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T. Tembarom
T. Tembarom

Chapter XI

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Context Illustration Reading 1/30 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
For a few moments the two young men looked at each other, Pearson's gaze being one of respectfulness which hoped to propitiate, if propitiation was necessary, though Pearson greatly trusted it was not.
Tembarom's was the gaze of hasty investigation and inquiry.
He suddenly thought that it would have been “all to the merry” if somebody had “put him on to” a sort of idea of what was done to a fellow when he was “valeted.”
A valet, he had of course gathered, waited on one somehow and looked after one's clothes.
But were there by chance other things he expected to do,--manicure one's nails or cut one's hair,--and how often did he do it, and was this the day?
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

T. Tembarom

Chapter XI

Reading 1/30 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
For a few moments the two young men looked at each other, Pearson's gaze being one of respectfulness which hoped to propitiate, if propitiation was necessary, though Pearson greatly trusted it was not.
Line 2
Tembarom's was the gaze of hasty investigation and inquiry.
Line 3
He suddenly thought that it would have been “all to the merry” if somebody had “put him on to” a sort of idea of what was done to a fellow when he was “valeted.”
Line 4
A valet, he had of course gathered, waited on one somehow and looked after one's clothes.
Line 5
But were there by chance other things he expected to do,--manicure one's nails or cut one's hair,--and how often did he do it, and was this the day?

Learner Dictionary

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

After preposition US /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading “A valet, he had of course gathered, waited on one somehow and looked after one's clothes.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “He suddenly thought that it would have been “all to the merry” if somebody had “put him on to” a sort of idea of what was done to a fellow when he was “valeted.””

Being auxiliary verb US /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading “For a few moments the two young men looked at each other, Pearson's gaze being one of respectfulness which hoped to propitiate, if propitiation was necessary, though Pearson greatly trusted it was not.”

Course noun US /course/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “A valet, he had of course gathered, waited on one somehow and looked after one's clothes.”

Done noun US /done/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He suddenly thought that it would have been “all to the merry” if somebody had “put him on to” a sort of idea of what was done to a fellow when he was “valeted.””

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “He suddenly thought that it would have been “all to the merry” if somebody had “put him on to” a sort of idea of what was done to a fellow when he was “valeted.””

Looked noun US /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “For a few moments the two young men looked at each other, Pearson's gaze being one of respectfulness which hoped to propitiate, if propitiation was necessary, though Pearson greatly trusted it was not.”

Merry noun US /merry/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He suddenly thought that it would have been “all to the merry” if somebody had “put him on to” a sort of idea of what was done to a fellow when he was “valeted.””

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “For a few moments the two young men looked at each other, Pearson's gaze being one of respectfulness which hoped to propitiate, if propitiation was necessary, though Pearson greatly trusted it was not.”

Somebody pronoun US /ˈsʌmbɑːdi/

a person, without saying who

From this reading “He suddenly thought that it would have been “all to the merry” if somebody had “put him on to” a sort of idea of what was done to a fellow when he was “valeted.””

Suddenly noun US /ˈsuddenly/

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

From this reading “He suddenly thought that it would have been “all to the merry” if somebody had “put him on to” a sort of idea of what was done to a fellow when he was “valeted.””

Though conjunction US /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading “For a few moments the two young men looked at each other, Pearson's gaze being one of respectfulness which hoped to propitiate, if propitiation was necessary, though Pearson greatly trusted it was not.”

Thought noun US /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He suddenly thought that it would have been “all to the merry” if somebody had “put him on to” a sort of idea of what was done to a fellow when he was “valeted.””

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

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

From this reading “He suddenly thought that it would have been “all to the merry” if somebody had “put him on to” a sort of idea of what was done to a fellow when he was “valeted.””

All words in this reading · 84

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 For a few moments the two young men looked at each other, Pearson's gaze being one of respectfulness which hoped to propitiate, if propitiation was necessary, though Pearson greatly trusted it was not.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading A valet, he had of course gathered, waited on one somehow and looked after one's clothes.

all

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

From this reading He suddenly thought that it would have been “all to the merry” if somebody had “put him on to” a sort of idea of what was done to a fellow when he was “valeted.”

