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What The Left Hand Was Doing
What The Left Hand Was Doing

Chapter I

Cover illustration for What The Left Hand Was Doing
Context Illustration Reading 1/139 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
_There is no lie so totally convincing as something the other fellow already knows-for-sure is the truth.
And no cover-story so convincing...._ The building itself was unprepossessive enough.
It was an old-fashioned, six-floor, brick structure that had, over the years, served first as a private home, then as an apartment building, and finally as the headquarters for the organization it presently housed.
It stood among others of its kind in a lower-middle-class district of Arlington, Virginia, within howitzer range of the capitol of the United States, and even closer to the Pentagon.
The main door was five steps up from the sidewalk, and the steps were flanked by curving balustrades of ornamental ironwork.
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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.

What The Left Hand Was Doing

Chapter I

Reading 1/139 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
_There is no lie so totally convincing as something the other fellow already knows-for-sure is the truth.
Line 2
And no cover-story so convincing...._ The building itself was unprepossessive enough.
Line 3
It was an old-fashioned, six-floor, brick structure that had, over the years, served first as a private home, then as an apartment building, and finally as the headquarters for the organization it presently housed.
Line 4
It stood among others of its kind in a lower-middle-class district of Arlington, Virginia, within howitzer range of the capitol of the United States, and even closer to the Pentagon.
Line 5
The main door was five steps up from the sidewalk, and the steps were flanked by curving balustrades of ornamental ironwork.

Learner Dictionary

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

Already noun US /already/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “_There is no lie so totally convincing as something the other fellow already knows-for-sure is the truth.”

Among preposition US /əˈmʌŋ/

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading “It stood among others of its kind in a lower-middle-class district of Arlington, Virginia, within howitzer range of the capitol of the United States, and even closer to the Pentagon.”

Even noun US /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It stood among others of its kind in a lower-middle-class district of Arlington, Virginia, within howitzer range of the capitol of the United States, and even closer to the Pentagon.”

First noun US /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It was an old-fashioned, six-floor, brick structure that had, over the years, served first as a private home, then as an apartment building, and finally as the headquarters for the organization it presently housed.”

Itself pronoun US /ˌɪtˈself/

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading “And no cover-story so convincing...._ The building itself was unprepossessive enough.”

Over preposition US /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading “It was an old-fashioned, six-floor, brick structure that had, over the years, served first as a private home, then as an apartment building, and finally as the headquarters for the organization it presently housed.”

Something pronoun US /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading “_There is no lie so totally convincing as something the other fellow already knows-for-sure is the truth.”

Stood noun US /stood/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It stood among others of its kind in a lower-middle-class district of Arlington, Virginia, within howitzer range of the capitol of the United States, and even closer to the Pentagon.”

Within preposition US /wɪˈðɪn/

inside; before a period of time has passed

From this reading “It stood among others of its kind in a lower-middle-class district of Arlington, Virginia, within howitzer range of the capitol of the United States, and even closer to the Pentagon.”

All words in this reading · 80

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 It was an old-fashioned, six-floor, brick structure that had, over the years, served first as a private home, then as an apartment building, and finally as the headquarters for the organization it presently housed.

alreadynounUS /already/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading _There is no lie so totally convincing as something the other fellow already knows-for-sure is the truth.

amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading It stood among others of its kind in a lower-middle-class district of Arlington, Virginia, within howitzer range of the capitol of the United States, and even closer to the Pentagon.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading It was an old-fashioned, six-floor, brick structure that had, over the years, served first as a private home, then as an apartment building, and finally as the headquarters for the organization it presently housed.

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading And no cover-story so convincing...._ The building itself was unprepossessive enough.

apartment

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

From this reading It was an old-fashioned, six-floor, brick structure that had, over the years, served first as a private home, then as an apartment building, and finally as the headquarters for the organization it presently housed.

Arlington

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

From this reading It stood among others of its kind in a lower-middle-class district of Arlington, Virginia, within howitzer range of the capitol of the United States, and even closer to the Pentagon.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading _There is no lie so totally convincing as something the other fellow already knows-for-sure is the truth.

balustrades

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

From this reading The main door was five steps up from the sidewalk, and the steps were flanked by curving balustrades of ornamental ironwork.

brick

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

From this reading It was an old-fashioned, six-floor, brick structure that had, over the years, served first as a private home, then as an apartment building, and finally as the headquarters for the organization it presently housed.

building

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

From this reading And no cover-story so convincing...._ The building itself was unprepossessive enough.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading The main door was five steps up from the sidewalk, and the steps were flanked by curving balustrades of ornamental ironwork.

capitol

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

From this reading It stood among others of its kind in a lower-middle-class district of Arlington, Virginia, within howitzer range of the capitol of the United States, and even closer to the Pentagon.

