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The hope of happiness
The hope of happiness

Chapter VIII

Cover illustration for The hope of happiness
Context Illustration Reading 1/82 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Bruce had wondered a little when Carroll intimated his purpose to look him up; he had even speculated as to whether Mills might not have prompted this demonstration of friendliness for some purpose of his own.
But Carroll bore all the marks of a gentleman; he was socially in demand and it was grossly ungenerous to think that his call had any motive beyond a wish to be courteous to a new member of the community.
Carroll was tall and slender, with light brown hair and deep-set blue eyes.
His clean-shaven face was rather deeply lined for a man of his years; there was something of the air of a student about him.
But when he spoke it was in the crisp, incisive tones of an executive.
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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 hope of happiness

Chapter VIII

Reading 1/82 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Bruce had wondered a little when Carroll intimated his purpose to look him up; he had even speculated as to whether Mills might not have prompted this demonstration of friendliness for some purpose of his own.
Line 2
But Carroll bore all the marks of a gentleman; he was socially in demand and it was grossly ungenerous to think that his call had any motive beyond a wish to be courteous to a new member of the community.
Line 3
Carroll was tall and slender, with light brown hair and deep-set blue eyes.
Line 4
His clean-shaven face was rather deeply lined for a man of his years; there was something of the air of a student about him.
Line 5
But when he spoke it was in the crisp, incisive tones of an executive.

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 “His clean-shaven face was rather deeply lined for a man of his years; there was something of the air of a student about him.”

Beyond preposition US /bɪˈɑːnd/

on the far side of; further than

From this reading “But Carroll bore all the marks of a gentleman; he was socially in demand and it was grossly ungenerous to think that his call had any motive beyond a wish to be courteous to a new member of the community.”

Even noun US /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Bruce had wondered a little when Carroll intimated his purpose to look him up; he had even speculated as to whether Mills might not have prompted this demonstration of friendliness for some purpose of his own.”

Gentleman noun US /ˈgentleman/

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

From this reading “But Carroll bore all the marks of a gentleman; he was socially in demand and it was grossly ungenerous to think that his call had any motive beyond a wish to be courteous to a new member of the community.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “Bruce had wondered a little when Carroll intimated his purpose to look him up; he had even speculated as to whether Mills might not have prompted this demonstration of friendliness for some purpose of his own.”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Bruce had wondered a little when Carroll intimated his purpose to look him up; he had even speculated as to whether Mills might not have prompted this demonstration of friendliness for some purpose of his own.”

Look noun US /look/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Bruce had wondered a little when Carroll intimated his purpose to look him up; he had even speculated as to whether Mills might not have prompted this demonstration of friendliness for some purpose of his own.”

Might modal verb US /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading “Bruce had wondered a little when Carroll intimated his purpose to look him up; he had even speculated as to whether Mills might not have prompted this demonstration of friendliness for some purpose of his own.”

Something pronoun US /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading “His clean-shaven face was rather deeply lined for a man of his years; there was something of the air of a student about him.”

Think noun US /think/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “But Carroll bore all the marks of a gentleman; he was socially in demand and it was grossly ungenerous to think that his call had any motive beyond a wish to be courteous to a new member of the community.”

Whether conjunction US /ˈweðər/

used to introduce two or more possibilities

From this reading “Bruce had wondered a little when Carroll intimated his purpose to look him up; he had even speculated as to whether Mills might not have prompted this demonstration of friendliness for some purpose of his own.”

Wondered noun US /wondered/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Bruce had wondered a little when Carroll intimated his purpose to look him up; he had even speculated as to whether Mills might not have prompted this demonstration of friendliness for some purpose of his own.”

