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Bolanyo
Bolanyo

Chapter XI

Cover illustration for Bolanyo
Context Illustration Reading 1/50 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE CHARM OF AN OLD TOWN.
The spiritual atmosphere of Bolanyo was like the charm of an old book that we prize only for the almost secret art of its expression, an art too ethereal to be caught and inspected.
Sometimes it was drowsy, with all the dreamy laziness of a hamlet in the south of Spain, but there were days when it seemed to rebel against its own ease and unconcern, when a sense of Americanism asserted itself to demand a share in the bustling affairs of noisy commerce.
Court day was a time of special activity.
It was then that the local market felt a stimulating thrill.
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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.

Bolanyo

Chapter XI

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

Line 1
THE CHARM OF AN OLD TOWN.
Line 2
The spiritual atmosphere of Bolanyo was like the charm of an old book that we prize only for the almost secret art of its expression, an art too ethereal to be caught and inspected.
Line 3
Sometimes it was drowsy, with all the dreamy laziness of a hamlet in the south of Spain, but there were days when it seemed to rebel against its own ease and unconcern, when a sense of Americanism asserted itself to demand a share in the bustling affairs of noisy commerce.
Line 4
Court day was a time of special activity.
Line 5
It was then that the local market felt a stimulating thrill.

Learner Dictionary

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

Against preposition US /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading “Sometimes it was drowsy, with all the dreamy laziness of a hamlet in the south of Spain, but there were days when it seemed to rebel against its own ease and unconcern, when a sense of Americanism asserted itself to demand a share in the bustling affairs of noisy commerce.”

Art auxiliary verb US /ɑːrt/

an old form of “are”, used with “thou”

From this reading “The spiritual atmosphere of Bolanyo was like the charm of an old book that we prize only for the almost secret art of its expression, an art too ethereal to be caught and inspected.”

Itself pronoun US /ˌɪtˈself/

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading “Sometimes it was drowsy, with all the dreamy laziness of a hamlet in the south of Spain, but there were days when it seemed to rebel against its own ease and unconcern, when a sense of Americanism asserted itself to demand a share in the bustling affairs of noisy commerce.”

Secret noun US /ˈsiː.krət/

Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.

From this reading “The spiritual atmosphere of Bolanyo was like the charm of an old book that we prize only for the almost secret art of its expression, an art too ethereal to be caught and inspected.”

Seemed noun US /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Sometimes it was drowsy, with all the dreamy laziness of a hamlet in the south of Spain, but there were days when it seemed to rebel against its own ease and unconcern, when a sense of Americanism asserted itself to demand a share in the bustling affairs of noisy commerce.”

Sometimes noun US /sometimes/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Sometimes it was drowsy, with all the dreamy laziness of a hamlet in the south of Spain, but there were days when it seemed to rebel against its own ease and unconcern, when a sense of Americanism asserted itself to demand a share in the bustling affairs of noisy commerce.”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Court day was a time of special activity.”

All words in this reading · 73

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 Sometimes it was drowsy, with all the dreamy laziness of a hamlet in the south of Spain, but there were days when it seemed to rebel against its own ease and unconcern, when a sense of Americanism asserted itself to demand a share in the bustling affairs of noisy commerce.

activity

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

From this reading Court day was a time of special activity.

affairs

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

From this reading Sometimes it was drowsy, with all the dreamy laziness of a hamlet in the south of Spain, but there were days when it seemed to rebel against its own ease and unconcern, when a sense of Americanism asserted itself to demand a share in the bustling affairs of noisy commerce.

againstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading Sometimes it was drowsy, with all the dreamy laziness of a hamlet in the south of Spain, but there were days when it seemed to rebel against its own ease and unconcern, when a sense of Americanism asserted itself to demand a share in the bustling affairs of noisy commerce.

all

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

From this reading Sometimes it was drowsy, with all the dreamy laziness of a hamlet in the south of Spain, but there were days when it seemed to rebel against its own ease and unconcern, when a sense of Americanism asserted itself to demand a share in the bustling affairs of noisy commerce.

almost

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

From this reading The spiritual atmosphere of Bolanyo was like the charm of an old book that we prize only for the almost secret art of its expression, an art too ethereal to be caught and inspected.

