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Poor Relations
Poor Relations

Chapter XXVIII

Cover illustration for Poor Relations
Context Illustration Reading 1/82 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"This is like La Fontaine's fable," smiled the ex-cabinet minister.
Gaudissart found investments for his capital in other ventures.
He thought well of Schwab, Brunner, and the Graffs; that firm was promoting railways, he became a shareholder in the lines.
His shrewdness was carefully hidden beneath the frank carelessness of a man of pleasure; he seemed to be interested in nothing but amusements and dress, yet he thought everything over, and his wide experience of business gained as a commercial traveler stood him in good stead.
A self-made man, he did not take himself seriously.
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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.

Poor Relations

Chapter XXVIII

Reading 1/82 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"This is like La Fontaine's fable," smiled the ex-cabinet minister.
Line 2
Gaudissart found investments for his capital in other ventures.
Line 3
He thought well of Schwab, Brunner, and the Graffs; that firm was promoting railways, he became a shareholder in the lines.
Line 4
His shrewdness was carefully hidden beneath the frank carelessness of a man of pleasure; he seemed to be interested in nothing but amusements and dress, yet he thought everything over, and his wide experience of business gained as a commercial traveler stood him in good stead.
Line 5
A self-made man, he did not take himself seriously.

Learner Dictionary

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

Beneath preposition US /bɪˈniːθ/

Directly under; in or to a lower position than.

From this reading “His shrewdness was carefully hidden beneath the frank carelessness of a man of pleasure; he seemed to be interested in nothing but amusements and dress, yet he thought everything over, and his wide experience of business gained as a commercial traveler stood him in good stead.”

Everything pronoun US /ˈevriθɪŋ/

all things; all of a situation

From this reading “His shrewdness was carefully hidden beneath the frank carelessness of a man of pleasure; he seemed to be interested in nothing but amusements and dress, yet he thought everything over, and his wide experience of business gained as a commercial traveler stood him in good stead.”

Found noun US /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Gaudissart found investments for his capital in other ventures.”

Good noun US /good/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “His shrewdness was carefully hidden beneath the frank carelessness of a man of pleasure; he seemed to be interested in nothing but amusements and dress, yet he thought everything over, and his wide experience of business gained as a commercial traveler stood him in good stead.”

Himself pronoun US /hɪmˈself/

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

From this reading “A self-made man, he did not take himself seriously.”

Nothing pronoun US /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading “His shrewdness was carefully hidden beneath the frank carelessness of a man of pleasure; he seemed to be interested in nothing but amusements and dress, yet he thought everything over, and his wide experience of business gained as a commercial traveler stood him in good stead.”

Over preposition US /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading “His shrewdness was carefully hidden beneath the frank carelessness of a man of pleasure; he seemed to be interested in nothing but amusements and dress, yet he thought everything over, and his wide experience of business gained as a commercial traveler stood him in good stead.”

Seemed noun US /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “His shrewdness was carefully hidden beneath the frank carelessness of a man of pleasure; he seemed to be interested in nothing but amusements and dress, yet he thought everything over, and his wide experience of business gained as a commercial traveler stood him in good stead.”

Stood noun US /stood/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “His shrewdness was carefully hidden beneath the frank carelessness of a man of pleasure; he seemed to be interested in nothing but amusements and dress, yet he thought everything over, and his wide experience of business gained as a commercial traveler stood him in good stead.”

Take noun US /take/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “A self-made man, he did not take himself seriously.”

Thought noun US /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He thought well of Schwab, Brunner, and the Graffs; that firm was promoting railways, he became a shareholder in the lines.”

Well noun US /well/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He thought well of Schwab, Brunner, and the Graffs; that firm was promoting railways, he became a shareholder in the lines.”

Yet conjunction US /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading “His shrewdness was carefully hidden beneath the frank carelessness of a man of pleasure; he seemed to be interested in nothing but amusements and dress, yet he thought everything over, and his wide experience of business gained as a commercial traveler stood him in good stead.”

All words in this reading · 72

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 He thought well of Schwab, Brunner, and the Graffs; that firm was promoting railways, he became a shareholder in the lines.

amusements

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

From this reading His shrewdness was carefully hidden beneath the frank carelessness of a man of pleasure; he seemed to be interested in nothing but amusements and dress, yet he thought everything over, and his wide experience of business gained as a commercial traveler stood him in good stead.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading He thought well of Schwab, Brunner, and the Graffs; that firm was promoting railways, he became a shareholder in the lines.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading His shrewdness was carefully hidden beneath the frank carelessness of a man of pleasure; he seemed to be interested in nothing but amusements and dress, yet he thought everything over, and his wide experience of business gained as a commercial traveler stood him in good stead.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading His shrewdness was carefully hidden beneath the frank carelessness of a man of pleasure; he seemed to be interested in nothing but amusements and dress, yet he thought everything over, and his wide experience of business gained as a commercial traveler stood him in good stead.

became

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

From this reading He thought well of Schwab, Brunner, and the Graffs; that firm was promoting railways, he became a shareholder in the lines.

beneathprepositionUS /bɪˈniːθ/

Directly under; in or to a lower position than.

