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Joshua Marvel
Joshua Marvel

Chapter I · Concerning Certain Family Conversations and Their Result

Cover illustration for Joshua Marvel
Context Illustration Reading 1/38 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
In the parish of Stepney, in the county of Middlesex, there lived, amidst the hundreds of thousands of human bees who throng that overcrowded locality, a family composed of four persons--mother, father, and two children, boy and girl--who owned the surprising name of Marvel.
They had lived in their hive for goodness knows how many years.
The father's father had lived there and died there; the father had been married from there; and the children had been born there.
The bees in the locality, who elbowed each other and trod upon each other's toes, were poor and common bees, and did not make much honey.
Some of them made just enough to live upon; and a good many of them, now and then, ran a little short.
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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.

Joshua Marvel

Chapter I · Concerning Certain Family Conversations and Their Result

Reading 1/38 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
In the parish of Stepney, in the county of Middlesex, there lived, amidst the hundreds of thousands of human bees who throng that overcrowded locality, a family composed of four persons--mother, father, and two children, boy and girl--who owned the surprising name of Marvel.
Line 2
They had lived in their hive for goodness knows how many years.
Line 3
The father's father had lived there and died there; the father had been married from there; and the children had been born there.
Line 4
The bees in the locality, who elbowed each other and trod upon each other's toes, were poor and common bees, and did not make much honey.
Line 5
Some of them made just enough to live upon; and a good many of them, now and then, ran a little short.

Learner Dictionary

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

Amidst preposition US /əˈmɪdst/

in the middle of; surrounded by

From this reading “In the parish of Stepney, in the county of Middlesex, there lived, amidst the hundreds of thousands of human bees who throng that overcrowded locality, a family composed of four persons--mother, father, and two children, boy and girl--who owned the surprising name of Marvel.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “The father's father had lived there and died there; the father had been married from there; and the children had been born there.”

Born noun US /born/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The father's father had lived there and died there; the father had been married from there; and the children had been born there.”

Good noun US /good/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Some of them made just enough to live upon; and a good many of them, now and then, ran a little short.”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Some of them made just enough to live upon; and a good many of them, now and then, ran a little short.”

Make noun US /make/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The bees in the locality, who elbowed each other and trod upon each other's toes, were poor and common bees, and did not make much honey.”

Name noun US /name/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “In the parish of Stepney, in the county of Middlesex, there lived, amidst the hundreds of thousands of human bees who throng that overcrowded locality, a family composed of four persons--mother, father, and two children, boy and girl--who owned the surprising name of Marvel.”

Poor noun US /poor/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The bees in the locality, who elbowed each other and trod upon each other's toes, were poor and common bees, and did not make much honey.”

Short adjective US /ʃɔrt/

brief or direct in expression

From this reading “Some of them made just enough to live upon; and a good many of them, now and then, ran a little short.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “The bees in the locality, who elbowed each other and trod upon each other's toes, were poor and common bees, and did not make much honey.”

All words in this reading · 79

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 In the parish of Stepney, in the county of Middlesex, there lived, amidst the hundreds of thousands of human bees who throng that overcrowded locality, a family composed of four persons--mother, father, and two children, boy and girl--who owned the surprising name of Marvel.

amidstprepositionUS /əˈmɪdst/

in the middle of; surrounded by

From this reading In the parish of Stepney, in the county of Middlesex, there lived, amidst the hundreds of thousands of human bees who throng that overcrowded locality, a family composed of four persons--mother, father, and two children, boy and girl--who owned the surprising name of Marvel.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading In the parish of Stepney, in the county of Middlesex, there lived, amidst the hundreds of thousands of human bees who throng that overcrowded locality, a family composed of four persons--mother, father, and two children, boy and girl--who owned the surprising name of Marvel.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading The father's father had lived there and died there; the father had been married from there; and the children had been born there.

bees

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

From this reading In the parish of Stepney, in the county of Middlesex, there lived, amidst the hundreds of thousands of human bees who throng that overcrowded locality, a family composed of four persons--mother, father, and two children, boy and girl--who owned the surprising name of Marvel.

