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

Chapter XX

Cover illustration for A Duel
Context Illustration Reading 1/50 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
SOLICITOR AND CLIENT A pseudo-historical utterance was paraphrased by Mr. Luker when the lady joined him in the street without.
"It may have been magnificent, but it wasn't war."
It is possible that Mrs. Lamb knew very little about the charge at Balaclava.
It is certain that she had never heard of the phrase with which the critical French general has been credited.
And she was in a red-hot temper, so that in any case she was in no mood to appreciate her legal adviser's recondite allusions.
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.

A Duel

Chapter XX

Reading 1/50 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
SOLICITOR AND CLIENT A pseudo-historical utterance was paraphrased by Mr. Luker when the lady joined him in the street without.
Line 2
"It may have been magnificent, but it wasn't war."
Line 3
It is possible that Mrs. Lamb knew very little about the charge at Balaclava.
Line 4
It is certain that she had never heard of the phrase with which the critical French general has been credited.
Line 5
And she was in a red-hot temper, so that in any case she was in no mood to appreciate her legal adviser's recondite allusions.

Learner Dictionary

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

About preposition US /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading “It is possible that Mrs. Lamb knew very little about the charge at Balaclava.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “"It may have been magnificent, but it wasn't war."”

Has auxiliary verb US /hæz/

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

From this reading “It is certain that she had never heard of the phrase with which the critical French general has been credited.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “"It may have been magnificent, but it wasn't war."”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It is possible that Mrs. Lamb knew very little about the charge at Balaclava.”

May modal verb US /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading “"It may have been magnificent, but it wasn't war."”

Never noun US /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It is certain that she had never heard of the phrase with which the critical French general has been credited.”

Without preposition US /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading “SOLICITOR AND CLIENT A pseudo-historical utterance was paraphrased by Mr. Luker when the lady joined him in the street without.”

All words in this reading · 67

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 SOLICITOR AND CLIENT A pseudo-historical utterance was paraphrased by Mr. Luker when the lady joined him in the street without.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading It is possible that Mrs. Lamb knew very little about the charge at Balaclava.

adviser's

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

From this reading And she was in a red-hot temper, so that in any case she was in no mood to appreciate her legal adviser's recondite allusions.

allusions

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

From this reading And she was in a red-hot temper, so that in any case she was in no mood to appreciate her legal adviser's recondite allusions.

ANDconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading SOLICITOR AND CLIENT A pseudo-historical utterance was paraphrased by Mr. Luker when the lady joined him in the street without.

any

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

From this reading And she was in a red-hot temper, so that in any case she was in no mood to appreciate her legal adviser's recondite allusions.

appreciate

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

From this reading And she was in a red-hot temper, so that in any case she was in no mood to appreciate her legal adviser's recondite allusions.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading It is possible that Mrs. Lamb knew very little about the charge at Balaclava.

Balaclava

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

From this reading It is possible that Mrs. Lamb knew very little about the charge at Balaclava.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading "It may have been magnificent, but it wasn't war."

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading "It may have been magnificent, but it wasn't war."

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading SOLICITOR AND CLIENT A pseudo-historical utterance was paraphrased by Mr. Luker when the lady joined him in the street without.

case

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

From this reading And she was in a red-hot temper, so that in any case she was in no mood to appreciate her legal adviser's recondite allusions.

certain

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

From this reading It is certain that she had never heard of the phrase with which the critical French general has been credited.

charge

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

From this reading It is possible that Mrs. Lamb knew very little about the charge at Balaclava.

CLIENT

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

From this reading SOLICITOR AND CLIENT A pseudo-historical utterance was paraphrased by Mr. Luker when the lady joined him in the street without.

credited

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

From this reading It is certain that she had never heard of the phrase with which the critical French general has been credited.

critical

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

From this reading It is certain that she had never heard of the phrase with which the critical French general has been credited.

French

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

From this reading It is certain that she had never heard of the phrase with which the critical French general has been credited.

general

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

From this reading It is certain that she had never heard of the phrase with which the critical French general has been credited.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading It is certain that she had never heard of the phrase with which the critical French general has been credited.

