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The Mutable Many: A Novel
The Mutable Many: A Novel

Chapter XXIII

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Context Illustration Reading 1/27 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
MARSTEN made no move to communicate with Sart-well.
If the manager expected the young man to propose a compromise, he was disappointed; and when he heard Marsten had been elected secretary of the Union, he smiled grimly, but made no comment.
It was to be war to the knife, and Sartwell always admired an able antagonist.
He made no motion against the Union, although at that time he could probably have forced seventy-five per cent of his employees to withdraw from it, had he been so minded.
Marsten gave him due credit for declining to use the weapon of coercion against the men, knowing Sartwell too well to believe that the thought had not occurred to him.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Mutable Many: A Novel

Chapter XXIII

Reading 1/27 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
MARSTEN made no move to communicate with Sart-well.
Line 2
If the manager expected the young man to propose a compromise, he was disappointed; and when he heard Marsten had been elected secretary of the Union, he smiled grimly, but made no comment.
Line 3
It was to be war to the knife, and Sartwell always admired an able antagonist.
Line 4
He made no motion against the Union, although at that time he could probably have forced seventy-five per cent of his employees to withdraw from it, had he been so minded.
Line 5
Marsten gave him due credit for declining to use the weapon of coercion against the men, knowing Sartwell too well to believe that the thought had not occurred to him.

Learner Dictionary

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

Against preposition US /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading “He made no motion against the Union, although at that time he could probably have forced seventy-five per cent of his employees to withdraw from it, had he been so minded.”

Although noun US /ˈalthough/

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

From this reading “He made no motion against the Union, although at that time he could probably have forced seventy-five per cent of his employees to withdraw from it, had he been so minded.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “If the manager expected the young man to propose a compromise, he was disappointed; and when he heard Marsten had been elected secretary of the Union, he smiled grimly, but made no comment.”

Believe noun US /ˈbelieve/

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

From this reading “Marsten gave him due credit for declining to use the weapon of coercion against the men, knowing Sartwell too well to believe that the thought had not occurred to him.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading “He made no motion against the Union, although at that time he could probably have forced seventy-five per cent of his employees to withdraw from it, had he been so minded.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “He made no motion against the Union, although at that time he could probably have forced seventy-five per cent of his employees to withdraw from it, had he been so minded.”

Per preposition US /pɜːr/

for each

From this reading “He made no motion against the Union, although at that time he could probably have forced seventy-five per cent of his employees to withdraw from it, had he been so minded.”

Thought noun US /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Marsten gave him due credit for declining to use the weapon of coercion against the men, knowing Sartwell too well to believe that the thought had not occurred to him.”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He made no motion against the Union, although at that time he could probably have forced seventy-five per cent of his employees to withdraw from it, had he been so minded.”

Well noun US /well/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “MARSTEN made no move to communicate with Sart-well.”

All words in this reading · 79

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 If the manager expected the young man to propose a compromise, he was disappointed; and when he heard Marsten had been elected secretary of the Union, he smiled grimly, but made no comment.

able

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

From this reading It was to be war to the knife, and Sartwell always admired an able antagonist.

admired

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

From this reading It was to be war to the knife, and Sartwell always admired an able antagonist.

againstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading He made no motion against the Union, although at that time he could probably have forced seventy-five per cent of his employees to withdraw from it, had he been so minded.

althoughnounUS /ˈalthough/

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

From this reading He made no motion against the Union, although at that time he could probably have forced seventy-five per cent of his employees to withdraw from it, had he been so minded.

always

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

From this reading It was to be war to the knife, and Sartwell always admired an able antagonist.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading It was to be war to the knife, and Sartwell always admired an able antagonist.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading If the manager expected the young man to propose a compromise, he was disappointed; and when he heard Marsten had been elected secretary of the Union, he smiled grimly, but made no comment.

antagonist

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

From this reading It was to be war to the knife, and Sartwell always admired an able antagonist.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading He made no motion against the Union, although at that time he could probably have forced seventy-five per cent of his employees to withdraw from it, had he been so minded.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading It was to be war to the knife, and Sartwell always admired an able antagonist.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading If the manager expected the young man to propose a compromise, he was disappointed; and when he heard Marsten had been elected secretary of the Union, he smiled grimly, but made no comment.

believenounUS /ˈbelieve/

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

From this reading Marsten gave him due credit for declining to use the weapon of coercion against the men, knowing Sartwell too well to believe that the thought had not occurred to him.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading If the manager expected the young man to propose a compromise, he was disappointed; and when he heard Marsten had been elected secretary of the Union, he smiled grimly, but made no comment.

