Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Three Weeks
Three Weeks

Chapter XXII

Cover illustration for Three Weeks
Context Illustration Reading 1/20 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
They did not go north, as Sir Charles intended, an unaccountable reluctance on Paul's part to return through Switzerland changed their plans.
Instead, by a fortunate chance, the large schooner yacht of a rather eccentric old friend came in to Venice, and the father eagerly accepted the invitation to go on board and bring his invalid.
The owner, one Captain Grigsby, had been quite alone, so the three men would be in peace, and nothing could be better for Paul than this warm sea air.
"Typhoid fever?"
Mark Grigsby had asked.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Three Weeks

Chapter XXII

Reading 1/20 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
They did not go north, as Sir Charles intended, an unaccountable reluctance on Paul's part to return through Switzerland changed their plans.
Line 2
Instead, by a fortunate chance, the large schooner yacht of a rather eccentric old friend came in to Venice, and the father eagerly accepted the invitation to go on board and bring his invalid.
Line 3
The owner, one Captain Grigsby, had been quite alone, so the three men would be in peace, and nothing could be better for Paul than this warm sea air.
Line 4
"Typhoid fever?"
Line 5
Mark Grigsby had asked.

Learner Dictionary

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

Alone noun US /alone/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The owner, one Captain Grigsby, had been quite alone, so the three men would be in peace, and nothing could be better for Paul than this warm sea air.”

Asked noun US /asked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Mark Grigsby had asked.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “The owner, one Captain Grigsby, had been quite alone, so the three men would be in peace, and nothing could be better for Paul than this warm sea air.”

Captain noun US /ˈcaptain/

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

From this reading “The owner, one Captain Grigsby, had been quite alone, so the three men would be in peace, and nothing could be better for Paul than this warm sea air.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

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

From this reading “The owner, one Captain Grigsby, had been quite alone, so the three men would be in peace, and nothing could be better for Paul than this warm sea air.”

Nothing pronoun US /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading “The owner, one Captain Grigsby, had been quite alone, so the three men would be in peace, and nothing could be better for Paul than this warm sea air.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “The owner, one Captain Grigsby, had been quite alone, so the three men would be in peace, and nothing could be better for Paul than this warm sea air.”

Part noun US /part/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “They did not go north, as Sir Charles intended, an unaccountable reluctance on Paul's part to return through Switzerland changed their plans.”

Quite noun US /quite/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The owner, one Captain Grigsby, had been quite alone, so the three men would be in peace, and nothing could be better for Paul than this warm sea air.”

Schooner noun US /ˈskuːnər/

a sailing ship with two or more masts

From this reading “Instead, by a fortunate chance, the large schooner yacht of a rather eccentric old friend came in to Venice, and the father eagerly accepted the invitation to go on board and bring his invalid.”

Through noun US /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading “They did not go north, as Sir Charles intended, an unaccountable reluctance on Paul's part to return through Switzerland changed their plans.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading “The owner, one Captain Grigsby, had been quite alone, so the three men would be in peace, and nothing could be better for Paul than this warm sea air.”

All words in this reading · 76

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 Instead, by a fortunate chance, the large schooner yacht of a rather eccentric old friend came in to Venice, and the father eagerly accepted the invitation to go on board and bring his invalid.

accepted

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

From this reading Instead, by a fortunate chance, the large schooner yacht of a rather eccentric old friend came in to Venice, and the father eagerly accepted the invitation to go on board and bring his invalid.

air

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

From this reading The owner, one Captain Grigsby, had been quite alone, so the three men would be in peace, and nothing could be better for Paul than this warm sea air.

alonenounUS /alone/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The owner, one Captain Grigsby, had been quite alone, so the three men would be in peace, and nothing could be better for Paul than this warm sea air.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading They did not go north, as Sir Charles intended, an unaccountable reluctance on Paul's part to return through Switzerland changed their plans.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Instead, by a fortunate chance, the large schooner yacht of a rather eccentric old friend came in to Venice, and the father eagerly accepted the invitation to go on board and bring his invalid.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading They did not go north, as Sir Charles intended, an unaccountable reluctance on Paul's part to return through Switzerland changed their plans.

askednounUS /asked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Mark Grigsby had asked.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading The owner, one Captain Grigsby, had been quite alone, so the three men would be in peace, and nothing could be better for Paul than this warm sea air.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading The owner, one Captain Grigsby, had been quite alone, so the three men would be in peace, and nothing could be better for Paul than this warm sea air.

better

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

From this reading The owner, one Captain Grigsby, had been quite alone, so the three men would be in peace, and nothing could be better for Paul than this warm sea air.

board

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

From this reading Instead, by a fortunate chance, the large schooner yacht of a rather eccentric old friend came in to Venice, and the father eagerly accepted the invitation to go on board and bring his invalid.

bring

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

From this reading Instead, by a fortunate chance, the large schooner yacht of a rather eccentric old friend came in to Venice, and the father eagerly accepted the invitation to go on board and bring his invalid.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Instead, by a fortunate chance, the large schooner yacht of a rather eccentric old friend came in to Venice, and the father eagerly accepted the invitation to go on board and bring his invalid.

came

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

From this reading Instead, by a fortunate chance, the large schooner yacht of a rather eccentric old friend came in to Venice, and the father eagerly accepted the invitation to go on board and bring his invalid.

