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Samuel Johnson
Samuel Johnson

Chapter VI

Cover illustration for Samuel Johnson
Context Illustration Reading 1/62 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
JOHNSON'S WRITINGS.
It remains to speak of Johnson's position in literature.
For reasons sufficiently obvious, few men whose lives have been devoted to letters for an equal period, have left behind them such scanty and inadequate remains.
Johnson, as we have seen, worked only under the pressure of circumstances; a very small proportion of his latter life was devoted to literary employment.
The working hours of his earlier years were spent for the most part in productions which can hardly be called literary.
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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.

Samuel Johnson

Chapter VI

Reading 1/62 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
JOHNSON'S WRITINGS.
Line 2
It remains to speak of Johnson's position in literature.
Line 3
For reasons sufficiently obvious, few men whose lives have been devoted to letters for an equal period, have left behind them such scanty and inadequate remains.
Line 4
Johnson, as we have seen, worked only under the pressure of circumstances; a very small proportion of his latter life was devoted to literary employment.
Line 5
The working hours of his earlier years were spent for the most part in productions which can hardly be called literary.

Learner Dictionary

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

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “For reasons sufficiently obvious, few men whose lives have been devoted to letters for an equal period, have left behind them such scanty and inadequate remains.”

Behind preposition US /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading “For reasons sufficiently obvious, few men whose lives have been devoted to letters for an equal period, have left behind them such scanty and inadequate remains.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “For reasons sufficiently obvious, few men whose lives have been devoted to letters for an equal period, have left behind them such scanty and inadequate remains.”

Left noun US /left/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “For reasons sufficiently obvious, few men whose lives have been devoted to letters for an equal period, have left behind them such scanty and inadequate remains.”

Life noun US /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Johnson, as we have seen, worked only under the pressure of circumstances; a very small proportion of his latter life was devoted to literary employment.”

Part noun US /part/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The working hours of his earlier years were spent for the most part in productions which can hardly be called literary.”

Reasons noun US /ˈreasons/

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

From this reading “For reasons sufficiently obvious, few men whose lives have been devoted to letters for an equal period, have left behind them such scanty and inadequate remains.”

Scanty adjective US /ˈskænti/

small or barely sufficient in amount

From this reading “For reasons sufficiently obvious, few men whose lives have been devoted to letters for an equal period, have left behind them such scanty and inadequate remains.”

Speak noun US /speak/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It remains to speak of Johnson's position in literature.”

Under preposition US /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading “Johnson, as we have seen, worked only under the pressure of circumstances; a very small proportion of his latter life was devoted to literary employment.”

Whose determiner US /huːz/

belonging to which person

From this reading “For reasons sufficiently obvious, few men whose lives have been devoted to letters for an equal period, have left behind them such scanty and inadequate remains.”

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 Johnson, as we have seen, worked only under the pressure of circumstances; a very small proportion of his latter life was devoted to literary employment.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading For reasons sufficiently obvious, few men whose lives have been devoted to letters for an equal period, have left behind them such scanty and inadequate remains.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading For reasons sufficiently obvious, few men whose lives have been devoted to letters for an equal period, have left behind them such scanty and inadequate remains.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Johnson, as we have seen, worked only under the pressure of circumstances; a very small proportion of his latter life was devoted to literary employment.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading The working hours of his earlier years were spent for the most part in productions which can hardly be called literary.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading For reasons sufficiently obvious, few men whose lives have been devoted to letters for an equal period, have left behind them such scanty and inadequate remains.

behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading For reasons sufficiently obvious, few men whose lives have been devoted to letters for an equal period, have left behind them such scanty and inadequate remains.

called

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

From this reading The working hours of his earlier years were spent for the most part in productions which can hardly be called literary.

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading The working hours of his earlier years were spent for the most part in productions which can hardly be called literary.

circumstances

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

From this reading Johnson, as we have seen, worked only under the pressure of circumstances; a very small proportion of his latter life was devoted to literary employment.

devoted

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

From this reading For reasons sufficiently obvious, few men whose lives have been devoted to letters for an equal period, have left behind them such scanty and inadequate remains.

earlier

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

From this reading The working hours of his earlier years were spent for the most part in productions which can hardly be called literary.

employment

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

From this reading Johnson, as we have seen, worked only under the pressure of circumstances; a very small proportion of his latter life was devoted to literary employment.

equal

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

From this reading For reasons sufficiently obvious, few men whose lives have been devoted to letters for an equal period, have left behind them such scanty and inadequate remains.

few

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

From this reading For reasons sufficiently obvious, few men whose lives have been devoted to letters for an equal period, have left behind them such scanty and inadequate remains.

ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading For reasons sufficiently obvious, few men whose lives have been devoted to letters for an equal period, have left behind them such scanty and inadequate remains.

hardly

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

From this reading The working hours of his earlier years were spent for the most part in productions which can hardly be called literary.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading For reasons sufficiently obvious, few men whose lives have been devoted to letters for an equal period, have left behind them such scanty and inadequate remains.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Johnson, as we have seen, worked only under the pressure of circumstances; a very small proportion of his latter life was devoted to literary employment.

hours

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

From this reading The working hours of his earlier years were spent for the most part in productions which can hardly be called literary.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading It remains to speak of Johnson's position in literature.

inadequate

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

From this reading For reasons sufficiently obvious, few men whose lives have been devoted to letters for an equal period, have left behind them such scanty and inadequate remains.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It remains to speak of Johnson's position in literature.

