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

Chapter XXX

Cover illustration for A People's Man
Context Illustration Reading 1/50 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Maraton was more than ever conscious, as he climbed the stairs of the house in Downing Street an hour or so later, of a certain fragility of appearance in Mr. Foley, markedly apparent during these last few weeks.
He was standing talking to Lord Armley, who was one of the late arrivals, as Maraton entered, talking in a low tone and with an obviously serious manner.
At the sound of Maraton's name, however, he turned swiftly around.
His face seemed to lighten.
He held out his hand with an air almost of relief.
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 People's Man

Chapter XXX

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

Line 1
Maraton was more than ever conscious, as he climbed the stairs of the house in Downing Street an hour or so later, of a certain fragility of appearance in Mr. Foley, markedly apparent during these last few weeks.
Line 2
He was standing talking to Lord Armley, who was one of the late arrivals, as Maraton entered, talking in a low tone and with an obviously serious manner.
Line 3
At the sound of Maraton's name, however, he turned swiftly around.
Line 4
His face seemed to lighten.
Line 5
He held out his hand with an air almost of relief.

Learner Dictionary

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

Appearance noun US /ˈappearance/

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

From this reading “Maraton was more than ever conscious, as he climbed the stairs of the house in Downing Street an hour or so later, of a certain fragility of appearance in Mr. Foley, markedly apparent during these last few weeks.”

Around preposition US /ərˈaʊnd/

surrounding, or on every side of, something

From this reading “At the sound of Maraton's name, however, he turned swiftly around.”

During preposition US /ˈdʊrɪŋ/

all through a period, or at some point within it

From this reading “Maraton was more than ever conscious, as he climbed the stairs of the house in Downing Street an hour or so later, of a certain fragility of appearance in Mr. Foley, markedly apparent during these last few weeks.”

Ever noun US /ever/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Maraton was more than ever conscious, as he climbed the stairs of the house in Downing Street an hour or so later, of a certain fragility of appearance in Mr. Foley, markedly apparent during these last few weeks.”

Hand noun US /hand/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He held out his hand with an air almost of relief.”

However adverb US /ˌhaʊˈevər/

used to add a contrasting statement

From this reading “At the sound of Maraton's name, however, he turned swiftly around.”

Last noun US /last/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Maraton was more than ever conscious, as he climbed the stairs of the house in Downing Street an hour or so later, of a certain fragility of appearance in Mr. Foley, markedly apparent during these last few weeks.”

Name noun US /name/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “At the sound of Maraton's name, however, he turned swiftly around.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “He was standing talking to Lord Armley, who was one of the late arrivals, as Maraton entered, talking in a low tone and with an obviously serious manner.”

Relief noun US /rɪˈliːf/

a feeling of comfort after worry or pain

From this reading “He held out his hand with an air almost of relief.”

Seemed noun US /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “His face seemed to lighten.”

Standing noun US /ˈstanding/

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

From this reading “He was standing talking to Lord Armley, who was one of the late arrivals, as Maraton entered, talking in a low tone and with an obviously serious manner.”

These determiner US /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading “Maraton was more than ever conscious, as he climbed the stairs of the house in Downing Street an hour or so later, of a certain fragility of appearance in Mr. Foley, markedly apparent during these last few weeks.”

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 Maraton was more than ever conscious, as he climbed the stairs of the house in Downing Street an hour or so later, of a certain fragility of appearance in Mr. Foley, markedly apparent during these last few weeks.

air

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

From this reading He held out his hand with an air almost of relief.

almost

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

From this reading He held out his hand with an air almost of relief.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading Maraton was more than ever conscious, as he climbed the stairs of the house in Downing Street an hour or so later, of a certain fragility of appearance in Mr. Foley, markedly apparent during these last few weeks.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading He was standing talking to Lord Armley, who was one of the late arrivals, as Maraton entered, talking in a low tone and with an obviously serious manner.

apparent

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

From this reading Maraton was more than ever conscious, as he climbed the stairs of the house in Downing Street an hour or so later, of a certain fragility of appearance in Mr. Foley, markedly apparent during these last few weeks.

appearancenounUS /ˈappearance/

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

From this reading Maraton was more than ever conscious, as he climbed the stairs of the house in Downing Street an hour or so later, of a certain fragility of appearance in Mr. Foley, markedly apparent during these last few weeks.

Armley

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

From this reading He was standing talking to Lord Armley, who was one of the late arrivals, as Maraton entered, talking in a low tone and with an obviously serious manner.

aroundprepositionUS /ərˈaʊnd/

surrounding, or on every side of, something

From this reading At the sound of Maraton's name, however, he turned swiftly around.

arrivals

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

From this reading He was standing talking to Lord Armley, who was one of the late arrivals, as Maraton entered, talking in a low tone and with an obviously serious manner.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Maraton was more than ever conscious, as he climbed the stairs of the house in Downing Street an hour or so later, of a certain fragility of appearance in Mr. Foley, markedly apparent during these last few weeks.

AtprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading At the sound of Maraton's name, however, he turned swiftly around.

certain

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

From this reading Maraton was more than ever conscious, as he climbed the stairs of the house in Downing Street an hour or so later, of a certain fragility of appearance in Mr. Foley, markedly apparent during these last few weeks.

climbed

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

From this reading Maraton was more than ever conscious, as he climbed the stairs of the house in Downing Street an hour or so later, of a certain fragility of appearance in Mr. Foley, markedly apparent during these last few weeks.

conscious

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

From this reading Maraton was more than ever conscious, as he climbed the stairs of the house in Downing Street an hour or so later, of a certain fragility of appearance in Mr. Foley, markedly apparent during these last few weeks.

Downing

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

From this reading Maraton was more than ever conscious, as he climbed the stairs of the house in Downing Street an hour or so later, of a certain fragility of appearance in Mr. Foley, markedly apparent during these last few weeks.

duringprepositionUS /ˈdʊrɪŋ/

all through a period, or at some point within it

From this reading Maraton was more than ever conscious, as he climbed the stairs of the house in Downing Street an hour or so later, of a certain fragility of appearance in Mr. Foley, markedly apparent during these last few weeks.

entered

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

From this reading He was standing talking to Lord Armley, who was one of the late arrivals, as Maraton entered, talking in a low tone and with an obviously serious manner.

evernounUS /ever/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Maraton was more than ever conscious, as he climbed the stairs of the house in Downing Street an hour or so later, of a certain fragility of appearance in Mr. Foley, markedly apparent during these last few weeks.

face

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

From this reading His face seemed to lighten.

few

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

From this reading Maraton was more than ever conscious, as he climbed the stairs of the house in Downing Street an hour or so later, of a certain fragility of appearance in Mr. Foley, markedly apparent during these last few weeks.

Foley

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

From this reading Maraton was more than ever conscious, as he climbed the stairs of the house in Downing Street an hour or so later, of a certain fragility of appearance in Mr. Foley, markedly apparent during these last few weeks.

fragility

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

From this reading Maraton was more than ever conscious, as he climbed the stairs of the house in Downing Street an hour or so later, of a certain fragility of appearance in Mr. Foley, markedly apparent during these last few weeks.

hand

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

From this reading He held out his hand with an air almost of relief.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading Maraton was more than ever conscious, as he climbed the stairs of the house in Downing Street an hour or so later, of a certain fragility of appearance in Mr. Foley, markedly apparent during these last few weeks.

held

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

From this reading He held out his hand with an air almost of relief.

HisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading His face seemed to lighten.

hour

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

From this reading Maraton was more than ever conscious, as he climbed the stairs of the house in Downing Street an hour or so later, of a certain fragility of appearance in Mr. Foley, markedly apparent during these last few weeks.

house

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

From this reading Maraton was more than ever conscious, as he climbed the stairs of the house in Downing Street an hour or so later, of a certain fragility of appearance in Mr. Foley, markedly apparent during these last few weeks.

howeveradverbUS /ˌhaʊˈevər/

used to add a contrasting statement

From this reading At the sound of Maraton's name, however, he turned swiftly around.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Maraton was more than ever conscious, as he climbed the stairs of the house in Downing Street an hour or so later, of a certain fragility of appearance in Mr. Foley, markedly apparent during these last few weeks.

lastnounUS /last/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Maraton was more than ever conscious, as he climbed the stairs of the house in Downing Street an hour or so later, of a certain fragility of appearance in Mr. Foley, markedly apparent during these last few weeks.

late

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

From this reading He was standing talking to Lord Armley, who was one of the late arrivals, as Maraton entered, talking in a low tone and with an obviously serious manner.

later

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

From this reading Maraton was more than ever conscious, as he climbed the stairs of the house in Downing Street an hour or so later, of a certain fragility of appearance in Mr. Foley, markedly apparent during these last few weeks.

lighten

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

From this reading His face seemed to lighten.

Lord

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

From this reading He was standing talking to Lord Armley, who was one of the late arrivals, as Maraton entered, talking in a low tone and with an obviously serious manner.

low

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

From this reading He was standing talking to Lord Armley, who was one of the late arrivals, as Maraton entered, talking in a low tone and with an obviously serious manner.

manner

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

From this reading He was standing talking to Lord Armley, who was one of the late arrivals, as Maraton entered, talking in a low tone and with an obviously serious manner.

