Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The Honour of the Clintons
The Honour of the Clintons

Chapter VI

Cover illustration for The Honour of the Clintons
Context Illustration Reading 1/32 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE YOUNG BIRDS "It's a horrid thing for a young girl to have to go through."
John Spence fitted two walnuts together in the palms of his big hands and cracked them with a sudden tightening of the muscles.
His good-humoured ruddy face was solicitous.
"I think they ought to have kept her out of it," he said.
The dark-panelled dining-room of the Dower House framed a warm picture of two men and two women sitting at the round table, bright with lights and flowers, old silver and sparkling glass.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
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 Honour of the Clintons

Chapter VI

Reading 1/32 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE YOUNG BIRDS "It's a horrid thing for a young girl to have to go through."
Line 2
John Spence fitted two walnuts together in the palms of his big hands and cracked them with a sudden tightening of the muscles.
Line 3
His good-humoured ruddy face was solicitous.
Line 4
"I think they ought to have kept her out of it," he said.
Line 5
The dark-panelled dining-room of the Dower House framed a warm picture of two men and two women sitting at the round table, bright with lights and flowers, old silver and sparkling glass.

Learner Dictionary

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

Fitted adjective US /ˈfɪtɪd/

prepared and equipped for a particular purpose

From this reading “John Spence fitted two walnuts together in the palms of his big hands and cracked them with a sudden tightening of the muscles.”

Hands plural noun US /hændz/

members of a ship’s crew

From this reading “John Spence fitted two walnuts together in the palms of his big hands and cracked them with a sudden tightening of the muscles.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “THE YOUNG BIRDS "It's a horrid thing for a young girl to have to go through."”

John noun US /john/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “John Spence fitted two walnuts together in the palms of his big hands and cracked them with a sudden tightening of the muscles.”

Ought modal verb US /ɔːt/

used with “to” to say what is right or advisable

From this reading “"I think they ought to have kept her out of it," he said.”

Silver noun US /silver/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The dark-panelled dining-room of the Dower House framed a warm picture of two men and two women sitting at the round table, bright with lights and flowers, old silver and sparkling glass.”

Sudden noun US /sudden/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “John Spence fitted two walnuts together in the palms of his big hands and cracked them with a sudden tightening of the muscles.”

Thing noun US /thing/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “THE YOUNG BIRDS "It's a horrid thing for a young girl to have to go through."”

Think noun US /think/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “"I think they ought to have kept her out of it," he said.”

Through noun US /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading “THE YOUNG BIRDS "It's a horrid thing for a young girl to have to go through."”

All words in this reading · 67

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 THE YOUNG BIRDS "It's a horrid thing for a young girl to have to go through."

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading John Spence fitted two walnuts together in the palms of his big hands and cracked them with a sudden tightening of the muscles.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading The dark-panelled dining-room of the Dower House framed a warm picture of two men and two women sitting at the round table, bright with lights and flowers, old silver and sparkling glass.

big

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

From this reading John Spence fitted two walnuts together in the palms of his big hands and cracked them with a sudden tightening of the muscles.

BIRDS

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

From this reading THE YOUNG BIRDS "It's a horrid thing for a young girl to have to go through."

bright

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

From this reading The dark-panelled dining-room of the Dower House framed a warm picture of two men and two women sitting at the round table, bright with lights and flowers, old silver and sparkling glass.

cracked

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

From this reading John Spence fitted two walnuts together in the palms of his big hands and cracked them with a sudden tightening of the muscles.

dark-panelled

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

From this reading The dark-panelled dining-room of the Dower House framed a warm picture of two men and two women sitting at the round table, bright with lights and flowers, old silver and sparkling glass.

dining-room

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

From this reading The dark-panelled dining-room of the Dower House framed a warm picture of two men and two women sitting at the round table, bright with lights and flowers, old silver and sparkling glass.

Dower

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

From this reading The dark-panelled dining-room of the Dower House framed a warm picture of two men and two women sitting at the round table, bright with lights and flowers, old silver and sparkling glass.

face

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

From this reading His good-humoured ruddy face was solicitous.

fittedadjectiveUS /ˈfɪtɪd/

prepared and equipped for a particular purpose

From this reading John Spence fitted two walnuts together in the palms of his big hands and cracked them with a sudden tightening of the muscles.

flowers

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

From this reading The dark-panelled dining-room of the Dower House framed a warm picture of two men and two women sitting at the round table, bright with lights and flowers, old silver and sparkling glass.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading THE YOUNG BIRDS "It's a horrid thing for a young girl to have to go through."

framed

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

From this reading The dark-panelled dining-room of the Dower House framed a warm picture of two men and two women sitting at the round table, bright with lights and flowers, old silver and sparkling glass.

girl

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

From this reading THE YOUNG BIRDS "It's a horrid thing for a young girl to have to go through."

glass

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

From this reading The dark-panelled dining-room of the Dower House framed a warm picture of two men and two women sitting at the round table, bright with lights and flowers, old silver and sparkling glass.

go

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

From this reading THE YOUNG BIRDS "It's a horrid thing for a young girl to have to go through."

good-humoured

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

From this reading His good-humoured ruddy face was solicitous.

handsplural nounUS /hændz/

members of a ship’s crew

From this reading John Spence fitted two walnuts together in the palms of his big hands and cracked them with a sudden tightening of the muscles.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading THE YOUNG BIRDS "It's a horrid thing for a young girl to have to go through."

