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54-40 or Fight
54-40 or Fight

Chapter XVI

Cover illustration for 54-40 or Fight
Context Illustration Reading 1/44 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
A HUNTER OF BUTTERFLIES I love men, not because they are men, but because they are not women.--_Queen Christina_.
There was at that time in Montreal a sort of news room and public exchange, which made a place of general meeting.
It was supplied with newspapers and the like, and kept up by subscriptions of the town merchants--a spacious room made out of the old Methodist chapel on St. Joseph Street.
I knew this for a place of town gossip, and hoped I might hit upon something to aid me in my errand, which was no more than begun, it seemed.
Entering the place shortly before noon, I made pretense of reading, all the while with an eye and an ear out for anything that might happen.
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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.

54-40 or Fight

Chapter XVI

Reading 1/44 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
A HUNTER OF BUTTERFLIES I love men, not because they are men, but because they are not women.--_Queen Christina_.
Line 2
There was at that time in Montreal a sort of news room and public exchange, which made a place of general meeting.
Line 3
It was supplied with newspapers and the like, and kept up by subscriptions of the town merchants--a spacious room made out of the old Methodist chapel on St. Joseph Street.
Line 4
I knew this for a place of town gossip, and hoped I might hit upon something to aid me in my errand, which was no more than begun, it seemed.
Line 5
Entering the place shortly before noon, I made pretense of reading, all the while with an eye and an ear out for anything that might happen.

Learner Dictionary

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

Anything pronoun US /ˈeniθɪŋ/

any thing at all

From this reading “Entering the place shortly before noon, I made pretense of reading, all the while with an eye and an ear out for anything that might happen.”

Because conjunction US /bɪˈkɔːz/

for the reason that

From this reading “A HUNTER OF BUTTERFLIES I love men, not because they are men, but because they are not women.--_Queen Christina_.”

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “Entering the place shortly before noon, I made pretense of reading, all the while with an eye and an ear out for anything that might happen.”

Might modal verb US /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading “I knew this for a place of town gossip, and hoped I might hit upon something to aid me in my errand, which was no more than begun, it seemed.”

Seemed noun US /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “I knew this for a place of town gossip, and hoped I might hit upon something to aid me in my errand, which was no more than begun, it seemed.”

Something pronoun US /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading “I knew this for a place of town gossip, and hoped I might hit upon something to aid me in my errand, which was no more than begun, it seemed.”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “There was at that time in Montreal a sort of news room and public exchange, which made a place of general meeting.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “I knew this for a place of town gossip, and hoped I might hit upon something to aid me in my errand, which was no more than begun, it seemed.”

While conjunction US /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading “Entering the place shortly before noon, I made pretense of reading, all the while with an eye and an ear out for anything that might happen.”

All words in this reading · 86

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 A HUNTER OF BUTTERFLIES I love men, not because they are men, but because they are not women.--_Queen Christina_.

aid

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

From this reading I knew this for a place of town gossip, and hoped I might hit upon something to aid me in my errand, which was no more than begun, it seemed.

all

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

From this reading Entering the place shortly before noon, I made pretense of reading, all the while with an eye and an ear out for anything that might happen.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading Entering the place shortly before noon, I made pretense of reading, all the while with an eye and an ear out for anything that might happen.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading There was at that time in Montreal a sort of news room and public exchange, which made a place of general meeting.

anythingpronounUS /ˈeniθɪŋ/

any thing at all

From this reading Entering the place shortly before noon, I made pretense of reading, all the while with an eye and an ear out for anything that might happen.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading A HUNTER OF BUTTERFLIES I love men, not because they are men, but because they are not women.--_Queen Christina_.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading There was at that time in Montreal a sort of news room and public exchange, which made a place of general meeting.

becauseconjunctionUS /bɪˈkɔːz/

for the reason that

From this reading A HUNTER OF BUTTERFLIES I love men, not because they are men, but because they are not women.--_Queen Christina_.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading Entering the place shortly before noon, I made pretense of reading, all the while with an eye and an ear out for anything that might happen.

begun

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

From this reading I knew this for a place of town gossip, and hoped I might hit upon something to aid me in my errand, which was no more than begun, it seemed.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading A HUNTER OF BUTTERFLIES I love men, not because they are men, but because they are not women.--_Queen Christina_.

BUTTERFLIES

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

From this reading A HUNTER OF BUTTERFLIES I love men, not because they are men, but because they are not women.--_Queen Christina_.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading It was supplied with newspapers and the like, and kept up by subscriptions of the town merchants--a spacious room made out of the old Methodist chapel on St. Joseph Street.

chapel

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

From this reading It was supplied with newspapers and the like, and kept up by subscriptions of the town merchants--a spacious room made out of the old Methodist chapel on St. Joseph Street.