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Tembarom's was the gaze of hasty investigation and inquiry.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading For a few moments the two young men looked at each other, Pearson's gaze being one of respectfulness which hoped to propitiate, if propitiation was necessary, though Pearson greatly trusted it was not.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading He suddenly thought that it would have been “all to the merry” if somebody had “put him on to” a sort of idea of what was done to a fellow when he was “valeted.”

beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading For a few moments the two young men looked at each other, Pearson's gaze being one of respectfulness which hoped to propitiate, if propitiation was necessary, though Pearson greatly trusted it was not.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But were there by chance other things he expected to do,--manicure one's nails or cut one's hair,--and how often did he do it, and was this the day?

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading But were there by chance other things he expected to do,--manicure one's nails or cut one's hair,--and how often did he do it, and was this the day?

chance

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

From this reading But were there by chance other things he expected to do,--manicure one's nails or cut one's hair,--and how often did he do it, and was this the day?

clothes

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

From this reading A valet, he had of course gathered, waited on one somehow and looked after one's clothes.

coursenounUS /course/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading A valet, he had of course gathered, waited on one somehow and looked after one's clothes.

cut

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

From this reading But were there by chance other things he expected to do,--manicure one's nails or cut one's hair,--and how often did he do it, and was this the day?

day

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

From this reading But were there by chance other things he expected to do,--manicure one's nails or cut one's hair,--and how often did he do it, and was this the day?

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

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

From this reading But were there by chance other things he expected to do,--manicure one's nails or cut one's hair,--and how often did he do it, and was this the day?

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading But were there by chance other things he expected to do,--manicure one's nails or cut one's hair,--and how often did he do it, and was this the day?

donenounUS /done/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He suddenly thought that it would have been “all to the merry” if somebody had “put him on to” a sort of idea of what was done to a fellow when he was “valeted.”

eachdeterminerUS /iːtʃ/

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

From this reading For a few moments the two young men looked at each other, Pearson's gaze being one of respectfulness which hoped to propitiate, if propitiation was necessary, though Pearson greatly trusted it was not.

expected

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

From this reading But were there by chance other things he expected to do,--manicure one's nails or cut one's hair,--and how often did he do it, and was this the day?

fellow

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

From this reading He suddenly thought that it would have been “all to the merry” if somebody had “put him on to” a sort of idea of what was done to a fellow when he was “valeted.”

few

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

From this reading For a few moments the two young men looked at each other, Pearson's gaze being one of respectfulness which hoped to propitiate, if propitiation was necessary, though Pearson greatly trusted it was not.

ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading For a few moments the two young men looked at each other, Pearson's gaze being one of respectfulness which hoped to propitiate, if propitiation was necessary, though Pearson greatly trusted it was not.

gathered

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

From this reading A valet, he had of course gathered, waited on one somehow and looked after one's clothes.

gaze

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

From this reading For a few moments the two young men looked at each other, Pearson's gaze being one of respectfulness which hoped to propitiate, if propitiation was necessary, though Pearson greatly trusted it was not.

greatly

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

From this reading For a few moments the two young men looked at each other, Pearson's gaze being one of respectfulness which hoped to propitiate, if propitiation was necessary, though Pearson greatly trusted it was not.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading He suddenly thought that it would have been “all to the merry” if somebody had “put him on to” a sort of idea of what was done to a fellow when he was “valeted.”

hair

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

From this reading But were there by chance other things he expected to do,--manicure one's nails or cut one's hair,--and how often did he do it, and was this the day?

hasty

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

From this reading Tembarom's was the gaze of hasty investigation and inquiry.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading He suddenly thought that it would have been “all to the merry” if somebody had “put him on to” a sort of idea of what was done to a fellow when he was “valeted.”

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He suddenly thought that it would have been “all to the merry” if somebody had “put him on to” a sort of idea of what was done to a fellow when he was “valeted.”