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading "I think they ought to have kept her out of it," he said.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading "I think they ought to have kept her out of it," he said.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading John Spence fitted two walnuts together in the palms of his big hands and cracked them with a sudden tightening of the muscles.

horrid

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

From this reading THE YOUNG BIRDS "It's a horrid thing for a young girl to have to go through."

House

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

From this reading The dark-panelled dining-room of the Dower House framed a warm picture of two men and two women sitting at the round table, bright with lights and flowers, old silver and sparkling glass.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading "I think they ought to have kept her out of it," he said.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading John Spence fitted two walnuts together in the palms of his big hands and cracked them with a sudden tightening of the muscles.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading "I think they ought to have kept her out of it," he said.

It's

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

From this reading THE YOUNG BIRDS "It's a horrid thing for a young girl to have to go through."

John

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

From this reading John Spence fitted two walnuts together in the palms of his big hands and cracked them with a sudden tightening of the muscles.

kept

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

From this reading "I think they ought to have kept her out of it," he said.

lights

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

From this reading The dark-panelled dining-room of the Dower House framed a warm picture of two men and two women sitting at the round table, bright with lights and flowers, old silver and sparkling glass.

men

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

From this reading The dark-panelled dining-room of the Dower House framed a warm picture of two men and two women sitting at the round table, bright with lights and flowers, old silver and sparkling glass.

muscles

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

From this reading John Spence fitted two walnuts together in the palms of his big hands and cracked them with a sudden tightening of the muscles.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading John Spence fitted two walnuts together in the palms of his big hands and cracked them with a sudden tightening of the muscles.

old

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

From this reading The dark-panelled dining-room of the Dower House framed a warm picture of two men and two women sitting at the round table, bright with lights and flowers, old silver and sparkling glass.

oughtmodal verbUS /ɔːt/

used with “to” to say what is right or advisable

From this reading "I think they ought to have kept her out of it," he said.

out

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

From this reading "I think they ought to have kept her out of it," he said.

palms

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

From this reading John Spence fitted two walnuts together in the palms of his big hands and cracked them with a sudden tightening of the muscles.

picture

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

From this reading The dark-panelled dining-room of the Dower House framed a warm picture of two men and two women sitting at the round table, bright with lights and flowers, old silver and sparkling glass.

round

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

From this reading The dark-panelled dining-room of the Dower House framed a warm picture of two men and two women sitting at the round table, bright with lights and flowers, old silver and sparkling glass.

ruddy

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

From this reading His good-humoured ruddy face was solicitous.

said

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

From this reading "I think they ought to have kept her out of it," he said.

silver

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

From this reading The dark-panelled dining-room of the Dower House framed a warm picture of two men and two women sitting at the round table, bright with lights and flowers, old silver and sparkling glass.

sitting

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

From this reading The dark-panelled dining-room of the Dower House framed a warm picture of two men and two women sitting at the round table, bright with lights and flowers, old silver and sparkling glass.

solicitous

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

From this reading His good-humoured ruddy face was solicitous.

sparkling

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

From this reading The dark-panelled dining-room of the Dower House framed a warm picture of two men and two women sitting at the round table, bright with lights and flowers, old silver and sparkling glass.

Spence

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

From this reading John Spence fitted two walnuts together in the palms of his big hands and cracked them with a sudden tightening of the muscles.

suddennounUS /sudden/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading John Spence fitted two walnuts together in the palms of his big hands and cracked them with a sudden tightening of the muscles.

table

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

From this reading The dark-panelled dining-room of the Dower House framed a warm picture of two men and two women sitting at the round table, bright with lights and flowers, old silver and sparkling glass.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE YOUNG BIRDS "It's a horrid thing for a young girl to have to go through."

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading John Spence fitted two walnuts together in the palms of his big hands and cracked them with a sudden tightening of the muscles.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "I think they ought to have kept her out of it," he said.

thingnounUS /thing/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading THE YOUNG BIRDS "It's a horrid thing for a young girl to have to go through."

thinknounUS /think/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading "I think they ought to have kept her out of it," he said.

throughnounUS /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading THE YOUNG BIRDS "It's a horrid thing for a young girl to have to go through."

tightening

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

From this reading John Spence fitted two walnuts together in the palms of his big hands and cracked them with a sudden tightening of the muscles.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading THE YOUNG BIRDS "It's a horrid thing for a young girl to have to go through."

together

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

From this reading John Spence fitted two walnuts together in the palms of his big hands and cracked them with a sudden tightening of the muscles.

two

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

From this reading John Spence fitted two walnuts together in the palms of his big hands and cracked them with a sudden tightening of the muscles.

walnuts

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

From this reading John Spence fitted two walnuts together in the palms of his big hands and cracked them with a sudden tightening of the muscles.

warm

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

From this reading The dark-panelled dining-room of the Dower House framed a warm picture of two men and two women sitting at the round table, bright with lights and flowers, old silver and sparkling glass.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading His good-humoured ruddy face was solicitous.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading John Spence fitted two walnuts together in the palms of his big hands and cracked them with a sudden tightening of the muscles.

women

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

From this reading The dark-panelled dining-room of the Dower House framed a warm picture of two men and two women sitting at the round table, bright with lights and flowers, old silver and sparkling glass.

YOUNG

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

From this reading THE YOUNG BIRDS "It's a horrid thing for a young girl to have to go through."