cent

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

From this reading He made no motion against the Union, although at that time he could probably have forced seventy-five per cent of his employees to withdraw from it, had he been so minded.

coercion

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

From this reading Marsten gave him due credit for declining to use the weapon of coercion against the men, knowing Sartwell too well to believe that the thought had not occurred to him.

comment

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

From this reading If the manager expected the young man to propose a compromise, he was disappointed; and when he heard Marsten had been elected secretary of the Union, he smiled grimly, but made no comment.

communicate

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

From this reading MARSTEN made no move to communicate with Sart-well.

compromise

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

From this reading If the manager expected the young man to propose a compromise, he was disappointed; and when he heard Marsten had been elected secretary of the Union, he smiled grimly, but made no comment.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading He made no motion against the Union, although at that time he could probably have forced seventy-five per cent of his employees to withdraw from it, had he been so minded.

credit

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

From this reading Marsten gave him due credit for declining to use the weapon of coercion against the men, knowing Sartwell too well to believe that the thought had not occurred to him.

declining

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

From this reading Marsten gave him due credit for declining to use the weapon of coercion against the men, knowing Sartwell too well to believe that the thought had not occurred to him.

disappointed

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

From this reading If the manager expected the young man to propose a compromise, he was disappointed; and when he heard Marsten had been elected secretary of the Union, he smiled grimly, but made no comment.

due

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

From this reading Marsten gave him due credit for declining to use the weapon of coercion against the men, knowing Sartwell too well to believe that the thought had not occurred to him.

elected

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

From this reading If the manager expected the young man to propose a compromise, he was disappointed; and when he heard Marsten had been elected secretary of the Union, he smiled grimly, but made no comment.

employees

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

From this reading He made no motion against the Union, although at that time he could probably have forced seventy-five per cent of his employees to withdraw from it, had he been so minded.

expected

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

From this reading If the manager expected the young man to propose a compromise, he was disappointed; and when he heard Marsten had been elected secretary of the Union, he smiled grimly, but made no comment.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Marsten gave him due credit for declining to use the weapon of coercion against the men, knowing Sartwell too well to believe that the thought had not occurred to him.

forced

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

From this reading He made no motion against the Union, although at that time he could probably have forced seventy-five per cent of his employees to withdraw from it, had he been so minded.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading He made no motion against the Union, although at that time he could probably have forced seventy-five per cent of his employees to withdraw from it, had he been so minded.

gave

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

From this reading Marsten gave him due credit for declining to use the weapon of coercion against the men, knowing Sartwell too well to believe that the thought had not occurred to him.

grimly

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

From this reading If the manager expected the young man to propose a compromise, he was disappointed; and when he heard Marsten had been elected secretary of the Union, he smiled grimly, but made no comment.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading If the manager expected the young man to propose a compromise, he was disappointed; and when he heard Marsten had been elected secretary of the Union, he smiled grimly, but made no comment.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading He made no motion against the Union, although at that time he could probably have forced seventy-five per cent of his employees to withdraw from it, had he been so minded.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading If the manager expected the young man to propose a compromise, he was disappointed; and when he heard Marsten had been elected secretary of the Union, he smiled grimly, but made no comment.

heard

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

From this reading If the manager expected the young man to propose a compromise, he was disappointed; and when he heard Marsten had been elected secretary of the Union, he smiled grimly, but made no comment.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading Marsten gave him due credit for declining to use the weapon of coercion against the men, knowing Sartwell too well to believe that the thought had not occurred to him.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading He made no motion against the Union, although at that time he could probably have forced seventy-five per cent of his employees to withdraw from it, had he been so minded.

IfconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading If the manager expected the young man to propose a compromise, he was disappointed; and when he heard Marsten had been elected secretary of the Union, he smiled grimly, but made no comment.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was to be war to the knife, and Sartwell always admired an able antagonist.

knife

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

From this reading It was to be war to the knife, and Sartwell always admired an able antagonist.

knowing

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

From this reading Marsten gave him due credit for declining to use the weapon of coercion against the men, knowing Sartwell too well to believe that the thought had not occurred to him.

made

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

From this reading MARSTEN made no move to communicate with Sart-well.

man

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

From this reading If the manager expected the young man to propose a compromise, he was disappointed; and when he heard Marsten had been elected secretary of the Union, he smiled grimly, but made no comment.

manager

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

From this reading If the manager expected the young man to propose a compromise, he was disappointed; and when he heard Marsten had been elected secretary of the Union, he smiled grimly, but made no comment.

