizabeth Compton and Harriet Holden were completing the rounds of their friends' homes with Christmas remembrances--a custom that they had continued since childhood.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Elizabeth directed the chauffeur to turn over Van Buren to State, which at this season of the year was almost alive with belated Christmas shoppers and those other thousands who always seize upon the slightest pretext for a celebration.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading The last parcel had been delivered upon the South Side, and they were now being driven north on Michigan Boulevard toward home.

beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading The last parcel had been delivered upon the South Side, and they were now being driven north on Michigan Boulevard toward home.

belated

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Elizabeth directed the chauffeur to turn over Van Buren to State, which at this season of the year was almost alive with belated Christmas shoppers and those other thousands who always seize upon the slightest pretext for a celebration.

Boulevard

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The last parcel had been delivered upon the South Side, and they were now being driven north on Michigan Boulevard toward home.

Buren

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Elizabeth directed the chauffeur to turn over Van Buren to State, which at this season of the year was almost alive with belated Christmas shoppers and those other thousands who always seize upon the slightest pretext for a celebration.

celebration

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Elizabeth directed the chauffeur to turn over Van Buren to State, which at this season of the year was almost alive with belated Christmas shoppers and those other thousands who always seize upon the slightest pretext for a celebration.

chauffeur

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Elizabeth directed the chauffeur to turn over Van Buren to State, which at this season of the year was almost alive with belated Christmas shoppers and those other thousands who always seize upon the slightest pretext for a celebration.

childhood

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Elizabeth Compton and Harriet Holden were completing the rounds of their friends' homes with Christmas remembrances--a custom that they had continued since childhood.

CHRISTMAS

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHRISTMAS EVE.

completing

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Elizabeth Compton and Harriet Holden were completing the rounds of their friends' homes with Christmas remembrances--a custom that they had continued since childhood.

Compton

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Elizabeth Compton and Harriet Holden were completing the rounds of their friends' homes with Christmas remembrances--a custom that they had continued since childhood.

continuednounUS /ˈcontinued/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading Elizabeth Compton and Harriet Holden were completing the rounds of their friends' homes with Christmas remembrances--a custom that they had continued since childhood.

custom

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Elizabeth Compton and Harriet Holden were completing the rounds of their friends' homes with Christmas remembrances--a custom that they had continued since childhood.

delivered

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The last parcel had been delivered upon the South Side, and they were now being driven north on Michigan Boulevard toward home.

directed

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Elizabeth directed the chauffeur to turn over Van Buren to State, which at this season of the year was almost alive with belated Christmas shoppers and those other thousands who always seize upon the slightest pretext for a celebration.

driven

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The last parcel had been delivered upon the South Side, and they were now being driven north on Michigan Boulevard toward home.

Elizabeth

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Elizabeth Compton and Harriet Holden were completing the rounds of their friends' homes with Christmas remembrances--a custom that they had continued since childhood.

EVE

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHRISTMAS EVE.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Elizabeth directed the chauffeur to turn over Van Buren to State, which at this season of the year was almost alive with belated Christmas shoppers and those other thousands who always seize upon the slightest pretext for a celebration.

friends

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Elizabeth Compton and Harriet Holden were completing the rounds of their friends' homes with Christmas remembrances--a custom that they had continued since childhood.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Elizabeth Compton and Harriet Holden were completing the rounds of their friends' homes with Christmas remembrances--a custom that they had continued since childhood.

Harriet

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Elizabeth Compton and Harriet Holden were completing the rounds of their friends' homes with Christmas remembrances--a custom that they had continued since childhood.

Holden

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Elizabeth Compton and Harriet Holden were completing the rounds of their friends' homes with Christmas remembrances--a custom that they had continued since childhood.

home

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The last parcel had been delivered upon the South Side, and they were now being driven north on Michigan Boulevard toward home.

homes

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Elizabeth Compton and Harriet Holden were completing the rounds of their friends' homes with Christmas remembrances--a custom that they had continued since childhood.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was Christmas Eve.

lastnounUS /last/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The last parcel had been delivered upon the South Side, and they were now being driven north on Michigan Boulevard toward home.

Michigan

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The last parcel had been delivered upon the South Side, and they were now being driven north on Michigan Boulevard toward home.

north

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The last parcel had been delivered upon the South Side, and they were now being driven north on Michigan Boulevard toward home.

now

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The last parcel had been delivered upon the South Side, and they were now being driven north on Michigan Boulevard toward home.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Elizabeth Compton and Harriet Holden were completing the rounds of their friends' homes with Christmas remembrances--a custom that they had continued since childhood.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The last parcel had been delivered upon the South Side, and they were now being driven north on Michigan Boulevard toward home.

other

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Elizabeth directed the chauffeur to turn over Van Buren to State, which at this season of the year was almost alive with belated Christmas shoppers and those other thousands who always seize upon the slightest pretext for a celebration.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading Elizabeth directed the chauffeur to turn over Van Buren to State, which at this season of the year was almost alive with belated Christmas shoppers and those other thousands who always seize upon the slightest pretext for a celebration.