Americanism

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

From this reading Sometimes it was drowsy, with all the dreamy laziness of a hamlet in the south of Spain, but there were days when it seemed to rebel against its own ease and unconcern, when a sense of Americanism asserted itself to demand a share in the bustling affairs of noisy commerce.

ANdeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading THE CHARM OF AN OLD TOWN.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The spiritual atmosphere of Bolanyo was like the charm of an old book that we prize only for the almost secret art of its expression, an art too ethereal to be caught and inspected.

artauxiliary verbUS /ɑːrt/

an old form of “are”, used with “thou”

From this reading The spiritual atmosphere of Bolanyo was like the charm of an old book that we prize only for the almost secret art of its expression, an art too ethereal to be caught and inspected.

asserted

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

From this reading Sometimes it was drowsy, with all the dreamy laziness of a hamlet in the south of Spain, but there were days when it seemed to rebel against its own ease and unconcern, when a sense of Americanism asserted itself to demand a share in the bustling affairs of noisy commerce.

atmosphere

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

From this reading The spiritual atmosphere of Bolanyo was like the charm of an old book that we prize only for the almost secret art of its expression, an art too ethereal to be caught and inspected.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading The spiritual atmosphere of Bolanyo was like the charm of an old book that we prize only for the almost secret art of its expression, an art too ethereal to be caught and inspected.

Bolanyo

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

From this reading The spiritual atmosphere of Bolanyo was like the charm of an old book that we prize only for the almost secret art of its expression, an art too ethereal to be caught and inspected.

book

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

From this reading The spiritual atmosphere of Bolanyo was like the charm of an old book that we prize only for the almost secret art of its expression, an art too ethereal to be caught and inspected.

bustling

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

From this reading Sometimes it was drowsy, with all the dreamy laziness of a hamlet in the south of Spain, but there were days when it seemed to rebel against its own ease and unconcern, when a sense of Americanism asserted itself to demand a share in the bustling affairs of noisy commerce.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Sometimes it was drowsy, with all the dreamy laziness of a hamlet in the south of Spain, but there were days when it seemed to rebel against its own ease and unconcern, when a sense of Americanism asserted itself to demand a share in the bustling affairs of noisy commerce.

caught

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

From this reading The spiritual atmosphere of Bolanyo was like the charm of an old book that we prize only for the almost secret art of its expression, an art too ethereal to be caught and inspected.

CHARM

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

From this reading THE CHARM OF AN OLD TOWN.

commerce

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

From this reading Sometimes it was drowsy, with all the dreamy laziness of a hamlet in the south of Spain, but there were days when it seemed to rebel against its own ease and unconcern, when a sense of Americanism asserted itself to demand a share in the bustling affairs of noisy commerce.

Court

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

From this reading Court day was a time of special activity.

day

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

From this reading Court day was a time of special activity.

days

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

From this reading Sometimes it was drowsy, with all the dreamy laziness of a hamlet in the south of Spain, but there were days when it seemed to rebel against its own ease and unconcern, when a sense of Americanism asserted itself to demand a share in the bustling affairs of noisy commerce.

demand

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

From this reading Sometimes it was drowsy, with all the dreamy laziness of a hamlet in the south of Spain, but there were days when it seemed to rebel against its own ease and unconcern, when a sense of Americanism asserted itself to demand a share in the bustling affairs of noisy commerce.

dreamy

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

From this reading Sometimes it was drowsy, with all the dreamy laziness of a hamlet in the south of Spain, but there were days when it seemed to rebel against its own ease and unconcern, when a sense of Americanism asserted itself to demand a share in the bustling affairs of noisy commerce.

drowsy

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

From this reading Sometimes it was drowsy, with all the dreamy laziness of a hamlet in the south of Spain, but there were days when it seemed to rebel against its own ease and unconcern, when a sense of Americanism asserted itself to demand a share in the bustling affairs of noisy commerce.

ease

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

From this reading Sometimes it was drowsy, with all the dreamy laziness of a hamlet in the south of Spain, but there were days when it seemed to rebel against its own ease and unconcern, when a sense of Americanism asserted itself to demand a share in the bustling affairs of noisy commerce.

