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A Gentleman Player
A Gentleman Player

Chapter VII

Cover illustration for A Gentleman Player
Context Illustration Reading 1/18 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
MISTRESS ANNE HAZLEHURST.
"I have got the start; But ere the goal, 'twill ask both brain and art."
--_The English Traveller._ Manifestly the Puritan knew the road, and manifestly it was known to the horses, also; for without decrease of swiftness the few black objects at the roadside--indistinct blurs against the less black stretches of night-sky--seemed to race back toward the men in pursuit.
Soon the riders had a wood at their right, a park at their left.
Then there was perforce a slowing up, for a hill had to be ascended.
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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.

A Gentleman Player

Chapter VII

Reading 1/18 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
MISTRESS ANNE HAZLEHURST.
Line 2
"I have got the start; But ere the goal, 'twill ask both brain and art."
Line 3
--_The English Traveller._ Manifestly the Puritan knew the road, and manifestly it was known to the horses, also; for without decrease of swiftness the few black objects at the roadside--indistinct blurs against the less black stretches of night-sky--seemed to race back toward the men in pursuit.
Line 4
Soon the riders had a wood at their right, a park at their left.
Line 5
Then there was perforce a slowing up, for a hill had to be ascended.

Learner Dictionary

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

Against preposition US /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading “--_The English Traveller._ Manifestly the Puritan knew the road, and manifestly it was known to the horses, also; for without decrease of swiftness the few black objects at the roadside--indistinct blurs against the less black stretches of night-sky--seemed to race back toward the men in pursuit.”

Art auxiliary verb US /ɑːrt/

an old form of “are”, used with “thou”

From this reading “"I have got the start; But ere the goal, 'twill ask both brain and art."”

Ere conjunction US /er/

an old word for “before”

From this reading “"I have got the start; But ere the goal, 'twill ask both brain and art."”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “"I have got the start; But ere the goal, 'twill ask both brain and art."”

Left noun US /left/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Soon the riders had a wood at their right, a park at their left.”

Right noun US /right/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Soon the riders had a wood at their right, a park at their left.”

Seemed noun US /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “--_The English Traveller._ Manifestly the Puritan knew the road, and manifestly it was known to the horses, also; for without decrease of swiftness the few black objects at the roadside--indistinct blurs against the less black stretches of night-sky--seemed to race back toward the men in pursuit.”

Soon noun US /soon/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Soon the riders had a wood at their right, a park at their left.”

Start noun US /start/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “"I have got the start; But ere the goal, 'twill ask both brain and art."”

Toward preposition US /təˈwɔːrd/

in the direction of

From this reading “--_The English Traveller._ Manifestly the Puritan knew the road, and manifestly it was known to the horses, also; for without decrease of swiftness the few black objects at the roadside--indistinct blurs against the less black stretches of night-sky--seemed to race back toward the men in pursuit.”

Without preposition US /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading “--_The English Traveller._ Manifestly the Puritan knew the road, and manifestly it was known to the horses, also; for without decrease of swiftness the few black objects at the roadside--indistinct blurs against the less black stretches of night-sky--seemed to race back toward the men in pursuit.”

All words in this reading · 69

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 Soon the riders had a wood at their right, a park at their left.

againstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading --_The English Traveller._ Manifestly the Puritan knew the road, and manifestly it was known to the horses, also; for without decrease of swiftness the few black objects at the roadside--indistinct blurs against the less black stretches of night-sky--seemed to race back toward the men in pursuit.

also

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

From this reading --_The English Traveller._ Manifestly the Puritan knew the road, and manifestly it was known to the horses, also; for without decrease of swiftness the few black objects at the roadside--indistinct blurs against the less black stretches of night-sky--seemed to race back toward the men in pursuit.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading "I have got the start; But ere the goal, 'twill ask both brain and art."

ANNE

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

From this reading MISTRESS ANNE HAZLEHURST.

artauxiliary verbUS /ɑːrt/

an old form of “are”, used with “thou”

From this reading "I have got the start; But ere the goal, 'twill ask both brain and art."

ascended

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

From this reading Then there was perforce a slowing up, for a hill had to be ascended.

ask

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

From this reading "I have got the start; But ere the goal, 'twill ask both brain and art."

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading --_The English Traveller._ Manifestly the Puritan knew the road, and manifestly it was known to the horses, also; for without decrease of swiftness the few black objects at the roadside--indistinct blurs against the less black stretches of night-sky--seemed to race back toward the men in pursuit.

back

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

From this reading --_The English Traveller._ Manifestly the Puritan knew the road, and manifestly it was known to the horses, also; for without decrease of swiftness the few black objects at the roadside--indistinct blurs against the less black stretches of night-sky--seemed to race back toward the men in pursuit.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading Then there was perforce a slowing up, for a hill had to be ascended.

black

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

From this reading --_The English Traveller._ Manifestly the Puritan knew the road, and manifestly it was known to the horses, also; for without decrease of swiftness the few black objects at the roadside--indistinct blurs against the less black stretches of night-sky--seemed to race back toward the men in pursuit.

blurs

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

From this reading --_The English Traveller._ Manifestly the Puritan knew the road, and manifestly it was known to the horses, also; for without decrease of swiftness the few black objects at the roadside--indistinct blurs against the less black stretches of night-sky--seemed to race back toward the men in pursuit.

bothdeterminerUS /boʊθ/

the two together, not just one

From this reading "I have got the start; But ere the goal, 'twill ask both brain and art."

brain

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

From this reading "I have got the start; But ere the goal, 'twill ask both brain and art."

