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Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson

Chapter II

Cover illustration for Samuel Johnson
Context Illustration Reading 1/89 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
LITERARY CAREER.
"No man but a blockhead," said Johnson, "ever wrote except for money."
The doctrine is, of course, perfectly outrageous, and specially calculated to shock people who like to keep it for their private use, instead of proclaiming it in public.
But it is a good expression of that huge contempt for the foppery of high-flown sentiment which, as is not uncommon with Johnson, passes into something which would be cynical if it were not half-humorous.
In this case it implies also the contempt of the professional for the amateur.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Samuel Johnson

Chapter II

Reading 1/89 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
LITERARY CAREER.
Line 2
"No man but a blockhead," said Johnson, "ever wrote except for money."
Line 3
The doctrine is, of course, perfectly outrageous, and specially calculated to shock people who like to keep it for their private use, instead of proclaiming it in public.
Line 4
But it is a good expression of that huge contempt for the foppery of high-flown sentiment which, as is not uncommon with Johnson, passes into something which would be cynical if it were not half-humorous.
Line 5
In this case it implies also the contempt of the professional for the amateur.

Learner Dictionary

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

Course noun US /course/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The doctrine is, of course, perfectly outrageous, and specially calculated to shock people who like to keep it for their private use, instead of proclaiming it in public.”

Ever noun US /ever/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “"No man but a blockhead," said Johnson, "ever wrote except for money."”

Except preposition US /ɪkˈsept/

apart from; not including

From this reading “"No man but a blockhead," said Johnson, "ever wrote except for money."”

Good noun US /good/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “But it is a good expression of that huge contempt for the foppery of high-flown sentiment which, as is not uncommon with Johnson, passes into something which would be cynical if it were not half-humorous.”

Something pronoun US /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading “But it is a good expression of that huge contempt for the foppery of high-flown sentiment which, as is not uncommon with Johnson, passes into something which would be cynical if it were not half-humorous.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading “But it is a good expression of that huge contempt for the foppery of high-flown sentiment which, as is not uncommon with Johnson, passes into something which would be cynical if it were not half-humorous.”

All words in this reading · 66

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 "No man but a blockhead," said Johnson, "ever wrote except for money."

also

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

From this reading In this case it implies also the contempt of the professional for the amateur.

amateur

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

From this reading In this case it implies also the contempt of the professional for the amateur.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The doctrine is, of course, perfectly outrageous, and specially calculated to shock people who like to keep it for their private use, instead of proclaiming it in public.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading But it is a good expression of that huge contempt for the foppery of high-flown sentiment which, as is not uncommon with Johnson, passes into something which would be cynical if it were not half-humorous.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading But it is a good expression of that huge contempt for the foppery of high-flown sentiment which, as is not uncommon with Johnson, passes into something which would be cynical if it were not half-humorous.

blockhead

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

From this reading "No man but a blockhead," said Johnson, "ever wrote except for money."

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading "No man but a blockhead," said Johnson, "ever wrote except for money."

calculated

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

From this reading The doctrine is, of course, perfectly outrageous, and specially calculated to shock people who like to keep it for their private use, instead of proclaiming it in public.

CAREER

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

From this reading LITERARY CAREER.

case

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

From this reading In this case it implies also the contempt of the professional for the amateur.

contempt

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

From this reading But it is a good expression of that huge contempt for the foppery of high-flown sentiment which, as is not uncommon with Johnson, passes into something which would be cynical if it were not half-humorous.

coursenounUS /course/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The doctrine is, of course, perfectly outrageous, and specially calculated to shock people who like to keep it for their private use, instead of proclaiming it in public.

cynical

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

From this reading But it is a good expression of that huge contempt for the foppery of high-flown sentiment which, as is not uncommon with Johnson, passes into something which would be cynical if it were not half-humorous.

doctrine

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

From this reading The doctrine is, of course, perfectly outrageous, and specially calculated to shock people who like to keep it for their private use, instead of proclaiming it in public.

evernounUS /ever/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading "No man but a blockhead," said Johnson, "ever wrote except for money."

exceptprepositionUS /ɪkˈsept/

apart from; not including

From this reading "No man but a blockhead," said Johnson, "ever wrote except for money."

expression

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

From this reading But it is a good expression of that huge contempt for the foppery of high-flown sentiment which, as is not uncommon with Johnson, passes into something which would be cynical if it were not half-humorous.

foppery

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

From this reading But it is a good expression of that huge contempt for the foppery of high-flown sentiment which, as is not uncommon with Johnson, passes into something which would be cynical if it were not half-humorous.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading "No man but a blockhead," said Johnson, "ever wrote except for money."

goodnounUS /good/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading But it is a good expression of that huge contempt for the foppery of high-flown sentiment which, as is not uncommon with Johnson, passes into something which would be cynical if it were not half-humorous.

half-humorous

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

From this reading But it is a good expression of that huge contempt for the foppery of high-flown sentiment which, as is not uncommon with Johnson, passes into something which would be cynical if it were not half-humorous.

high-flown

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

From this reading But it is a good expression of that huge contempt for the foppery of high-flown sentiment which, as is not uncommon with Johnson, passes into something which would be cynical if it were not half-humorous.

huge

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

From this reading But it is a good expression of that huge contempt for the foppery of high-flown sentiment which, as is not uncommon with Johnson, passes into something which would be cynical if it were not half-humorous.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading But it is a good expression of that huge contempt for the foppery of high-flown sentiment which, as is not uncommon with Johnson, passes into something which would be cynical if it were not half-humorous.

implies

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

From this reading In this case it implies also the contempt of the professional for the amateur.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The doctrine is, of course, perfectly outrageous, and specially calculated to shock people who like to keep it for their private use, instead of proclaiming it in public.

instead

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

From this reading The doctrine is, of course, perfectly outrageous, and specially calculated to shock people who like to keep it for their private use, instead of proclaiming it in public.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading But it is a good expression of that huge contempt for the foppery of high-flown sentiment which, as is not uncommon with Johnson, passes into something which would be cynical if it were not half-humorous.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading The doctrine is, of course, perfectly outrageous, and specially calculated to shock people who like to keep it for their private use, instead of proclaiming it in public.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading The doctrine is, of course, perfectly outrageous, and specially calculated to shock people who like to keep it for their private use, instead of proclaiming it in public.

