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The Sweep Winner
The Sweep Winner

Chapter IX

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Context Illustration Reading 1/37 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE CHINAMAN'S SHOP Bill Bigs met a good many Chinamen, and had dealings with them, always finding them keen business fellows, moderately honest, though some were arrant rogues.
He went out of the coffee house to look round, and saw the fat Chinaman still standing in his doorway like a statue, as though he had not moved since they saw him before entering the house.
The name on the shop was Lin Soo.
Probably this was the name of the man at the door; at any rate something prompted Bill to cross the road and look in at the shop window.
He saw three tea chests, which he guessed were empty, a couple of Chinese bowls, a vase with strange hideous dragons painted or burnt on, an ivory-handled stick, a hat, a pile of chop-sticks, a bundle of red papers, and a cat slumbering serenely among the miscellaneous collection.
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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 Sweep Winner

Chapter IX

Reading 1/37 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE CHINAMAN'S SHOP Bill Bigs met a good many Chinamen, and had dealings with them, always finding them keen business fellows, moderately honest, though some were arrant rogues.
Line 2
He went out of the coffee house to look round, and saw the fat Chinaman still standing in his doorway like a statue, as though he had not moved since they saw him before entering the house.
Line 3
The name on the shop was Lin Soo.
Line 4
Probably this was the name of the man at the door; at any rate something prompted Bill to cross the road and look in at the shop window.
Line 5
He saw three tea chests, which he guessed were empty, a couple of Chinese bowls, a vase with strange hideous dragons painted or burnt on, an ivory-handled stick, a hat, a pile of chop-sticks, a bundle of red papers, and a cat slumbering serenely among the miscellaneous collection.

Learner Dictionary

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

Among preposition US /əˈmʌŋ/

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading “He saw three tea chests, which he guessed were empty, a couple of Chinese bowls, a vase with strange hideous dragons painted or burnt on, an ivory-handled stick, a hat, a pile of chop-sticks, a bundle of red papers, and a cat slumbering serenely among the miscellaneous collection.”

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “He went out of the coffee house to look round, and saw the fat Chinaman still standing in his doorway like a statue, as though he had not moved since they saw him before entering the house.”

Bundle noun US /ˈbʌndəl/

a group of things tied or wrapped together

From this reading “He saw three tea chests, which he guessed were empty, a couple of Chinese bowls, a vase with strange hideous dragons painted or burnt on, an ivory-handled stick, a hat, a pile of chop-sticks, a bundle of red papers, and a cat slumbering serenely among the miscellaneous collection.”

Couple noun US /ˈkʌpəl/

two people or things considered together

From this reading “He saw three tea chests, which he guessed were empty, a couple of Chinese bowls, a vase with strange hideous dragons painted or burnt on, an ivory-handled stick, a hat, a pile of chop-sticks, a bundle of red papers, and a cat slumbering serenely among the miscellaneous collection.”

Good noun US /good/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “THE CHINAMAN'S SHOP Bill Bigs met a good many Chinamen, and had dealings with them, always finding them keen business fellows, moderately honest, though some were arrant rogues.”

Honest adjective US /ˈɑnɪst/

truthful and trustworthy

From this reading “THE CHINAMAN'S SHOP Bill Bigs met a good many Chinamen, and had dealings with them, always finding them keen business fellows, moderately honest, though some were arrant rogues.”

Look noun US /look/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He went out of the coffee house to look round, and saw the fat Chinaman still standing in his doorway like a statue, as though he had not moved since they saw him before entering the house.”

Name noun US /name/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The name on the shop was Lin Soo.”

Since preposition US /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading “He went out of the coffee house to look round, and saw the fat Chinaman still standing in his doorway like a statue, as though he had not moved since they saw him before entering the house.”

Something pronoun US /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading “Probably this was the name of the man at the door; at any rate something prompted Bill to cross the road and look in at the shop window.”

Standing noun US /ˈstanding/

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

From this reading “He went out of the coffee house to look round, and saw the fat Chinaman still standing in his doorway like a statue, as though he had not moved since they saw him before entering the house.”

Still noun US /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He went out of the coffee house to look round, and saw the fat Chinaman still standing in his doorway like a statue, as though he had not moved since they saw him before entering the house.”