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

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

From this reading It is certain that she had never heard of the phrase with which the critical French general has been credited.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "It may have been magnificent, but it wasn't war."

heard

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

From this reading It is certain that she had never heard of the phrase with which the critical French general has been credited.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading And she was in a red-hot temper, so that in any case she was in no mood to appreciate her legal adviser's recondite allusions.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading SOLICITOR AND CLIENT A pseudo-historical utterance was paraphrased by Mr. Luker when the lady joined him in the street without.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading SOLICITOR AND CLIENT A pseudo-historical utterance was paraphrased by Mr. Luker when the lady joined him in the street without.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading It is possible that Mrs. Lamb knew very little about the charge at Balaclava.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading "It may have been magnificent, but it wasn't war."

joined

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

From this reading SOLICITOR AND CLIENT A pseudo-historical utterance was paraphrased by Mr. Luker when the lady joined him in the street without.

knew

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

From this reading It is possible that Mrs. Lamb knew very little about the charge at Balaclava.

lady

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

From this reading SOLICITOR AND CLIENT A pseudo-historical utterance was paraphrased by Mr. Luker when the lady joined him in the street without.

Lamb

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

From this reading It is possible that Mrs. Lamb knew very little about the charge at Balaclava.

legal

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

From this reading And she was in a red-hot temper, so that in any case she was in no mood to appreciate her legal adviser's recondite allusions.

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It is possible that Mrs. Lamb knew very little about the charge at Balaclava.

Luker

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

From this reading SOLICITOR AND CLIENT A pseudo-historical utterance was paraphrased by Mr. Luker when the lady joined him in the street without.

magnificent

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

From this reading "It may have been magnificent, but it wasn't war."

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading "It may have been magnificent, but it wasn't war."

mood

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

From this reading And she was in a red-hot temper, so that in any case she was in no mood to appreciate her legal adviser's recondite allusions.

Mr

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

From this reading SOLICITOR AND CLIENT A pseudo-historical utterance was paraphrased by Mr. Luker when the lady joined him in the street without.

Mrs

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

From this reading It is possible that Mrs. Lamb knew very little about the charge at Balaclava.

nevernounUS /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It is certain that she had never heard of the phrase with which the critical French general has been credited.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading And she was in a red-hot temper, so that in any case she was in no mood to appreciate her legal adviser's recondite allusions.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading It is certain that she had never heard of the phrase with which the critical French general has been credited.

paraphrased

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

From this reading SOLICITOR AND CLIENT A pseudo-historical utterance was paraphrased by Mr. Luker when the lady joined him in the street without.

phrase

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

From this reading It is certain that she had never heard of the phrase with which the critical French general has been credited.

possible

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

From this reading It is possible that Mrs. Lamb knew very little about the charge at Balaclava.

pseudo-historical

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

From this reading SOLICITOR AND CLIENT A pseudo-historical utterance was paraphrased by Mr. Luker when the lady joined him in the street without.

recondite

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

From this reading And she was in a red-hot temper, so that in any case she was in no mood to appreciate her legal adviser's recondite allusions.

red-hot

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

From this reading And she was in a red-hot temper, so that in any case she was in no mood to appreciate her legal adviser's recondite allusions.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading It is certain that she had never heard of the phrase with which the critical French general has been credited.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading And she was in a red-hot temper, so that in any case she was in no mood to appreciate her legal adviser's recondite allusions.

SOLICITOR

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

From this reading SOLICITOR AND CLIENT A pseudo-historical utterance was paraphrased by Mr. Luker when the lady joined him in the street without.

street

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

From this reading SOLICITOR AND CLIENT A pseudo-historical utterance was paraphrased by Mr. Luker when the lady joined him in the street without.

temper

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

From this reading And she was in a red-hot temper, so that in any case she was in no mood to appreciate her legal adviser's recondite allusions.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading It is possible that Mrs. Lamb knew very little about the charge at Balaclava.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading SOLICITOR AND CLIENT A pseudo-historical utterance was paraphrased by Mr. Luker when the lady joined him in the street without.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading And she was in a red-hot temper, so that in any case she was in no mood to appreciate her legal adviser's recondite allusions.

utterance

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

From this reading SOLICITOR AND CLIENT A pseudo-historical utterance was paraphrased by Mr. Luker when the lady joined him in the street without.

very

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

From this reading It is possible that Mrs. Lamb knew very little about the charge at Balaclava.

war

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

From this reading "It may have been magnificent, but it wasn't war."

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading SOLICITOR AND CLIENT A pseudo-historical utterance was paraphrased by Mr. Luker when the lady joined him in the street without.

wasn't

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

From this reading "It may have been magnificent, but it wasn't war."

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading SOLICITOR AND CLIENT A pseudo-historical utterance was paraphrased by Mr. Luker when the lady joined him in the street without.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading It is certain that she had never heard of the phrase with which the critical French general has been credited.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading It is certain that she had never heard of the phrase with which the critical French general has been credited.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading SOLICITOR AND CLIENT A pseudo-historical utterance was paraphrased by Mr. Luker when the lady joined him in the street without.