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Anthony John
Anthony John

Chapter III

Cover illustration for Anthony John
Context Illustration Reading 1/38 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Mr. Strong’nth’arm lay ill.
It was just his luck.
For weeks he had been kicking his heels about the workshop, cursing Fate for not sending him a job.
And Fate--the incorrigible joker that she is--had knocked at his door ten days ago with an order that he reckoned would keep him going for a month, and then a week later had struck him down with pleurisy.
They told him that if he kept quiet and didn’t rave and fling his arms about, sending the bedclothes half a dozen times a day on to the floor, he would soon get well.
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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.

Anthony John

Chapter III

Reading 1/38 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Mr. Strong’nth’arm lay ill.
Line 2
It was just his luck.
Line 3
For weeks he had been kicking his heels about the workshop, cursing Fate for not sending him a job.
Line 4
And Fate--the incorrigible joker that she is--had knocked at his door ten days ago with an order that he reckoned would keep him going for a month, and then a week later had struck him down with pleurisy.
Line 5
They told him that if he kept quiet and didn’t rave and fling his arms about, sending the bedclothes half a dozen times a day on to the floor, he would soon get well.

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 “For weeks he had been kicking his heels about the workshop, cursing Fate for not sending him a job.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “For weeks he had been kicking his heels about the workshop, cursing Fate for not sending him a job.”

Half noun US /half/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “They told him that if he kept quiet and didn’t rave and fling his arms about, sending the bedclothes half a dozen times a day on to the floor, he would soon get well.”

Order noun US /order/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “And Fate--the incorrigible joker that she is--had knocked at his door ten days ago with an order that he reckoned would keep him going for a month, and then a week later had struck him down with pleurisy.”

Soon noun US /soon/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “They told him that if he kept quiet and didn’t rave and fling his arms about, sending the bedclothes half a dozen times a day on to the floor, he would soon get well.”

Struck noun US /struck/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “And Fate--the incorrigible joker that she is--had knocked at his door ten days ago with an order that he reckoned would keep him going for a month, and then a week later had struck him down with pleurisy.”

Told noun US /told/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “They told him that if he kept quiet and didn’t rave and fling his arms about, sending the bedclothes half a dozen times a day on to the floor, he would soon get well.”

Well noun US /well/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “They told him that if he kept quiet and didn’t rave and fling his arms about, sending the bedclothes half a dozen times a day on to the floor, he would soon get well.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading “And Fate--the incorrigible joker that she is--had knocked at his door ten days ago with an order that he reckoned would keep him going for a month, and then a week later had struck him down with pleurisy.”

All words in this reading · 72

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 For weeks he had been kicking his heels about the workshop, cursing Fate for not sending him a job.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading For weeks he had been kicking his heels about the workshop, cursing Fate for not sending him a job.

ago

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

From this reading And Fate--the incorrigible joker that she is--had knocked at his door ten days ago with an order that he reckoned would keep him going for a month, and then a week later had struck him down with pleurisy.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading And Fate--the incorrigible joker that she is--had knocked at his door ten days ago with an order that he reckoned would keep him going for a month, and then a week later had struck him down with pleurisy.

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading And Fate--the incorrigible joker that she is--had knocked at his door ten days ago with an order that he reckoned would keep him going for a month, and then a week later had struck him down with pleurisy.

arms

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

From this reading They told him that if he kept quiet and didn’t rave and fling his arms about, sending the bedclothes half a dozen times a day on to the floor, he would soon get well.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading And Fate--the incorrigible joker that she is--had knocked at his door ten days ago with an order that he reckoned would keep him going for a month, and then a week later had struck him down with pleurisy.

bedclothes

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

From this reading They told him that if he kept quiet and didn’t rave and fling his arms about, sending the bedclothes half a dozen times a day on to the floor, he would soon get well.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading For weeks he had been kicking his heels about the workshop, cursing Fate for not sending him a job.

cursing

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

From this reading For weeks he had been kicking his heels about the workshop, cursing Fate for not sending him a job.

day

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

From this reading They told him that if he kept quiet and didn’t rave and fling his arms about, sending the bedclothes half a dozen times a day on to the floor, he would soon get well.