bornnounUS /born/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The father's father had lived there and died there; the father had been married from there; and the children had been born there.

boy

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

From this reading In the parish of Stepney, in the county of Middlesex, there lived, amidst the hundreds of thousands of human bees who throng that overcrowded locality, a family composed of four persons--mother, father, and two children, boy and girl--who owned the surprising name of Marvel.

children

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

From this reading In the parish of Stepney, in the county of Middlesex, there lived, amidst the hundreds of thousands of human bees who throng that overcrowded locality, a family composed of four persons--mother, father, and two children, boy and girl--who owned the surprising name of Marvel.

common

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

From this reading The bees in the locality, who elbowed each other and trod upon each other's toes, were poor and common bees, and did not make much honey.

composed

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

From this reading In the parish of Stepney, in the county of Middlesex, there lived, amidst the hundreds of thousands of human bees who throng that overcrowded locality, a family composed of four persons--mother, father, and two children, boy and girl--who owned the surprising name of Marvel.

county

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

From this reading In the parish of Stepney, in the county of Middlesex, there lived, amidst the hundreds of thousands of human bees who throng that overcrowded locality, a family composed of four persons--mother, father, and two children, boy and girl--who owned the surprising name of Marvel.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading The bees in the locality, who elbowed each other and trod upon each other's toes, were poor and common bees, and did not make much honey.

died

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

From this reading The father's father had lived there and died there; the father had been married from there; and the children had been born there.

eachdeterminerUS /iːtʃ/

every one of two or more people or things, taken separately

From this reading The bees in the locality, who elbowed each other and trod upon each other's toes, were poor and common bees, and did not make much honey.

elbowed

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

From this reading The bees in the locality, who elbowed each other and trod upon each other's toes, were poor and common bees, and did not make much honey.

enough

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

From this reading Some of them made just enough to live upon; and a good many of them, now and then, ran a little short.

family

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

From this reading In the parish of Stepney, in the county of Middlesex, there lived, amidst the hundreds of thousands of human bees who throng that overcrowded locality, a family composed of four persons--mother, father, and two children, boy and girl--who owned the surprising name of Marvel.

father

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

From this reading In the parish of Stepney, in the county of Middlesex, there lived, amidst the hundreds of thousands of human bees who throng that overcrowded locality, a family composed of four persons--mother, father, and two children, boy and girl--who owned the surprising name of Marvel.

father's

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

From this reading The father's father had lived there and died there; the father had been married from there; and the children had been born there.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading They had lived in their hive for goodness knows how many years.

four

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

From this reading In the parish of Stepney, in the county of Middlesex, there lived, amidst the hundreds of thousands of human bees who throng that overcrowded locality, a family composed of four persons--mother, father, and two children, boy and girl--who owned the surprising name of Marvel.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The father's father had lived there and died there; the father had been married from there; and the children had been born there.

girl

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

From this reading In the parish of Stepney, in the county of Middlesex, there lived, amidst the hundreds of thousands of human bees who throng that overcrowded locality, a family composed of four persons--mother, father, and two children, boy and girl--who owned the surprising name of Marvel.

goodnounUS /good/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Some of them made just enough to live upon; and a good many of them, now and then, ran a little short.

goodness

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

From this reading They had lived in their hive for goodness knows how many years.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading They had lived in their hive for goodness knows how many years.

hive

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

From this reading They had lived in their hive for goodness knows how many years.

honey

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

From this reading The bees in the locality, who elbowed each other and trod upon each other's toes, were poor and common bees, and did not make much honey.

how

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

From this reading They had lived in their hive for goodness knows how many years.

human

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

From this reading In the parish of Stepney, in the county of Middlesex, there lived, amidst the hundreds of thousands of human bees who throng that overcrowded locality, a family composed of four persons--mother, father, and two children, boy and girl--who owned the surprising name of Marvel.

hundreds

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

From this reading In the parish of Stepney, in the county of Middlesex, there lived, amidst the hundreds of thousands of human bees who throng that overcrowded locality, a family composed of four persons--mother, father, and two children, boy and girl--who owned the surprising name of Marvel.

InprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading In the parish of Stepney, in the county of Middlesex, there lived, amidst the hundreds of thousands of human bees who throng that overcrowded locality, a family composed of four persons--mother, father, and two children, boy and girl--who owned the surprising name of Marvel.

just

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

From this reading Some of them made just enough to live upon; and a good many of them, now and then, ran a little short.

knows

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

From this reading They had lived in their hive for goodness knows how many years.

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Some of them made just enough to live upon; and a good many of them, now and then, ran a little short.

live

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

From this reading Some of them made just enough to live upon; and a good many of them, now and then, ran a little short.

lived

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

From this reading In the parish of Stepney, in the county of Middlesex, there lived, amidst the hundreds of thousands of human bees who throng that overcrowded locality, a family composed of four persons--mother, father, and two children, boy and girl--who owned the surprising name of Marvel.

locality

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

From this reading In the parish of Stepney, in the county of Middlesex, there lived, amidst the hundreds of thousands of human bees who throng that overcrowded locality, a family composed of four persons--mother, father, and two children, boy and girl--who owned the surprising name of Marvel.

made

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

From this reading Some of them made just enough to live upon; and a good many of them, now and then, ran a little short.

makenounUS /make/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The bees in the locality, who elbowed each other and trod upon each other's toes, were poor and common bees, and did not make much honey.

many

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

From this reading They had lived in their hive for goodness knows how many years.

married

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

From this reading The father's father had lived there and died there; the father had been married from there; and the children had been born there.

Marvel

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

From this reading In the parish of Stepney, in the county of Middlesex, there lived, amidst the hundreds of thousands of human bees who throng that overcrowded locality, a family composed of four persons--mother, father, and two children, boy and girl--who owned the surprising name of Marvel.

Middlesex

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

From this reading In the parish of Stepney, in the county of Middlesex, there lived, amidst the hundreds of thousands of human bees who throng that overcrowded locality, a family composed of four persons--mother, father, and two children, boy and girl--who owned the surprising name of Marvel.

mother

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

From this reading In the parish of Stepney, in the county of Middlesex, there lived, amidst the hundreds of thousands of human bees who throng that overcrowded locality, a family composed of four persons--mother, father, and two children, boy and girl--who owned the surprising name of Marvel.

much

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

From this reading The bees in the locality, who elbowed each other and trod upon each other's toes, were poor and common bees, and did not make much honey.

namenounUS /name/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading In the parish of Stepney, in the county of Middlesex, there lived, amidst the hundreds of thousands of human bees who throng that overcrowded locality, a family composed of four persons--mother, father, and two children, boy and girl--who owned the surprising name of Marvel.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading The bees in the locality, who elbowed each other and trod upon each other's toes, were poor and common bees, and did not make much honey.

now

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

From this reading Some of them made just enough to live upon; and a good many of them, now and then, ran a little short.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading In the parish of Stepney, in the county of Middlesex, there lived, amidst the hundreds of thousands of human bees who throng that overcrowded locality, a family composed of four persons--mother, father, and two children, boy and girl--who owned the surprising name of Marvel.

other

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

From this reading The bees in the locality, who elbowed each other and trod upon each other's toes, were poor and common bees, and did not make much honey.

other's

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

From this reading The bees in the locality, who elbowed each other and trod upon each other's toes, were poor and common bees, and did not make much honey.

overcrowded

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

From this reading In the parish of Stepney, in the county of Middlesex, there lived, amidst the hundreds of thousands of human bees who throng that overcrowded locality, a family composed of four persons--mother, father, and two children, boy and girl--who owned the surprising name of Marvel.

owned

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

From this reading In the parish of Stepney, in the county of Middlesex, there lived, amidst the hundreds of thousands of human bees who throng that overcrowded locality, a family composed of four persons--mother, father, and two children, boy and girl--who owned the surprising name of Marvel.

