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The Guardsman
The Guardsman

Chapter VI

Cover illustration for The Guardsman
Context Illustration Reading 1/42 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.
Mr. Barriscale was still favorably disposed toward the National Guard.
As president of the Barriscale Manufacturing Company he was a large employer of both skilled and unskilled labor.
There had been times when differences of opinion between him and his employees had reached the verge of a strike, with possible violence and disorder looming up in the distance.
Such times might occur in the future.
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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 Guardsman

Chapter VI

Reading 1/42 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.
Line 2
Mr. Barriscale was still favorably disposed toward the National Guard.
Line 3
As president of the Barriscale Manufacturing Company he was a large employer of both skilled and unskilled labor.
Line 4
There had been times when differences of opinion between him and his employees had reached the verge of a strike, with possible violence and disorder looming up in the distance.
Line 5
Such times might occur in the future.

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 “It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.”

Between preposition US /bɪˈtwiːn/

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading “There had been times when differences of opinion between him and his employees had reached the verge of a strike, with possible violence and disorder looming up in the distance.”

Disposed noun US /ˈdisposed/

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

From this reading “Mr. Barriscale was still favorably disposed toward the National Guard.”

Looked noun US /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.”

Make noun US /make/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.”

Might modal verb US /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading “Such times might occur in the future.”

Still noun US /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Mr. Barriscale was still favorably disposed toward the National Guard.”

Toward preposition US /təˈwɔːrd/

in the direction of

From this reading “It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.”

Well noun US /well/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.”

All words in this reading · 77

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 As president of the Barriscale Manufacturing Company he was a large employer of both skilled and unskilled labor.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.

AsconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading As president of the Barriscale Manufacturing Company he was a large employer of both skilled and unskilled labor.

Barriscale

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

From this reading It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.

Ben

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

From this reading It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.

Ben's

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

From this reading It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.

betweenprepositionUS /bɪˈtwiːn/

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading There had been times when differences of opinion between him and his employees had reached the verge of a strike, with possible violence and disorder looming up in the distance.

bothdeterminerUS /boʊθ/

the two together, not just one

From this reading As president of the Barriscale Manufacturing Company he was a large employer of both skilled and unskilled labor.

boy

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

From this reading It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.

Company

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

From this reading It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.

differences

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

From this reading There had been times when differences of opinion between him and his employees had reached the verge of a strike, with possible violence and disorder looming up in the distance.

disorder

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

From this reading There had been times when differences of opinion between him and his employees had reached the verge of a strike, with possible violence and disorder looming up in the distance.

disposednounUS /ˈdisposed/

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

From this reading Mr. Barriscale was still favorably disposed toward the National Guard.

distance

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

From this reading There had been times when differences of opinion between him and his employees had reached the verge of a strike, with possible violence and disorder looming up in the distance.

E

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

From this reading It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.

employees

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

From this reading There had been times when differences of opinion between him and his employees had reached the verge of a strike, with possible violence and disorder looming up in the distance.

employer

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

From this reading As president of the Barriscale Manufacturing Company he was a large employer of both skilled and unskilled labor.

enlistment

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

From this reading It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.

father

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

From this reading It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.

favorably

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

From this reading Mr. Barriscale was still favorably disposed toward the National Guard.

following

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

From this reading It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.

future

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

From this reading Such times might occur in the future.

Guard

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

From this reading Mr. Barriscale was still favorably disposed toward the National Guard.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.

Halpert

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

From this reading It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading As president of the Barriscale Manufacturing Company he was a large employer of both skilled and unskilled labor.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.

labor

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

From this reading As president of the Barriscale Manufacturing Company he was a large employer of both skilled and unskilled labor.

large

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

From this reading As president of the Barriscale Manufacturing Company he was a large employer of both skilled and unskilled labor.

late

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

From this reading It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.

lookednounUS /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.

looming

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

From this reading There had been times when differences of opinion between him and his employees had reached the verge of a strike, with possible violence and disorder looming up in the distance.

makenounUS /make/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.

Manufacturing

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

From this reading As president of the Barriscale Manufacturing Company he was a large employer of both skilled and unskilled labor.

McCormack

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

From this reading It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading Such times might occur in the future.

military

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

From this reading It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.

Mr

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

From this reading Mr. Barriscale was still favorably disposed toward the National Guard.

named

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

From this reading It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.

National

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

From this reading Mr. Barriscale was still favorably disposed toward the National Guard.

occur

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

From this reading Such times might occur in the future.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.

opinion

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

From this reading There had been times when differences of opinion between him and his employees had reached the verge of a strike, with possible violence and disorder looming up in the distance.

possible

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

From this reading There had been times when differences of opinion between him and his employees had reached the verge of a strike, with possible violence and disorder looming up in the distance.

predilection

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

From this reading It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.

president

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

From this reading As president of the Barriscale Manufacturing Company he was a large employer of both skilled and unskilled labor.

promotions

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

From this reading It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.

rapid

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

From this reading It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.

reached

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

From this reading There had been times when differences of opinion between him and his employees had reached the verge of a strike, with possible violence and disorder looming up in the distance.

satisfied

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

From this reading It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.

see

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

From this reading It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.

service

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

From this reading It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.

skilled

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

From this reading As president of the Barriscale Manufacturing Company he was a large employer of both skilled and unskilled labor.

son's

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

From this reading It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.

spring

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

From this reading It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.

stillnounUS /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Mr. Barriscale was still favorably disposed toward the National Guard.

strike

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

From this reading There had been times when differences of opinion between him and his employees had reached the verge of a strike, with possible violence and disorder looming up in the distance.

SuchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading Such times might occur in the future.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.

There

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

From this reading There had been times when differences of opinion between him and his employees had reached the verge of a strike, with possible violence and disorder looming up in the distance.

times

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

From this reading There had been times when differences of opinion between him and his employees had reached the verge of a strike, with possible violence and disorder looming up in the distance.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.

towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/

in the direction of

From this reading It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.

unskilled

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

From this reading As president of the Barriscale Manufacturing Company he was a large employer of both skilled and unskilled labor.

up

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

From this reading There had been times when differences of opinion between him and his employees had reached the verge of a strike, with possible violence and disorder looming up in the distance.

verge

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

From this reading There had been times when differences of opinion between him and his employees had reached the verge of a strike, with possible violence and disorder looming up in the distance.

violence

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

From this reading There had been times when differences of opinion between him and his employees had reached the verge of a strike, with possible violence and disorder looming up in the distance.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.

well

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

From this reading It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading There had been times when differences of opinion between him and his employees had reached the verge of a strike, with possible violence and disorder looming up in the distance.

whompronounUS /huːm/

the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading It was late in the spring following the enlistment of Halpert McCormack and Ben Barriscale in Company E. Ben’s father, for whom the boy had been named, was well satisfied with his son’s predilection toward military service, and looked to see him make rapid promotions.