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Benton's Venture
Benton's Venture

Chapter VII

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Context Illustration Reading 1/44 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
JERRY TO THE RESCUE Billy was a rather stocky boy of sixteen, with a cheerful countenance and a pair of steady gray eyes.
He was a junior in high school and had played on the team for two years.
Enthusiastic admirers of Billy declared that he had “everything there was,” meaning by that that he was master of all the deliveries known to the science of pitching.
This was more enthusiastic than truthful, but still it was a fact that Billy was a good deal of a pitcher for a boy of his age, and could cause the ball to “break” in a number of puzzling ways.
First of all, though, it was Billy’s craft and coolness that made him great.
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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.

Benton's Venture

Chapter VII

Reading 1/44 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
JERRY TO THE RESCUE Billy was a rather stocky boy of sixteen, with a cheerful countenance and a pair of steady gray eyes.
Line 2
He was a junior in high school and had played on the team for two years.
Line 3
Enthusiastic admirers of Billy declared that he had “everything there was,” meaning by that that he was master of all the deliveries known to the science of pitching.
Line 4
This was more enthusiastic than truthful, but still it was a fact that Billy was a good deal of a pitcher for a boy of his age, and could cause the ball to “break” in a number of puzzling ways.
Line 5
First of all, though, it was Billy’s craft and coolness that made him great.

Learner Dictionary

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

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

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

From this reading “This was more enthusiastic than truthful, but still it was a fact that Billy was a good deal of a pitcher for a boy of his age, and could cause the ball to “break” in a number of puzzling ways.”

Craft noun US /kræft/

a boat or ship in this chapter’s sailing situation

From this reading “First of all, though, it was Billy’s craft and coolness that made him great.”

Everything pronoun US /ˈevriθɪŋ/

all things; all of a situation

From this reading “Enthusiastic admirers of Billy declared that he had “everything there was,” meaning by that that he was master of all the deliveries known to the science of pitching.”

First noun US /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “First of all, though, it was Billy’s craft and coolness that made him great.”

Good noun US /good/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “This was more enthusiastic than truthful, but still it was a fact that Billy was a good deal of a pitcher for a boy of his age, and could cause the ball to “break” in a number of puzzling ways.”

Great noun US /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “First of all, though, it was Billy’s craft and coolness that made him great.”

Pitcher noun US /ˈpɪtʃər/

a container with a handle and a lip, used for holding and pouring liquids

From this reading “This was more enthusiastic than truthful, but still it was a fact that Billy was a good deal of a pitcher for a boy of his age, and could cause the ball to “break” in a number of puzzling ways.”

Still noun US /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “This was more enthusiastic than truthful, but still it was a fact that Billy was a good deal of a pitcher for a boy of his age, and could cause the ball to “break” in a number of puzzling ways.”

Though conjunction US /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading “First of all, though, it was Billy’s craft and coolness that made him great.”

All words in this reading · 74

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 JERRY TO THE RESCUE Billy was a rather stocky boy of sixteen, with a cheerful countenance and a pair of steady gray eyes.

admirers

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

From this reading Enthusiastic admirers of Billy declared that he had “everything there was,” meaning by that that he was master of all the deliveries known to the science of pitching.

age

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

From this reading This was more enthusiastic than truthful, but still it was a fact that Billy was a good deal of a pitcher for a boy of his age, and could cause the ball to “break” in a number of puzzling ways.

all

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

From this reading Enthusiastic admirers of Billy declared that he had “everything there was,” meaning by that that he was master of all the deliveries known to the science of pitching.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading JERRY TO THE RESCUE Billy was a rather stocky boy of sixteen, with a cheerful countenance and a pair of steady gray eyes.

ball

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

From this reading This was more enthusiastic than truthful, but still it was a fact that Billy was a good deal of a pitcher for a boy of his age, and could cause the ball to “break” in a number of puzzling ways.

Billy

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

From this reading JERRY TO THE RESCUE Billy was a rather stocky boy of sixteen, with a cheerful countenance and a pair of steady gray eyes.