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 Bruce had wondered a little when Carroll intimated his purpose to look him up; he had even speculated as to whether Mills might not have prompted this demonstration of friendliness for some purpose of his own.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading His clean-shaven face was rather deeply lined for a man of his years; there was something of the air of a student about him.

air

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

From this reading His clean-shaven face was rather deeply lined for a man of his years; there was something of the air of a student about him.

all

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

From this reading But Carroll bore all the marks of a gentleman; he was socially in demand and it was grossly ungenerous to think that his call had any motive beyond a wish to be courteous to a new member of the community.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading But when he spoke it was in the crisp, incisive tones of an executive.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading But Carroll bore all the marks of a gentleman; he was socially in demand and it was grossly ungenerous to think that his call had any motive beyond a wish to be courteous to a new member of the community.

any

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

From this reading But Carroll bore all the marks of a gentleman; he was socially in demand and it was grossly ungenerous to think that his call had any motive beyond a wish to be courteous to a new member of the community.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Bruce had wondered a little when Carroll intimated his purpose to look him up; he had even speculated as to whether Mills might not have prompted this demonstration of friendliness for some purpose of his own.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading But Carroll bore all the marks of a gentleman; he was socially in demand and it was grossly ungenerous to think that his call had any motive beyond a wish to be courteous to a new member of the community.

beyondprepositionUS /bɪˈɑːnd/

on the far side of; further than

From this reading But Carroll bore all the marks of a gentleman; he was socially in demand and it was grossly ungenerous to think that his call had any motive beyond a wish to be courteous to a new member of the community.

blue

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

From this reading Carroll was tall and slender, with light brown hair and deep-set blue eyes.

bore

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

From this reading But Carroll bore all the marks of a gentleman; he was socially in demand and it was grossly ungenerous to think that his call had any motive beyond a wish to be courteous to a new member of the community.

brown

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

From this reading Carroll was tall and slender, with light brown hair and deep-set blue eyes.

Bruce

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

From this reading Bruce had wondered a little when Carroll intimated his purpose to look him up; he had even speculated as to whether Mills might not have prompted this demonstration of friendliness for some purpose of his own.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But Carroll bore all the marks of a gentleman; he was socially in demand and it was grossly ungenerous to think that his call had any motive beyond a wish to be courteous to a new member of the community.

call

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

From this reading But Carroll bore all the marks of a gentleman; he was socially in demand and it was grossly ungenerous to think that his call had any motive beyond a wish to be courteous to a new member of the community.

Carroll

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

From this reading Bruce had wondered a little when Carroll intimated his purpose to look him up; he had even speculated as to whether Mills might not have prompted this demonstration of friendliness for some purpose of his own.

clean-shaven

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

From this reading His clean-shaven face was rather deeply lined for a man of his years; there was something of the air of a student about him.

community

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

From this reading But Carroll bore all the marks of a gentleman; he was socially in demand and it was grossly ungenerous to think that his call had any motive beyond a wish to be courteous to a new member of the community.

courteous

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

From this reading But Carroll bore all the marks of a gentleman; he was socially in demand and it was grossly ungenerous to think that his call had any motive beyond a wish to be courteous to a new member of the community.

crisp

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

From this reading But when he spoke it was in the crisp, incisive tones of an executive.

deep-set

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

From this reading Carroll was tall and slender, with light brown hair and deep-set blue eyes.

deeply

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

From this reading His clean-shaven face was rather deeply lined for a man of his years; there was something of the air of a student about him.

demand

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

From this reading But Carroll bore all the marks of a gentleman; he was socially in demand and it was grossly ungenerous to think that his call had any motive beyond a wish to be courteous to a new member of the community.

demonstration

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

From this reading Bruce had wondered a little when Carroll intimated his purpose to look him up; he had even speculated as to whether Mills might not have prompted this demonstration of friendliness for some purpose of his own.

evennounUS /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Bruce had wondered a little when Carroll intimated his purpose to look him up; he had even speculated as to whether Mills might not have prompted this demonstration of friendliness for some purpose of his own.

executive

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

From this reading But when he spoke it was in the crisp, incisive tones of an executive.

eyes

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

From this reading Carroll was tall and slender, with light brown hair and deep-set blue eyes.

face

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

From this reading His clean-shaven face was rather deeply lined for a man of his years; there was something of the air of a student about him.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Bruce had wondered a little when Carroll intimated his purpose to look him up; he had even speculated as to whether Mills might not have prompted this demonstration of friendliness for some purpose of his own.

friendliness

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

From this reading Bruce had wondered a little when Carroll intimated his purpose to look him up; he had even speculated as to whether Mills might not have prompted this demonstration of friendliness for some purpose of his own.