CaptainnounUS /ˈcaptain/

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

From this reading The owner, one Captain Grigsby, had been quite alone, so the three men would be in peace, and nothing could be better for Paul than this warm sea air.

chance

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

From this reading Instead, by a fortunate chance, the large schooner yacht of a rather eccentric old friend came in to Venice, and the father eagerly accepted the invitation to go on board and bring his invalid.

changed

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

From this reading They did not go north, as Sir Charles intended, an unaccountable reluctance on Paul's part to return through Switzerland changed their plans.

Charles

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

From this reading They did not go north, as Sir Charles intended, an unaccountable reluctance on Paul's part to return through Switzerland changed their plans.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading The owner, one Captain Grigsby, had been quite alone, so the three men would be in peace, and nothing could be better for Paul than this warm sea air.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading They did not go north, as Sir Charles intended, an unaccountable reluctance on Paul's part to return through Switzerland changed their plans.

eagerly

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

From this reading Instead, by a fortunate chance, the large schooner yacht of a rather eccentric old friend came in to Venice, and the father eagerly accepted the invitation to go on board and bring his invalid.

eccentric

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

From this reading Instead, by a fortunate chance, the large schooner yacht of a rather eccentric old friend came in to Venice, and the father eagerly accepted the invitation to go on board and bring his invalid.

father

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

From this reading Instead, by a fortunate chance, the large schooner yacht of a rather eccentric old friend came in to Venice, and the father eagerly accepted the invitation to go on board and bring his invalid.

fever

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

From this reading "Typhoid fever?"

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading The owner, one Captain Grigsby, had been quite alone, so the three men would be in peace, and nothing could be better for Paul than this warm sea air.

fortunate

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

From this reading Instead, by a fortunate chance, the large schooner yacht of a rather eccentric old friend came in to Venice, and the father eagerly accepted the invitation to go on board and bring his invalid.

friend

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

From this reading Instead, by a fortunate chance, the large schooner yacht of a rather eccentric old friend came in to Venice, and the father eagerly accepted the invitation to go on board and bring his invalid.

go

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

From this reading They did not go north, as Sir Charles intended, an unaccountable reluctance on Paul's part to return through Switzerland changed their plans.

Grigsby

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

From this reading The owner, one Captain Grigsby, had been quite alone, so the three men would be in peace, and nothing could be better for Paul than this warm sea air.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The owner, one Captain Grigsby, had been quite alone, so the three men would be in peace, and nothing could be better for Paul than this warm sea air.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Instead, by a fortunate chance, the large schooner yacht of a rather eccentric old friend came in to Venice, and the father eagerly accepted the invitation to go on board and bring his invalid.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Instead, by a fortunate chance, the large schooner yacht of a rather eccentric old friend came in to Venice, and the father eagerly accepted the invitation to go on board and bring his invalid.

Instead

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

From this reading Instead, by a fortunate chance, the large schooner yacht of a rather eccentric old friend came in to Venice, and the father eagerly accepted the invitation to go on board and bring his invalid.

intended

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

From this reading They did not go north, as Sir Charles intended, an unaccountable reluctance on Paul's part to return through Switzerland changed their plans.

invalid

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

From this reading Instead, by a fortunate chance, the large schooner yacht of a rather eccentric old friend came in to Venice, and the father eagerly accepted the invitation to go on board and bring his invalid.

invitation

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

From this reading Instead, by a fortunate chance, the large schooner yacht of a rather eccentric old friend came in to Venice, and the father eagerly accepted the invitation to go on board and bring his invalid.

large

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

From this reading Instead, by a fortunate chance, the large schooner yacht of a rather eccentric old friend came in to Venice, and the father eagerly accepted the invitation to go on board and bring his invalid.

