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Better Dead
Better Dead

Chapter V

Cover illustration for Better Dead
Context Illustration Reading 1/25 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
On the following Tuesday Andrew met the president by appointment at the Marble Arch.
Until he had received his final instructions he was pledged not to begin, and he had passed these two intervening days staring at his empty fireplace.
They shook hands silently and passed into the Park.
The president was always thoughtful in a crowd.
"In such a gathering as this," said Andrew, pointing an imaginary pistol at a lecturer on Socialism, "you could hardly go wrong to let fly."
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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.

Better Dead

Chapter V

Reading 1/25 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
On the following Tuesday Andrew met the president by appointment at the Marble Arch.
Line 2
Until he had received his final instructions he was pledged not to begin, and he had passed these two intervening days staring at his empty fireplace.
Line 3
They shook hands silently and passed into the Park.
Line 4
The president was always thoughtful in a crowd.
Line 5
"In such a gathering as this," said Andrew, pointing an imaginary pistol at a lecturer on Socialism, "you could hardly go wrong to let fly."

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 “"In such a gathering as this," said Andrew, pointing an imaginary pistol at a lecturer on Socialism, "you could hardly go wrong to let fly."”

Hands plural noun US /hændz/

members of a ship’s crew

From this reading “They shook hands silently and passed into the Park.”

Let auxiliary verb US /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading “"In such a gathering as this," said Andrew, pointing an imaginary pistol at a lecturer on Socialism, "you could hardly go wrong to let fly."”

Passed noun US /passed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Until he had received his final instructions he was pledged not to begin, and he had passed these two intervening days staring at his empty fireplace.”

These determiner US /ðiːz/

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

From this reading “Until he had received his final instructions he was pledged not to begin, and he had passed these two intervening days staring at his empty fireplace.”

Until preposition US /ənˈtɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading “Until he had received his final instructions he was pledged not to begin, and he had passed these two intervening days staring at his empty fireplace.”

All words in this reading · 62

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 The president was always thoughtful in a crowd.

always

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

From this reading The president was always thoughtful in a crowd.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading "In such a gathering as this," said Andrew, pointing an imaginary pistol at a lecturer on Socialism, "you could hardly go wrong to let fly."

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Until he had received his final instructions he was pledged not to begin, and he had passed these two intervening days staring at his empty fireplace.

Andrew

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

From this reading On the following Tuesday Andrew met the president by appointment at the Marble Arch.

appointment

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

From this reading On the following Tuesday Andrew met the president by appointment at the Marble Arch.

Arch

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

From this reading On the following Tuesday Andrew met the president by appointment at the Marble Arch.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading "In such a gathering as this," said Andrew, pointing an imaginary pistol at a lecturer on Socialism, "you could hardly go wrong to let fly."

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading On the following Tuesday Andrew met the president by appointment at the Marble Arch.

begin

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

From this reading Until he had received his final instructions he was pledged not to begin, and he had passed these two intervening days staring at his empty fireplace.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading On the following Tuesday Andrew met the president by appointment at the Marble Arch.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading "In such a gathering as this," said Andrew, pointing an imaginary pistol at a lecturer on Socialism, "you could hardly go wrong to let fly."

crowd

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

From this reading The president was always thoughtful in a crowd.

days

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

From this reading Until he had received his final instructions he was pledged not to begin, and he had passed these two intervening days staring at his empty fireplace.

empty

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

From this reading Until he had received his final instructions he was pledged not to begin, and he had passed these two intervening days staring at his empty fireplace.

final

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

From this reading Until he had received his final instructions he was pledged not to begin, and he had passed these two intervening days staring at his empty fireplace.

fireplace

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

From this reading Until he had received his final instructions he was pledged not to begin, and he had passed these two intervening days staring at his empty fireplace.

fly

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

From this reading "In such a gathering as this," said Andrew, pointing an imaginary pistol at a lecturer on Socialism, "you could hardly go wrong to let fly."

following

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

From this reading On the following Tuesday Andrew met the president by appointment at the Marble Arch.

gathering

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

From this reading "In such a gathering as this," said Andrew, pointing an imaginary pistol at a lecturer on Socialism, "you could hardly go wrong to let fly."

go

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

From this reading "In such a gathering as this," said Andrew, pointing an imaginary pistol at a lecturer on Socialism, "you could hardly go wrong to let fly."

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Until he had received his final instructions he was pledged not to begin, and he had passed these two intervening days staring at his empty fireplace.

handsplural nounUS /hændz/

members of a ship’s crew

From this reading They shook hands silently and passed into the Park.

hardly

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

From this reading "In such a gathering as this," said Andrew, pointing an imaginary pistol at a lecturer on Socialism, "you could hardly go wrong to let fly."