closer

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

From this reading It stood among others of its kind in a lower-middle-class district of Arlington, Virginia, within howitzer range of the capitol of the United States, and even closer to the Pentagon.

convincing

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

From this reading _There is no lie so totally convincing as something the other fellow already knows-for-sure is the truth.

cover-story

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

From this reading And no cover-story so convincing...._ The building itself was unprepossessive enough.

curving

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

From this reading The main door was five steps up from the sidewalk, and the steps were flanked by curving balustrades of ornamental ironwork.

district

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

From this reading It stood among others of its kind in a lower-middle-class district of Arlington, Virginia, within howitzer range of the capitol of the United States, and even closer to the Pentagon.

door

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

From this reading The main door was five steps up from the sidewalk, and the steps were flanked by curving balustrades of ornamental ironwork.

enough

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

From this reading And no cover-story so convincing...._ The building itself was unprepossessive enough.

evennounUS /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It stood among others of its kind in a lower-middle-class district of Arlington, Virginia, within howitzer range of the capitol of the United States, and even closer to the Pentagon.

fellow

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

From this reading _There is no lie so totally convincing as something the other fellow already knows-for-sure is the truth.

finally

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

From this reading It was an old-fashioned, six-floor, brick structure that had, over the years, served first as a private home, then as an apartment building, and finally as the headquarters for the organization it presently housed.

firstnounUS /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It was an old-fashioned, six-floor, brick structure that had, over the years, served first as a private home, then as an apartment building, and finally as the headquarters for the organization it presently housed.

five

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

From this reading The main door was five steps up from the sidewalk, and the steps were flanked by curving balustrades of ornamental ironwork.

flanked

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

From this reading The main door was five steps up from the sidewalk, and the steps were flanked by curving balustrades of ornamental ironwork.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading It was an old-fashioned, six-floor, brick structure that had, over the years, served first as a private home, then as an apartment building, and finally as the headquarters for the organization it presently housed.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The main door was five steps up from the sidewalk, and the steps were flanked by curving balustrades of ornamental ironwork.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading It was an old-fashioned, six-floor, brick structure that had, over the years, served first as a private home, then as an apartment building, and finally as the headquarters for the organization it presently housed.

headquarters

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

From this reading It was an old-fashioned, six-floor, brick structure that had, over the years, served first as a private home, then as an apartment building, and finally as the headquarters for the organization it presently housed.

home

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

From this reading It was an old-fashioned, six-floor, brick structure that had, over the years, served first as a private home, then as an apartment building, and finally as the headquarters for the organization it presently housed.

housed

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

From this reading It was an old-fashioned, six-floor, brick structure that had, over the years, served first as a private home, then as an apartment building, and finally as the headquarters for the organization it presently housed.

howitzer

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

From this reading It stood among others of its kind in a lower-middle-class district of Arlington, Virginia, within howitzer range of the capitol of the United States, and even closer to the Pentagon.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading It stood among others of its kind in a lower-middle-class district of Arlington, Virginia, within howitzer range of the capitol of the United States, and even closer to the Pentagon.

ironwork

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

From this reading The main door was five steps up from the sidewalk, and the steps were flanked by curving balustrades of ornamental ironwork.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading _There is no lie so totally convincing as something the other fellow already knows-for-sure is the truth.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was an old-fashioned, six-floor, brick structure that had, over the years, served first as a private home, then as an apartment building, and finally as the headquarters for the organization it presently housed.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading It stood among others of its kind in a lower-middle-class district of Arlington, Virginia, within howitzer range of the capitol of the United States, and even closer to the Pentagon.

itselfpronounUS /ˌɪtˈself/

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading And no cover-story so convincing...._ The building itself was unprepossessive enough.

kind

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

From this reading It stood among others of its kind in a lower-middle-class district of Arlington, Virginia, within howitzer range of the capitol of the United States, and even closer to the Pentagon.

knows-for-sure

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

From this reading _There is no lie so totally convincing as something the other fellow already knows-for-sure is the truth.

lie

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

From this reading _There is no lie so totally convincing as something the other fellow already knows-for-sure is the truth.

lower-middle-class

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

From this reading It stood among others of its kind in a lower-middle-class district of Arlington, Virginia, within howitzer range of the capitol of the United States, and even closer to the Pentagon.

main

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

From this reading The main door was five steps up from the sidewalk, and the steps were flanked by curving balustrades of ornamental ironwork.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading _There is no lie so totally convincing as something the other fellow already knows-for-sure is the truth.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading It stood among others of its kind in a lower-middle-class district of Arlington, Virginia, within howitzer range of the capitol of the United States, and even closer to the Pentagon.

old-fashioned

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

From this reading It was an old-fashioned, six-floor, brick structure that had, over the years, served first as a private home, then as an apartment building, and finally as the headquarters for the organization it presently housed.

