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The Three Clerks
The Three Clerks

Chapter XXIV

Cover illustration for The Three Clerks
Context Illustration Reading 1/96 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
OUTERMAN _v_ TUDOR Charley sat at his office on the Saturday afternoon, very meditative and unlike himself.
What was he to do when his office hours were over?
In the first place he had not a shilling in the world to get his dinner.
His habit was to breakfast at home at his lodgings with Harry, and then to dine, as best he might, at some tavern, if he had not the good fortune to be dining out.
He had a little dinner bill at a house which he frequented in the Strand; but the bill he knew had reached its culminating point.
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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 Three Clerks

Chapter XXIV

Reading 1/96 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
OUTERMAN _v_ TUDOR Charley sat at his office on the Saturday afternoon, very meditative and unlike himself.
Line 2
What was he to do when his office hours were over?
Line 3
In the first place he had not a shilling in the world to get his dinner.
Line 4
His habit was to breakfast at home at his lodgings with Harry, and then to dine, as best he might, at some tavern, if he had not the good fortune to be dining out.
Line 5
He had a little dinner bill at a house which he frequented in the Strand; but the bill he knew had reached its culminating point.

Learner Dictionary

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

Afternoon noun US /ˈafternoon/

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

From this reading “OUTERMAN _v_ TUDOR Charley sat at his office on the Saturday afternoon, very meditative and unlike himself.”

First noun US /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “In the first place he had not a shilling in the world to get his dinner.”

Fortune noun US /ˈfortune/

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

From this reading “His habit was to breakfast at home at his lodgings with Harry, and then to dine, as best he might, at some tavern, if he had not the good fortune to be dining out.”

Good noun US /good/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “His habit was to breakfast at home at his lodgings with Harry, and then to dine, as best he might, at some tavern, if he had not the good fortune to be dining out.”

Himself pronoun US /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading “OUTERMAN _v_ TUDOR Charley sat at his office on the Saturday afternoon, very meditative and unlike himself.”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He had a little dinner bill at a house which he frequented in the Strand; but the bill he knew had reached its culminating point.”

Might modal verb US /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading “His habit was to breakfast at home at his lodgings with Harry, and then to dine, as best he might, at some tavern, if he had not the good fortune to be dining out.”

Over preposition US /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading “What was he to do when his office hours were over?”

Point noun US /pɔɪnt/

the main matter or purpose being discussed

From this reading “He had a little dinner bill at a house which he frequented in the Strand; but the bill he knew had reached its culminating point.”

All words in this reading · 67

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 In the first place he had not a shilling in the world to get his dinner.

afternoonnounUS /ˈafternoon/

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

From this reading OUTERMAN _v_ TUDOR Charley sat at his office on the Saturday afternoon, very meditative and unlike himself.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading OUTERMAN _v_ TUDOR Charley sat at his office on the Saturday afternoon, very meditative and unlike himself.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading His habit was to breakfast at home at his lodgings with Harry, and then to dine, as best he might, at some tavern, if he had not the good fortune to be dining out.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading OUTERMAN _v_ TUDOR Charley sat at his office on the Saturday afternoon, very meditative and unlike himself.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading His habit was to breakfast at home at his lodgings with Harry, and then to dine, as best he might, at some tavern, if he had not the good fortune to be dining out.

best

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

From this reading His habit was to breakfast at home at his lodgings with Harry, and then to dine, as best he might, at some tavern, if he had not the good fortune to be dining out.

bill

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

From this reading He had a little dinner bill at a house which he frequented in the Strand; but the bill he knew had reached its culminating point.

breakfast

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

From this reading His habit was to breakfast at home at his lodgings with Harry, and then to dine, as best he might, at some tavern, if he had not the good fortune to be dining out.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading He had a little dinner bill at a house which he frequented in the Strand; but the bill he knew had reached its culminating point.

Charley

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

From this reading OUTERMAN _v_ TUDOR Charley sat at his office on the Saturday afternoon, very meditative and unlike himself.

culminating

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

From this reading He had a little dinner bill at a house which he frequented in the Strand; but the bill he knew had reached its culminating point.

dine

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

From this reading His habit was to breakfast at home at his lodgings with Harry, and then to dine, as best he might, at some tavern, if he had not the good fortune to be dining out.

dining

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

From this reading His habit was to breakfast at home at his lodgings with Harry, and then to dine, as best he might, at some tavern, if he had not the good fortune to be dining out.

dinner

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

From this reading In the first place he had not a shilling in the world to get his dinner.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading What was he to do when his office hours were over?

firstnounUS /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading In the first place he had not a shilling in the world to get his dinner.

fortunenounUS /ˈfortune/

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

From this reading His habit was to breakfast at home at his lodgings with Harry, and then to dine, as best he might, at some tavern, if he had not the good fortune to be dining out.

frequented

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

From this reading He had a little dinner bill at a house which he frequented in the Strand; but the bill he knew had reached its culminating point.

get

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

From this reading In the first place he had not a shilling in the world to get his dinner.

goodnounUS /good/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading His habit was to breakfast at home at his lodgings with Harry, and then to dine, as best he might, at some tavern, if he had not the good fortune to be dining out.

habit

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

From this reading His habit was to breakfast at home at his lodgings with Harry, and then to dine, as best he might, at some tavern, if he had not the good fortune to be dining out.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading In the first place he had not a shilling in the world to get his dinner.