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading He suddenly thought that it would have been “all to the merry” if somebody had “put him on to” a sort of idea of what was done to a fellow when he was “valeted.”

hoped

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

From this reading For a few moments the two young men looked at each other, Pearson's gaze being one of respectfulness which hoped to propitiate, if propitiation was necessary, though Pearson greatly trusted it was not.

how

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

From this reading But were there by chance other things he expected to do,--manicure one's nails or cut one's hair,--and how often did he do it, and was this the day?

idea

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

From this reading He suddenly thought that it would have been “all to the merry” if somebody had “put him on to” a sort of idea of what was done to a fellow when he was “valeted.”

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading For a few moments the two young men looked at each other, Pearson's gaze being one of respectfulness which hoped to propitiate, if propitiation was necessary, though Pearson greatly trusted it was not.

inquiry

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

From this reading Tembarom's was the gaze of hasty investigation and inquiry.

investigation

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

From this reading Tembarom's was the gaze of hasty investigation and inquiry.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading For a few moments the two young men looked at each other, Pearson's gaze being one of respectfulness which hoped to propitiate, if propitiation was necessary, though Pearson greatly trusted it was not.

lookednounUS /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading For a few moments the two young men looked at each other, Pearson's gaze being one of respectfulness which hoped to propitiate, if propitiation was necessary, though Pearson greatly trusted it was not.

manicure

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

From this reading But were there by chance other things he expected to do,--manicure one's nails or cut one's hair,--and how often did he do it, and was this the day?

men

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

From this reading For a few moments the two young men looked at each other, Pearson's gaze being one of respectfulness which hoped to propitiate, if propitiation was necessary, though Pearson greatly trusted it was not.

merry

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

From this reading He suddenly thought that it would have been “all to the merry” if somebody had “put him on to” a sort of idea of what was done to a fellow when he was “valeted.”

moments

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

From this reading For a few moments the two young men looked at each other, Pearson's gaze being one of respectfulness which hoped to propitiate, if propitiation was necessary, though Pearson greatly trusted it was not.

nails

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

From this reading But were there by chance other things he expected to do,--manicure one's nails or cut one's hair,--and how often did he do it, and was this the day?

necessary

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

From this reading For a few moments the two young men looked at each other, Pearson's gaze being one of respectfulness which hoped to propitiate, if propitiation was necessary, though Pearson greatly trusted it was not.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading For a few moments the two young men looked at each other, Pearson's gaze being one of respectfulness which hoped to propitiate, if propitiation was necessary, though Pearson greatly trusted it was not.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading For a few moments the two young men looked at each other, Pearson's gaze being one of respectfulness which hoped to propitiate, if propitiation was necessary, though Pearson greatly trusted it was not.

often

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

From this reading But were there by chance other things he expected to do,--manicure one's nails or cut one's hair,--and how often did he do it, and was this the day?

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading He suddenly thought that it would have been “all to the merry” if somebody had “put him on to” a sort of idea of what was done to a fellow when he was “valeted.”

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading For a few moments the two young men looked at each other, Pearson's gaze being one of respectfulness which hoped to propitiate, if propitiation was necessary, though Pearson greatly trusted it was not.

one's

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

From this reading A valet, he had of course gathered, waited on one somehow and looked after one's clothes.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading But were there by chance other things he expected to do,--manicure one's nails or cut one's hair,--and how often did he do it, and was this the day?

other

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

From this reading For a few moments the two young men looked at each other, Pearson's gaze being one of respectfulness which hoped to propitiate, if propitiation was necessary, though Pearson greatly trusted it was not.

Pearson

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

From this reading For a few moments the two young men looked at each other, Pearson's gaze being one of respectfulness which hoped to propitiate, if propitiation was necessary, though Pearson greatly trusted it was not.

Pearson's

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

From this reading For a few moments the two young men looked at each other, Pearson's gaze being one of respectfulness which hoped to propitiate, if propitiation was necessary, though Pearson greatly trusted it was not.

propitiate

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

From this reading For a few moments the two young men looked at each other, Pearson's gaze being one of respectfulness which hoped to propitiate, if propitiation was necessary, though Pearson greatly trusted it was not.

propitiation

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

From this reading For a few moments the two young men looked at each other, Pearson's gaze being one of respectfulness which hoped to propitiate, if propitiation was necessary, though Pearson greatly trusted it was not.