organization

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

From this reading It was an old-fashioned, six-floor, brick structure that had, over the years, served first as a private home, then as an apartment building, and finally as the headquarters for the organization it presently housed.

ornamental

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

From this reading The main door was five steps up from the sidewalk, and the steps were flanked by curving balustrades of ornamental ironwork.

other

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

From this reading _There is no lie so totally convincing as something the other fellow already knows-for-sure is the truth.

others

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

From this reading It stood among others of its kind in a lower-middle-class district of Arlington, Virginia, within howitzer range of the capitol of the United States, and even closer to the Pentagon.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading It was an old-fashioned, six-floor, brick structure that had, over the years, served first as a private home, then as an apartment building, and finally as the headquarters for the organization it presently housed.

Pentagon

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

From this reading It stood among others of its kind in a lower-middle-class district of Arlington, Virginia, within howitzer range of the capitol of the United States, and even closer to the Pentagon.

presently

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

From this reading It was an old-fashioned, six-floor, brick structure that had, over the years, served first as a private home, then as an apartment building, and finally as the headquarters for the organization it presently housed.

private

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

From this reading It was an old-fashioned, six-floor, brick structure that had, over the years, served first as a private home, then as an apartment building, and finally as the headquarters for the organization it presently housed.

range

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

From this reading It stood among others of its kind in a lower-middle-class district of Arlington, Virginia, within howitzer range of the capitol of the United States, and even closer to the Pentagon.

served

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

From this reading It was an old-fashioned, six-floor, brick structure that had, over the years, served first as a private home, then as an apartment building, and finally as the headquarters for the organization it presently housed.

sidewalk

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

From this reading The main door was five steps up from the sidewalk, and the steps were flanked by curving balustrades of ornamental ironwork.

six-floor

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

From this reading It was an old-fashioned, six-floor, brick structure that had, over the years, served first as a private home, then as an apartment building, and finally as the headquarters for the organization it presently housed.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading _There is no lie so totally convincing as something the other fellow already knows-for-sure is the truth.

somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading _There is no lie so totally convincing as something the other fellow already knows-for-sure is the truth.

States

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

From this reading It stood among others of its kind in a lower-middle-class district of Arlington, Virginia, within howitzer range of the capitol of the United States, and even closer to the Pentagon.

steps

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

From this reading The main door was five steps up from the sidewalk, and the steps were flanked by curving balustrades of ornamental ironwork.

stoodnounUS /stood/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It stood among others of its kind in a lower-middle-class district of Arlington, Virginia, within howitzer range of the capitol of the United States, and even closer to the Pentagon.

structure

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

From this reading It was an old-fashioned, six-floor, brick structure that had, over the years, served first as a private home, then as an apartment building, and finally as the headquarters for the organization it presently housed.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading It was an old-fashioned, six-floor, brick structure that had, over the years, served first as a private home, then as an apartment building, and finally as the headquarters for the organization it presently housed.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading _There is no lie so totally convincing as something the other fellow already knows-for-sure is the truth.

then

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

From this reading It was an old-fashioned, six-floor, brick structure that had, over the years, served first as a private home, then as an apartment building, and finally as the headquarters for the organization it presently housed.

There

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

From this reading _There is no lie so totally convincing as something the other fellow already knows-for-sure is the truth.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading It stood among others of its kind in a lower-middle-class district of Arlington, Virginia, within howitzer range of the capitol of the United States, and even closer to the Pentagon.

totally

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

From this reading _There is no lie so totally convincing as something the other fellow already knows-for-sure is the truth.

truth

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

From this reading _There is no lie so totally convincing as something the other fellow already knows-for-sure is the truth.

United

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

From this reading It stood among others of its kind in a lower-middle-class district of Arlington, Virginia, within howitzer range of the capitol of the United States, and even closer to the Pentagon.

unprepossessive

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

From this reading And no cover-story so convincing...._ The building itself was unprepossessive enough.

up

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

From this reading The main door was five steps up from the sidewalk, and the steps were flanked by curving balustrades of ornamental ironwork.

Virginia

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

From this reading It stood among others of its kind in a lower-middle-class district of Arlington, Virginia, within howitzer range of the capitol of the United States, and even closer to the Pentagon.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading And no cover-story so convincing...._ The building itself was unprepossessive enough.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading The main door was five steps up from the sidewalk, and the steps were flanked by curving balustrades of ornamental ironwork.

withinprepositionUS /wɪˈðɪn/

inside; before a period of time has passed

From this reading It stood among others of its kind in a lower-middle-class district of Arlington, Virginia, within howitzer range of the capitol of the United States, and even closer to the Pentagon.

years

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

From this reading It was an old-fashioned, six-floor, brick structure that had, over the years, served first as a private home, then as an apartment building, and finally as the headquarters for the organization it presently housed.