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Winding Paths
Winding Paths

Chapter XII

Cover illustration for Winding Paths
Context Illustration Reading 1/86 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Sir Edwin Crathie had come to the front very rapidly under the auspices of the Liberal Government.
Without having any special worth, he was sufficiently brilliant and unscrupulous to brush obstacles aside without compunction, and assert himself in a manner that impressed his hearers with the notion that he was very clever, very thorough, and very reliable.
Those who knew him superficially believed him extra-ordinarily clever.
Those who knew him intimately sometimes shrugged their shoulders.
He was possessed undoubtedly of a certain flashy sort of cleverness, but some of his greatest skill existed in imposing it upon others as strength and insight.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Winding Paths

Chapter XII

Reading 1/86 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Sir Edwin Crathie had come to the front very rapidly under the auspices of the Liberal Government.
Line 2
Without having any special worth, he was sufficiently brilliant and unscrupulous to brush obstacles aside without compunction, and assert himself in a manner that impressed his hearers with the notion that he was very clever, very thorough, and very reliable.
Line 3
Those who knew him superficially believed him extra-ordinarily clever.
Line 4
Those who knew him intimately sometimes shrugged their shoulders.
Line 5
He was possessed undoubtedly of a certain flashy sort of cleverness, but some of his greatest skill existed in imposing it upon others as strength and insight.

Learner Dictionary

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

Cleverness noun US /ˈklev.ər.nəs/

The quality of being intelligent, quick to understand, and resourceful in danger.

From this reading “He was possessed undoubtedly of a certain flashy sort of cleverness, but some of his greatest skill existed in imposing it upon others as strength and insight.”

Come noun US /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Sir Edwin Crathie had come to the front very rapidly under the auspices of the Liberal Government.”

Having auxiliary verb US /ˈhævɪŋ/

the -ing form of “have”

From this reading “Without having any special worth, he was sufficiently brilliant and unscrupulous to brush obstacles aside without compunction, and assert himself in a manner that impressed his hearers with the notion that he was very clever, very thorough, and very reliable.”

Himself pronoun US /hɪmˈself/

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

From this reading “Without having any special worth, he was sufficiently brilliant and unscrupulous to brush obstacles aside without compunction, and assert himself in a manner that impressed his hearers with the notion that he was very clever, very thorough, and very reliable.”

Sometimes noun US /sometimes/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Those who knew him intimately sometimes shrugged their shoulders.”

Strength noun US /ˈstrength/

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

From this reading “He was possessed undoubtedly of a certain flashy sort of cleverness, but some of his greatest skill existed in imposing it upon others as strength and insight.”

Those determiner US /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading “Those who knew him superficially believed him extra-ordinarily clever.”

Under preposition US /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading “Sir Edwin Crathie had come to the front very rapidly under the auspices of the Liberal Government.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “He was possessed undoubtedly of a certain flashy sort of cleverness, but some of his greatest skill existed in imposing it upon others as strength and insight.”

Without preposition US /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading “Without having any special worth, he was sufficiently brilliant and unscrupulous to brush obstacles aside without compunction, and assert himself in a manner that impressed his hearers with the notion that he was very clever, very thorough, and very reliable.”

All words in this reading · 74

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 Without having any special worth, he was sufficiently brilliant and unscrupulous to brush obstacles aside without compunction, and assert himself in a manner that impressed his hearers with the notion that he was very clever, very thorough, and very reliable.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Without having any special worth, he was sufficiently brilliant and unscrupulous to brush obstacles aside without compunction, and assert himself in a manner that impressed his hearers with the notion that he was very clever, very thorough, and very reliable.

any

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

From this reading Without having any special worth, he was sufficiently brilliant and unscrupulous to brush obstacles aside without compunction, and assert himself in a manner that impressed his hearers with the notion that he was very clever, very thorough, and very reliable.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading He was possessed undoubtedly of a certain flashy sort of cleverness, but some of his greatest skill existed in imposing it upon others as strength and insight.

aside

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

From this reading Without having any special worth, he was sufficiently brilliant and unscrupulous to brush obstacles aside without compunction, and assert himself in a manner that impressed his hearers with the notion that he was very clever, very thorough, and very reliable.

assert

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

From this reading Without having any special worth, he was sufficiently brilliant and unscrupulous to brush obstacles aside without compunction, and assert himself in a manner that impressed his hearers with the notion that he was very clever, very thorough, and very reliable.

auspices

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

From this reading Sir Edwin Crathie had come to the front very rapidly under the auspices of the Liberal Government.

believed

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

From this reading Those who knew him superficially believed him extra-ordinarily clever.

brilliant

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

From this reading Without having any special worth, he was sufficiently brilliant and unscrupulous to brush obstacles aside without compunction, and assert himself in a manner that impressed his hearers with the notion that he was very clever, very thorough, and very reliable.

brush

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

From this reading Without having any special worth, he was sufficiently brilliant and unscrupulous to brush obstacles aside without compunction, and assert himself in a manner that impressed his hearers with the notion that he was very clever, very thorough, and very reliable.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading He was possessed undoubtedly of a certain flashy sort of cleverness, but some of his greatest skill existed in imposing it upon others as strength and insight.

certain

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

From this reading He was possessed undoubtedly of a certain flashy sort of cleverness, but some of his greatest skill existed in imposing it upon others as strength and insight.

clever

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

From this reading Without having any special worth, he was sufficiently brilliant and unscrupulous to brush obstacles aside without compunction, and assert himself in a manner that impressed his hearers with the notion that he was very clever, very thorough, and very reliable.

clevernessnounUS /ˈklev.ər.nəs/

The quality of being intelligent, quick to understand, and resourceful in danger.