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading Until he had received his final instructions he was pledged not to begin, and he had passed these two intervening days staring at his empty fireplace.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Until he had received his final instructions he was pledged not to begin, and he had passed these two intervening days staring at his empty fireplace.

imaginary

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

From this reading "In such a gathering as this," said Andrew, pointing an imaginary pistol at a lecturer on Socialism, "you could hardly go wrong to let fly."

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The president was always thoughtful in a crowd.

instructions

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

From this reading Until he had received his final instructions he was pledged not to begin, and he had passed these two intervening days staring at his empty fireplace.

intervening

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

From this reading Until he had received his final instructions he was pledged not to begin, and he had passed these two intervening days staring at his empty fireplace.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading They shook hands silently and passed into the Park.

lecturer

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

From this reading "In such a gathering as this," said Andrew, pointing an imaginary pistol at a lecturer on Socialism, "you could hardly go wrong to let fly."

letauxiliary verbUS /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading "In such a gathering as this," said Andrew, pointing an imaginary pistol at a lecturer on Socialism, "you could hardly go wrong to let fly."

Marble

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

From this reading On the following Tuesday Andrew met the president by appointment at the Marble Arch.

met

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

From this reading On the following Tuesday Andrew met the president by appointment at the Marble Arch.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Until he had received his final instructions he was pledged not to begin, and he had passed these two intervening days staring at his empty fireplace.

OnprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading On the following Tuesday Andrew met the president by appointment at the Marble Arch.

Park

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

From this reading They shook hands silently and passed into the Park.

passednounUS /passed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Until he had received his final instructions he was pledged not to begin, and he had passed these two intervening days staring at his empty fireplace.

pistol

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

From this reading "In such a gathering as this," said Andrew, pointing an imaginary pistol at a lecturer on Socialism, "you could hardly go wrong to let fly."

pledged

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

From this reading Until he had received his final instructions he was pledged not to begin, and he had passed these two intervening days staring at his empty fireplace.

pointing

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

From this reading "In such a gathering as this," said Andrew, pointing an imaginary pistol at a lecturer on Socialism, "you could hardly go wrong to let fly."

president

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

From this reading On the following Tuesday Andrew met the president by appointment at the Marble Arch.

received

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

From this reading Until he had received his final instructions he was pledged not to begin, and he had passed these two intervening days staring at his empty fireplace.

said

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

From this reading "In such a gathering as this," said Andrew, pointing an imaginary pistol at a lecturer on Socialism, "you could hardly go wrong to let fly."

shook

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

From this reading They shook hands silently and passed into the Park.

silently

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

From this reading They shook hands silently and passed into the Park.

Socialism

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

From this reading "In such a gathering as this," said Andrew, pointing an imaginary pistol at a lecturer on Socialism, "you could hardly go wrong to let fly."

staring

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

From this reading Until he had received his final instructions he was pledged not to begin, and he had passed these two intervening days staring at his empty fireplace.

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading "In such a gathering as this," said Andrew, pointing an imaginary pistol at a lecturer on Socialism, "you could hardly go wrong to let fly."

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading On the following Tuesday Andrew met the president by appointment at the Marble Arch.

thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

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

From this reading Until he had received his final instructions he was pledged not to begin, and he had passed these two intervening days staring at his empty fireplace.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading They shook hands silently and passed into the Park.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading "In such a gathering as this," said Andrew, pointing an imaginary pistol at a lecturer on Socialism, "you could hardly go wrong to let fly."

thoughtful

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

From this reading The president was always thoughtful in a crowd.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Until he had received his final instructions he was pledged not to begin, and he had passed these two intervening days staring at his empty fireplace.

Tuesday

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

From this reading On the following Tuesday Andrew met the president by appointment at the Marble Arch.

two

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

From this reading Until he had received his final instructions he was pledged not to begin, and he had passed these two intervening days staring at his empty fireplace.

UntilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading Until he had received his final instructions he was pledged not to begin, and he had passed these two intervening days staring at his empty fireplace.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Until he had received his final instructions he was pledged not to begin, and he had passed these two intervening days staring at his empty fireplace.

wrong

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

From this reading "In such a gathering as this," said Andrew, pointing an imaginary pistol at a lecturer on Socialism, "you could hardly go wrong to let fly."

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "In such a gathering as this," said Andrew, pointing an imaginary pistol at a lecturer on Socialism, "you could hardly go wrong to let fly."