gentlemannounUS /ˈgentleman/

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

From this reading But Carroll bore all the marks of a gentleman; he was socially in demand and it was grossly ungenerous to think that his call had any motive beyond a wish to be courteous to a new member of the community.

grossly

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

From this reading But Carroll bore all the marks of a gentleman; he was socially in demand and it was grossly ungenerous to think that his call had any motive beyond a wish to be courteous to a new member of the community.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Bruce had wondered a little when Carroll intimated his purpose to look him up; he had even speculated as to whether Mills might not have prompted this demonstration of friendliness for some purpose of his own.

hair

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

From this reading Carroll was tall and slender, with light brown hair and deep-set blue eyes.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Bruce had wondered a little when Carroll intimated his purpose to look him up; he had even speculated as to whether Mills might not have prompted this demonstration of friendliness for some purpose of his own.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading Bruce had wondered a little when Carroll intimated his purpose to look him up; he had even speculated as to whether Mills might not have prompted this demonstration of friendliness for some purpose of his own.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading Bruce had wondered a little when Carroll intimated his purpose to look him up; he had even speculated as to whether Mills might not have prompted this demonstration of friendliness for some purpose of his own.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Bruce had wondered a little when Carroll intimated his purpose to look him up; he had even speculated as to whether Mills might not have prompted this demonstration of friendliness for some purpose of his own.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading But Carroll bore all the marks of a gentleman; he was socially in demand and it was grossly ungenerous to think that his call had any motive beyond a wish to be courteous to a new member of the community.

incisive

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

From this reading But when he spoke it was in the crisp, incisive tones of an executive.

intimated

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

From this reading Bruce had wondered a little when Carroll intimated his purpose to look him up; he had even speculated as to whether Mills might not have prompted this demonstration of friendliness for some purpose of his own.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading But Carroll bore all the marks of a gentleman; he was socially in demand and it was grossly ungenerous to think that his call had any motive beyond a wish to be courteous to a new member of the community.

light

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

From this reading Carroll was tall and slender, with light brown hair and deep-set blue eyes.

lined

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

From this reading His clean-shaven face was rather deeply lined for a man of his years; there was something of the air of a student about him.

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Bruce had wondered a little when Carroll intimated his purpose to look him up; he had even speculated as to whether Mills might not have prompted this demonstration of friendliness for some purpose of his own.

looknounUS /look/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Bruce had wondered a little when Carroll intimated his purpose to look him up; he had even speculated as to whether Mills might not have prompted this demonstration of friendliness for some purpose of his own.

man

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

From this reading His clean-shaven face was rather deeply lined for a man of his years; there was something of the air of a student about him.

marks

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

From this reading But Carroll bore all the marks of a gentleman; he was socially in demand and it was grossly ungenerous to think that his call had any motive beyond a wish to be courteous to a new member of the community.

member

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

From this reading But Carroll bore all the marks of a gentleman; he was socially in demand and it was grossly ungenerous to think that his call had any motive beyond a wish to be courteous to a new member of the community.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading Bruce had wondered a little when Carroll intimated his purpose to look him up; he had even speculated as to whether Mills might not have prompted this demonstration of friendliness for some purpose of his own.

Mills

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

From this reading Bruce had wondered a little when Carroll intimated his purpose to look him up; he had even speculated as to whether Mills might not have prompted this demonstration of friendliness for some purpose of his own.

motive

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

From this reading But Carroll bore all the marks of a gentleman; he was socially in demand and it was grossly ungenerous to think that his call had any motive beyond a wish to be courteous to a new member of the community.

new

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

From this reading But Carroll bore all the marks of a gentleman; he was socially in demand and it was grossly ungenerous to think that his call had any motive beyond a wish to be courteous to a new member of the community.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Bruce had wondered a little when Carroll intimated his purpose to look him up; he had even speculated as to whether Mills might not have prompted this demonstration of friendliness for some purpose of his own.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Bruce had wondered a little when Carroll intimated his purpose to look him up; he had even speculated as to whether Mills might not have prompted this demonstration of friendliness for some purpose of his own.

own

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

From this reading Bruce had wondered a little when Carroll intimated his purpose to look him up; he had even speculated as to whether Mills might not have prompted this demonstration of friendliness for some purpose of his own.