Johnson

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

From this reading "No man but a blockhead," said Johnson, "ever wrote except for money."

keep

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

From this reading The doctrine is, of course, perfectly outrageous, and specially calculated to shock people who like to keep it for their private use, instead of proclaiming it in public.

like

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

From this reading The doctrine is, of course, perfectly outrageous, and specially calculated to shock people who like to keep it for their private use, instead of proclaiming it in public.

LITERARY

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

From this reading LITERARY CAREER.

man

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

From this reading "No man but a blockhead," said Johnson, "ever wrote except for money."

money

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

From this reading "No man but a blockhead," said Johnson, "ever wrote except for money."

NodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading "No man but a blockhead," said Johnson, "ever wrote except for money."

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading But it is a good expression of that huge contempt for the foppery of high-flown sentiment which, as is not uncommon with Johnson, passes into something which would be cynical if it were not half-humorous.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The doctrine is, of course, perfectly outrageous, and specially calculated to shock people who like to keep it for their private use, instead of proclaiming it in public.

outrageous

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

From this reading The doctrine is, of course, perfectly outrageous, and specially calculated to shock people who like to keep it for their private use, instead of proclaiming it in public.

passes

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

From this reading But it is a good expression of that huge contempt for the foppery of high-flown sentiment which, as is not uncommon with Johnson, passes into something which would be cynical if it were not half-humorous.

people

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

From this reading The doctrine is, of course, perfectly outrageous, and specially calculated to shock people who like to keep it for their private use, instead of proclaiming it in public.

perfectly

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

From this reading The doctrine is, of course, perfectly outrageous, and specially calculated to shock people who like to keep it for their private use, instead of proclaiming it in public.

private

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

From this reading The doctrine is, of course, perfectly outrageous, and specially calculated to shock people who like to keep it for their private use, instead of proclaiming it in public.

proclaiming

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

From this reading The doctrine is, of course, perfectly outrageous, and specially calculated to shock people who like to keep it for their private use, instead of proclaiming it in public.

professional

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

From this reading In this case it implies also the contempt of the professional for the amateur.

public

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

From this reading The doctrine is, of course, perfectly outrageous, and specially calculated to shock people who like to keep it for their private use, instead of proclaiming it in public.

said

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

From this reading "No man but a blockhead," said Johnson, "ever wrote except for money."

sentiment

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

From this reading But it is a good expression of that huge contempt for the foppery of high-flown sentiment which, as is not uncommon with Johnson, passes into something which would be cynical if it were not half-humorous.

shock

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

From this reading The doctrine is, of course, perfectly outrageous, and specially calculated to shock people who like to keep it for their private use, instead of proclaiming it in public.

somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading But it is a good expression of that huge contempt for the foppery of high-flown sentiment which, as is not uncommon with Johnson, passes into something which would be cynical if it were not half-humorous.

specially

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

From this reading The doctrine is, of course, perfectly outrageous, and specially calculated to shock people who like to keep it for their private use, instead of proclaiming it in public.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading But it is a good expression of that huge contempt for the foppery of high-flown sentiment which, as is not uncommon with Johnson, passes into something which would be cynical if it were not half-humorous.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The doctrine is, of course, perfectly outrageous, and specially calculated to shock people who like to keep it for their private use, instead of proclaiming it in public.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading The doctrine is, of course, perfectly outrageous, and specially calculated to shock people who like to keep it for their private use, instead of proclaiming it in public.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading In this case it implies also the contempt of the professional for the amateur.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The doctrine is, of course, perfectly outrageous, and specially calculated to shock people who like to keep it for their private use, instead of proclaiming it in public.

uncommon

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

From this reading But it is a good expression of that huge contempt for the foppery of high-flown sentiment which, as is not uncommon with Johnson, passes into something which would be cynical if it were not half-humorous.

use

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

From this reading The doctrine is, of course, perfectly outrageous, and specially calculated to shock people who like to keep it for their private use, instead of proclaiming it in public.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading But it is a good expression of that huge contempt for the foppery of high-flown sentiment which, as is not uncommon with Johnson, passes into something which would be cynical if it were not half-humorous.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading But it is a good expression of that huge contempt for the foppery of high-flown sentiment which, as is not uncommon with Johnson, passes into something which would be cynical if it were not half-humorous.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading The doctrine is, of course, perfectly outrageous, and specially calculated to shock people who like to keep it for their private use, instead of proclaiming it in public.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading But it is a good expression of that huge contempt for the foppery of high-flown sentiment which, as is not uncommon with Johnson, passes into something which would be cynical if it were not half-humorous.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading But it is a good expression of that huge contempt for the foppery of high-flown sentiment which, as is not uncommon with Johnson, passes into something which would be cynical if it were not half-humorous.

wrote

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

From this reading "No man but a blockhead," said Johnson, "ever wrote except for money."