ethereal

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

From this reading The spiritual atmosphere of Bolanyo was like the charm of an old book that we prize only for the almost secret art of its expression, an art too ethereal to be caught and inspected.

expression

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

From this reading The spiritual atmosphere of Bolanyo was like the charm of an old book that we prize only for the almost secret art of its expression, an art too ethereal to be caught and inspected.

felt

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

From this reading It was then that the local market felt a stimulating thrill.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading The spiritual atmosphere of Bolanyo was like the charm of an old book that we prize only for the almost secret art of its expression, an art too ethereal to be caught and inspected.

hamlet

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

From this reading Sometimes it was drowsy, with all the dreamy laziness of a hamlet in the south of Spain, but there were days when it seemed to rebel against its own ease and unconcern, when a sense of Americanism asserted itself to demand a share in the bustling affairs of noisy commerce.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Sometimes it was drowsy, with all the dreamy laziness of a hamlet in the south of Spain, but there were days when it seemed to rebel against its own ease and unconcern, when a sense of Americanism asserted itself to demand a share in the bustling affairs of noisy commerce.

inspected

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

From this reading The spiritual atmosphere of Bolanyo was like the charm of an old book that we prize only for the almost secret art of its expression, an art too ethereal to be caught and inspected.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Sometimes it was drowsy, with all the dreamy laziness of a hamlet in the south of Spain, but there were days when it seemed to rebel against its own ease and unconcern, when a sense of Americanism asserted itself to demand a share in the bustling affairs of noisy commerce.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading The spiritual atmosphere of Bolanyo was like the charm of an old book that we prize only for the almost secret art of its expression, an art too ethereal to be caught and inspected.

itselfpronounUS /ˌɪtˈself/

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading Sometimes it was drowsy, with all the dreamy laziness of a hamlet in the south of Spain, but there were days when it seemed to rebel against its own ease and unconcern, when a sense of Americanism asserted itself to demand a share in the bustling affairs of noisy commerce.

laziness

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

From this reading Sometimes it was drowsy, with all the dreamy laziness of a hamlet in the south of Spain, but there were days when it seemed to rebel against its own ease and unconcern, when a sense of Americanism asserted itself to demand a share in the bustling affairs of noisy commerce.

like

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

From this reading The spiritual atmosphere of Bolanyo was like the charm of an old book that we prize only for the almost secret art of its expression, an art too ethereal to be caught and inspected.

local

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

From this reading It was then that the local market felt a stimulating thrill.

market

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

From this reading It was then that the local market felt a stimulating thrill.

noisy

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

From this reading Sometimes it was drowsy, with all the dreamy laziness of a hamlet in the south of Spain, but there were days when it seemed to rebel against its own ease and unconcern, when a sense of Americanism asserted itself to demand a share in the bustling affairs of noisy commerce.

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE CHARM OF AN OLD TOWN.

OLD

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

From this reading THE CHARM OF AN OLD TOWN.

only

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

From this reading The spiritual atmosphere of Bolanyo was like the charm of an old book that we prize only for the almost secret art of its expression, an art too ethereal to be caught and inspected.

own

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

From this reading Sometimes it was drowsy, with all the dreamy laziness of a hamlet in the south of Spain, but there were days when it seemed to rebel against its own ease and unconcern, when a sense of Americanism asserted itself to demand a share in the bustling affairs of noisy commerce.

prize

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

From this reading The spiritual atmosphere of Bolanyo was like the charm of an old book that we prize only for the almost secret art of its expression, an art too ethereal to be caught and inspected.

rebel

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

From this reading Sometimes it was drowsy, with all the dreamy laziness of a hamlet in the south of Spain, but there were days when it seemed to rebel against its own ease and unconcern, when a sense of Americanism asserted itself to demand a share in the bustling affairs of noisy commerce.

secretnounUS /ˈsiː.krət/

Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.

