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Anything You Can Do ...
Anything You Can Do ...

Chapter III

Cover illustration for Anything You Can Do ...
Context Illustration Reading 1/83 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
It required more time yet to reach the city, and still more time to find the place he was looking for.
It was almost dawn before he managed to find a storm sewer in which to hide for the day.
It was partly his difficulty in finding a given spot in a city--almost any city--that had convinced the Nipe that the pseudo-intelligence of the bipeds of this planet could not really be called true intelligence.
There was no standardized method of orienting oneself in a city.
Not only were no two cities alike in their orientation systems, but the same city would often vary from section to section.
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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.

Anything You Can Do ...

Chapter III

Reading 1/83 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
It required more time yet to reach the city, and still more time to find the place he was looking for.
Line 2
It was almost dawn before he managed to find a storm sewer in which to hide for the day.
Line 3
It was partly his difficulty in finding a given spot in a city--almost any city--that had convinced the Nipe that the pseudo-intelligence of the bipeds of this planet could not really be called true intelligence.
Line 4
There was no standardized method of orienting oneself in a city.
Line 5
Not only were no two cities alike in their orientation systems, but the same city would often vary from section to section.

Learner Dictionary

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

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “It was almost dawn before he managed to find a storm sewer in which to hide for the day.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading “It was partly his difficulty in finding a given spot in a city--almost any city--that had convinced the Nipe that the pseudo-intelligence of the bipeds of this planet could not really be called true intelligence.”

Partly noun US /partly/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It was partly his difficulty in finding a given spot in a city--almost any city--that had convinced the Nipe that the pseudo-intelligence of the bipeds of this planet could not really be called true intelligence.”

Required noun US /required/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It required more time yet to reach the city, and still more time to find the place he was looking for.”

Same noun US /same/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Not only were no two cities alike in their orientation systems, but the same city would often vary from section to section.”

Still noun US /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It required more time yet to reach the city, and still more time to find the place he was looking for.”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It required more time yet to reach the city, and still more time to find the place he was looking for.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

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

From this reading “Not only were no two cities alike in their orientation systems, but the same city would often vary from section to section.”

Yet conjunction US /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading “It required more time yet to reach the city, and still more time to find the place he was looking for.”

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 It was almost dawn before he managed to find a storm sewer in which to hide for the day.

alike

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

From this reading Not only were no two cities alike in their orientation systems, but the same city would often vary from section to section.

almost

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

From this reading It was almost dawn before he managed to find a storm sewer in which to hide for the day.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading It required more time yet to reach the city, and still more time to find the place he was looking for.

any

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

From this reading It was partly his difficulty in finding a given spot in a city--almost any city--that had convinced the Nipe that the pseudo-intelligence of the bipeds of this planet could not really be called true intelligence.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading It was partly his difficulty in finding a given spot in a city--almost any city--that had convinced the Nipe that the pseudo-intelligence of the bipeds of this planet could not really be called true intelligence.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading It was almost dawn before he managed to find a storm sewer in which to hide for the day.

bipeds

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

From this reading It was partly his difficulty in finding a given spot in a city--almost any city--that had convinced the Nipe that the pseudo-intelligence of the bipeds of this planet could not really be called true intelligence.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Not only were no two cities alike in their orientation systems, but the same city would often vary from section to section.

called

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

From this reading It was partly his difficulty in finding a given spot in a city--almost any city--that had convinced the Nipe that the pseudo-intelligence of the bipeds of this planet could not really be called true intelligence.

cities

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

From this reading Not only were no two cities alike in their orientation systems, but the same city would often vary from section to section.

city

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

From this reading It required more time yet to reach the city, and still more time to find the place he was looking for.

convinced

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

From this reading It was partly his difficulty in finding a given spot in a city--almost any city--that had convinced the Nipe that the pseudo-intelligence of the bipeds of this planet could not really be called true intelligence.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading It was partly his difficulty in finding a given spot in a city--almost any city--that had convinced the Nipe that the pseudo-intelligence of the bipeds of this planet could not really be called true intelligence.

dawn

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

From this reading It was almost dawn before he managed to find a storm sewer in which to hide for the day.

day

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

From this reading It was almost dawn before he managed to find a storm sewer in which to hide for the day.

difficulty

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

From this reading It was partly his difficulty in finding a given spot in a city--almost any city--that had convinced the Nipe that the pseudo-intelligence of the bipeds of this planet could not really be called true intelligence.

find

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

From this reading It required more time yet to reach the city, and still more time to find the place he was looking for.

finding

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

From this reading It was partly his difficulty in finding a given spot in a city--almost any city--that had convinced the Nipe that the pseudo-intelligence of the bipeds of this planet could not really be called true intelligence.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading It required more time yet to reach the city, and still more time to find the place he was looking for.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Not only were no two cities alike in their orientation systems, but the same city would often vary from section to section.

given

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

From this reading It was partly his difficulty in finding a given spot in a city--almost any city--that had convinced the Nipe that the pseudo-intelligence of the bipeds of this planet could not really be called true intelligence.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading It was partly his difficulty in finding a given spot in a city--almost any city--that had convinced the Nipe that the pseudo-intelligence of the bipeds of this planet could not really be called true intelligence.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading It required more time yet to reach the city, and still more time to find the place he was looking for.