Christina

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

From this reading A HUNTER OF BUTTERFLIES I love men, not because they are men, but because they are not women.--_Queen Christina_.

ear

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

From this reading Entering the place shortly before noon, I made pretense of reading, all the while with an eye and an ear out for anything that might happen.

Entering

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

From this reading Entering the place shortly before noon, I made pretense of reading, all the while with an eye and an ear out for anything that might happen.

errand

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

From this reading I knew this for a place of town gossip, and hoped I might hit upon something to aid me in my errand, which was no more than begun, it seemed.

exchange

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

From this reading There was at that time in Montreal a sort of news room and public exchange, which made a place of general meeting.

eye

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

From this reading Entering the place shortly before noon, I made pretense of reading, all the while with an eye and an ear out for anything that might happen.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading I knew this for a place of town gossip, and hoped I might hit upon something to aid me in my errand, which was no more than begun, it seemed.

general

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

From this reading There was at that time in Montreal a sort of news room and public exchange, which made a place of general meeting.

gossip

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

From this reading I knew this for a place of town gossip, and hoped I might hit upon something to aid me in my errand, which was no more than begun, it seemed.

happen

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

From this reading Entering the place shortly before noon, I made pretense of reading, all the while with an eye and an ear out for anything that might happen.

hit

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

From this reading I knew this for a place of town gossip, and hoped I might hit upon something to aid me in my errand, which was no more than begun, it seemed.

hoped

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

From this reading I knew this for a place of town gossip, and hoped I might hit upon something to aid me in my errand, which was no more than begun, it seemed.

HUNTER

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

From this reading A HUNTER OF BUTTERFLIES I love men, not because they are men, but because they are not women.--_Queen Christina_.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading A HUNTER OF BUTTERFLIES I love men, not because they are men, but because they are not women.--_Queen Christina_.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading There was at that time in Montreal a sort of news room and public exchange, which made a place of general meeting.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was supplied with newspapers and the like, and kept up by subscriptions of the town merchants--a spacious room made out of the old Methodist chapel on St. Joseph Street.

Joseph

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

From this reading It was supplied with newspapers and the like, and kept up by subscriptions of the town merchants--a spacious room made out of the old Methodist chapel on St. Joseph Street.

kept

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

From this reading It was supplied with newspapers and the like, and kept up by subscriptions of the town merchants--a spacious room made out of the old Methodist chapel on St. Joseph Street.

knew

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

From this reading I knew this for a place of town gossip, and hoped I might hit upon something to aid me in my errand, which was no more than begun, it seemed.

like

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

From this reading It was supplied with newspapers and the like, and kept up by subscriptions of the town merchants--a spacious room made out of the old Methodist chapel on St. Joseph Street.

love

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

From this reading A HUNTER OF BUTTERFLIES I love men, not because they are men, but because they are not women.--_Queen Christina_.

made

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

From this reading There was at that time in Montreal a sort of news room and public exchange, which made a place of general meeting.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading I knew this for a place of town gossip, and hoped I might hit upon something to aid me in my errand, which was no more than begun, it seemed.

meeting

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

From this reading There was at that time in Montreal a sort of news room and public exchange, which made a place of general meeting.

men

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

From this reading A HUNTER OF BUTTERFLIES I love men, not because they are men, but because they are not women.--_Queen Christina_.

merchants

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

From this reading It was supplied with newspapers and the like, and kept up by subscriptions of the town merchants--a spacious room made out of the old Methodist chapel on St. Joseph Street.

Methodist

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

From this reading It was supplied with newspapers and the like, and kept up by subscriptions of the town merchants--a spacious room made out of the old Methodist chapel on St. Joseph Street.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading I knew this for a place of town gossip, and hoped I might hit upon something to aid me in my errand, which was no more than begun, it seemed.

Montreal

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

From this reading There was at that time in Montreal a sort of news room and public exchange, which made a place of general meeting.

more

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

From this reading I knew this for a place of town gossip, and hoped I might hit upon something to aid me in my errand, which was no more than begun, it seemed.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading I knew this for a place of town gossip, and hoped I might hit upon something to aid me in my errand, which was no more than begun, it seemed.

news

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

From this reading There was at that time in Montreal a sort of news room and public exchange, which made a place of general meeting.

newspapers

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

From this reading It was supplied with newspapers and the like, and kept up by subscriptions of the town merchants--a spacious room made out of the old Methodist chapel on St. Joseph Street.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading I knew this for a place of town gossip, and hoped I might hit upon something to aid me in my errand, which was no more than begun, it seemed.

noon

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

From this reading Entering the place shortly before noon, I made pretense of reading, all the while with an eye and an ear out for anything that might happen.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading A HUNTER OF BUTTERFLIES I love men, not because they are men, but because they are not women.--_Queen Christina_.

