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The goddess: a demon
The goddess: a demon

Chapter XVII · My Unpersuasive Manner

Cover illustration for The goddess: a demon
Context Illustration Reading 1/51 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
As I left the house a man came across the pavement as if with the intention of knocking at Philip Lawrence’s door.
At sight of me coming down the steps he stopped short.
It was young Moore.
His appearance set the blood tingling in my veins; his hat was cocked at an acute angle on one side of his head; a cigar was stuck in the corner of his mouth.
There was something in his bearing, and about the way in which he spoke, which showed that he had been drinking.
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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 goddess: a demon

Chapter XVII · My Unpersuasive Manner

Reading 1/51 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
As I left the house a man came across the pavement as if with the intention of knocking at Philip Lawrence’s door.
Line 2
At sight of me coming down the steps he stopped short.
Line 3
It was young Moore.
Line 4
His appearance set the blood tingling in my veins; his hat was cocked at an acute angle on one side of his head; a cigar was stuck in the corner of his mouth.
Line 5
There was something in his bearing, and about the way in which he spoke, which showed that he had been drinking.

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 “There was something in his bearing, and about the way in which he spoke, which showed that he had been drinking.”

Across preposition US /əˈkrɔːs/

from one side of something to the other

From this reading “As I left the house a man came across the pavement as if with the intention of knocking at Philip Lawrence’s door.”

Appearance noun US /ˈappearance/

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

From this reading “His appearance set the blood tingling in my veins; his hat was cocked at an acute angle on one side of his head; a cigar was stuck in the corner of his mouth.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “There was something in his bearing, and about the way in which he spoke, which showed that he had been drinking.”

Blood noun US /blood/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “His appearance set the blood tingling in my veins; his hat was cocked at an acute angle on one side of his head; a cigar was stuck in the corner of his mouth.”

Left noun US /left/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “As I left the house a man came across the pavement as if with the intention of knocking at Philip Lawrence’s door.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “His appearance set the blood tingling in my veins; his hat was cocked at an acute angle on one side of his head; a cigar was stuck in the corner of his mouth.”

Short adjective US /ʃɔrt/

brief or direct in expression

From this reading “At sight of me coming down the steps he stopped short.”

Something pronoun US /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading “There was something in his bearing, and about the way in which he spoke, which showed that he had been drinking.”

Stopped noun US /stopped/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “At sight of me coming down the steps he stopped short.”

All words in this reading · 65

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 As I left the house a man came across the pavement as if with the intention of knocking at Philip Lawrence’s door.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading There was something in his bearing, and about the way in which he spoke, which showed that he had been drinking.

acrossprepositionUS /əˈkrɔːs/

from one side of something to the other

From this reading As I left the house a man came across the pavement as if with the intention of knocking at Philip Lawrence’s door.

acute

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

From this reading His appearance set the blood tingling in my veins; his hat was cocked at an acute angle on one side of his head; a cigar was stuck in the corner of his mouth.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading His appearance set the blood tingling in my veins; his hat was cocked at an acute angle on one side of his head; a cigar was stuck in the corner of his mouth.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading There was something in his bearing, and about the way in which he spoke, which showed that he had been drinking.

angle

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

From this reading His appearance set the blood tingling in my veins; his hat was cocked at an acute angle on one side of his head; a cigar was stuck in the corner of his mouth.

appearancenounUS /ˈappearance/

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

From this reading His appearance set the blood tingling in my veins; his hat was cocked at an acute angle on one side of his head; a cigar was stuck in the corner of his mouth.

AsconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading As I left the house a man came across the pavement as if with the intention of knocking at Philip Lawrence’s door.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading As I left the house a man came across the pavement as if with the intention of knocking at Philip Lawrence’s door.

bearing

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

From this reading There was something in his bearing, and about the way in which he spoke, which showed that he had been drinking.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading There was something in his bearing, and about the way in which he spoke, which showed that he had been drinking.

bloodnounUS /blood/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading His appearance set the blood tingling in my veins; his hat was cocked at an acute angle on one side of his head; a cigar was stuck in the corner of his mouth.

came

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

From this reading As I left the house a man came across the pavement as if with the intention of knocking at Philip Lawrence’s door.

cigar

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

From this reading His appearance set the blood tingling in my veins; his hat was cocked at an acute angle on one side of his head; a cigar was stuck in the corner of his mouth.

cocked

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

From this reading His appearance set the blood tingling in my veins; his hat was cocked at an acute angle on one side of his head; a cigar was stuck in the corner of his mouth.

coming

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

From this reading At sight of me coming down the steps he stopped short.

corner

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

From this reading His appearance set the blood tingling in my veins; his hat was cocked at an acute angle on one side of his head; a cigar was stuck in the corner of his mouth.

door

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

From this reading As I left the house a man came across the pavement as if with the intention of knocking at Philip Lawrence’s door.

down

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

From this reading At sight of me coming down the steps he stopped short.

drinking

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

From this reading There was something in his bearing, and about the way in which he spoke, which showed that he had been drinking.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading There was something in his bearing, and about the way in which he spoke, which showed that he had been drinking.

hat

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

From this reading His appearance set the blood tingling in my veins; his hat was cocked at an acute angle on one side of his head; a cigar was stuck in the corner of his mouth.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading At sight of me coming down the steps he stopped short.

head

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

From this reading His appearance set the blood tingling in my veins; his hat was cocked at an acute angle on one side of his head; a cigar was stuck in the corner of his mouth.

HisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading His appearance set the blood tingling in my veins; his hat was cocked at an acute angle on one side of his head; a cigar was stuck in the corner of his mouth.

house

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

From this reading As I left the house a man came across the pavement as if with the intention of knocking at Philip Lawrence’s door.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading As I left the house a man came across the pavement as if with the intention of knocking at Philip Lawrence’s door.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading As I left the house a man came across the pavement as if with the intention of knocking at Philip Lawrence’s door.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading His appearance set the blood tingling in my veins; his hat was cocked at an acute angle on one side of his head; a cigar was stuck in the corner of his mouth.

intention

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

From this reading As I left the house a man came across the pavement as if with the intention of knocking at Philip Lawrence’s door.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was young Moore.

knocking

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

From this reading As I left the house a man came across the pavement as if with the intention of knocking at Philip Lawrence’s door.

Lawrence's

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

From this reading As I left the house a man came across the pavement as if with the intention of knocking at Philip Lawrence’s door.

leftnounUS /left/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading As I left the house a man came across the pavement as if with the intention of knocking at Philip Lawrence’s door.

man

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

From this reading As I left the house a man came across the pavement as if with the intention of knocking at Philip Lawrence’s door.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading At sight of me coming down the steps he stopped short.

Moore

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

From this reading It was young Moore.

mouth

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

From this reading His appearance set the blood tingling in my veins; his hat was cocked at an acute angle on one side of his head; a cigar was stuck in the corner of his mouth.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading His appearance set the blood tingling in my veins; his hat was cocked at an acute angle on one side of his head; a cigar was stuck in the corner of his mouth.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading As I left the house a man came across the pavement as if with the intention of knocking at Philip Lawrence’s door.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading His appearance set the blood tingling in my veins; his hat was cocked at an acute angle on one side of his head; a cigar was stuck in the corner of his mouth.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading His appearance set the blood tingling in my veins; his hat was cocked at an acute angle on one side of his head; a cigar was stuck in the corner of his mouth.

pavement

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

From this reading As I left the house a man came across the pavement as if with the intention of knocking at Philip Lawrence’s door.

Philip

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

From this reading As I left the house a man came across the pavement as if with the intention of knocking at Philip Lawrence’s door.

set

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

From this reading His appearance set the blood tingling in my veins; his hat was cocked at an acute angle on one side of his head; a cigar was stuck in the corner of his mouth.

shortadjectiveUS /ʃɔrt/

brief or direct in expression

From this reading At sight of me coming down the steps he stopped short.

showed

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

From this reading There was something in his bearing, and about the way in which he spoke, which showed that he had been drinking.

side

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

From this reading His appearance set the blood tingling in my veins; his hat was cocked at an acute angle on one side of his head; a cigar was stuck in the corner of his mouth.

sight

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

From this reading At sight of me coming down the steps he stopped short.

somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading There was something in his bearing, and about the way in which he spoke, which showed that he had been drinking.

spoke

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

From this reading There was something in his bearing, and about the way in which he spoke, which showed that he had been drinking.

steps

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

From this reading At sight of me coming down the steps he stopped short.

stoppednounUS /stopped/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading At sight of me coming down the steps he stopped short.

stuck

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

From this reading His appearance set the blood tingling in my veins; his hat was cocked at an acute angle on one side of his head; a cigar was stuck in the corner of his mouth.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading There was something in his bearing, and about the way in which he spoke, which showed that he had been drinking.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading As I left the house a man came across the pavement as if with the intention of knocking at Philip Lawrence’s door.

There

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

From this reading There was something in his bearing, and about the way in which he spoke, which showed that he had been drinking.

tingling

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

From this reading His appearance set the blood tingling in my veins; his hat was cocked at an acute angle on one side of his head; a cigar was stuck in the corner of his mouth.

veins

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

From this reading His appearance set the blood tingling in my veins; his hat was cocked at an acute angle on one side of his head; a cigar was stuck in the corner of his mouth.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading It was young Moore.

way

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

From this reading There was something in his bearing, and about the way in which he spoke, which showed that he had been drinking.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading There was something in his bearing, and about the way in which he spoke, which showed that he had been drinking.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading As I left the house a man came across the pavement as if with the intention of knocking at Philip Lawrence’s door.

young

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

From this reading It was young Moore.