MARSTEN

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

From this reading MARSTEN made no move to communicate with Sart-well.

men

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

From this reading Marsten gave him due credit for declining to use the weapon of coercion against the men, knowing Sartwell too well to believe that the thought had not occurred to him.

minded

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

From this reading He made no motion against the Union, although at that time he could probably have forced seventy-five per cent of his employees to withdraw from it, had he been so minded.

motion

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

From this reading He made no motion against the Union, although at that time he could probably have forced seventy-five per cent of his employees to withdraw from it, had he been so minded.

move

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

From this reading MARSTEN made no move to communicate with Sart-well.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading MARSTEN made no move to communicate with Sart-well.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Marsten gave him due credit for declining to use the weapon of coercion against the men, knowing Sartwell too well to believe that the thought had not occurred to him.

occurred

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

From this reading Marsten gave him due credit for declining to use the weapon of coercion against the men, knowing Sartwell too well to believe that the thought had not occurred to him.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading If the manager expected the young man to propose a compromise, he was disappointed; and when he heard Marsten had been elected secretary of the Union, he smiled grimly, but made no comment.

perprepositionUS /pɜːr/

for each

From this reading He made no motion against the Union, although at that time he could probably have forced seventy-five per cent of his employees to withdraw from it, had he been so minded.

probably

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

From this reading He made no motion against the Union, although at that time he could probably have forced seventy-five per cent of his employees to withdraw from it, had he been so minded.

propose

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

From this reading If the manager expected the young man to propose a compromise, he was disappointed; and when he heard Marsten had been elected secretary of the Union, he smiled grimly, but made no comment.

Sart-well

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

From this reading MARSTEN made no move to communicate with Sart-well.

Sartwell

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

From this reading It was to be war to the knife, and Sartwell always admired an able antagonist.

secretary

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

From this reading If the manager expected the young man to propose a compromise, he was disappointed; and when he heard Marsten had been elected secretary of the Union, he smiled grimly, but made no comment.

seventy-five

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

From this reading He made no motion against the Union, although at that time he could probably have forced seventy-five per cent of his employees to withdraw from it, had he been so minded.

smiled

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

From this reading If the manager expected the young man to propose a compromise, he was disappointed; and when he heard Marsten had been elected secretary of the Union, he smiled grimly, but made no comment.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading He made no motion against the Union, although at that time he could probably have forced seventy-five per cent of his employees to withdraw from it, had he been so minded.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading He made no motion against the Union, although at that time he could probably have forced seventy-five per cent of his employees to withdraw from it, had he been so minded.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading If the manager expected the young man to propose a compromise, he was disappointed; and when he heard Marsten had been elected secretary of the Union, he smiled grimly, but made no comment.

thoughtnounUS /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Marsten gave him due credit for declining to use the weapon of coercion against the men, knowing Sartwell too well to believe that the thought had not occurred to him.

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He made no motion against the Union, although at that time he could probably have forced seventy-five per cent of his employees to withdraw from it, had he been so minded.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading MARSTEN made no move to communicate with Sart-well.

too

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

From this reading Marsten gave him due credit for declining to use the weapon of coercion against the men, knowing Sartwell too well to believe that the thought had not occurred to him.

Union

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

From this reading If the manager expected the young man to propose a compromise, he was disappointed; and when he heard Marsten had been elected secretary of the Union, he smiled grimly, but made no comment.

use

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

From this reading Marsten gave him due credit for declining to use the weapon of coercion against the men, knowing Sartwell too well to believe that the thought had not occurred to him.

war

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

From this reading It was to be war to the knife, and Sartwell always admired an able antagonist.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading If the manager expected the young man to propose a compromise, he was disappointed; and when he heard Marsten had been elected secretary of the Union, he smiled grimly, but made no comment.

weapon

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

From this reading Marsten gave him due credit for declining to use the weapon of coercion against the men, knowing Sartwell too well to believe that the thought had not occurred to him.

well

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

From this reading Marsten gave him due credit for declining to use the weapon of coercion against the men, knowing Sartwell too well to believe that the thought had not occurred to him.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading If the manager expected the young man to propose a compromise, he was disappointed; and when he heard Marsten had been elected secretary of the Union, he smiled grimly, but made no comment.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading MARSTEN made no move to communicate with Sart-well.

withdraw

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

From this reading He made no motion against the Union, although at that time he could probably have forced seventy-five per cent of his employees to withdraw from it, had he been so minded.

young

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

From this reading If the manager expected the young man to propose a compromise, he was disappointed; and when he heard Marsten had been elected secretary of the Union, he smiled grimly, but made no comment.