Though conjunction US /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading “THE CHINAMAN'S SHOP Bill Bigs met a good many Chinamen, and had dealings with them, always finding them keen business fellows, moderately honest, though some were arrant rogues.”

Went noun US /went/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He went out of the coffee house to look round, and saw the fat Chinaman still standing in his doorway like a statue, as though he had not moved since they saw him before entering the house.”

All words in this reading · 102

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 THE CHINAMAN'S SHOP Bill Bigs met a good many Chinamen, and had dealings with them, always finding them keen business fellows, moderately honest, though some were arrant rogues.

always

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

From this reading THE CHINAMAN'S SHOP Bill Bigs met a good many Chinamen, and had dealings with them, always finding them keen business fellows, moderately honest, though some were arrant rogues.

amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading He saw three tea chests, which he guessed were empty, a couple of Chinese bowls, a vase with strange hideous dragons painted or burnt on, an ivory-handled stick, a hat, a pile of chop-sticks, a bundle of red papers, and a cat slumbering serenely among the miscellaneous collection.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading He saw three tea chests, which he guessed were empty, a couple of Chinese bowls, a vase with strange hideous dragons painted or burnt on, an ivory-handled stick, a hat, a pile of chop-sticks, a bundle of red papers, and a cat slumbering serenely among the miscellaneous collection.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading THE CHINAMAN'S SHOP Bill Bigs met a good many Chinamen, and had dealings with them, always finding them keen business fellows, moderately honest, though some were arrant rogues.

any

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

From this reading Probably this was the name of the man at the door; at any rate something prompted Bill to cross the road and look in at the shop window.

arrant

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

From this reading THE CHINAMAN'S SHOP Bill Bigs met a good many Chinamen, and had dealings with them, always finding them keen business fellows, moderately honest, though some were arrant rogues.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading He went out of the coffee house to look round, and saw the fat Chinaman still standing in his doorway like a statue, as though he had not moved since they saw him before entering the house.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Probably this was the name of the man at the door; at any rate something prompted Bill to cross the road and look in at the shop window.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading He went out of the coffee house to look round, and saw the fat Chinaman still standing in his doorway like a statue, as though he had not moved since they saw him before entering the house.

Bigs

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

From this reading THE CHINAMAN'S SHOP Bill Bigs met a good many Chinamen, and had dealings with them, always finding them keen business fellows, moderately honest, though some were arrant rogues.

Bill

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

From this reading THE CHINAMAN'S SHOP Bill Bigs met a good many Chinamen, and had dealings with them, always finding them keen business fellows, moderately honest, though some were arrant rogues.

bowls

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

From this reading He saw three tea chests, which he guessed were empty, a couple of Chinese bowls, a vase with strange hideous dragons painted or burnt on, an ivory-handled stick, a hat, a pile of chop-sticks, a bundle of red papers, and a cat slumbering serenely among the miscellaneous collection.

bundlenounUS /ˈbʌndəl/

a group of things tied or wrapped together

From this reading He saw three tea chests, which he guessed were empty, a couple of Chinese bowls, a vase with strange hideous dragons painted or burnt on, an ivory-handled stick, a hat, a pile of chop-sticks, a bundle of red papers, and a cat slumbering serenely among the miscellaneous collection.

burnt

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

From this reading He saw three tea chests, which he guessed were empty, a couple of Chinese bowls, a vase with strange hideous dragons painted or burnt on, an ivory-handled stick, a hat, a pile of chop-sticks, a bundle of red papers, and a cat slumbering serenely among the miscellaneous collection.

business

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

From this reading THE CHINAMAN'S SHOP Bill Bigs met a good many Chinamen, and had dealings with them, always finding them keen business fellows, moderately honest, though some were arrant rogues.

cat

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

From this reading He saw three tea chests, which he guessed were empty, a couple of Chinese bowls, a vase with strange hideous dragons painted or burnt on, an ivory-handled stick, a hat, a pile of chop-sticks, a bundle of red papers, and a cat slumbering serenely among the miscellaneous collection.

chests

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

From this reading He saw three tea chests, which he guessed were empty, a couple of Chinese bowls, a vase with strange hideous dragons painted or burnt on, an ivory-handled stick, a hat, a pile of chop-sticks, a bundle of red papers, and a cat slumbering serenely among the miscellaneous collection.