Maraton

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

From this reading Maraton was more than ever conscious, as he climbed the stairs of the house in Downing Street an hour or so later, of a certain fragility of appearance in Mr. Foley, markedly apparent during these last few weeks.

Maraton's

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

From this reading At the sound of Maraton's name, however, he turned swiftly around.

markedly

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

From this reading Maraton was more than ever conscious, as he climbed the stairs of the house in Downing Street an hour or so later, of a certain fragility of appearance in Mr. Foley, markedly apparent during these last few weeks.

more

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

From this reading Maraton was more than ever conscious, as he climbed the stairs of the house in Downing Street an hour or so later, of a certain fragility of appearance in Mr. Foley, markedly apparent during these last few weeks.

Mr

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

From this reading Maraton was more than ever conscious, as he climbed the stairs of the house in Downing Street an hour or so later, of a certain fragility of appearance in Mr. Foley, markedly apparent during these last few weeks.

namenounUS /name/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading At the sound of Maraton's name, however, he turned swiftly around.

obviously

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

From this reading He was standing talking to Lord Armley, who was one of the late arrivals, as Maraton entered, talking in a low tone and with an obviously serious manner.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Maraton was more than ever conscious, as he climbed the stairs of the house in Downing Street an hour or so later, of a certain fragility of appearance in Mr. Foley, markedly apparent during these last few weeks.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading He was standing talking to Lord Armley, who was one of the late arrivals, as Maraton entered, talking in a low tone and with an obviously serious manner.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Maraton was more than ever conscious, as he climbed the stairs of the house in Downing Street an hour or so later, of a certain fragility of appearance in Mr. Foley, markedly apparent during these last few weeks.

out

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

From this reading He held out his hand with an air almost of relief.

reliefnounUS /rɪˈliːf/

a feeling of comfort after worry or pain

From this reading He held out his hand with an air almost of relief.

seemednounUS /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading His face seemed to lighten.

serious

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

From this reading He was standing talking to Lord Armley, who was one of the late arrivals, as Maraton entered, talking in a low tone and with an obviously serious manner.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Maraton was more than ever conscious, as he climbed the stairs of the house in Downing Street an hour or so later, of a certain fragility of appearance in Mr. Foley, markedly apparent during these last few weeks.

sound

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

From this reading At the sound of Maraton's name, however, he turned swiftly around.

stairs

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

From this reading Maraton was more than ever conscious, as he climbed the stairs of the house in Downing Street an hour or so later, of a certain fragility of appearance in Mr. Foley, markedly apparent during these last few weeks.

standingnounUS /ˈstanding/

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

From this reading He was standing talking to Lord Armley, who was one of the late arrivals, as Maraton entered, talking in a low tone and with an obviously serious manner.

Street

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

From this reading Maraton was more than ever conscious, as he climbed the stairs of the house in Downing Street an hour or so later, of a certain fragility of appearance in Mr. Foley, markedly apparent during these last few weeks.

swiftly

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

From this reading At the sound of Maraton's name, however, he turned swiftly around.

talking

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

From this reading He was standing talking to Lord Armley, who was one of the late arrivals, as Maraton entered, talking in a low tone and with an obviously serious manner.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading Maraton was more than ever conscious, as he climbed the stairs of the house in Downing Street an hour or so later, of a certain fragility of appearance in Mr. Foley, markedly apparent during these last few weeks.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Maraton was more than ever conscious, as he climbed the stairs of the house in Downing Street an hour or so later, of a certain fragility of appearance in Mr. Foley, markedly apparent during these last few weeks.

thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading Maraton was more than ever conscious, as he climbed the stairs of the house in Downing Street an hour or so later, of a certain fragility of appearance in Mr. Foley, markedly apparent during these last few weeks.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading He was standing talking to Lord Armley, who was one of the late arrivals, as Maraton entered, talking in a low tone and with an obviously serious manner.

tone

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

From this reading He was standing talking to Lord Armley, who was one of the late arrivals, as Maraton entered, talking in a low tone and with an obviously serious manner.

turned

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

From this reading At the sound of Maraton's name, however, he turned swiftly around.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Maraton was more than ever conscious, as he climbed the stairs of the house in Downing Street an hour or so later, of a certain fragility of appearance in Mr. Foley, markedly apparent during these last few weeks.

weeks

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

From this reading Maraton was more than ever conscious, as he climbed the stairs of the house in Downing Street an hour or so later, of a certain fragility of appearance in Mr. Foley, markedly apparent during these last few weeks.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading He was standing talking to Lord Armley, who was one of the late arrivals, as Maraton entered, talking in a low tone and with an obviously serious manner.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading He was standing talking to Lord Armley, who was one of the late arrivals, as Maraton entered, talking in a low tone and with an obviously serious manner.