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading "I have got the start; But ere the goal, 'twill ask both brain and art."

decrease

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

From this reading --_The English Traveller._ Manifestly the Puritan knew the road, and manifestly it was known to the horses, also; for without decrease of swiftness the few black objects at the roadside--indistinct blurs against the less black stretches of night-sky--seemed to race back toward the men in pursuit.

English

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

From this reading --_The English Traveller._ Manifestly the Puritan knew the road, and manifestly it was known to the horses, also; for without decrease of swiftness the few black objects at the roadside--indistinct blurs against the less black stretches of night-sky--seemed to race back toward the men in pursuit.

ereconjunctionUS /er/

an old word for “before”

From this reading "I have got the start; But ere the goal, 'twill ask both brain and art."

few

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

From this reading --_The English Traveller._ Manifestly the Puritan knew the road, and manifestly it was known to the horses, also; for without decrease of swiftness the few black objects at the roadside--indistinct blurs against the less black stretches of night-sky--seemed to race back toward the men in pursuit.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading --_The English Traveller._ Manifestly the Puritan knew the road, and manifestly it was known to the horses, also; for without decrease of swiftness the few black objects at the roadside--indistinct blurs against the less black stretches of night-sky--seemed to race back toward the men in pursuit.

goal

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

From this reading "I have got the start; But ere the goal, 'twill ask both brain and art."

got

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

From this reading "I have got the start; But ere the goal, 'twill ask both brain and art."

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Soon the riders had a wood at their right, a park at their left.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "I have got the start; But ere the goal, 'twill ask both brain and art."

HAZLEHURST

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

From this reading MISTRESS ANNE HAZLEHURST.

hill

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

From this reading Then there was perforce a slowing up, for a hill had to be ascended.

horses

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

From this reading --_The English Traveller._ Manifestly the Puritan knew the road, and manifestly it was known to the horses, also; for without decrease of swiftness the few black objects at the roadside--indistinct blurs against the less black stretches of night-sky--seemed to race back toward the men in pursuit.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading "I have got the start; But ere the goal, 'twill ask both brain and art."

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading --_The English Traveller._ Manifestly the Puritan knew the road, and manifestly it was known to the horses, also; for without decrease of swiftness the few black objects at the roadside--indistinct blurs against the less black stretches of night-sky--seemed to race back toward the men in pursuit.

indistinct

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

From this reading --_The English Traveller._ Manifestly the Puritan knew the road, and manifestly it was known to the horses, also; for without decrease of swiftness the few black objects at the roadside--indistinct blurs against the less black stretches of night-sky--seemed to race back toward the men in pursuit.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading --_The English Traveller._ Manifestly the Puritan knew the road, and manifestly it was known to the horses, also; for without decrease of swiftness the few black objects at the roadside--indistinct blurs against the less black stretches of night-sky--seemed to race back toward the men in pursuit.

knew

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

From this reading --_The English Traveller._ Manifestly the Puritan knew the road, and manifestly it was known to the horses, also; for without decrease of swiftness the few black objects at the roadside--indistinct blurs against the less black stretches of night-sky--seemed to race back toward the men in pursuit.

known

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

From this reading --_The English Traveller._ Manifestly the Puritan knew the road, and manifestly it was known to the horses, also; for without decrease of swiftness the few black objects at the roadside--indistinct blurs against the less black stretches of night-sky--seemed to race back toward the men in pursuit.

leftnounUS /left/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Soon the riders had a wood at their right, a park at their left.

less

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

From this reading --_The English Traveller._ Manifestly the Puritan knew the road, and manifestly it was known to the horses, also; for without decrease of swiftness the few black objects at the roadside--indistinct blurs against the less black stretches of night-sky--seemed to race back toward the men in pursuit.

Manifestly

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

From this reading --_The English Traveller._ Manifestly the Puritan knew the road, and manifestly it was known to the horses, also; for without decrease of swiftness the few black objects at the roadside--indistinct blurs against the less black stretches of night-sky--seemed to race back toward the men in pursuit.

men

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

From this reading --_The English Traveller._ Manifestly the Puritan knew the road, and manifestly it was known to the horses, also; for without decrease of swiftness the few black objects at the roadside--indistinct blurs against the less black stretches of night-sky--seemed to race back toward the men in pursuit.