Chinaman

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

From this reading He went out of the coffee house to look round, and saw the fat Chinaman still standing in his doorway like a statue, as though he had not moved since they saw him before entering the house.

CHINAMAN'S

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

From this reading THE CHINAMAN'S SHOP Bill Bigs met a good many Chinamen, and had dealings with them, always finding them keen business fellows, moderately honest, though some were arrant rogues.

Chinamen

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

From this reading THE CHINAMAN'S SHOP Bill Bigs met a good many Chinamen, and had dealings with them, always finding them keen business fellows, moderately honest, though some were arrant rogues.

Chinese

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

From this reading He saw three tea chests, which he guessed were empty, a couple of Chinese bowls, a vase with strange hideous dragons painted or burnt on, an ivory-handled stick, a hat, a pile of chop-sticks, a bundle of red papers, and a cat slumbering serenely among the miscellaneous collection.

chop-sticks

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

From this reading He saw three tea chests, which he guessed were empty, a couple of Chinese bowls, a vase with strange hideous dragons painted or burnt on, an ivory-handled stick, a hat, a pile of chop-sticks, a bundle of red papers, and a cat slumbering serenely among the miscellaneous collection.

coffee

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

From this reading He went out of the coffee house to look round, and saw the fat Chinaman still standing in his doorway like a statue, as though he had not moved since they saw him before entering the house.

collection

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

From this reading He saw three tea chests, which he guessed were empty, a couple of Chinese bowls, a vase with strange hideous dragons painted or burnt on, an ivory-handled stick, a hat, a pile of chop-sticks, a bundle of red papers, and a cat slumbering serenely among the miscellaneous collection.

couplenounUS /ˈkʌpəl/

two people or things considered together

From this reading He saw three tea chests, which he guessed were empty, a couple of Chinese bowls, a vase with strange hideous dragons painted or burnt on, an ivory-handled stick, a hat, a pile of chop-sticks, a bundle of red papers, and a cat slumbering serenely among the miscellaneous collection.

cross

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

From this reading Probably this was the name of the man at the door; at any rate something prompted Bill to cross the road and look in at the shop window.

dealings

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

From this reading THE CHINAMAN'S SHOP Bill Bigs met a good many Chinamen, and had dealings with them, always finding them keen business fellows, moderately honest, though some were arrant rogues.

door

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

From this reading Probably this was the name of the man at the door; at any rate something prompted Bill to cross the road and look in at the shop window.

doorway

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

From this reading He went out of the coffee house to look round, and saw the fat Chinaman still standing in his doorway like a statue, as though he had not moved since they saw him before entering the house.

dragons

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

From this reading He saw three tea chests, which he guessed were empty, a couple of Chinese bowls, a vase with strange hideous dragons painted or burnt on, an ivory-handled stick, a hat, a pile of chop-sticks, a bundle of red papers, and a cat slumbering serenely among the miscellaneous collection.

empty

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

From this reading He saw three tea chests, which he guessed were empty, a couple of Chinese bowls, a vase with strange hideous dragons painted or burnt on, an ivory-handled stick, a hat, a pile of chop-sticks, a bundle of red papers, and a cat slumbering serenely among the miscellaneous collection.

entering

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

From this reading He went out of the coffee house to look round, and saw the fat Chinaman still standing in his doorway like a statue, as though he had not moved since they saw him before entering the house.

fat

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

From this reading He went out of the coffee house to look round, and saw the fat Chinaman still standing in his doorway like a statue, as though he had not moved since they saw him before entering the house.

fellows

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

From this reading THE CHINAMAN'S SHOP Bill Bigs met a good many Chinamen, and had dealings with them, always finding them keen business fellows, moderately honest, though some were arrant rogues.

finding

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

From this reading THE CHINAMAN'S SHOP Bill Bigs met a good many Chinamen, and had dealings with them, always finding them keen business fellows, moderately honest, though some were arrant rogues.