put

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

From this reading He suddenly thought that it would have been “all to the merry” if somebody had “put him on to” a sort of idea of what was done to a fellow when he was “valeted.”

respectfulness

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

From this reading For a few moments the two young men looked at each other, Pearson's gaze being one of respectfulness which hoped to propitiate, if propitiation was necessary, though Pearson greatly trusted it was not.

somebodypronounUS /ˈsʌmbɑːdi/

a person, without saying who

From this reading He suddenly thought that it would have been “all to the merry” if somebody had “put him on to” a sort of idea of what was done to a fellow when he was “valeted.”

somehow

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

From this reading A valet, he had of course gathered, waited on one somehow and looked after one's clothes.

sort

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

From this reading He suddenly thought that it would have been “all to the merry” if somebody had “put him on to” a sort of idea of what was done to a fellow when he was “valeted.”

suddenlynounUS /ˈsuddenly/

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

From this reading He suddenly thought that it would have been “all to the merry” if somebody had “put him on to” a sort of idea of what was done to a fellow when he was “valeted.”

Tembarom's

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

From this reading Tembarom's was the gaze of hasty investigation and inquiry.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading He suddenly thought that it would have been “all to the merry” if somebody had “put him on to” a sort of idea of what was done to a fellow when he was “valeted.”

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading For a few moments the two young men looked at each other, Pearson's gaze being one of respectfulness which hoped to propitiate, if propitiation was necessary, though Pearson greatly trusted it was not.

there

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

From this reading But were there by chance other things he expected to do,--manicure one's nails or cut one's hair,--and how often did he do it, and was this the day?

things

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

From this reading But were there by chance other things he expected to do,--manicure one's nails or cut one's hair,--and how often did he do it, and was this the day?

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading But were there by chance other things he expected to do,--manicure one's nails or cut one's hair,--and how often did he do it, and was this the day?

thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading For a few moments the two young men looked at each other, Pearson's gaze being one of respectfulness which hoped to propitiate, if propitiation was necessary, though Pearson greatly trusted it was not.

thoughtnounUS /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He suddenly thought that it would have been “all to the merry” if somebody had “put him on to” a sort of idea of what was done to a fellow when he was “valeted.”

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading For a few moments the two young men looked at each other, Pearson's gaze being one of respectfulness which hoped to propitiate, if propitiation was necessary, though Pearson greatly trusted it was not.

trusted

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

From this reading For a few moments the two young men looked at each other, Pearson's gaze being one of respectfulness which hoped to propitiate, if propitiation was necessary, though Pearson greatly trusted it was not.

two

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

From this reading For a few moments the two young men looked at each other, Pearson's gaze being one of respectfulness which hoped to propitiate, if propitiation was necessary, though Pearson greatly trusted it was not.

valet

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

From this reading A valet, he had of course gathered, waited on one somehow and looked after one's clothes.

valeted

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

From this reading He suddenly thought that it would have been “all to the merry” if somebody had “put him on to” a sort of idea of what was done to a fellow when he was “valeted.”

waited

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

From this reading A valet, he had of course gathered, waited on one somehow and looked after one's clothes.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading For a few moments the two young men looked at each other, Pearson's gaze being one of respectfulness which hoped to propitiate, if propitiation was necessary, though Pearson greatly trusted it was not.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading But were there by chance other things he expected to do,--manicure one's nails or cut one's hair,--and how often did he do it, and was this the day?

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading He suddenly thought that it would have been “all to the merry” if somebody had “put him on to” a sort of idea of what was done to a fellow when he was “valeted.”

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading He suddenly thought that it would have been “all to the merry” if somebody had “put him on to” a sort of idea of what was done to a fellow when he was “valeted.”

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading For a few moments the two young men looked at each other, Pearson's gaze being one of respectfulness which hoped to propitiate, if propitiation was necessary, though Pearson greatly trusted it was not.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

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

From this reading He suddenly thought that it would have been “all to the merry” if somebody had “put him on to” a sort of idea of what was done to a fellow when he was “valeted.”

young

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

From this reading For a few moments the two young men looked at each other, Pearson's gaze being one of respectfulness which hoped to propitiate, if propitiation was necessary, though Pearson greatly trusted it was not.