Billy's

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

From this reading First of all, though, it was Billy’s craft and coolness that made him great.

boy

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

From this reading JERRY TO THE RESCUE Billy was a rather stocky boy of sixteen, with a cheerful countenance and a pair of steady gray eyes.

break

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

From this reading This was more enthusiastic than truthful, but still it was a fact that Billy was a good deal of a pitcher for a boy of his age, and could cause the ball to “break” in a number of puzzling ways.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading This was more enthusiastic than truthful, but still it was a fact that Billy was a good deal of a pitcher for a boy of his age, and could cause the ball to “break” in a number of puzzling ways.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Enthusiastic admirers of Billy declared that he had “everything there was,” meaning by that that he was master of all the deliveries known to the science of pitching.

cause

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

From this reading This was more enthusiastic than truthful, but still it was a fact that Billy was a good deal of a pitcher for a boy of his age, and could cause the ball to “break” in a number of puzzling ways.

cheerful

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

From this reading JERRY TO THE RESCUE Billy was a rather stocky boy of sixteen, with a cheerful countenance and a pair of steady gray eyes.

coolness

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

From this reading First of all, though, it was Billy’s craft and coolness that made him great.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading This was more enthusiastic than truthful, but still it was a fact that Billy was a good deal of a pitcher for a boy of his age, and could cause the ball to “break” in a number of puzzling ways.

countenance

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

From this reading JERRY TO THE RESCUE Billy was a rather stocky boy of sixteen, with a cheerful countenance and a pair of steady gray eyes.

craftnounUS /kræft/

a boat or ship in this chapter’s sailing situation

From this reading First of all, though, it was Billy’s craft and coolness that made him great.

deal

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

From this reading This was more enthusiastic than truthful, but still it was a fact that Billy was a good deal of a pitcher for a boy of his age, and could cause the ball to “break” in a number of puzzling ways.

declared

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

From this reading Enthusiastic admirers of Billy declared that he had “everything there was,” meaning by that that he was master of all the deliveries known to the science of pitching.

deliveries

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

From this reading Enthusiastic admirers of Billy declared that he had “everything there was,” meaning by that that he was master of all the deliveries known to the science of pitching.

Enthusiastic

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

From this reading Enthusiastic admirers of Billy declared that he had “everything there was,” meaning by that that he was master of all the deliveries known to the science of pitching.

everythingpronounUS /ˈevriθɪŋ/

all things; all of a situation

From this reading Enthusiastic admirers of Billy declared that he had “everything there was,” meaning by that that he was master of all the deliveries known to the science of pitching.

eyes

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

From this reading JERRY TO THE RESCUE Billy was a rather stocky boy of sixteen, with a cheerful countenance and a pair of steady gray eyes.

fact

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

From this reading This was more enthusiastic than truthful, but still it was a fact that Billy was a good deal of a pitcher for a boy of his age, and could cause the ball to “break” in a number of puzzling ways.

FirstnounUS /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading First of all, though, it was Billy’s craft and coolness that made him great.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading He was a junior in high school and had played on the team for two years.

goodnounUS /good/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading This was more enthusiastic than truthful, but still it was a fact that Billy was a good deal of a pitcher for a boy of his age, and could cause the ball to “break” in a number of puzzling ways.

gray

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

From this reading JERRY TO THE RESCUE Billy was a rather stocky boy of sixteen, with a cheerful countenance and a pair of steady gray eyes.

greatnounUS /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading First of all, though, it was Billy’s craft and coolness that made him great.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading He was a junior in high school and had played on the team for two years.

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He was a junior in high school and had played on the team for two years.

high

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

From this reading He was a junior in high school and had played on the team for two years.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading First of all, though, it was Billy’s craft and coolness that made him great.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading This was more enthusiastic than truthful, but still it was a fact that Billy was a good deal of a pitcher for a boy of his age, and could cause the ball to “break” in a number of puzzling ways.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading He was a junior in high school and had played on the team for two years.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading This was more enthusiastic than truthful, but still it was a fact that Billy was a good deal of a pitcher for a boy of his age, and could cause the ball to “break” in a number of puzzling ways.

JERRY

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

From this reading JERRY TO THE RESCUE Billy was a rather stocky boy of sixteen, with a cheerful countenance and a pair of steady gray eyes.

junior

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

From this reading He was a junior in high school and had played on the team for two years.

known

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

From this reading Enthusiastic admirers of Billy declared that he had “everything there was,” meaning by that that he was master of all the deliveries known to the science of pitching.

made

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

From this reading First of all, though, it was Billy’s craft and coolness that made him great.

master

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

From this reading Enthusiastic admirers of Billy declared that he had “everything there was,” meaning by that that he was master of all the deliveries known to the science of pitching.

meaning

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

From this reading Enthusiastic admirers of Billy declared that he had “everything there was,” meaning by that that he was master of all the deliveries known to the science of pitching.