goodnounUS /good/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading THE CHINAMAN'S SHOP Bill Bigs met a good many Chinamen, and had dealings with them, always finding them keen business fellows, moderately honest, though some were arrant rogues.

guessed

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

From this reading He saw three tea chests, which he guessed were empty, a couple of Chinese bowls, a vase with strange hideous dragons painted or burnt on, an ivory-handled stick, a hat, a pile of chop-sticks, a bundle of red papers, and a cat slumbering serenely among the miscellaneous collection.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading THE CHINAMAN'S SHOP Bill Bigs met a good many Chinamen, and had dealings with them, always finding them keen business fellows, moderately honest, though some were arrant rogues.

hat

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

From this reading He saw three tea chests, which he guessed were empty, a couple of Chinese bowls, a vase with strange hideous dragons painted or burnt on, an ivory-handled stick, a hat, a pile of chop-sticks, a bundle of red papers, and a cat slumbering serenely among the miscellaneous collection.

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He went out of the coffee house to look round, and saw the fat Chinaman still standing in his doorway like a statue, as though he had not moved since they saw him before entering the house.

hideous

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

From this reading He saw three tea chests, which he guessed were empty, a couple of Chinese bowls, a vase with strange hideous dragons painted or burnt on, an ivory-handled stick, a hat, a pile of chop-sticks, a bundle of red papers, and a cat slumbering serenely among the miscellaneous collection.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading He went out of the coffee house to look round, and saw the fat Chinaman still standing in his doorway like a statue, as though he had not moved since they saw him before entering the house.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading He went out of the coffee house to look round, and saw the fat Chinaman still standing in his doorway like a statue, as though he had not moved since they saw him before entering the house.

honestadjectiveUS /ˈɑnɪst/

truthful and trustworthy

From this reading THE CHINAMAN'S SHOP Bill Bigs met a good many Chinamen, and had dealings with them, always finding them keen business fellows, moderately honest, though some were arrant rogues.

house

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

From this reading He went out of the coffee house to look round, and saw the fat Chinaman still standing in his doorway like a statue, as though he had not moved since they saw him before entering the house.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading He went out of the coffee house to look round, and saw the fat Chinaman still standing in his doorway like a statue, as though he had not moved since they saw him before entering the house.

ivory-handled

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

From this reading He saw three tea chests, which he guessed were empty, a couple of Chinese bowls, a vase with strange hideous dragons painted or burnt on, an ivory-handled stick, a hat, a pile of chop-sticks, a bundle of red papers, and a cat slumbering serenely among the miscellaneous collection.

keen

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

From this reading THE CHINAMAN'S SHOP Bill Bigs met a good many Chinamen, and had dealings with them, always finding them keen business fellows, moderately honest, though some were arrant rogues.

like

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

From this reading He went out of the coffee house to look round, and saw the fat Chinaman still standing in his doorway like a statue, as though he had not moved since they saw him before entering the house.

Lin

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

From this reading The name on the shop was Lin Soo.

looknounUS /look/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He went out of the coffee house to look round, and saw the fat Chinaman still standing in his doorway like a statue, as though he had not moved since they saw him before entering the house.

man

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

From this reading Probably this was the name of the man at the door; at any rate something prompted Bill to cross the road and look in at the shop window.

many

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

From this reading THE CHINAMAN'S SHOP Bill Bigs met a good many Chinamen, and had dealings with them, always finding them keen business fellows, moderately honest, though some were arrant rogues.

met

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

From this reading THE CHINAMAN'S SHOP Bill Bigs met a good many Chinamen, and had dealings with them, always finding them keen business fellows, moderately honest, though some were arrant rogues.

miscellaneous

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

From this reading He saw three tea chests, which he guessed were empty, a couple of Chinese bowls, a vase with strange hideous dragons painted or burnt on, an ivory-handled stick, a hat, a pile of chop-sticks, a bundle of red papers, and a cat slumbering serenely among the miscellaneous collection.

moderately

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

From this reading THE CHINAMAN'S SHOP Bill Bigs met a good many Chinamen, and had dealings with them, always finding them keen business fellows, moderately honest, though some were arrant rogues.