Johnson

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

From this reading Johnson, as we have seen, worked only under the pressure of circumstances; a very small proportion of his latter life was devoted to literary employment.

JOHNSON'S

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

From this reading JOHNSON'S WRITINGS.

latter

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

From this reading Johnson, as we have seen, worked only under the pressure of circumstances; a very small proportion of his latter life was devoted to literary employment.

leftnounUS /left/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading For reasons sufficiently obvious, few men whose lives have been devoted to letters for an equal period, have left behind them such scanty and inadequate remains.

letters

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

From this reading For reasons sufficiently obvious, few men whose lives have been devoted to letters for an equal period, have left behind them such scanty and inadequate remains.

lifenounUS /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Johnson, as we have seen, worked only under the pressure of circumstances; a very small proportion of his latter life was devoted to literary employment.

literary

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

From this reading Johnson, as we have seen, worked only under the pressure of circumstances; a very small proportion of his latter life was devoted to literary employment.

literature

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

From this reading It remains to speak of Johnson's position in literature.

lives

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

From this reading For reasons sufficiently obvious, few men whose lives have been devoted to letters for an equal period, have left behind them such scanty and inadequate remains.

men

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

From this reading For reasons sufficiently obvious, few men whose lives have been devoted to letters for an equal period, have left behind them such scanty and inadequate remains.

most

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

From this reading The working hours of his earlier years were spent for the most part in productions which can hardly be called literary.

obvious

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

From this reading For reasons sufficiently obvious, few men whose lives have been devoted to letters for an equal period, have left behind them such scanty and inadequate remains.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading It remains to speak of Johnson's position in literature.

only

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

From this reading Johnson, as we have seen, worked only under the pressure of circumstances; a very small proportion of his latter life was devoted to literary employment.

partnounUS /part/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The working hours of his earlier years were spent for the most part in productions which can hardly be called literary.

period

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

From this reading For reasons sufficiently obvious, few men whose lives have been devoted to letters for an equal period, have left behind them such scanty and inadequate remains.

position

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

From this reading It remains to speak of Johnson's position in literature.

pressure

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

From this reading Johnson, as we have seen, worked only under the pressure of circumstances; a very small proportion of his latter life was devoted to literary employment.

productions

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

From this reading The working hours of his earlier years were spent for the most part in productions which can hardly be called literary.

proportion

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

From this reading Johnson, as we have seen, worked only under the pressure of circumstances; a very small proportion of his latter life was devoted to literary employment.

reasonsnounUS /ˈreasons/

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

From this reading For reasons sufficiently obvious, few men whose lives have been devoted to letters for an equal period, have left behind them such scanty and inadequate remains.

remains

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

From this reading It remains to speak of Johnson's position in literature.

scantyadjectiveUS /ˈskænti/

small or barely sufficient in amount

From this reading For reasons sufficiently obvious, few men whose lives have been devoted to letters for an equal period, have left behind them such scanty and inadequate remains.

seen

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

From this reading Johnson, as we have seen, worked only under the pressure of circumstances; a very small proportion of his latter life was devoted to literary employment.

small

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

From this reading Johnson, as we have seen, worked only under the pressure of circumstances; a very small proportion of his latter life was devoted to literary employment.

speak

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

From this reading It remains to speak of Johnson's position in literature.

spent

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

From this reading The working hours of his earlier years were spent for the most part in productions which can hardly be called literary.

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading For reasons sufficiently obvious, few men whose lives have been devoted to letters for an equal period, have left behind them such scanty and inadequate remains.

sufficiently

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

From this reading For reasons sufficiently obvious, few men whose lives have been devoted to letters for an equal period, have left behind them such scanty and inadequate remains.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Johnson, as we have seen, worked only under the pressure of circumstances; a very small proportion of his latter life was devoted to literary employment.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading For reasons sufficiently obvious, few men whose lives have been devoted to letters for an equal period, have left behind them such scanty and inadequate remains.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading It remains to speak of Johnson's position in literature.

underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading Johnson, as we have seen, worked only under the pressure of circumstances; a very small proportion of his latter life was devoted to literary employment.

very

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

From this reading Johnson, as we have seen, worked only under the pressure of circumstances; a very small proportion of his latter life was devoted to literary employment.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Johnson, as we have seen, worked only under the pressure of circumstances; a very small proportion of his latter life was devoted to literary employment.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading Johnson, as we have seen, worked only under the pressure of circumstances; a very small proportion of his latter life was devoted to literary employment.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading The working hours of his earlier years were spent for the most part in productions which can hardly be called literary.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading The working hours of his earlier years were spent for the most part in productions which can hardly be called literary.

whosedeterminerUS /huːz/

belonging to which person

From this reading For reasons sufficiently obvious, few men whose lives have been devoted to letters for an equal period, have left behind them such scanty and inadequate remains.

worked

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

From this reading Johnson, as we have seen, worked only under the pressure of circumstances; a very small proportion of his latter life was devoted to literary employment.

working

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

From this reading The working hours of his earlier years were spent for the most part in productions which can hardly be called literary.

WRITINGS

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

From this reading JOHNSON'S WRITINGS.

years

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

From this reading The working hours of his earlier years were spent for the most part in productions which can hardly be called literary.