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

Chapter III

Cover illustration for Winner Take All
Context Illustration Reading 1/49 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
LITTLE-TWEED-SUIT Little-Tweed-Suit was being bothered by a toad--a toad-person with a prominent thick watch chain and a loose smirk.
She had been bothered by him ever since dinner--dinner at night at the Cactus House, which was inclined to be Eastern and effete in its apings--but his persecutions there had been confined to lurking, contrived meetings, and long glances which touched her noisomely.
Once she had swept the hotel office with a desperate glance, trying to select a face to which she might appeal.
There wasn't one.
Estabrook was filling with its usual week-end scum; crafty faces, hard faces, faces shallowly good-natured, and therefore doubly treacherous.
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.

Winner Take All

Chapter III

Reading 1/49 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
LITTLE-TWEED-SUIT Little-Tweed-Suit was being bothered by a toad--a toad-person with a prominent thick watch chain and a loose smirk.
Line 2
She had been bothered by him ever since dinner--dinner at night at the Cactus House, which was inclined to be Eastern and effete in its apings--but his persecutions there had been confined to lurking, contrived meetings, and long glances which touched her noisomely.
Line 3
Once she had swept the hotel office with a desperate glance, trying to select a face to which she might appeal.
Line 4
There wasn't one.
Line 5
Estabrook was filling with its usual week-end scum; crafty faces, hard faces, faces shallowly good-natured, and therefore doubly treacherous.

Learner Dictionary

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

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “She had been bothered by him ever since dinner--dinner at night at the Cactus House, which was inclined to be Eastern and effete in its apings--but his persecutions there had been confined to lurking, contrived meetings, and long glances which touched her noisomely.”

Being auxiliary verb US /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading “LITTLE-TWEED-SUIT Little-Tweed-Suit was being bothered by a toad--a toad-person with a prominent thick watch chain and a loose smirk.”

Ever noun US /ever/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She had been bothered by him ever since dinner--dinner at night at the Cactus House, which was inclined to be Eastern and effete in its apings--but his persecutions there had been confined to lurking, contrived meetings, and long glances which touched her noisomely.”

Long noun US /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She had been bothered by him ever since dinner--dinner at night at the Cactus House, which was inclined to be Eastern and effete in its apings--but his persecutions there had been confined to lurking, contrived meetings, and long glances which touched her noisomely.”

Might modal verb US /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading “Once she had swept the hotel office with a desperate glance, trying to select a face to which she might appeal.”

Once noun US /once/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Once she had swept the hotel office with a desperate glance, trying to select a face to which she might appeal.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “There wasn't one.”

Since preposition US /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading “She had been bothered by him ever since dinner--dinner at night at the Cactus House, which was inclined to be Eastern and effete in its apings--but his persecutions there had been confined to lurking, contrived meetings, and long glances which touched her noisomely.”

Therefore adverb US /ˈðerfɔːr/

for that reason; as a result

From this reading “Estabrook was filling with its usual week-end scum; crafty faces, hard faces, faces shallowly good-natured, and therefore doubly treacherous.”

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 LITTLE-TWEED-SUIT Little-Tweed-Suit was being bothered by a toad--a toad-person with a prominent thick watch chain and a loose smirk.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading LITTLE-TWEED-SUIT Little-Tweed-Suit was being bothered by a toad--a toad-person with a prominent thick watch chain and a loose smirk.

apings

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

From this reading She had been bothered by him ever since dinner--dinner at night at the Cactus House, which was inclined to be Eastern and effete in its apings--but his persecutions there had been confined to lurking, contrived meetings, and long glances which touched her noisomely.

appeal

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

From this reading Once she had swept the hotel office with a desperate glance, trying to select a face to which she might appeal.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading She had been bothered by him ever since dinner--dinner at night at the Cactus House, which was inclined to be Eastern and effete in its apings--but his persecutions there had been confined to lurking, contrived meetings, and long glances which touched her noisomely.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading She had been bothered by him ever since dinner--dinner at night at the Cactus House, which was inclined to be Eastern and effete in its apings--but his persecutions there had been confined to lurking, contrived meetings, and long glances which touched her noisomely.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading She had been bothered by him ever since dinner--dinner at night at the Cactus House, which was inclined to be Eastern and effete in its apings--but his persecutions there had been confined to lurking, contrived meetings, and long glances which touched her noisomely.

beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading LITTLE-TWEED-SUIT Little-Tweed-Suit was being bothered by a toad--a toad-person with a prominent thick watch chain and a loose smirk.

bothered

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

From this reading LITTLE-TWEED-SUIT Little-Tweed-Suit was being bothered by a toad--a toad-person with a prominent thick watch chain and a loose smirk.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading She had been bothered by him ever since dinner--dinner at night at the Cactus House, which was inclined to be Eastern and effete in its apings--but his persecutions there had been confined to lurking, contrived meetings, and long glances which touched her noisomely.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading LITTLE-TWEED-SUIT Little-Tweed-Suit was being bothered by a toad--a toad-person with a prominent thick watch chain and a loose smirk.

Cactus

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

From this reading She had been bothered by him ever since dinner--dinner at night at the Cactus House, which was inclined to be Eastern and effete in its apings--but his persecutions there had been confined to lurking, contrived meetings, and long glances which touched her noisomely.

chain

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

From this reading LITTLE-TWEED-SUIT Little-Tweed-Suit was being bothered by a toad--a toad-person with a prominent thick watch chain and a loose smirk.

confined

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

From this reading She had been bothered by him ever since dinner--dinner at night at the Cactus House, which was inclined to be Eastern and effete in its apings--but his persecutions there had been confined to lurking, contrived meetings, and long glances which touched her noisomely.

contrived

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

From this reading She had been bothered by him ever since dinner--dinner at night at the Cactus House, which was inclined to be Eastern and effete in its apings--but his persecutions there had been confined to lurking, contrived meetings, and long glances which touched her noisomely.

crafty

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

From this reading Estabrook was filling with its usual week-end scum; crafty faces, hard faces, faces shallowly good-natured, and therefore doubly treacherous.

desperate

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

From this reading Once she had swept the hotel office with a desperate glance, trying to select a face to which she might appeal.

dinner

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

From this reading She had been bothered by him ever since dinner--dinner at night at the Cactus House, which was inclined to be Eastern and effete in its apings--but his persecutions there had been confined to lurking, contrived meetings, and long glances which touched her noisomely.

doubly

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

From this reading Estabrook was filling with its usual week-end scum; crafty faces, hard faces, faces shallowly good-natured, and therefore doubly treacherous.

Eastern

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

From this reading She had been bothered by him ever since dinner--dinner at night at the Cactus House, which was inclined to be Eastern and effete in its apings--but his persecutions there had been confined to lurking, contrived meetings, and long glances which touched her noisomely.

effete

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

From this reading She had been bothered by him ever since dinner--dinner at night at the Cactus House, which was inclined to be Eastern and effete in its apings--but his persecutions there had been confined to lurking, contrived meetings, and long glances which touched her noisomely.

Estabrook

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

From this reading Estabrook was filling with its usual week-end scum; crafty faces, hard faces, faces shallowly good-natured, and therefore doubly treacherous.

evernounUS /ever/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading She had been bothered by him ever since dinner--dinner at night at the Cactus House, which was inclined to be Eastern and effete in its apings--but his persecutions there had been confined to lurking, contrived meetings, and long glances which touched her noisomely.

face

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

From this reading Once she had swept the hotel office with a desperate glance, trying to select a face to which she might appeal.

faces

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

From this reading Estabrook was filling with its usual week-end scum; crafty faces, hard faces, faces shallowly good-natured, and therefore doubly treacherous.

filling

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

From this reading Estabrook was filling with its usual week-end scum; crafty faces, hard faces, faces shallowly good-natured, and therefore doubly treacherous.

glance

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

From this reading Once she had swept the hotel office with a desperate glance, trying to select a face to which she might appeal.

glances

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

From this reading She had been bothered by him ever since dinner--dinner at night at the Cactus House, which was inclined to be Eastern and effete in its apings--but his persecutions there had been confined to lurking, contrived meetings, and long glances which touched her noisomely.