parish

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

From this reading In the parish of Stepney, in the county of Middlesex, there lived, amidst the hundreds of thousands of human bees who throng that overcrowded locality, a family composed of four persons--mother, father, and two children, boy and girl--who owned the surprising name of Marvel.

persons

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

From this reading In the parish of Stepney, in the county of Middlesex, there lived, amidst the hundreds of thousands of human bees who throng that overcrowded locality, a family composed of four persons--mother, father, and two children, boy and girl--who owned the surprising name of Marvel.

poornounUS /poor/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The bees in the locality, who elbowed each other and trod upon each other's toes, were poor and common bees, and did not make much honey.

ran

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

From this reading Some of them made just enough to live upon; and a good many of them, now and then, ran a little short.

shortadjectiveUS /ʃɔrt/

brief or direct in expression

From this reading Some of them made just enough to live upon; and a good many of them, now and then, ran a little short.

Some

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

From this reading Some of them made just enough to live upon; and a good many of them, now and then, ran a little short.

Stepney

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

From this reading In the parish of Stepney, in the county of Middlesex, there lived, amidst the hundreds of thousands of human bees who throng that overcrowded locality, a family composed of four persons--mother, father, and two children, boy and girl--who owned the surprising name of Marvel.

surprising

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

From this reading In the parish of Stepney, in the county of Middlesex, there lived, amidst the hundreds of thousands of human bees who throng that overcrowded locality, a family composed of four persons--mother, father, and two children, boy and girl--who owned the surprising name of Marvel.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading In the parish of Stepney, in the county of Middlesex, there lived, amidst the hundreds of thousands of human bees who throng that overcrowded locality, a family composed of four persons--mother, father, and two children, boy and girl--who owned the surprising name of Marvel.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading In the parish of Stepney, in the county of Middlesex, there lived, amidst the hundreds of thousands of human bees who throng that overcrowded locality, a family composed of four persons--mother, father, and two children, boy and girl--who owned the surprising name of Marvel.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading They had lived in their hive for goodness knows how many years.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Some of them made just enough to live upon; and a good many of them, now and then, ran a little short.

then

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

From this reading Some of them made just enough to live upon; and a good many of them, now and then, ran a little short.

there

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

From this reading In the parish of Stepney, in the county of Middlesex, there lived, amidst the hundreds of thousands of human bees who throng that overcrowded locality, a family composed of four persons--mother, father, and two children, boy and girl--who owned the surprising name of Marvel.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading They had lived in their hive for goodness knows how many years.

thousands

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

From this reading In the parish of Stepney, in the county of Middlesex, there lived, amidst the hundreds of thousands of human bees who throng that overcrowded locality, a family composed of four persons--mother, father, and two children, boy and girl--who owned the surprising name of Marvel.

throng

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

From this reading In the parish of Stepney, in the county of Middlesex, there lived, amidst the hundreds of thousands of human bees who throng that overcrowded locality, a family composed of four persons--mother, father, and two children, boy and girl--who owned the surprising name of Marvel.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Some of them made just enough to live upon; and a good many of them, now and then, ran a little short.

toes

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

From this reading The bees in the locality, who elbowed each other and trod upon each other's toes, were poor and common bees, and did not make much honey.

trod

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

From this reading The bees in the locality, who elbowed each other and trod upon each other's toes, were poor and common bees, and did not make much honey.

two

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

From this reading In the parish of Stepney, in the county of Middlesex, there lived, amidst the hundreds of thousands of human bees who throng that overcrowded locality, a family composed of four persons--mother, father, and two children, boy and girl--who owned the surprising name of Marvel.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading The bees in the locality, who elbowed each other and trod upon each other's toes, were poor and common bees, and did not make much honey.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading The bees in the locality, who elbowed each other and trod upon each other's toes, were poor and common bees, and did not make much honey.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading In the parish of Stepney, in the county of Middlesex, there lived, amidst the hundreds of thousands of human bees who throng that overcrowded locality, a family composed of four persons--mother, father, and two children, boy and girl--who owned the surprising name of Marvel.

years

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

From this reading They had lived in their hive for goodness knows how many years.