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Born in Exile
Born in Exile

Chapter VII

Cover illustration for Born in Exile
Context Illustration Reading 1/81 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Peak's destination was Peckham Rye.
On quitting the railway, he had a walk of some ten minutes along a road which smelt of new bricks and stucco heated by the summer sun; an obscure passage led him into a street partly of dwelling-houses, partly of shops, the latter closed.
He paused at the side door of one over which the street lamp dimly revealed--'Button, Herbalist'.
His latch-key admitted him to total darkness, but he moved forward with the confidence of long use.
He softly ascended two flights of stairs, opened a door, struck a match, and found himself in a comfortable sitting-room, soon illumined by a reading-lamp.
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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.

Born in Exile

Chapter VII

Reading 1/81 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Peak's destination was Peckham Rye.
Line 2
On quitting the railway, he had a walk of some ten minutes along a road which smelt of new bricks and stucco heated by the summer sun; an obscure passage led him into a street partly of dwelling-houses, partly of shops, the latter closed.
Line 3
He paused at the side door of one over which the street lamp dimly revealed--'Button, Herbalist'.
Line 4
His latch-key admitted him to total darkness, but he moved forward with the confidence of long use.
Line 5
He softly ascended two flights of stairs, opened a door, struck a match, and found himself in a comfortable sitting-room, soon illumined by a reading-lamp.

Learner Dictionary

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

Along preposition US /əˈlɔːŋ/

following the length of something from one end toward the other

From this reading “On quitting the railway, he had a walk of some ten minutes along a road which smelt of new bricks and stucco heated by the summer sun; an obscure passage led him into a street partly of dwelling-houses, partly of shops, the latter closed.”

Confidence noun US /ˈconfidence/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “His latch-key admitted him to total darkness, but he moved forward with the confidence of long use.”

Forward noun US /forward/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “His latch-key admitted him to total darkness, but he moved forward with the confidence of long use.”

Found noun US /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He softly ascended two flights of stairs, opened a door, struck a match, and found himself in a comfortable sitting-room, soon illumined by a reading-lamp.”

Himself pronoun US /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading “He softly ascended two flights of stairs, opened a door, struck a match, and found himself in a comfortable sitting-room, soon illumined by a reading-lamp.”

Long noun US /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “His latch-key admitted him to total darkness, but he moved forward with the confidence of long use.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “He paused at the side door of one over which the street lamp dimly revealed--'Button, Herbalist'.”

Over preposition US /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading “He paused at the side door of one over which the street lamp dimly revealed--'Button, Herbalist'.”

Partly noun US /partly/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “On quitting the railway, he had a walk of some ten minutes along a road which smelt of new bricks and stucco heated by the summer sun; an obscure passage led him into a street partly of dwelling-houses, partly of shops, the latter closed.”

Passage noun US /ˈpassage/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “On quitting the railway, he had a walk of some ten minutes along a road which smelt of new bricks and stucco heated by the summer sun; an obscure passage led him into a street partly of dwelling-houses, partly of shops, the latter closed.”

Soon noun US /soon/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He softly ascended two flights of stairs, opened a door, struck a match, and found himself in a comfortable sitting-room, soon illumined by a reading-lamp.”

Struck noun US /struck/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He softly ascended two flights of stairs, opened a door, struck a match, and found himself in a comfortable sitting-room, soon illumined by a reading-lamp.”

All words in this reading · 81

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 On quitting the railway, he had a walk of some ten minutes along a road which smelt of new bricks and stucco heated by the summer sun; an obscure passage led him into a street partly of dwelling-houses, partly of shops, the latter closed.

admitted

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

From this reading His latch-key admitted him to total darkness, but he moved forward with the confidence of long use.

alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/

following the length of something from one end toward the other

From this reading On quitting the railway, he had a walk of some ten minutes along a road which smelt of new bricks and stucco heated by the summer sun; an obscure passage led him into a street partly of dwelling-houses, partly of shops, the latter closed.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading On quitting the railway, he had a walk of some ten minutes along a road which smelt of new bricks and stucco heated by the summer sun; an obscure passage led him into a street partly of dwelling-houses, partly of shops, the latter closed.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading On quitting the railway, he had a walk of some ten minutes along a road which smelt of new bricks and stucco heated by the summer sun; an obscure passage led him into a street partly of dwelling-houses, partly of shops, the latter closed.