From this reading His shrewdness was carefully hidden beneath the frank carelessness of a man of pleasure; he seemed to be interested in nothing but amusements and dress, yet he thought everything over, and his wide experience of business gained as a commercial traveler stood him in good stead.

Brunner

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

From this reading He thought well of Schwab, Brunner, and the Graffs; that firm was promoting railways, he became a shareholder in the lines.

business

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

From this reading His shrewdness was carefully hidden beneath the frank carelessness of a man of pleasure; he seemed to be interested in nothing but amusements and dress, yet he thought everything over, and his wide experience of business gained as a commercial traveler stood him in good stead.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading His shrewdness was carefully hidden beneath the frank carelessness of a man of pleasure; he seemed to be interested in nothing but amusements and dress, yet he thought everything over, and his wide experience of business gained as a commercial traveler stood him in good stead.

capital

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

From this reading Gaudissart found investments for his capital in other ventures.

carefully

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

From this reading His shrewdness was carefully hidden beneath the frank carelessness of a man of pleasure; he seemed to be interested in nothing but amusements and dress, yet he thought everything over, and his wide experience of business gained as a commercial traveler stood him in good stead.

carelessness

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

From this reading His shrewdness was carefully hidden beneath the frank carelessness of a man of pleasure; he seemed to be interested in nothing but amusements and dress, yet he thought everything over, and his wide experience of business gained as a commercial traveler stood him in good stead.

commercial

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

From this reading His shrewdness was carefully hidden beneath the frank carelessness of a man of pleasure; he seemed to be interested in nothing but amusements and dress, yet he thought everything over, and his wide experience of business gained as a commercial traveler stood him in good stead.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

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

From this reading A self-made man, he did not take himself seriously.

dress

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

From this reading His shrewdness was carefully hidden beneath the frank carelessness of a man of pleasure; he seemed to be interested in nothing but amusements and dress, yet he thought everything over, and his wide experience of business gained as a commercial traveler stood him in good stead.

everythingpronounUS /ˈevriθɪŋ/

all things; all of a situation

From this reading His shrewdness was carefully hidden beneath the frank carelessness of a man of pleasure; he seemed to be interested in nothing but amusements and dress, yet he thought everything over, and his wide experience of business gained as a commercial traveler stood him in good stead.

ex-cabinet

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

From this reading "This is like La Fontaine's fable," smiled the ex-cabinet minister.

experience

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

From this reading His shrewdness was carefully hidden beneath the frank carelessness of a man of pleasure; he seemed to be interested in nothing but amusements and dress, yet he thought everything over, and his wide experience of business gained as a commercial traveler stood him in good stead.

fable

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

From this reading "This is like La Fontaine's fable," smiled the ex-cabinet minister.

firm

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

From this reading He thought well of Schwab, Brunner, and the Graffs; that firm was promoting railways, he became a shareholder in the lines.

Fontaine's

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

From this reading "This is like La Fontaine's fable," smiled the ex-cabinet minister.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Gaudissart found investments for his capital in other ventures.

foundnounUS /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Gaudissart found investments for his capital in other ventures.

frank

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

From this reading His shrewdness was carefully hidden beneath the frank carelessness of a man of pleasure; he seemed to be interested in nothing but amusements and dress, yet he thought everything over, and his wide experience of business gained as a commercial traveler stood him in good stead.

gained

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

From this reading His shrewdness was carefully hidden beneath the frank carelessness of a man of pleasure; he seemed to be interested in nothing but amusements and dress, yet he thought everything over, and his wide experience of business gained as a commercial traveler stood him in good stead.

Gaudissart

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

From this reading Gaudissart found investments for his capital in other ventures.

goodnounUS /good/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading His shrewdness was carefully hidden beneath the frank carelessness of a man of pleasure; he seemed to be interested in nothing but amusements and dress, yet he thought everything over, and his wide experience of business gained as a commercial traveler stood him in good stead.

Graffs

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

From this reading He thought well of Schwab, Brunner, and the Graffs; that firm was promoting railways, he became a shareholder in the lines.

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He thought well of Schwab, Brunner, and the Graffs; that firm was promoting railways, he became a shareholder in the lines.

hidden

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

From this reading His shrewdness was carefully hidden beneath the frank carelessness of a man of pleasure; he seemed to be interested in nothing but amusements and dress, yet he thought everything over, and his wide experience of business gained as a commercial traveler stood him in good stead.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading His shrewdness was carefully hidden beneath the frank carelessness of a man of pleasure; he seemed to be interested in nothing but amusements and dress, yet he thought everything over, and his wide experience of business gained as a commercial traveler stood him in good stead.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

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

From this reading A self-made man, he did not take himself seriously.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Gaudissart found investments for his capital in other ventures.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Gaudissart found investments for his capital in other ventures.

interested

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

From this reading His shrewdness was carefully hidden beneath the frank carelessness of a man of pleasure; he seemed to be interested in nothing but amusements and dress, yet he thought everything over, and his wide experience of business gained as a commercial traveler stood him in good stead.

investments

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

From this reading Gaudissart found investments for his capital in other ventures.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading "This is like La Fontaine's fable," smiled the ex-cabinet minister.