moved

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

From this reading He went out of the coffee house to look round, and saw the fat Chinaman still standing in his doorway like a statue, as though he had not moved since they saw him before entering the house.

namenounUS /name/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The name on the shop was Lin Soo.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading He went out of the coffee house to look round, and saw the fat Chinaman still standing in his doorway like a statue, as though he had not moved since they saw him before entering the house.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading He went out of the coffee house to look round, and saw the fat Chinaman still standing in his doorway like a statue, as though he had not moved since they saw him before entering the house.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The name on the shop was Lin Soo.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading He saw three tea chests, which he guessed were empty, a couple of Chinese bowls, a vase with strange hideous dragons painted or burnt on, an ivory-handled stick, a hat, a pile of chop-sticks, a bundle of red papers, and a cat slumbering serenely among the miscellaneous collection.

out

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

From this reading He went out of the coffee house to look round, and saw the fat Chinaman still standing in his doorway like a statue, as though he had not moved since they saw him before entering the house.

painted

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

From this reading He saw three tea chests, which he guessed were empty, a couple of Chinese bowls, a vase with strange hideous dragons painted or burnt on, an ivory-handled stick, a hat, a pile of chop-sticks, a bundle of red papers, and a cat slumbering serenely among the miscellaneous collection.

papers

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

From this reading He saw three tea chests, which he guessed were empty, a couple of Chinese bowls, a vase with strange hideous dragons painted or burnt on, an ivory-handled stick, a hat, a pile of chop-sticks, a bundle of red papers, and a cat slumbering serenely among the miscellaneous collection.

pile

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

From this reading He saw three tea chests, which he guessed were empty, a couple of Chinese bowls, a vase with strange hideous dragons painted or burnt on, an ivory-handled stick, a hat, a pile of chop-sticks, a bundle of red papers, and a cat slumbering serenely among the miscellaneous collection.

Probably

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

From this reading Probably this was the name of the man at the door; at any rate something prompted Bill to cross the road and look in at the shop window.

prompted

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

From this reading Probably this was the name of the man at the door; at any rate something prompted Bill to cross the road and look in at the shop window.

rate

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

From this reading Probably this was the name of the man at the door; at any rate something prompted Bill to cross the road and look in at the shop window.

red

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

From this reading He saw three tea chests, which he guessed were empty, a couple of Chinese bowls, a vase with strange hideous dragons painted or burnt on, an ivory-handled stick, a hat, a pile of chop-sticks, a bundle of red papers, and a cat slumbering serenely among the miscellaneous collection.

road

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

From this reading Probably this was the name of the man at the door; at any rate something prompted Bill to cross the road and look in at the shop window.

rogues

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

From this reading THE CHINAMAN'S SHOP Bill Bigs met a good many Chinamen, and had dealings with them, always finding them keen business fellows, moderately honest, though some were arrant rogues.

round

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

From this reading He went out of the coffee house to look round, and saw the fat Chinaman still standing in his doorway like a statue, as though he had not moved since they saw him before entering the house.

saw

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

From this reading He went out of the coffee house to look round, and saw the fat Chinaman still standing in his doorway like a statue, as though he had not moved since they saw him before entering the house.

serenely

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

From this reading He saw three tea chests, which he guessed were empty, a couple of Chinese bowls, a vase with strange hideous dragons painted or burnt on, an ivory-handled stick, a hat, a pile of chop-sticks, a bundle of red papers, and a cat slumbering serenely among the miscellaneous collection.

SHOP

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

From this reading THE CHINAMAN'S SHOP Bill Bigs met a good many Chinamen, and had dealings with them, always finding them keen business fellows, moderately honest, though some were arrant rogues.

sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading He went out of the coffee house to look round, and saw the fat Chinaman still standing in his doorway like a statue, as though he had not moved since they saw him before entering the house.

slumbering

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

From this reading He saw three tea chests, which he guessed were empty, a couple of Chinese bowls, a vase with strange hideous dragons painted or burnt on, an ivory-handled stick, a hat, a pile of chop-sticks, a bundle of red papers, and a cat slumbering serenely among the miscellaneous collection.

some

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

From this reading THE CHINAMAN'S SHOP Bill Bigs met a good many Chinamen, and had dealings with them, always finding them keen business fellows, moderately honest, though some were arrant rogues.

somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading Probably this was the name of the man at the door; at any rate something prompted Bill to cross the road and look in at the shop window.