good-natured

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

From this reading Estabrook was filling with its usual week-end scum; crafty faces, hard faces, faces shallowly good-natured, and therefore doubly treacherous.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading She had been bothered by him ever since dinner--dinner at night at the Cactus House, which was inclined to be Eastern and effete in its apings--but his persecutions there had been confined to lurking, contrived meetings, and long glances which touched her noisomely.

hard

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

From this reading Estabrook was filling with its usual week-end scum; crafty faces, hard faces, faces shallowly good-natured, and therefore doubly treacherous.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading She had been bothered by him ever since dinner--dinner at night at the Cactus House, which was inclined to be Eastern and effete in its apings--but his persecutions there had been confined to lurking, contrived meetings, and long glances which touched her noisomely.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading She had been bothered by him ever since dinner--dinner at night at the Cactus House, which was inclined to be Eastern and effete in its apings--but his persecutions there had been confined to lurking, contrived meetings, and long glances which touched her noisomely.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading She had been bothered by him ever since dinner--dinner at night at the Cactus House, which was inclined to be Eastern and effete in its apings--but his persecutions there had been confined to lurking, contrived meetings, and long glances which touched her noisomely.

hotel

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

From this reading Once she had swept the hotel office with a desperate glance, trying to select a face to which she might appeal.

House

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

From this reading She had been bothered by him ever since dinner--dinner at night at the Cactus House, which was inclined to be Eastern and effete in its apings--but his persecutions there had been confined to lurking, contrived meetings, and long glances which touched her noisomely.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading She had been bothered by him ever since dinner--dinner at night at the Cactus House, which was inclined to be Eastern and effete in its apings--but his persecutions there had been confined to lurking, contrived meetings, and long glances which touched her noisomely.

inclined

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

From this reading She had been bothered by him ever since dinner--dinner at night at the Cactus House, which was inclined to be Eastern and effete in its apings--but his persecutions there had been confined to lurking, contrived meetings, and long glances which touched her noisomely.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading She had been bothered by him ever since dinner--dinner at night at the Cactus House, which was inclined to be Eastern and effete in its apings--but his persecutions there had been confined to lurking, contrived meetings, and long glances which touched her noisomely.

LITTLE-TWEED-SUIT

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

From this reading LITTLE-TWEED-SUIT Little-Tweed-Suit was being bothered by a toad--a toad-person with a prominent thick watch chain and a loose smirk.

longnounUS /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading She had been bothered by him ever since dinner--dinner at night at the Cactus House, which was inclined to be Eastern and effete in its apings--but his persecutions there had been confined to lurking, contrived meetings, and long glances which touched her noisomely.

loose

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

From this reading LITTLE-TWEED-SUIT Little-Tweed-Suit was being bothered by a toad--a toad-person with a prominent thick watch chain and a loose smirk.

lurking

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

From this reading She had been bothered by him ever since dinner--dinner at night at the Cactus House, which was inclined to be Eastern and effete in its apings--but his persecutions there had been confined to lurking, contrived meetings, and long glances which touched her noisomely.

meetings

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

From this reading She had been bothered by him ever since dinner--dinner at night at the Cactus House, which was inclined to be Eastern and effete in its apings--but his persecutions there had been confined to lurking, contrived meetings, and long glances which touched her noisomely.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading Once she had swept the hotel office with a desperate glance, trying to select a face to which she might appeal.

night

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

From this reading She had been bothered by him ever since dinner--dinner at night at the Cactus House, which was inclined to be Eastern and effete in its apings--but his persecutions there had been confined to lurking, contrived meetings, and long glances which touched her noisomely.

noisomely

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

From this reading She had been bothered by him ever since dinner--dinner at night at the Cactus House, which was inclined to be Eastern and effete in its apings--but his persecutions there had been confined to lurking, contrived meetings, and long glances which touched her noisomely.

office

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

From this reading Once she had swept the hotel office with a desperate glance, trying to select a face to which she might appeal.