La

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

From this reading "This is like La Fontaine's fable," smiled the ex-cabinet minister.

like

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

From this reading "This is like La Fontaine's fable," smiled the ex-cabinet minister.

lines

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

From this reading He thought well of Schwab, Brunner, and the Graffs; that firm was promoting railways, he became a shareholder in the lines.

man

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

From this reading His shrewdness was carefully hidden beneath the frank carelessness of a man of pleasure; he seemed to be interested in nothing but amusements and dress, yet he thought everything over, and his wide experience of business gained as a commercial traveler stood him in good stead.

minister

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

From this reading "This is like La Fontaine's fable," smiled the ex-cabinet minister.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading A self-made man, he did not take himself seriously.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading His shrewdness was carefully hidden beneath the frank carelessness of a man of pleasure; he seemed to be interested in nothing but amusements and dress, yet he thought everything over, and his wide experience of business gained as a commercial traveler stood him in good stead.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading He thought well of Schwab, Brunner, and the Graffs; that firm was promoting railways, he became a shareholder in the lines.

other

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

From this reading Gaudissart found investments for his capital in other ventures.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading His shrewdness was carefully hidden beneath the frank carelessness of a man of pleasure; he seemed to be interested in nothing but amusements and dress, yet he thought everything over, and his wide experience of business gained as a commercial traveler stood him in good stead.

pleasure

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

From this reading His shrewdness was carefully hidden beneath the frank carelessness of a man of pleasure; he seemed to be interested in nothing but amusements and dress, yet he thought everything over, and his wide experience of business gained as a commercial traveler stood him in good stead.

promoting

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

From this reading He thought well of Schwab, Brunner, and the Graffs; that firm was promoting railways, he became a shareholder in the lines.

railways

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

From this reading He thought well of Schwab, Brunner, and the Graffs; that firm was promoting railways, he became a shareholder in the lines.

Schwab

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

From this reading He thought well of Schwab, Brunner, and the Graffs; that firm was promoting railways, he became a shareholder in the lines.

seemednounUS /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading His shrewdness was carefully hidden beneath the frank carelessness of a man of pleasure; he seemed to be interested in nothing but amusements and dress, yet he thought everything over, and his wide experience of business gained as a commercial traveler stood him in good stead.

self-made

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

From this reading A self-made man, he did not take himself seriously.

seriously

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

From this reading A self-made man, he did not take himself seriously.

shareholder

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

From this reading He thought well of Schwab, Brunner, and the Graffs; that firm was promoting railways, he became a shareholder in the lines.

shrewdness

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

From this reading His shrewdness was carefully hidden beneath the frank carelessness of a man of pleasure; he seemed to be interested in nothing but amusements and dress, yet he thought everything over, and his wide experience of business gained as a commercial traveler stood him in good stead.

smiled

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

From this reading "This is like La Fontaine's fable," smiled the ex-cabinet minister.

stead

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

From this reading His shrewdness was carefully hidden beneath the frank carelessness of a man of pleasure; he seemed to be interested in nothing but amusements and dress, yet he thought everything over, and his wide experience of business gained as a commercial traveler stood him in good stead.

stoodnounUS /stood/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading His shrewdness was carefully hidden beneath the frank carelessness of a man of pleasure; he seemed to be interested in nothing but amusements and dress, yet he thought everything over, and his wide experience of business gained as a commercial traveler stood him in good stead.

takenounUS /take/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading A self-made man, he did not take himself seriously.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading He thought well of Schwab, Brunner, and the Graffs; that firm was promoting railways, he became a shareholder in the lines.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading "This is like La Fontaine's fable," smiled the ex-cabinet minister.

ThisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading "This is like La Fontaine's fable," smiled the ex-cabinet minister.

thoughtnounUS /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He thought well of Schwab, Brunner, and the Graffs; that firm was promoting railways, he became a shareholder in the lines.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading His shrewdness was carefully hidden beneath the frank carelessness of a man of pleasure; he seemed to be interested in nothing but amusements and dress, yet he thought everything over, and his wide experience of business gained as a commercial traveler stood him in good stead.

traveler

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

From this reading His shrewdness was carefully hidden beneath the frank carelessness of a man of pleasure; he seemed to be interested in nothing but amusements and dress, yet he thought everything over, and his wide experience of business gained as a commercial traveler stood him in good stead.

ventures

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

From this reading Gaudissart found investments for his capital in other ventures.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading He thought well of Schwab, Brunner, and the Graffs; that firm was promoting railways, he became a shareholder in the lines.

well

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

From this reading He thought well of Schwab, Brunner, and the Graffs; that firm was promoting railways, he became a shareholder in the lines.

wide

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

From this reading His shrewdness was carefully hidden beneath the frank carelessness of a man of pleasure; he seemed to be interested in nothing but amusements and dress, yet he thought everything over, and his wide experience of business gained as a commercial traveler stood him in good stead.

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading His shrewdness was carefully hidden beneath the frank carelessness of a man of pleasure; he seemed to be interested in nothing but amusements and dress, yet he thought everything over, and his wide experience of business gained as a commercial traveler stood him in good stead.