ascended

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

From this reading He softly ascended two flights of stairs, opened a door, struck a match, and found himself in a comfortable sitting-room, soon illumined by a reading-lamp.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading He paused at the side door of one over which the street lamp dimly revealed--'Button, Herbalist'.

bricks

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

From this reading On quitting the railway, he had a walk of some ten minutes along a road which smelt of new bricks and stucco heated by the summer sun; an obscure passage led him into a street partly of dwelling-houses, partly of shops, the latter closed.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading His latch-key admitted him to total darkness, but he moved forward with the confidence of long use.

Button

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

From this reading He paused at the side door of one over which the street lamp dimly revealed--'Button, Herbalist'.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading On quitting the railway, he had a walk of some ten minutes along a road which smelt of new bricks and stucco heated by the summer sun; an obscure passage led him into a street partly of dwelling-houses, partly of shops, the latter closed.

closed

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

From this reading On quitting the railway, he had a walk of some ten minutes along a road which smelt of new bricks and stucco heated by the summer sun; an obscure passage led him into a street partly of dwelling-houses, partly of shops, the latter closed.

comfortable

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

From this reading He softly ascended two flights of stairs, opened a door, struck a match, and found himself in a comfortable sitting-room, soon illumined by a reading-lamp.

confidencenounUS /ˈconfidence/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading His latch-key admitted him to total darkness, but he moved forward with the confidence of long use.

darkness

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

From this reading His latch-key admitted him to total darkness, but he moved forward with the confidence of long use.

destination

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

From this reading Peak's destination was Peckham Rye.

dimly

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

From this reading He paused at the side door of one over which the street lamp dimly revealed--'Button, Herbalist'.

door

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

From this reading He paused at the side door of one over which the street lamp dimly revealed--'Button, Herbalist'.

dwelling-houses

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

From this reading On quitting the railway, he had a walk of some ten minutes along a road which smelt of new bricks and stucco heated by the summer sun; an obscure passage led him into a street partly of dwelling-houses, partly of shops, the latter closed.

flights

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

From this reading He softly ascended two flights of stairs, opened a door, struck a match, and found himself in a comfortable sitting-room, soon illumined by a reading-lamp.

forwardnounUS /forward/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading His latch-key admitted him to total darkness, but he moved forward with the confidence of long use.

foundnounUS /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He softly ascended two flights of stairs, opened a door, struck a match, and found himself in a comfortable sitting-room, soon illumined by a reading-lamp.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading On quitting the railway, he had a walk of some ten minutes along a road which smelt of new bricks and stucco heated by the summer sun; an obscure passage led him into a street partly of dwelling-houses, partly of shops, the latter closed.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading On quitting the railway, he had a walk of some ten minutes along a road which smelt of new bricks and stucco heated by the summer sun; an obscure passage led him into a street partly of dwelling-houses, partly of shops, the latter closed.

heated

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

From this reading On quitting the railway, he had a walk of some ten minutes along a road which smelt of new bricks and stucco heated by the summer sun; an obscure passage led him into a street partly of dwelling-houses, partly of shops, the latter closed.

Herbalist

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

From this reading He paused at the side door of one over which the street lamp dimly revealed--'Button, Herbalist'.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading On quitting the railway, he had a walk of some ten minutes along a road which smelt of new bricks and stucco heated by the summer sun; an obscure passage led him into a street partly of dwelling-houses, partly of shops, the latter closed.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading He softly ascended two flights of stairs, opened a door, struck a match, and found himself in a comfortable sitting-room, soon illumined by a reading-lamp.

HisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading His latch-key admitted him to total darkness, but he moved forward with the confidence of long use.

illumined

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

From this reading He softly ascended two flights of stairs, opened a door, struck a match, and found himself in a comfortable sitting-room, soon illumined by a reading-lamp.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading He softly ascended two flights of stairs, opened a door, struck a match, and found himself in a comfortable sitting-room, soon illumined by a reading-lamp.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading On quitting the railway, he had a walk of some ten minutes along a road which smelt of new bricks and stucco heated by the summer sun; an obscure passage led him into a street partly of dwelling-houses, partly of shops, the latter closed.

lamp

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

From this reading He paused at the side door of one over which the street lamp dimly revealed--'Button, Herbalist'.

latch-key

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

From this reading His latch-key admitted him to total darkness, but he moved forward with the confidence of long use.

latter

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

From this reading On quitting the railway, he had a walk of some ten minutes along a road which smelt of new bricks and stucco heated by the summer sun; an obscure passage led him into a street partly of dwelling-houses, partly of shops, the latter closed.

led

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

From this reading On quitting the railway, he had a walk of some ten minutes along a road which smelt of new bricks and stucco heated by the summer sun; an obscure passage led him into a street partly of dwelling-houses, partly of shops, the latter closed.

longnounUS /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading His latch-key admitted him to total darkness, but he moved forward with the confidence of long use.

match

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

From this reading He softly ascended two flights of stairs, opened a door, struck a match, and found himself in a comfortable sitting-room, soon illumined by a reading-lamp.

minutes

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

From this reading On quitting the railway, he had a walk of some ten minutes along a road which smelt of new bricks and stucco heated by the summer sun; an obscure passage led him into a street partly of dwelling-houses, partly of shops, the latter closed.

moved

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

From this reading His latch-key admitted him to total darkness, but he moved forward with the confidence of long use.

new

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

From this reading On quitting the railway, he had a walk of some ten minutes along a road which smelt of new bricks and stucco heated by the summer sun; an obscure passage led him into a street partly of dwelling-houses, partly of shops, the latter closed.

obscure

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

From this reading On quitting the railway, he had a walk of some ten minutes along a road which smelt of new bricks and stucco heated by the summer sun; an obscure passage led him into a street partly of dwelling-houses, partly of shops, the latter closed.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading On quitting the railway, he had a walk of some ten minutes along a road which smelt of new bricks and stucco heated by the summer sun; an obscure passage led him into a street partly of dwelling-houses, partly of shops, the latter closed.

OnprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading On quitting the railway, he had a walk of some ten minutes along a road which smelt of new bricks and stucco heated by the summer sun; an obscure passage led him into a street partly of dwelling-houses, partly of shops, the latter closed.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading He paused at the side door of one over which the street lamp dimly revealed--'Button, Herbalist'.

opened

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

From this reading He softly ascended two flights of stairs, opened a door, struck a match, and found himself in a comfortable sitting-room, soon illumined by a reading-lamp.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading He paused at the side door of one over which the street lamp dimly revealed--'Button, Herbalist'.

partly

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

From this reading On quitting the railway, he had a walk of some ten minutes along a road which smelt of new bricks and stucco heated by the summer sun; an obscure passage led him into a street partly of dwelling-houses, partly of shops, the latter closed.

passagenounUS /ˈpassage/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading On quitting the railway, he had a walk of some ten minutes along a road which smelt of new bricks and stucco heated by the summer sun; an obscure passage led him into a street partly of dwelling-houses, partly of shops, the latter closed.

paused

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

From this reading He paused at the side door of one over which the street lamp dimly revealed--'Button, Herbalist'.

Peak's

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

From this reading Peak's destination was Peckham Rye.

Peckham

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

From this reading Peak's destination was Peckham Rye.

quitting

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

From this reading On quitting the railway, he had a walk of some ten minutes along a road which smelt of new bricks and stucco heated by the summer sun; an obscure passage led him into a street partly of dwelling-houses, partly of shops, the latter closed.

railway

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

From this reading On quitting the railway, he had a walk of some ten minutes along a road which smelt of new bricks and stucco heated by the summer sun; an obscure passage led him into a street partly of dwelling-houses, partly of shops, the latter closed.

reading-lamp

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

From this reading He softly ascended two flights of stairs, opened a door, struck a match, and found himself in a comfortable sitting-room, soon illumined by a reading-lamp.

revealed

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

From this reading He paused at the side door of one over which the street lamp dimly revealed--'Button, Herbalist'.

road

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

From this reading On quitting the railway, he had a walk of some ten minutes along a road which smelt of new bricks and stucco heated by the summer sun; an obscure passage led him into a street partly of dwelling-houses, partly of shops, the latter closed.