Mark

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

From this reading Mark Grigsby had asked.

men

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

From this reading The owner, one Captain Grigsby, had been quite alone, so the three men would be in peace, and nothing could be better for Paul than this warm sea air.

north

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

From this reading They did not go north, as Sir Charles intended, an unaccountable reluctance on Paul's part to return through Switzerland changed their plans.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading They did not go north, as Sir Charles intended, an unaccountable reluctance on Paul's part to return through Switzerland changed their plans.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading The owner, one Captain Grigsby, had been quite alone, so the three men would be in peace, and nothing could be better for Paul than this warm sea air.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Instead, by a fortunate chance, the large schooner yacht of a rather eccentric old friend came in to Venice, and the father eagerly accepted the invitation to go on board and bring his invalid.

old

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

From this reading Instead, by a fortunate chance, the large schooner yacht of a rather eccentric old friend came in to Venice, and the father eagerly accepted the invitation to go on board and bring his invalid.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading They did not go north, as Sir Charles intended, an unaccountable reluctance on Paul's part to return through Switzerland changed their plans.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading The owner, one Captain Grigsby, had been quite alone, so the three men would be in peace, and nothing could be better for Paul than this warm sea air.

owner

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

From this reading The owner, one Captain Grigsby, had been quite alone, so the three men would be in peace, and nothing could be better for Paul than this warm sea air.

partnounUS /part/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading They did not go north, as Sir Charles intended, an unaccountable reluctance on Paul's part to return through Switzerland changed their plans.

Paul

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

From this reading The owner, one Captain Grigsby, had been quite alone, so the three men would be in peace, and nothing could be better for Paul than this warm sea air.

Paul's

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

From this reading They did not go north, as Sir Charles intended, an unaccountable reluctance on Paul's part to return through Switzerland changed their plans.

peace

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

From this reading The owner, one Captain Grigsby, had been quite alone, so the three men would be in peace, and nothing could be better for Paul than this warm sea air.

plans

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

From this reading They did not go north, as Sir Charles intended, an unaccountable reluctance on Paul's part to return through Switzerland changed their plans.

quitenounUS /quite/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The owner, one Captain Grigsby, had been quite alone, so the three men would be in peace, and nothing could be better for Paul than this warm sea air.

rather

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

From this reading Instead, by a fortunate chance, the large schooner yacht of a rather eccentric old friend came in to Venice, and the father eagerly accepted the invitation to go on board and bring his invalid.

reluctance

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

From this reading They did not go north, as Sir Charles intended, an unaccountable reluctance on Paul's part to return through Switzerland changed their plans.

return

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

From this reading They did not go north, as Sir Charles intended, an unaccountable reluctance on Paul's part to return through Switzerland changed their plans.

schoonernounUS /ˈskuːnər/

a sailing ship with two or more masts

From this reading Instead, by a fortunate chance, the large schooner yacht of a rather eccentric old friend came in to Venice, and the father eagerly accepted the invitation to go on board and bring his invalid.

sea

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

From this reading The owner, one Captain Grigsby, had been quite alone, so the three men would be in peace, and nothing could be better for Paul than this warm sea air.

Sir

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

From this reading They did not go north, as Sir Charles intended, an unaccountable reluctance on Paul's part to return through Switzerland changed their plans.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading The owner, one Captain Grigsby, had been quite alone, so the three men would be in peace, and nothing could be better for Paul than this warm sea air.

Switzerland

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

From this reading They did not go north, as Sir Charles intended, an unaccountable reluctance on Paul's part to return through Switzerland changed their plans.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading The owner, one Captain Grigsby, had been quite alone, so the three men would be in peace, and nothing could be better for Paul than this warm sea air.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Instead, by a fortunate chance, the large schooner yacht of a rather eccentric old friend came in to Venice, and the father eagerly accepted the invitation to go on board and bring his invalid.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading They did not go north, as Sir Charles intended, an unaccountable reluctance on Paul's part to return through Switzerland changed their plans.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading They did not go north, as Sir Charles intended, an unaccountable reluctance on Paul's part to return through Switzerland changed their plans.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading The owner, one Captain Grigsby, had been quite alone, so the three men would be in peace, and nothing could be better for Paul than this warm sea air.

three

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

From this reading The owner, one Captain Grigsby, had been quite alone, so the three men would be in peace, and nothing could be better for Paul than this warm sea air.

throughnounUS /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading They did not go north, as Sir Charles intended, an unaccountable reluctance on Paul's part to return through Switzerland changed their plans.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading They did not go north, as Sir Charles intended, an unaccountable reluctance on Paul's part to return through Switzerland changed their plans.

Typhoid

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

From this reading "Typhoid fever?"

unaccountable

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

From this reading They did not go north, as Sir Charles intended, an unaccountable reluctance on Paul's part to return through Switzerland changed their plans.

Venice

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

From this reading Instead, by a fortunate chance, the large schooner yacht of a rather eccentric old friend came in to Venice, and the father eagerly accepted the invitation to go on board and bring his invalid.

warm

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

From this reading The owner, one Captain Grigsby, had been quite alone, so the three men would be in peace, and nothing could be better for Paul than this warm sea air.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading The owner, one Captain Grigsby, had been quite alone, so the three men would be in peace, and nothing could be better for Paul than this warm sea air.

yacht

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

From this reading Instead, by a fortunate chance, the large schooner yacht of a rather eccentric old friend came in to Venice, and the father eagerly accepted the invitation to go on board and bring his invalid.