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The Devil's Paw
The Devil's Paw

Chapter XIV

Cover illustration for The Devil's Paw
Context Illustration Reading 1/39 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
It was a little more than half an hour later when Julian ascended the steps of his club in Pall Mall and asked the hall porter for letters.
Except that he was a little paler than usual and was leaning more heavily upon his stick, there was nothing about his appearance to denote several days of intense strain.
There was a shade of curiosity, mingled with surprise, in the commissionaire’s respectful greeting.
“There have been a good many enquiries for you the last few days, sir,” he observed.
“I dare say,” Julian replied.
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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.

The Devil's Paw

Chapter XIV

Reading 1/39 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
It was a little more than half an hour later when Julian ascended the steps of his club in Pall Mall and asked the hall porter for letters.
Line 2
Except that he was a little paler than usual and was leaning more heavily upon his stick, there was nothing about his appearance to denote several days of intense strain.
Line 3
There was a shade of curiosity, mingled with surprise, in the commissionaire’s respectful greeting.
Line 4
“There have been a good many enquiries for you the last few days, sir,” he observed.
Line 5
“I dare say,” Julian replied.

Learner Dictionary

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

About preposition US /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading “Except that he was a little paler than usual and was leaning more heavily upon his stick, there was nothing about his appearance to denote several days of intense strain.”

Appearance noun US /ˈappearance/

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

From this reading “Except that he was a little paler than usual and was leaning more heavily upon his stick, there was nothing about his appearance to denote several days of intense strain.”

Asked noun US /asked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It was a little more than half an hour later when Julian ascended the steps of his club in Pall Mall and asked the hall porter for letters.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading ““There have been a good many enquiries for you the last few days, sir,” he observed.”

Except preposition US /ɪkˈsept/

apart from; not including

From this reading “Except that he was a little paler than usual and was leaning more heavily upon his stick, there was nothing about his appearance to denote several days of intense strain.”

Good noun US /good/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading ““There have been a good many enquiries for you the last few days, sir,” he observed.”

Half noun US /half/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It was a little more than half an hour later when Julian ascended the steps of his club in Pall Mall and asked the hall porter for letters.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading ““There have been a good many enquiries for you the last few days, sir,” he observed.”

Last noun US /last/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading ““There have been a good many enquiries for you the last few days, sir,” he observed.”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It was a little more than half an hour later when Julian ascended the steps of his club in Pall Mall and asked the hall porter for letters.”

Nothing pronoun US /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading “Except that he was a little paler than usual and was leaning more heavily upon his stick, there was nothing about his appearance to denote several days of intense strain.”

Replied noun US /replied/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading ““I dare say,” Julian replied.”

Several noun US /ˈseveral/

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

From this reading “Except that he was a little paler than usual and was leaning more heavily upon his stick, there was nothing about his appearance to denote several days of intense strain.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “Except that he was a little paler than usual and was leaning more heavily upon his stick, there was nothing about his appearance to denote several days of intense strain.”

All words in this reading · 68

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 It was a little more than half an hour later when Julian ascended the steps of his club in Pall Mall and asked the hall porter for letters.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading Except that he was a little paler than usual and was leaning more heavily upon his stick, there was nothing about his appearance to denote several days of intense strain.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading It was a little more than half an hour later when Julian ascended the steps of his club in Pall Mall and asked the hall porter for letters.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading It was a little more than half an hour later when Julian ascended the steps of his club in Pall Mall and asked the hall porter for letters.

appearancenounUS /ˈappearance/

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

From this reading Except that he was a little paler than usual and was leaning more heavily upon his stick, there was nothing about his appearance to denote several days of intense strain.

ascended

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

From this reading It was a little more than half an hour later when Julian ascended the steps of his club in Pall Mall and asked the hall porter for letters.

askednounUS /asked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It was a little more than half an hour later when Julian ascended the steps of his club in Pall Mall and asked the hall porter for letters.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “There have been a good many enquiries for you the last few days, sir,” he observed.

club

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

From this reading It was a little more than half an hour later when Julian ascended the steps of his club in Pall Mall and asked the hall porter for letters.

commissionaire's

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

From this reading There was a shade of curiosity, mingled with surprise, in the commissionaire’s respectful greeting.

curiosity

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

From this reading There was a shade of curiosity, mingled with surprise, in the commissionaire’s respectful greeting.

dare

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

From this reading “I dare say,” Julian replied.

days

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

From this reading Except that he was a little paler than usual and was leaning more heavily upon his stick, there was nothing about his appearance to denote several days of intense strain.

denote

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

From this reading Except that he was a little paler than usual and was leaning more heavily upon his stick, there was nothing about his appearance to denote several days of intense strain.

enquiries

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

From this reading “There have been a good many enquiries for you the last few days, sir,” he observed.