more

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

From this reading This was more enthusiastic than truthful, but still it was a fact that Billy was a good deal of a pitcher for a boy of his age, and could cause the ball to “break” in a number of puzzling ways.

number

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

From this reading This was more enthusiastic than truthful, but still it was a fact that Billy was a good deal of a pitcher for a boy of his age, and could cause the ball to “break” in a number of puzzling ways.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading JERRY TO THE RESCUE Billy was a rather stocky boy of sixteen, with a cheerful countenance and a pair of steady gray eyes.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading He was a junior in high school and had played on the team for two years.

pair

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

From this reading JERRY TO THE RESCUE Billy was a rather stocky boy of sixteen, with a cheerful countenance and a pair of steady gray eyes.

pitchernounUS /ˈpɪtʃər/

a container with a handle and a lip, used for holding and pouring liquids

From this reading This was more enthusiastic than truthful, but still it was a fact that Billy was a good deal of a pitcher for a boy of his age, and could cause the ball to “break” in a number of puzzling ways.

pitching

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

From this reading Enthusiastic admirers of Billy declared that he had “everything there was,” meaning by that that he was master of all the deliveries known to the science of pitching.

played

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

From this reading He was a junior in high school and had played on the team for two years.

puzzling

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

From this reading This was more enthusiastic than truthful, but still it was a fact that Billy was a good deal of a pitcher for a boy of his age, and could cause the ball to “break” in a number of puzzling ways.

rather

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

From this reading JERRY TO THE RESCUE Billy was a rather stocky boy of sixteen, with a cheerful countenance and a pair of steady gray eyes.

RESCUE

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

From this reading JERRY TO THE RESCUE Billy was a rather stocky boy of sixteen, with a cheerful countenance and a pair of steady gray eyes.

school

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

From this reading He was a junior in high school and had played on the team for two years.

science

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

From this reading Enthusiastic admirers of Billy declared that he had “everything there was,” meaning by that that he was master of all the deliveries known to the science of pitching.

sixteen

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

From this reading JERRY TO THE RESCUE Billy was a rather stocky boy of sixteen, with a cheerful countenance and a pair of steady gray eyes.

steady

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

From this reading JERRY TO THE RESCUE Billy was a rather stocky boy of sixteen, with a cheerful countenance and a pair of steady gray eyes.

stillnounUS /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading This was more enthusiastic than truthful, but still it was a fact that Billy was a good deal of a pitcher for a boy of his age, and could cause the ball to “break” in a number of puzzling ways.

stocky

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

From this reading JERRY TO THE RESCUE Billy was a rather stocky boy of sixteen, with a cheerful countenance and a pair of steady gray eyes.

team

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

From this reading He was a junior in high school and had played on the team for two years.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading This was more enthusiastic than truthful, but still it was a fact that Billy was a good deal of a pitcher for a boy of his age, and could cause the ball to “break” in a number of puzzling ways.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Enthusiastic admirers of Billy declared that he had “everything there was,” meaning by that that he was master of all the deliveries known to the science of pitching.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading JERRY TO THE RESCUE Billy was a rather stocky boy of sixteen, with a cheerful countenance and a pair of steady gray eyes.

there

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

From this reading Enthusiastic admirers of Billy declared that he had “everything there was,” meaning by that that he was master of all the deliveries known to the science of pitching.

ThisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading This was more enthusiastic than truthful, but still it was a fact that Billy was a good deal of a pitcher for a boy of his age, and could cause the ball to “break” in a number of puzzling ways.

thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading First of all, though, it was Billy’s craft and coolness that made him great.

TOparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading JERRY TO THE RESCUE Billy was a rather stocky boy of sixteen, with a cheerful countenance and a pair of steady gray eyes.

truthful

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

From this reading This was more enthusiastic than truthful, but still it was a fact that Billy was a good deal of a pitcher for a boy of his age, and could cause the ball to “break” in a number of puzzling ways.

two

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

From this reading He was a junior in high school and had played on the team for two years.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading JERRY TO THE RESCUE Billy was a rather stocky boy of sixteen, with a cheerful countenance and a pair of steady gray eyes.

ways

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

From this reading This was more enthusiastic than truthful, but still it was a fact that Billy was a good deal of a pitcher for a boy of his age, and could cause the ball to “break” in a number of puzzling ways.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading JERRY TO THE RESCUE Billy was a rather stocky boy of sixteen, with a cheerful countenance and a pair of steady gray eyes.

years

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

From this reading He was a junior in high school and had played on the team for two years.