From this reading The spiritual atmosphere of Bolanyo was like the charm of an old book that we prize only for the almost secret art of its expression, an art too ethereal to be caught and inspected.

seemednounUS /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Sometimes it was drowsy, with all the dreamy laziness of a hamlet in the south of Spain, but there were days when it seemed to rebel against its own ease and unconcern, when a sense of Americanism asserted itself to demand a share in the bustling affairs of noisy commerce.

sense

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

From this reading Sometimes it was drowsy, with all the dreamy laziness of a hamlet in the south of Spain, but there were days when it seemed to rebel against its own ease and unconcern, when a sense of Americanism asserted itself to demand a share in the bustling affairs of noisy commerce.

share

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

From this reading Sometimes it was drowsy, with all the dreamy laziness of a hamlet in the south of Spain, but there were days when it seemed to rebel against its own ease and unconcern, when a sense of Americanism asserted itself to demand a share in the bustling affairs of noisy commerce.

Sometimes

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

From this reading Sometimes it was drowsy, with all the dreamy laziness of a hamlet in the south of Spain, but there were days when it seemed to rebel against its own ease and unconcern, when a sense of Americanism asserted itself to demand a share in the bustling affairs of noisy commerce.

south

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

From this reading Sometimes it was drowsy, with all the dreamy laziness of a hamlet in the south of Spain, but there were days when it seemed to rebel against its own ease and unconcern, when a sense of Americanism asserted itself to demand a share in the bustling affairs of noisy commerce.

Spain

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

From this reading Sometimes it was drowsy, with all the dreamy laziness of a hamlet in the south of Spain, but there were days when it seemed to rebel against its own ease and unconcern, when a sense of Americanism asserted itself to demand a share in the bustling affairs of noisy commerce.

special

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

From this reading Court day was a time of special activity.

spiritual

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

From this reading The spiritual atmosphere of Bolanyo was like the charm of an old book that we prize only for the almost secret art of its expression, an art too ethereal to be caught and inspected.

stimulating

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

From this reading It was then that the local market felt a stimulating thrill.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The spiritual atmosphere of Bolanyo was like the charm of an old book that we prize only for the almost secret art of its expression, an art too ethereal to be caught and inspected.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE CHARM OF AN OLD TOWN.

then

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

From this reading It was then that the local market felt a stimulating thrill.

there

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

From this reading Sometimes it was drowsy, with all the dreamy laziness of a hamlet in the south of Spain, but there were days when it seemed to rebel against its own ease and unconcern, when a sense of Americanism asserted itself to demand a share in the bustling affairs of noisy commerce.

thrill

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

From this reading It was then that the local market felt a stimulating thrill.

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Court day was a time of special activity.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The spiritual atmosphere of Bolanyo was like the charm of an old book that we prize only for the almost secret art of its expression, an art too ethereal to be caught and inspected.

too

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

From this reading The spiritual atmosphere of Bolanyo was like the charm of an old book that we prize only for the almost secret art of its expression, an art too ethereal to be caught and inspected.

TOWN

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

From this reading THE CHARM OF AN OLD TOWN.

unconcern

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

From this reading Sometimes it was drowsy, with all the dreamy laziness of a hamlet in the south of Spain, but there were days when it seemed to rebel against its own ease and unconcern, when a sense of Americanism asserted itself to demand a share in the bustling affairs of noisy commerce.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The spiritual atmosphere of Bolanyo was like the charm of an old book that we prize only for the almost secret art of its expression, an art too ethereal to be caught and inspected.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading The spiritual atmosphere of Bolanyo was like the charm of an old book that we prize only for the almost secret art of its expression, an art too ethereal to be caught and inspected.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading Sometimes it was drowsy, with all the dreamy laziness of a hamlet in the south of Spain, but there were days when it seemed to rebel against its own ease and unconcern, when a sense of Americanism asserted itself to demand a share in the bustling affairs of noisy commerce.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading Sometimes it was drowsy, with all the dreamy laziness of a hamlet in the south of Spain, but there were days when it seemed to rebel against its own ease and unconcern, when a sense of Americanism asserted itself to demand a share in the bustling affairs of noisy commerce.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Sometimes it was drowsy, with all the dreamy laziness of a hamlet in the south of Spain, but there were days when it seemed to rebel against its own ease and unconcern, when a sense of Americanism asserted itself to demand a share in the bustling affairs of noisy commerce.