days

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

From this reading And Fate--the incorrigible joker that she is--had knocked at his door ten days ago with an order that he reckoned would keep him going for a month, and then a week later had struck him down with pleurisy.

didn't

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

From this reading They told him that if he kept quiet and didn’t rave and fling his arms about, sending the bedclothes half a dozen times a day on to the floor, he would soon get well.

door

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

From this reading And Fate--the incorrigible joker that she is--had knocked at his door ten days ago with an order that he reckoned would keep him going for a month, and then a week later had struck him down with pleurisy.

down

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

From this reading And Fate--the incorrigible joker that she is--had knocked at his door ten days ago with an order that he reckoned would keep him going for a month, and then a week later had struck him down with pleurisy.

dozen

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

From this reading They told him that if he kept quiet and didn’t rave and fling his arms about, sending the bedclothes half a dozen times a day on to the floor, he would soon get well.

Fate

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

From this reading For weeks he had been kicking his heels about the workshop, cursing Fate for not sending him a job.

fling

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

From this reading They told him that if he kept quiet and didn’t rave and fling his arms about, sending the bedclothes half a dozen times a day on to the floor, he would soon get well.

floor

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

From this reading They told him that if he kept quiet and didn’t rave and fling his arms about, sending the bedclothes half a dozen times a day on to the floor, he would soon get well.

ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading For weeks he had been kicking his heels about the workshop, cursing Fate for not sending him a job.

get

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

From this reading They told him that if he kept quiet and didn’t rave and fling his arms about, sending the bedclothes half a dozen times a day on to the floor, he would soon get well.

going

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

From this reading And Fate--the incorrigible joker that she is--had knocked at his door ten days ago with an order that he reckoned would keep him going for a month, and then a week later had struck him down with pleurisy.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading For weeks he had been kicking his heels about the workshop, cursing Fate for not sending him a job.

halfnounUS /half/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading They told him that if he kept quiet and didn’t rave and fling his arms about, sending the bedclothes half a dozen times a day on to the floor, he would soon get well.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading For weeks he had been kicking his heels about the workshop, cursing Fate for not sending him a job.

heels

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

From this reading For weeks he had been kicking his heels about the workshop, cursing Fate for not sending him a job.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading For weeks he had been kicking his heels about the workshop, cursing Fate for not sending him a job.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading It was just his luck.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading They told him that if he kept quiet and didn’t rave and fling his arms about, sending the bedclothes half a dozen times a day on to the floor, he would soon get well.

ill

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

From this reading Mr. Strong’nth’arm lay ill.

incorrigible

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

From this reading And Fate--the incorrigible joker that she is--had knocked at his door ten days ago with an order that he reckoned would keep him going for a month, and then a week later had struck him down with pleurisy.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading And Fate--the incorrigible joker that she is--had knocked at his door ten days ago with an order that he reckoned would keep him going for a month, and then a week later had struck him down with pleurisy.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was just his luck.

job

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

From this reading For weeks he had been kicking his heels about the workshop, cursing Fate for not sending him a job.

joker

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

From this reading And Fate--the incorrigible joker that she is--had knocked at his door ten days ago with an order that he reckoned would keep him going for a month, and then a week later had struck him down with pleurisy.

just

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

From this reading It was just his luck.

keep

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

From this reading And Fate--the incorrigible joker that she is--had knocked at his door ten days ago with an order that he reckoned would keep him going for a month, and then a week later had struck him down with pleurisy.

kept

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

From this reading They told him that if he kept quiet and didn’t rave and fling his arms about, sending the bedclothes half a dozen times a day on to the floor, he would soon get well.

kicking

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

From this reading For weeks he had been kicking his heels about the workshop, cursing Fate for not sending him a job.

knocked

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

From this reading And Fate--the incorrigible joker that she is--had knocked at his door ten days ago with an order that he reckoned would keep him going for a month, and then a week later had struck him down with pleurisy.

later

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

From this reading And Fate--the incorrigible joker that she is--had knocked at his door ten days ago with an order that he reckoned would keep him going for a month, and then a week later had struck him down with pleurisy.

lay

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

From this reading Mr. Strong’nth’arm lay ill.

luck

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

From this reading It was just his luck.

month

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

From this reading And Fate--the incorrigible joker that she is--had knocked at his door ten days ago with an order that he reckoned would keep him going for a month, and then a week later had struck him down with pleurisy.