From this reading He was possessed undoubtedly of a certain flashy sort of cleverness, but some of his greatest skill existed in imposing it upon others as strength and insight.

comenounUS /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Sir Edwin Crathie had come to the front very rapidly under the auspices of the Liberal Government.

compunction

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

From this reading Without having any special worth, he was sufficiently brilliant and unscrupulous to brush obstacles aside without compunction, and assert himself in a manner that impressed his hearers with the notion that he was very clever, very thorough, and very reliable.

Crathie

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

From this reading Sir Edwin Crathie had come to the front very rapidly under the auspices of the Liberal Government.

Edwin

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From this reading Sir Edwin Crathie had come to the front very rapidly under the auspices of the Liberal Government.

existed

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

From this reading He was possessed undoubtedly of a certain flashy sort of cleverness, but some of his greatest skill existed in imposing it upon others as strength and insight.

extra-ordinarily

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

From this reading Those who knew him superficially believed him extra-ordinarily clever.

flashy

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

From this reading He was possessed undoubtedly of a certain flashy sort of cleverness, but some of his greatest skill existed in imposing it upon others as strength and insight.

front

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

From this reading Sir Edwin Crathie had come to the front very rapidly under the auspices of the Liberal Government.

Government

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

From this reading Sir Edwin Crathie had come to the front very rapidly under the auspices of the Liberal Government.

greatest

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

From this reading He was possessed undoubtedly of a certain flashy sort of cleverness, but some of his greatest skill existed in imposing it upon others as strength and insight.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Sir Edwin Crathie had come to the front very rapidly under the auspices of the Liberal Government.

havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/

the -ing form of “have”

From this reading Without having any special worth, he was sufficiently brilliant and unscrupulous to brush obstacles aside without compunction, and assert himself in a manner that impressed his hearers with the notion that he was very clever, very thorough, and very reliable.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading Without having any special worth, he was sufficiently brilliant and unscrupulous to brush obstacles aside without compunction, and assert himself in a manner that impressed his hearers with the notion that he was very clever, very thorough, and very reliable.

hearers

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

From this reading Without having any special worth, he was sufficiently brilliant and unscrupulous to brush obstacles aside without compunction, and assert himself in a manner that impressed his hearers with the notion that he was very clever, very thorough, and very reliable.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading Those who knew him superficially believed him extra-ordinarily clever.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

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

From this reading Without having any special worth, he was sufficiently brilliant and unscrupulous to brush obstacles aside without compunction, and assert himself in a manner that impressed his hearers with the notion that he was very clever, very thorough, and very reliable.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Without having any special worth, he was sufficiently brilliant and unscrupulous to brush obstacles aside without compunction, and assert himself in a manner that impressed his hearers with the notion that he was very clever, very thorough, and very reliable.

imposing

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

From this reading He was possessed undoubtedly of a certain flashy sort of cleverness, but some of his greatest skill existed in imposing it upon others as strength and insight.

impressed

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

From this reading Without having any special worth, he was sufficiently brilliant and unscrupulous to brush obstacles aside without compunction, and assert himself in a manner that impressed his hearers with the notion that he was very clever, very thorough, and very reliable.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Without having any special worth, he was sufficiently brilliant and unscrupulous to brush obstacles aside without compunction, and assert himself in a manner that impressed his hearers with the notion that he was very clever, very thorough, and very reliable.

insight

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

From this reading He was possessed undoubtedly of a certain flashy sort of cleverness, but some of his greatest skill existed in imposing it upon others as strength and insight.

intimately

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

From this reading Those who knew him intimately sometimes shrugged their shoulders.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading He was possessed undoubtedly of a certain flashy sort of cleverness, but some of his greatest skill existed in imposing it upon others as strength and insight.

knew

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

From this reading Those who knew him superficially believed him extra-ordinarily clever.