hide

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

From this reading It was almost dawn before he managed to find a storm sewer in which to hide for the day.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading It was partly his difficulty in finding a given spot in a city--almost any city--that had convinced the Nipe that the pseudo-intelligence of the bipeds of this planet could not really be called true intelligence.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading It was almost dawn before he managed to find a storm sewer in which to hide for the day.

intelligence

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

From this reading It was partly his difficulty in finding a given spot in a city--almost any city--that had convinced the Nipe that the pseudo-intelligence of the bipeds of this planet could not really be called true intelligence.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It required more time yet to reach the city, and still more time to find the place he was looking for.

looking

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

From this reading It required more time yet to reach the city, and still more time to find the place he was looking for.

managed

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

From this reading It was almost dawn before he managed to find a storm sewer in which to hide for the day.

method

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

From this reading There was no standardized method of orienting oneself in a city.

more

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

From this reading It required more time yet to reach the city, and still more time to find the place he was looking for.

Nipe

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

From this reading It was partly his difficulty in finding a given spot in a city--almost any city--that had convinced the Nipe that the pseudo-intelligence of the bipeds of this planet could not really be called true intelligence.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading There was no standardized method of orienting oneself in a city.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading It was partly his difficulty in finding a given spot in a city--almost any city--that had convinced the Nipe that the pseudo-intelligence of the bipeds of this planet could not really be called true intelligence.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading It was partly his difficulty in finding a given spot in a city--almost any city--that had convinced the Nipe that the pseudo-intelligence of the bipeds of this planet could not really be called true intelligence.

often

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

From this reading Not only were no two cities alike in their orientation systems, but the same city would often vary from section to section.

oneself

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

From this reading There was no standardized method of orienting oneself in a city.

only

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

From this reading Not only were no two cities alike in their orientation systems, but the same city would often vary from section to section.

orientation

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

From this reading Not only were no two cities alike in their orientation systems, but the same city would often vary from section to section.

orienting

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

From this reading There was no standardized method of orienting oneself in a city.

partly

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

From this reading It was partly his difficulty in finding a given spot in a city--almost any city--that had convinced the Nipe that the pseudo-intelligence of the bipeds of this planet could not really be called true intelligence.

place

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

From this reading It required more time yet to reach the city, and still more time to find the place he was looking for.

planet

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

From this reading It was partly his difficulty in finding a given spot in a city--almost any city--that had convinced the Nipe that the pseudo-intelligence of the bipeds of this planet could not really be called true intelligence.

pseudo-intelligence

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

From this reading It was partly his difficulty in finding a given spot in a city--almost any city--that had convinced the Nipe that the pseudo-intelligence of the bipeds of this planet could not really be called true intelligence.

reach

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

From this reading It required more time yet to reach the city, and still more time to find the place he was looking for.

really

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

From this reading It was partly his difficulty in finding a given spot in a city--almost any city--that had convinced the Nipe that the pseudo-intelligence of the bipeds of this planet could not really be called true intelligence.

requirednounUS /required/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It required more time yet to reach the city, and still more time to find the place he was looking for.

samenounUS /same/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Not only were no two cities alike in their orientation systems, but the same city would often vary from section to section.

section

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

From this reading Not only were no two cities alike in their orientation systems, but the same city would often vary from section to section.

sewer

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

From this reading It was almost dawn before he managed to find a storm sewer in which to hide for the day.

spot

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

From this reading It was partly his difficulty in finding a given spot in a city--almost any city--that had convinced the Nipe that the pseudo-intelligence of the bipeds of this planet could not really be called true intelligence.

standardized

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

From this reading There was no standardized method of orienting oneself in a city.

stillnounUS /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It required more time yet to reach the city, and still more time to find the place he was looking for.

storm

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

From this reading It was almost dawn before he managed to find a storm sewer in which to hide for the day.

systems

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

From this reading Not only were no two cities alike in their orientation systems, but the same city would often vary from section to section.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading It was partly his difficulty in finding a given spot in a city--almost any city--that had convinced the Nipe that the pseudo-intelligence of the bipeds of this planet could not really be called true intelligence.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading It required more time yet to reach the city, and still more time to find the place he was looking for.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Not only were no two cities alike in their orientation systems, but the same city would often vary from section to section.

There

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

From this reading There was no standardized method of orienting oneself in a city.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading It was partly his difficulty in finding a given spot in a city--almost any city--that had convinced the Nipe that the pseudo-intelligence of the bipeds of this planet could not really be called true intelligence.

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It required more time yet to reach the city, and still more time to find the place he was looking for.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading It required more time yet to reach the city, and still more time to find the place he was looking for.

true

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

From this reading It was partly his difficulty in finding a given spot in a city--almost any city--that had convinced the Nipe that the pseudo-intelligence of the bipeds of this planet could not really be called true intelligence.

two

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

From this reading Not only were no two cities alike in their orientation systems, but the same city would often vary from section to section.

vary

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

From this reading Not only were no two cities alike in their orientation systems, but the same city would often vary from section to section.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading It required more time yet to reach the city, and still more time to find the place he was looking for.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading Not only were no two cities alike in their orientation systems, but the same city would often vary from section to section.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading It was almost dawn before he managed to find a storm sewer in which to hide for the day.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

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

From this reading Not only were no two cities alike in their orientation systems, but the same city would often vary from section to section.

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading It required more time yet to reach the city, and still more time to find the place he was looking for.