Harry

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

From this reading His habit was to breakfast at home at his lodgings with Harry, and then to dine, as best he might, at some tavern, if he had not the good fortune to be dining out.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading What was he to do when his office hours were over?

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading OUTERMAN _v_ TUDOR Charley sat at his office on the Saturday afternoon, very meditative and unlike himself.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading OUTERMAN _v_ TUDOR Charley sat at his office on the Saturday afternoon, very meditative and unlike himself.

home

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

From this reading His habit was to breakfast at home at his lodgings with Harry, and then to dine, as best he might, at some tavern, if he had not the good fortune to be dining out.

hours

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

From this reading What was he to do when his office hours were over?

house

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

From this reading He had a little dinner bill at a house which he frequented in the Strand; but the bill he knew had reached its culminating point.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading His habit was to breakfast at home at his lodgings with Harry, and then to dine, as best he might, at some tavern, if he had not the good fortune to be dining out.

InprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading In the first place he had not a shilling in the world to get his dinner.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading He had a little dinner bill at a house which he frequented in the Strand; but the bill he knew had reached its culminating point.

knew

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

From this reading He had a little dinner bill at a house which he frequented in the Strand; but the bill he knew had reached its culminating point.

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He had a little dinner bill at a house which he frequented in the Strand; but the bill he knew had reached its culminating point.

lodgings

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

From this reading His habit was to breakfast at home at his lodgings with Harry, and then to dine, as best he might, at some tavern, if he had not the good fortune to be dining out.

meditative

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

From this reading OUTERMAN _v_ TUDOR Charley sat at his office on the Saturday afternoon, very meditative and unlike himself.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading His habit was to breakfast at home at his lodgings with Harry, and then to dine, as best he might, at some tavern, if he had not the good fortune to be dining out.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading In the first place he had not a shilling in the world to get his dinner.

office

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

From this reading OUTERMAN _v_ TUDOR Charley sat at his office on the Saturday afternoon, very meditative and unlike himself.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading OUTERMAN _v_ TUDOR Charley sat at his office on the Saturday afternoon, very meditative and unlike himself.

out

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

From this reading His habit was to breakfast at home at his lodgings with Harry, and then to dine, as best he might, at some tavern, if he had not the good fortune to be dining out.

OUTERMAN

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

From this reading OUTERMAN _v_ TUDOR Charley sat at his office on the Saturday afternoon, very meditative and unlike himself.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading What was he to do when his office hours were over?

place

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

From this reading In the first place he had not a shilling in the world to get his dinner.

pointnounUS /pɔɪnt/

the main matter or purpose being discussed

From this reading He had a little dinner bill at a house which he frequented in the Strand; but the bill he knew had reached its culminating point.

reached

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

From this reading He had a little dinner bill at a house which he frequented in the Strand; but the bill he knew had reached its culminating point.

sat

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

From this reading OUTERMAN _v_ TUDOR Charley sat at his office on the Saturday afternoon, very meditative and unlike himself.

Saturday

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

From this reading OUTERMAN _v_ TUDOR Charley sat at his office on the Saturday afternoon, very meditative and unlike himself.

shilling

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

From this reading In the first place he had not a shilling in the world to get his dinner.

some

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

From this reading His habit was to breakfast at home at his lodgings with Harry, and then to dine, as best he might, at some tavern, if he had not the good fortune to be dining out.

Strand

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

From this reading He had a little dinner bill at a house which he frequented in the Strand; but the bill he knew had reached its culminating point.

tavern

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

From this reading His habit was to breakfast at home at his lodgings with Harry, and then to dine, as best he might, at some tavern, if he had not the good fortune to be dining out.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading OUTERMAN _v_ TUDOR Charley sat at his office on the Saturday afternoon, very meditative and unlike himself.

then

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

From this reading His habit was to breakfast at home at his lodgings with Harry, and then to dine, as best he might, at some tavern, if he had not the good fortune to be dining out.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading What was he to do when his office hours were over?

TUDOR

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

From this reading OUTERMAN _v_ TUDOR Charley sat at his office on the Saturday afternoon, very meditative and unlike himself.

unlike

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

From this reading OUTERMAN _v_ TUDOR Charley sat at his office on the Saturday afternoon, very meditative and unlike himself.

v

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

From this reading OUTERMAN _v_ TUDOR Charley sat at his office on the Saturday afternoon, very meditative and unlike himself.

very

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

From this reading OUTERMAN _v_ TUDOR Charley sat at his office on the Saturday afternoon, very meditative and unlike himself.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading What was he to do when his office hours were over?

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading What was he to do when his office hours were over?

WhatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading What was he to do when his office hours were over?

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading What was he to do when his office hours were over?

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading He had a little dinner bill at a house which he frequented in the Strand; but the bill he knew had reached its culminating point.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading His habit was to breakfast at home at his lodgings with Harry, and then to dine, as best he might, at some tavern, if he had not the good fortune to be dining out.

world

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

From this reading In the first place he had not a shilling in the world to get his dinner.