parcel

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The last parcel had been delivered upon the South Side, and they were now being driven north on Michigan Boulevard toward home.

pretext

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Elizabeth directed the chauffeur to turn over Van Buren to State, which at this season of the year was almost alive with belated Christmas shoppers and those other thousands who always seize upon the slightest pretext for a celebration.

remembrances

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Elizabeth Compton and Harriet Holden were completing the rounds of their friends' homes with Christmas remembrances--a custom that they had continued since childhood.

rounds

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Elizabeth Compton and Harriet Holden were completing the rounds of their friends' homes with Christmas remembrances--a custom that they had continued since childhood.

season

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Elizabeth directed the chauffeur to turn over Van Buren to State, which at this season of the year was almost alive with belated Christmas shoppers and those other thousands who always seize upon the slightest pretext for a celebration.

seize

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Elizabeth directed the chauffeur to turn over Van Buren to State, which at this season of the year was almost alive with belated Christmas shoppers and those other thousands who always seize upon the slightest pretext for a celebration.

shoppers

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Elizabeth directed the chauffeur to turn over Van Buren to State, which at this season of the year was almost alive with belated Christmas shoppers and those other thousands who always seize upon the slightest pretext for a celebration.

Side

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The last parcel had been delivered upon the South Side, and they were now being driven north on Michigan Boulevard toward home.

sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading Elizabeth Compton and Harriet Holden were completing the rounds of their friends' homes with Christmas remembrances--a custom that they had continued since childhood.

slightest

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Elizabeth directed the chauffeur to turn over Van Buren to State, which at this season of the year was almost alive with belated Christmas shoppers and those other thousands who always seize upon the slightest pretext for a celebration.

South

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The last parcel had been delivered upon the South Side, and they were now being driven north on Michigan Boulevard toward home.

State

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Elizabeth directed the chauffeur to turn over Van Buren to State, which at this season of the year was almost alive with belated Christmas shoppers and those other thousands who always seize upon the slightest pretext for a celebration.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Elizabeth Compton and Harriet Holden were completing the rounds of their friends' homes with Christmas remembrances--a custom that they had continued since childhood.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Elizabeth Compton and Harriet Holden were completing the rounds of their friends' homes with Christmas remembrances--a custom that they had continued since childhood.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Elizabeth Compton and Harriet Holden were completing the rounds of their friends' homes with Christmas remembrances--a custom that they had continued since childhood.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Elizabeth Compton and Harriet Holden were completing the rounds of their friends' homes with Christmas remembrances--a custom that they had continued since childhood.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading Elizabeth directed the chauffeur to turn over Van Buren to State, which at this season of the year was almost alive with belated Christmas shoppers and those other thousands who always seize upon the slightest pretext for a celebration.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading Elizabeth directed the chauffeur to turn over Van Buren to State, which at this season of the year was almost alive with belated Christmas shoppers and those other thousands who always seize upon the slightest pretext for a celebration.

thousands

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Elizabeth directed the chauffeur to turn over Van Buren to State, which at this season of the year was almost alive with belated Christmas shoppers and those other thousands who always seize upon the slightest pretext for a celebration.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Elizabeth directed the chauffeur to turn over Van Buren to State, which at this season of the year was almost alive with belated Christmas shoppers and those other thousands who always seize upon the slightest pretext for a celebration.

towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/

in the direction of

From this reading The last parcel had been delivered upon the South Side, and they were now being driven north on Michigan Boulevard toward home.

turn

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Elizabeth directed the chauffeur to turn over Van Buren to State, which at this season of the year was almost alive with belated Christmas shoppers and those other thousands who always seize upon the slightest pretext for a celebration.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading The last parcel had been delivered upon the South Side, and they were now being driven north on Michigan Boulevard toward home.

Van

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Elizabeth directed the chauffeur to turn over Van Buren to State, which at this season of the year was almost alive with belated Christmas shoppers and those other thousands who always seize upon the slightest pretext for a celebration.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading It was Christmas Eve.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Elizabeth Compton and Harriet Holden were completing the rounds of their friends' homes with Christmas remembrances--a custom that they had continued since childhood.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading Elizabeth directed the chauffeur to turn over Van Buren to State, which at this season of the year was almost alive with belated Christmas shoppers and those other thousands who always seize upon the slightest pretext for a celebration.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading Elizabeth directed the chauffeur to turn over Van Buren to State, which at this season of the year was almost alive with belated Christmas shoppers and those other thousands who always seize upon the slightest pretext for a celebration.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Elizabeth Compton and Harriet Holden were completing the rounds of their friends' homes with Christmas remembrances--a custom that they had continued since childhood.

year

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Elizabeth directed the chauffeur to turn over Van Buren to State, which at this season of the year was almost alive with belated Christmas shoppers and those other thousands who always seize upon the slightest pretext for a celebration.