Rye

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

From this reading Peak's destination was Peckham Rye.

shops

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

From this reading On quitting the railway, he had a walk of some ten minutes along a road which smelt of new bricks and stucco heated by the summer sun; an obscure passage led him into a street partly of dwelling-houses, partly of shops, the latter closed.

side

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

From this reading He paused at the side door of one over which the street lamp dimly revealed--'Button, Herbalist'.

sitting-room

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

From this reading He softly ascended two flights of stairs, opened a door, struck a match, and found himself in a comfortable sitting-room, soon illumined by a reading-lamp.

smelt

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

From this reading On quitting the railway, he had a walk of some ten minutes along a road which smelt of new bricks and stucco heated by the summer sun; an obscure passage led him into a street partly of dwelling-houses, partly of shops, the latter closed.

softly

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

From this reading He softly ascended two flights of stairs, opened a door, struck a match, and found himself in a comfortable sitting-room, soon illumined by a reading-lamp.

some

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

From this reading On quitting the railway, he had a walk of some ten minutes along a road which smelt of new bricks and stucco heated by the summer sun; an obscure passage led him into a street partly of dwelling-houses, partly of shops, the latter closed.

soon

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

From this reading He softly ascended two flights of stairs, opened a door, struck a match, and found himself in a comfortable sitting-room, soon illumined by a reading-lamp.

stairs

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

From this reading He softly ascended two flights of stairs, opened a door, struck a match, and found himself in a comfortable sitting-room, soon illumined by a reading-lamp.

street

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

From this reading On quitting the railway, he had a walk of some ten minutes along a road which smelt of new bricks and stucco heated by the summer sun; an obscure passage led him into a street partly of dwelling-houses, partly of shops, the latter closed.

strucknounUS /struck/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He softly ascended two flights of stairs, opened a door, struck a match, and found himself in a comfortable sitting-room, soon illumined by a reading-lamp.

stucco

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

From this reading On quitting the railway, he had a walk of some ten minutes along a road which smelt of new bricks and stucco heated by the summer sun; an obscure passage led him into a street partly of dwelling-houses, partly of shops, the latter closed.

summer

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

From this reading On quitting the railway, he had a walk of some ten minutes along a road which smelt of new bricks and stucco heated by the summer sun; an obscure passage led him into a street partly of dwelling-houses, partly of shops, the latter closed.

sun

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

From this reading On quitting the railway, he had a walk of some ten minutes along a road which smelt of new bricks and stucco heated by the summer sun; an obscure passage led him into a street partly of dwelling-houses, partly of shops, the latter closed.

ten

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

From this reading On quitting the railway, he had a walk of some ten minutes along a road which smelt of new bricks and stucco heated by the summer sun; an obscure passage led him into a street partly of dwelling-houses, partly of shops, the latter closed.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading On quitting the railway, he had a walk of some ten minutes along a road which smelt of new bricks and stucco heated by the summer sun; an obscure passage led him into a street partly of dwelling-houses, partly of shops, the latter closed.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading His latch-key admitted him to total darkness, but he moved forward with the confidence of long use.

total

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

From this reading His latch-key admitted him to total darkness, but he moved forward with the confidence of long use.

two

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

From this reading He softly ascended two flights of stairs, opened a door, struck a match, and found himself in a comfortable sitting-room, soon illumined by a reading-lamp.

use

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

From this reading His latch-key admitted him to total darkness, but he moved forward with the confidence of long use.

walk

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

From this reading On quitting the railway, he had a walk of some ten minutes along a road which smelt of new bricks and stucco heated by the summer sun; an obscure passage led him into a street partly of dwelling-houses, partly of shops, the latter closed.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Peak's destination was Peckham Rye.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading On quitting the railway, he had a walk of some ten minutes along a road which smelt of new bricks and stucco heated by the summer sun; an obscure passage led him into a street partly of dwelling-houses, partly of shops, the latter closed.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading His latch-key admitted him to total darkness, but he moved forward with the confidence of long use.