Soo

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

From this reading The name on the shop was Lin Soo.

standingnounUS /ˈstanding/

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

From this reading He went out of the coffee house to look round, and saw the fat Chinaman still standing in his doorway like a statue, as though he had not moved since they saw him before entering the house.

statue

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

From this reading He went out of the coffee house to look round, and saw the fat Chinaman still standing in his doorway like a statue, as though he had not moved since they saw him before entering the house.

stick

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

From this reading He saw three tea chests, which he guessed were empty, a couple of Chinese bowls, a vase with strange hideous dragons painted or burnt on, an ivory-handled stick, a hat, a pile of chop-sticks, a bundle of red papers, and a cat slumbering serenely among the miscellaneous collection.

stillnounUS /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He went out of the coffee house to look round, and saw the fat Chinaman still standing in his doorway like a statue, as though he had not moved since they saw him before entering the house.

strange

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

From this reading He saw three tea chests, which he guessed were empty, a couple of Chinese bowls, a vase with strange hideous dragons painted or burnt on, an ivory-handled stick, a hat, a pile of chop-sticks, a bundle of red papers, and a cat slumbering serenely among the miscellaneous collection.

tea

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

From this reading He saw three tea chests, which he guessed were empty, a couple of Chinese bowls, a vase with strange hideous dragons painted or burnt on, an ivory-handled stick, a hat, a pile of chop-sticks, a bundle of red papers, and a cat slumbering serenely among the miscellaneous collection.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE CHINAMAN'S SHOP Bill Bigs met a good many Chinamen, and had dealings with them, always finding them keen business fellows, moderately honest, though some were arrant rogues.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading THE CHINAMAN'S SHOP Bill Bigs met a good many Chinamen, and had dealings with them, always finding them keen business fellows, moderately honest, though some were arrant rogues.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading He went out of the coffee house to look round, and saw the fat Chinaman still standing in his doorway like a statue, as though he had not moved since they saw him before entering the house.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading Probably this was the name of the man at the door; at any rate something prompted Bill to cross the road and look in at the shop window.

thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading THE CHINAMAN'S SHOP Bill Bigs met a good many Chinamen, and had dealings with them, always finding them keen business fellows, moderately honest, though some were arrant rogues.

three

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

From this reading He saw three tea chests, which he guessed were empty, a couple of Chinese bowls, a vase with strange hideous dragons painted or burnt on, an ivory-handled stick, a hat, a pile of chop-sticks, a bundle of red papers, and a cat slumbering serenely among the miscellaneous collection.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading He went out of the coffee house to look round, and saw the fat Chinaman still standing in his doorway like a statue, as though he had not moved since they saw him before entering the house.

vase

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

From this reading He saw three tea chests, which he guessed were empty, a couple of Chinese bowls, a vase with strange hideous dragons painted or burnt on, an ivory-handled stick, a hat, a pile of chop-sticks, a bundle of red papers, and a cat slumbering serenely among the miscellaneous collection.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The name on the shop was Lin Soo.

wentnounUS /went/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He went out of the coffee house to look round, and saw the fat Chinaman still standing in his doorway like a statue, as though he had not moved since they saw him before entering the house.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading THE CHINAMAN'S SHOP Bill Bigs met a good many Chinamen, and had dealings with them, always finding them keen business fellows, moderately honest, though some were arrant rogues.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading He saw three tea chests, which he guessed were empty, a couple of Chinese bowls, a vase with strange hideous dragons painted or burnt on, an ivory-handled stick, a hat, a pile of chop-sticks, a bundle of red papers, and a cat slumbering serenely among the miscellaneous collection.

window

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

From this reading Probably this was the name of the man at the door; at any rate something prompted Bill to cross the road and look in at the shop window.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading THE CHINAMAN'S SHOP Bill Bigs met a good many Chinamen, and had dealings with them, always finding them keen business fellows, moderately honest, though some were arrant rogues.