ExceptprepositionUS /ɪkˈsept/

apart from; not including

From this reading Except that he was a little paler than usual and was leaning more heavily upon his stick, there was nothing about his appearance to denote several days of intense strain.

few

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

From this reading “There have been a good many enquiries for you the last few days, sir,” he observed.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading It was a little more than half an hour later when Julian ascended the steps of his club in Pall Mall and asked the hall porter for letters.

goodnounUS /good/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “There have been a good many enquiries for you the last few days, sir,” he observed.

greeting

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

From this reading There was a shade of curiosity, mingled with surprise, in the commissionaire’s respectful greeting.

halfnounUS /half/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It was a little more than half an hour later when Julian ascended the steps of his club in Pall Mall and asked the hall porter for letters.

hall

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

From this reading It was a little more than half an hour later when Julian ascended the steps of his club in Pall Mall and asked the hall porter for letters.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “There have been a good many enquiries for you the last few days, sir,” he observed.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading Except that he was a little paler than usual and was leaning more heavily upon his stick, there was nothing about his appearance to denote several days of intense strain.

heavily

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

From this reading Except that he was a little paler than usual and was leaning more heavily upon his stick, there was nothing about his appearance to denote several days of intense strain.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading It was a little more than half an hour later when Julian ascended the steps of his club in Pall Mall and asked the hall porter for letters.

hour

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

From this reading It was a little more than half an hour later when Julian ascended the steps of his club in Pall Mall and asked the hall porter for letters.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading “I dare say,” Julian replied.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading It was a little more than half an hour later when Julian ascended the steps of his club in Pall Mall and asked the hall porter for letters.

intense

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

From this reading Except that he was a little paler than usual and was leaning more heavily upon his stick, there was nothing about his appearance to denote several days of intense strain.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was a little more than half an hour later when Julian ascended the steps of his club in Pall Mall and asked the hall porter for letters.

Julian

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

From this reading It was a little more than half an hour later when Julian ascended the steps of his club in Pall Mall and asked the hall porter for letters.

lastnounUS /last/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “There have been a good many enquiries for you the last few days, sir,” he observed.

later

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

From this reading It was a little more than half an hour later when Julian ascended the steps of his club in Pall Mall and asked the hall porter for letters.

leaning

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

From this reading Except that he was a little paler than usual and was leaning more heavily upon his stick, there was nothing about his appearance to denote several days of intense strain.

letters

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

From this reading It was a little more than half an hour later when Julian ascended the steps of his club in Pall Mall and asked the hall porter for letters.

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It was a little more than half an hour later when Julian ascended the steps of his club in Pall Mall and asked the hall porter for letters.

Mall

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

From this reading It was a little more than half an hour later when Julian ascended the steps of his club in Pall Mall and asked the hall porter for letters.

many

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

From this reading “There have been a good many enquiries for you the last few days, sir,” he observed.

mingled

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

From this reading There was a shade of curiosity, mingled with surprise, in the commissionaire’s respectful greeting.

more

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

From this reading It was a little more than half an hour later when Julian ascended the steps of his club in Pall Mall and asked the hall porter for letters.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading Except that he was a little paler than usual and was leaning more heavily upon his stick, there was nothing about his appearance to denote several days of intense strain.

observed

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

From this reading “There have been a good many enquiries for you the last few days, sir,” he observed.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading It was a little more than half an hour later when Julian ascended the steps of his club in Pall Mall and asked the hall porter for letters.

paler

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

From this reading Except that he was a little paler than usual and was leaning more heavily upon his stick, there was nothing about his appearance to denote several days of intense strain.

Pall

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

From this reading It was a little more than half an hour later when Julian ascended the steps of his club in Pall Mall and asked the hall porter for letters.

porter

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

From this reading It was a little more than half an hour later when Julian ascended the steps of his club in Pall Mall and asked the hall porter for letters.

repliednounUS /replied/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “I dare say,” Julian replied.

respectful

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

From this reading There was a shade of curiosity, mingled with surprise, in the commissionaire’s respectful greeting.

say

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

From this reading “I dare say,” Julian replied.

several

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

From this reading Except that he was a little paler than usual and was leaning more heavily upon his stick, there was nothing about his appearance to denote several days of intense strain.

shade

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

From this reading There was a shade of curiosity, mingled with surprise, in the commissionaire’s respectful greeting.

sir

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

From this reading “There have been a good many enquiries for you the last few days, sir,” he observed.

steps

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

From this reading It was a little more than half an hour later when Julian ascended the steps of his club in Pall Mall and asked the hall porter for letters.

stick

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

From this reading Except that he was a little paler than usual and was leaning more heavily upon his stick, there was nothing about his appearance to denote several days of intense strain.

strain

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

From this reading Except that he was a little paler than usual and was leaning more heavily upon his stick, there was nothing about his appearance to denote several days of intense strain.

surprise

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

From this reading There was a shade of curiosity, mingled with surprise, in the commissionaire’s respectful greeting.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading It was a little more than half an hour later when Julian ascended the steps of his club in Pall Mall and asked the hall porter for letters.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Except that he was a little paler than usual and was leaning more heavily upon his stick, there was nothing about his appearance to denote several days of intense strain.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading It was a little more than half an hour later when Julian ascended the steps of his club in Pall Mall and asked the hall porter for letters.

there

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

From this reading Except that he was a little paler than usual and was leaning more heavily upon his stick, there was nothing about his appearance to denote several days of intense strain.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Except that he was a little paler than usual and was leaning more heavily upon his stick, there was nothing about his appearance to denote several days of intense strain.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading Except that he was a little paler than usual and was leaning more heavily upon his stick, there was nothing about his appearance to denote several days of intense strain.

usual

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

From this reading Except that he was a little paler than usual and was leaning more heavily upon his stick, there was nothing about his appearance to denote several days of intense strain.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading It was a little more than half an hour later when Julian ascended the steps of his club in Pall Mall and asked the hall porter for letters.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading It was a little more than half an hour later when Julian ascended the steps of his club in Pall Mall and asked the hall porter for letters.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading There was a shade of curiosity, mingled with surprise, in the commissionaire’s respectful greeting.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “There have been a good many enquiries for you the last few days, sir,” he observed.