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading A HUNTER OF BUTTERFLIES I love men, not because they are men, but because they are not women.--_Queen Christina_.

old

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

From this reading It was supplied with newspapers and the like, and kept up by subscriptions of the town merchants--a spacious room made out of the old Methodist chapel on St. Joseph Street.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading It was supplied with newspapers and the like, and kept up by subscriptions of the town merchants--a spacious room made out of the old Methodist chapel on St. Joseph Street.

out

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

From this reading It was supplied with newspapers and the like, and kept up by subscriptions of the town merchants--a spacious room made out of the old Methodist chapel on St. Joseph Street.

place

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

From this reading There was at that time in Montreal a sort of news room and public exchange, which made a place of general meeting.

pretense

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

From this reading Entering the place shortly before noon, I made pretense of reading, all the while with an eye and an ear out for anything that might happen.

public

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

From this reading There was at that time in Montreal a sort of news room and public exchange, which made a place of general meeting.

Queen

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

From this reading A HUNTER OF BUTTERFLIES I love men, not because they are men, but because they are not women.--_Queen Christina_.

reading

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

From this reading Entering the place shortly before noon, I made pretense of reading, all the while with an eye and an ear out for anything that might happen.

room

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

From this reading There was at that time in Montreal a sort of news room and public exchange, which made a place of general meeting.

seemednounUS /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading I knew this for a place of town gossip, and hoped I might hit upon something to aid me in my errand, which was no more than begun, it seemed.

shortly

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

From this reading Entering the place shortly before noon, I made pretense of reading, all the while with an eye and an ear out for anything that might happen.

somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading I knew this for a place of town gossip, and hoped I might hit upon something to aid me in my errand, which was no more than begun, it seemed.

sort

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

From this reading There was at that time in Montreal a sort of news room and public exchange, which made a place of general meeting.

spacious

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

From this reading It was supplied with newspapers and the like, and kept up by subscriptions of the town merchants--a spacious room made out of the old Methodist chapel on St. Joseph Street.

St

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

From this reading It was supplied with newspapers and the like, and kept up by subscriptions of the town merchants--a spacious room made out of the old Methodist chapel on St. Joseph Street.

Street

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

From this reading It was supplied with newspapers and the like, and kept up by subscriptions of the town merchants--a spacious room made out of the old Methodist chapel on St. Joseph Street.

subscriptions

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

From this reading It was supplied with newspapers and the like, and kept up by subscriptions of the town merchants--a spacious room made out of the old Methodist chapel on St. Joseph Street.

supplied

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

From this reading It was supplied with newspapers and the like, and kept up by subscriptions of the town merchants--a spacious room made out of the old Methodist chapel on St. Joseph Street.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading I knew this for a place of town gossip, and hoped I might hit upon something to aid me in my errand, which was no more than begun, it seemed.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading There was at that time in Montreal a sort of news room and public exchange, which made a place of general meeting.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading It was supplied with newspapers and the like, and kept up by subscriptions of the town merchants--a spacious room made out of the old Methodist chapel on St. Joseph Street.

There

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

From this reading There was at that time in Montreal a sort of news room and public exchange, which made a place of general meeting.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading A HUNTER OF BUTTERFLIES I love men, not because they are men, but because they are not women.--_Queen Christina_.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading I knew this for a place of town gossip, and hoped I might hit upon something to aid me in my errand, which was no more than begun, it seemed.

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading There was at that time in Montreal a sort of news room and public exchange, which made a place of general meeting.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading I knew this for a place of town gossip, and hoped I might hit upon something to aid me in my errand, which was no more than begun, it seemed.

town

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

From this reading It was supplied with newspapers and the like, and kept up by subscriptions of the town merchants--a spacious room made out of the old Methodist chapel on St. Joseph Street.

up

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

From this reading It was supplied with newspapers and the like, and kept up by subscriptions of the town merchants--a spacious room made out of the old Methodist chapel on St. Joseph Street.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading I knew this for a place of town gossip, and hoped I might hit upon something to aid me in my errand, which was no more than begun, it seemed.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading There was at that time in Montreal a sort of news room and public exchange, which made a place of general meeting.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading There was at that time in Montreal a sort of news room and public exchange, which made a place of general meeting.

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading Entering the place shortly before noon, I made pretense of reading, all the while with an eye and an ear out for anything that might happen.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading It was supplied with newspapers and the like, and kept up by subscriptions of the town merchants--a spacious room made out of the old Methodist chapel on St. Joseph Street.

women

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

From this reading A HUNTER OF BUTTERFLIES I love men, not because they are men, but because they are not women.--_Queen Christina_.