MISTRESS

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

From this reading MISTRESS ANNE HAZLEHURST.

night-sky

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

From this reading --_The English Traveller._ Manifestly the Puritan knew the road, and manifestly it was known to the horses, also; for without decrease of swiftness the few black objects at the roadside--indistinct blurs against the less black stretches of night-sky--seemed to race back toward the men in pursuit.

objects

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

From this reading --_The English Traveller._ Manifestly the Puritan knew the road, and manifestly it was known to the horses, also; for without decrease of swiftness the few black objects at the roadside--indistinct blurs against the less black stretches of night-sky--seemed to race back toward the men in pursuit.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading --_The English Traveller._ Manifestly the Puritan knew the road, and manifestly it was known to the horses, also; for without decrease of swiftness the few black objects at the roadside--indistinct blurs against the less black stretches of night-sky--seemed to race back toward the men in pursuit.

park

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

From this reading Soon the riders had a wood at their right, a park at their left.

perforce

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

From this reading Then there was perforce a slowing up, for a hill had to be ascended.

Puritan

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

From this reading --_The English Traveller._ Manifestly the Puritan knew the road, and manifestly it was known to the horses, also; for without decrease of swiftness the few black objects at the roadside--indistinct blurs against the less black stretches of night-sky--seemed to race back toward the men in pursuit.

pursuit

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

From this reading --_The English Traveller._ Manifestly the Puritan knew the road, and manifestly it was known to the horses, also; for without decrease of swiftness the few black objects at the roadside--indistinct blurs against the less black stretches of night-sky--seemed to race back toward the men in pursuit.

race

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

From this reading --_The English Traveller._ Manifestly the Puritan knew the road, and manifestly it was known to the horses, also; for without decrease of swiftness the few black objects at the roadside--indistinct blurs against the less black stretches of night-sky--seemed to race back toward the men in pursuit.

riders

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

From this reading Soon the riders had a wood at their right, a park at their left.

rightnounUS /right/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Soon the riders had a wood at their right, a park at their left.

road

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

From this reading --_The English Traveller._ Manifestly the Puritan knew the road, and manifestly it was known to the horses, also; for without decrease of swiftness the few black objects at the roadside--indistinct blurs against the less black stretches of night-sky--seemed to race back toward the men in pursuit.

roadside

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

From this reading --_The English Traveller._ Manifestly the Puritan knew the road, and manifestly it was known to the horses, also; for without decrease of swiftness the few black objects at the roadside--indistinct blurs against the less black stretches of night-sky--seemed to race back toward the men in pursuit.

seemednounUS /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading --_The English Traveller._ Manifestly the Puritan knew the road, and manifestly it was known to the horses, also; for without decrease of swiftness the few black objects at the roadside--indistinct blurs against the less black stretches of night-sky--seemed to race back toward the men in pursuit.

slowing

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

From this reading Then there was perforce a slowing up, for a hill had to be ascended.

Soon

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

From this reading Soon the riders had a wood at their right, a park at their left.

startnounUS /start/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading "I have got the start; But ere the goal, 'twill ask both brain and art."

stretches

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

From this reading --_The English Traveller._ Manifestly the Puritan knew the road, and manifestly it was known to the horses, also; for without decrease of swiftness the few black objects at the roadside--indistinct blurs against the less black stretches of night-sky--seemed to race back toward the men in pursuit.

swiftness

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

From this reading --_The English Traveller._ Manifestly the Puritan knew the road, and manifestly it was known to the horses, also; for without decrease of swiftness the few black objects at the roadside--indistinct blurs against the less black stretches of night-sky--seemed to race back toward the men in pursuit.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading "I have got the start; But ere the goal, 'twill ask both brain and art."

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Soon the riders had a wood at their right, a park at their left.

Then

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

From this reading Then there was perforce a slowing up, for a hill had to be ascended.

there

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

From this reading Then there was perforce a slowing up, for a hill had to be ascended.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading --_The English Traveller._ Manifestly the Puritan knew the road, and manifestly it was known to the horses, also; for without decrease of swiftness the few black objects at the roadside--indistinct blurs against the less black stretches of night-sky--seemed to race back toward the men in pursuit.

towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/

in the direction of

From this reading --_The English Traveller._ Manifestly the Puritan knew the road, and manifestly it was known to the horses, also; for without decrease of swiftness the few black objects at the roadside--indistinct blurs against the less black stretches of night-sky--seemed to race back toward the men in pursuit.

Traveller

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

From this reading --_The English Traveller._ Manifestly the Puritan knew the road, and manifestly it was known to the horses, also; for without decrease of swiftness the few black objects at the roadside--indistinct blurs against the less black stretches of night-sky--seemed to race back toward the men in pursuit.

twill

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

From this reading "I have got the start; But ere the goal, 'twill ask both brain and art."

up

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

From this reading Then there was perforce a slowing up, for a hill had to be ascended.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading --_The English Traveller._ Manifestly the Puritan knew the road, and manifestly it was known to the horses, also; for without decrease of swiftness the few black objects at the roadside--indistinct blurs against the less black stretches of night-sky--seemed to race back toward the men in pursuit.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading --_The English Traveller._ Manifestly the Puritan knew the road, and manifestly it was known to the horses, also; for without decrease of swiftness the few black objects at the roadside--indistinct blurs against the less black stretches of night-sky--seemed to race back toward the men in pursuit.

wood

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

From this reading Soon the riders had a wood at their right, a park at their left.