Liberal

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

From this reading Sir Edwin Crathie had come to the front very rapidly under the auspices of the Liberal Government.

manner

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

From this reading Without having any special worth, he was sufficiently brilliant and unscrupulous to brush obstacles aside without compunction, and assert himself in a manner that impressed his hearers with the notion that he was very clever, very thorough, and very reliable.

notion

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

From this reading Without having any special worth, he was sufficiently brilliant and unscrupulous to brush obstacles aside without compunction, and assert himself in a manner that impressed his hearers with the notion that he was very clever, very thorough, and very reliable.

obstacles

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

From this reading Without having any special worth, he was sufficiently brilliant and unscrupulous to brush obstacles aside without compunction, and assert himself in a manner that impressed his hearers with the notion that he was very clever, very thorough, and very reliable.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Sir Edwin Crathie had come to the front very rapidly under the auspices of the Liberal Government.

others

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

From this reading He was possessed undoubtedly of a certain flashy sort of cleverness, but some of his greatest skill existed in imposing it upon others as strength and insight.

possessed

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

From this reading He was possessed undoubtedly of a certain flashy sort of cleverness, but some of his greatest skill existed in imposing it upon others as strength and insight.

rapidly

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

From this reading Sir Edwin Crathie had come to the front very rapidly under the auspices of the Liberal Government.

reliable

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

From this reading Without having any special worth, he was sufficiently brilliant and unscrupulous to brush obstacles aside without compunction, and assert himself in a manner that impressed his hearers with the notion that he was very clever, very thorough, and very reliable.

shoulders

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

From this reading Those who knew him intimately sometimes shrugged their shoulders.

shrugged

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

From this reading Those who knew him intimately sometimes shrugged their shoulders.

Sir

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

From this reading Sir Edwin Crathie had come to the front very rapidly under the auspices of the Liberal Government.

skill

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

From this reading He was possessed undoubtedly of a certain flashy sort of cleverness, but some of his greatest skill existed in imposing it upon others as strength and insight.

some

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

From this reading He was possessed undoubtedly of a certain flashy sort of cleverness, but some of his greatest skill existed in imposing it upon others as strength and insight.

sometimes

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

From this reading Those who knew him intimately sometimes shrugged their shoulders.

sort

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

From this reading He was possessed undoubtedly of a certain flashy sort of cleverness, but some of his greatest skill existed in imposing it upon others as strength and insight.

special

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

From this reading Without having any special worth, he was sufficiently brilliant and unscrupulous to brush obstacles aside without compunction, and assert himself in a manner that impressed his hearers with the notion that he was very clever, very thorough, and very reliable.

strengthnounUS /ˈstrength/

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

From this reading He was possessed undoubtedly of a certain flashy sort of cleverness, but some of his greatest skill existed in imposing it upon others as strength and insight.

sufficiently

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

From this reading Without having any special worth, he was sufficiently brilliant and unscrupulous to brush obstacles aside without compunction, and assert himself in a manner that impressed his hearers with the notion that he was very clever, very thorough, and very reliable.

superficially

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

From this reading Those who knew him superficially believed him extra-ordinarily clever.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Without having any special worth, he was sufficiently brilliant and unscrupulous to brush obstacles aside without compunction, and assert himself in a manner that impressed his hearers with the notion that he was very clever, very thorough, and very reliable.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Sir Edwin Crathie had come to the front very rapidly under the auspices of the Liberal Government.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Those who knew him intimately sometimes shrugged their shoulders.

thorough

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

From this reading Without having any special worth, he was sufficiently brilliant and unscrupulous to brush obstacles aside without compunction, and assert himself in a manner that impressed his hearers with the notion that he was very clever, very thorough, and very reliable.

ThosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading Those who knew him superficially believed him extra-ordinarily clever.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Sir Edwin Crathie had come to the front very rapidly under the auspices of the Liberal Government.

underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading Sir Edwin Crathie had come to the front very rapidly under the auspices of the Liberal Government.

undoubtedly

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

From this reading He was possessed undoubtedly of a certain flashy sort of cleverness, but some of his greatest skill existed in imposing it upon others as strength and insight.

unscrupulous

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

From this reading Without having any special worth, he was sufficiently brilliant and unscrupulous to brush obstacles aside without compunction, and assert himself in a manner that impressed his hearers with the notion that he was very clever, very thorough, and very reliable.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading He was possessed undoubtedly of a certain flashy sort of cleverness, but some of his greatest skill existed in imposing it upon others as strength and insight.

very

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

From this reading Sir Edwin Crathie had come to the front very rapidly under the auspices of the Liberal Government.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Without having any special worth, he was sufficiently brilliant and unscrupulous to brush obstacles aside without compunction, and assert himself in a manner that impressed his hearers with the notion that he was very clever, very thorough, and very reliable.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading Those who knew him superficially believed him extra-ordinarily clever.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Without having any special worth, he was sufficiently brilliant and unscrupulous to brush obstacles aside without compunction, and assert himself in a manner that impressed his hearers with the notion that he was very clever, very thorough, and very reliable.

WithoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading Without having any special worth, he was sufficiently brilliant and unscrupulous to brush obstacles aside without compunction, and assert himself in a manner that impressed his hearers with the notion that he was very clever, very thorough, and very reliable.

worth

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

From this reading Without having any special worth, he was sufficiently brilliant and unscrupulous to brush obstacles aside without compunction, and assert himself in a manner that impressed his hearers with the notion that he was very clever, very thorough, and very reliable.