prompted

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

From this reading Bruce had wondered a little when Carroll intimated his purpose to look him up; he had even speculated as to whether Mills might not have prompted this demonstration of friendliness for some purpose of his own.

purpose

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

From this reading Bruce had wondered a little when Carroll intimated his purpose to look him up; he had even speculated as to whether Mills might not have prompted this demonstration of friendliness for some purpose of his own.

rather

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

From this reading His clean-shaven face was rather deeply lined for a man of his years; there was something of the air of a student about him.

slender

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

From this reading Carroll was tall and slender, with light brown hair and deep-set blue eyes.

socially

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

From this reading But Carroll bore all the marks of a gentleman; he was socially in demand and it was grossly ungenerous to think that his call had any motive beyond a wish to be courteous to a new member of the community.

some

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

From this reading Bruce had wondered a little when Carroll intimated his purpose to look him up; he had even speculated as to whether Mills might not have prompted this demonstration of friendliness for some purpose of his own.

somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading His clean-shaven face was rather deeply lined for a man of his years; there was something of the air of a student about him.

speculated

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

From this reading Bruce had wondered a little when Carroll intimated his purpose to look him up; he had even speculated as to whether Mills might not have prompted this demonstration of friendliness for some purpose of his own.

spoke

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

From this reading But when he spoke it was in the crisp, incisive tones of an executive.

student

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

From this reading His clean-shaven face was rather deeply lined for a man of his years; there was something of the air of a student about him.

tall

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

From this reading Carroll was tall and slender, with light brown hair and deep-set blue eyes.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading But Carroll bore all the marks of a gentleman; he was socially in demand and it was grossly ungenerous to think that his call had any motive beyond a wish to be courteous to a new member of the community.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading But Carroll bore all the marks of a gentleman; he was socially in demand and it was grossly ungenerous to think that his call had any motive beyond a wish to be courteous to a new member of the community.

there

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

From this reading His clean-shaven face was rather deeply lined for a man of his years; there was something of the air of a student about him.

thinknounUS /think/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading But Carroll bore all the marks of a gentleman; he was socially in demand and it was grossly ungenerous to think that his call had any motive beyond a wish to be courteous to a new member of the community.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading Bruce had wondered a little when Carroll intimated his purpose to look him up; he had even speculated as to whether Mills might not have prompted this demonstration of friendliness for some purpose of his own.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Bruce had wondered a little when Carroll intimated his purpose to look him up; he had even speculated as to whether Mills might not have prompted this demonstration of friendliness for some purpose of his own.

tones

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

From this reading But when he spoke it was in the crisp, incisive tones of an executive.

ungenerous

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

From this reading But Carroll bore all the marks of a gentleman; he was socially in demand and it was grossly ungenerous to think that his call had any motive beyond a wish to be courteous to a new member of the community.

up

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

From this reading Bruce had wondered a little when Carroll intimated his purpose to look him up; he had even speculated as to whether Mills might not have prompted this demonstration of friendliness for some purpose of his own.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading But Carroll bore all the marks of a gentleman; he was socially in demand and it was grossly ungenerous to think that his call had any motive beyond a wish to be courteous to a new member of the community.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading Bruce had wondered a little when Carroll intimated his purpose to look him up; he had even speculated as to whether Mills might not have prompted this demonstration of friendliness for some purpose of his own.

whetherconjunctionUS /ˈweðər/

used to introduce two or more possibilities

From this reading Bruce had wondered a little when Carroll intimated his purpose to look him up; he had even speculated as to whether Mills might not have prompted this demonstration of friendliness for some purpose of his own.

wish

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

From this reading But Carroll bore all the marks of a gentleman; he was socially in demand and it was grossly ungenerous to think that his call had any motive beyond a wish to be courteous to a new member of the community.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Carroll was tall and slender, with light brown hair and deep-set blue eyes.

wonderednounUS /wondered/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Bruce had wondered a little when Carroll intimated his purpose to look him up; he had even speculated as to whether Mills might not have prompted this demonstration of friendliness for some purpose of his own.

years

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

From this reading His clean-shaven face was rather deeply lined for a man of his years; there was something of the air of a student about him.