Mr

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

From this reading Mr. Strong’nth’arm lay ill.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading For weeks he had been kicking his heels about the workshop, cursing Fate for not sending him a job.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading They told him that if he kept quiet and didn’t rave and fling his arms about, sending the bedclothes half a dozen times a day on to the floor, he would soon get well.

ordernounUS /order/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading And Fate--the incorrigible joker that she is--had knocked at his door ten days ago with an order that he reckoned would keep him going for a month, and then a week later had struck him down with pleurisy.

pleurisy

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

From this reading And Fate--the incorrigible joker that she is--had knocked at his door ten days ago with an order that he reckoned would keep him going for a month, and then a week later had struck him down with pleurisy.

quiet

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

From this reading They told him that if he kept quiet and didn’t rave and fling his arms about, sending the bedclothes half a dozen times a day on to the floor, he would soon get well.

rave

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

From this reading They told him that if he kept quiet and didn’t rave and fling his arms about, sending the bedclothes half a dozen times a day on to the floor, he would soon get well.

reckoned

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

From this reading And Fate--the incorrigible joker that she is--had knocked at his door ten days ago with an order that he reckoned would keep him going for a month, and then a week later had struck him down with pleurisy.

sending

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

From this reading For weeks he had been kicking his heels about the workshop, cursing Fate for not sending him a job.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading And Fate--the incorrigible joker that she is--had knocked at his door ten days ago with an order that he reckoned would keep him going for a month, and then a week later had struck him down with pleurisy.

soon

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

From this reading They told him that if he kept quiet and didn’t rave and fling his arms about, sending the bedclothes half a dozen times a day on to the floor, he would soon get well.

Strong'nth'arm

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

From this reading Mr. Strong’nth’arm lay ill.

strucknounUS /struck/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading And Fate--the incorrigible joker that she is--had knocked at his door ten days ago with an order that he reckoned would keep him going for a month, and then a week later had struck him down with pleurisy.

ten

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

From this reading And Fate--the incorrigible joker that she is--had knocked at his door ten days ago with an order that he reckoned would keep him going for a month, and then a week later had struck him down with pleurisy.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading And Fate--the incorrigible joker that she is--had knocked at his door ten days ago with an order that he reckoned would keep him going for a month, and then a week later had struck him down with pleurisy.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading For weeks he had been kicking his heels about the workshop, cursing Fate for not sending him a job.

then

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

From this reading And Fate--the incorrigible joker that she is--had knocked at his door ten days ago with an order that he reckoned would keep him going for a month, and then a week later had struck him down with pleurisy.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading They told him that if he kept quiet and didn’t rave and fling his arms about, sending the bedclothes half a dozen times a day on to the floor, he would soon get well.

times

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

From this reading They told him that if he kept quiet and didn’t rave and fling his arms about, sending the bedclothes half a dozen times a day on to the floor, he would soon get well.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading They told him that if he kept quiet and didn’t rave and fling his arms about, sending the bedclothes half a dozen times a day on to the floor, he would soon get well.

toldnounUS /told/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading They told him that if he kept quiet and didn’t rave and fling his arms about, sending the bedclothes half a dozen times a day on to the floor, he would soon get well.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading It was just his luck.

week

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

From this reading And Fate--the incorrigible joker that she is--had knocked at his door ten days ago with an order that he reckoned would keep him going for a month, and then a week later had struck him down with pleurisy.

weeks

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

From this reading For weeks he had been kicking his heels about the workshop, cursing Fate for not sending him a job.

well

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

From this reading They told him that if he kept quiet and didn’t rave and fling his arms about, sending the bedclothes half a dozen times a day on to the floor, he would soon get well.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading And Fate--the incorrigible joker that she is--had knocked at his door ten days ago with an order that he reckoned would keep him going for a month, and then a week later had struck him down with pleurisy.

workshop

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

From this reading For weeks he had been kicking his heels about the workshop, cursing Fate for not sending him a job.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading And Fate--the incorrigible joker that she is--had knocked at his door ten days ago with an order that he reckoned would keep him going for a month, and then a week later had struck him down with pleurisy.