Once

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

From this reading Once she had swept the hotel office with a desperate glance, trying to select a face to which she might appeal.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading There wasn't one.

persecutions

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

From this reading She had been bothered by him ever since dinner--dinner at night at the Cactus House, which was inclined to be Eastern and effete in its apings--but his persecutions there had been confined to lurking, contrived meetings, and long glances which touched her noisomely.

prominent

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

From this reading LITTLE-TWEED-SUIT Little-Tweed-Suit was being bothered by a toad--a toad-person with a prominent thick watch chain and a loose smirk.

scum

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

From this reading Estabrook was filling with its usual week-end scum; crafty faces, hard faces, faces shallowly good-natured, and therefore doubly treacherous.

select

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

From this reading Once she had swept the hotel office with a desperate glance, trying to select a face to which she might appeal.

shallowly

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

From this reading Estabrook was filling with its usual week-end scum; crafty faces, hard faces, faces shallowly good-natured, and therefore doubly treacherous.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She had been bothered by him ever since dinner--dinner at night at the Cactus House, which was inclined to be Eastern and effete in its apings--but his persecutions there had been confined to lurking, contrived meetings, and long glances which touched her noisomely.

sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading She had been bothered by him ever since dinner--dinner at night at the Cactus House, which was inclined to be Eastern and effete in its apings--but his persecutions there had been confined to lurking, contrived meetings, and long glances which touched her noisomely.

smirk

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

From this reading LITTLE-TWEED-SUIT Little-Tweed-Suit was being bothered by a toad--a toad-person with a prominent thick watch chain and a loose smirk.

swept

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

From this reading Once she had swept the hotel office with a desperate glance, trying to select a face to which she might appeal.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading She had been bothered by him ever since dinner--dinner at night at the Cactus House, which was inclined to be Eastern and effete in its apings--but his persecutions there had been confined to lurking, contrived meetings, and long glances which touched her noisomely.

there

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

From this reading She had been bothered by him ever since dinner--dinner at night at the Cactus House, which was inclined to be Eastern and effete in its apings--but his persecutions there had been confined to lurking, contrived meetings, and long glances which touched her noisomely.

thereforeadverbUS /ˈðerfɔːr/

for that reason; as a result

From this reading Estabrook was filling with its usual week-end scum; crafty faces, hard faces, faces shallowly good-natured, and therefore doubly treacherous.

thick

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

From this reading LITTLE-TWEED-SUIT Little-Tweed-Suit was being bothered by a toad--a toad-person with a prominent thick watch chain and a loose smirk.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading She had been bothered by him ever since dinner--dinner at night at the Cactus House, which was inclined to be Eastern and effete in its apings--but his persecutions there had been confined to lurking, contrived meetings, and long glances which touched her noisomely.

toad

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

From this reading LITTLE-TWEED-SUIT Little-Tweed-Suit was being bothered by a toad--a toad-person with a prominent thick watch chain and a loose smirk.

toad-person

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

From this reading LITTLE-TWEED-SUIT Little-Tweed-Suit was being bothered by a toad--a toad-person with a prominent thick watch chain and a loose smirk.

touched

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

From this reading She had been bothered by him ever since dinner--dinner at night at the Cactus House, which was inclined to be Eastern and effete in its apings--but his persecutions there had been confined to lurking, contrived meetings, and long glances which touched her noisomely.

treacherous

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

From this reading Estabrook was filling with its usual week-end scum; crafty faces, hard faces, faces shallowly good-natured, and therefore doubly treacherous.

trying

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

From this reading Once she had swept the hotel office with a desperate glance, trying to select a face to which she might appeal.

usual

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

From this reading Estabrook was filling with its usual week-end scum; crafty faces, hard faces, faces shallowly good-natured, and therefore doubly treacherous.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading LITTLE-TWEED-SUIT Little-Tweed-Suit was being bothered by a toad--a toad-person with a prominent thick watch chain and a loose smirk.

wasn't

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

From this reading There wasn't one.

watch

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

From this reading LITTLE-TWEED-SUIT Little-Tweed-Suit was being bothered by a toad--a toad-person with a prominent thick watch chain and a loose smirk.

week-end

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

From this reading Estabrook was filling with its usual week-end scum; crafty faces, hard faces, faces shallowly good-natured, and therefore doubly treacherous.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading She had been bothered by him ever since dinner--dinner at night at the Cactus House, which was inclined to be Eastern and effete in its apings--but his persecutions there had been confined to lurking, contrived meetings, and long glances which touched her noisomely.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading LITTLE-TWEED-SUIT Little-Tweed-Suit was being bothered by a toad--a toad-person with a prominent thick watch chain and a loose smirk.