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The Joss: A Reversion
The Joss: A Reversion

Chapter XVIII · Counsel’s Opinion

Cover illustration for The Joss: A Reversion
Context Illustration Reading 1/38 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
I should not myself have cared to live in Camford Street, though it had many residents.
It was in the heart, if not exactly of a slum, then certainly of an unsavoury district.
Its surroundings, residentially speaking, were about as undesirable as they could have been.
Camford Street itself was long, dreary, out-at-elbows, old enough to look as if it would be improved by being rebuilt.
Painters, whitewashers, people of that kind, had not been down that way for years; that was obvious from the fronts of the houses.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Joss: A Reversion

Chapter XVIII · Counsel’s Opinion

Reading 1/38 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
I should not myself have cared to live in Camford Street, though it had many residents.
Line 2
It was in the heart, if not exactly of a slum, then certainly of an unsavoury district.
Line 3
Its surroundings, residentially speaking, were about as undesirable as they could have been.
Line 4
Camford Street itself was long, dreary, out-at-elbows, old enough to look as if it would be improved by being rebuilt.
Line 5
Painters, whitewashers, people of that kind, had not been down that way for years; that was obvious from the fronts of the houses.

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 “Its surroundings, residentially speaking, were about as undesirable as they could have been.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “Its surroundings, residentially speaking, were about as undesirable as they could have been.”

Being auxiliary verb US /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading “Camford Street itself was long, dreary, out-at-elbows, old enough to look as if it would be improved by being rebuilt.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading “Its surroundings, residentially speaking, were about as undesirable as they could have been.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “I should not myself have cared to live in Camford Street, though it had many residents.”

Itself pronoun US /ˌɪtˈself/

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading “Camford Street itself was long, dreary, out-at-elbows, old enough to look as if it would be improved by being rebuilt.”

Long noun US /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Camford Street itself was long, dreary, out-at-elbows, old enough to look as if it would be improved by being rebuilt.”

Look noun US /look/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Camford Street itself was long, dreary, out-at-elbows, old enough to look as if it would be improved by being rebuilt.”

Myself pronoun US /ˌmaɪˈself/

used when the speaker is also the object of the action

From this reading “I should not myself have cared to live in Camford Street, though it had many residents.”

Though conjunction US /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading “I should not myself have cared to live in Camford Street, though it had many residents.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

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

From this reading “Camford Street itself was long, dreary, out-at-elbows, old enough to look as if it would be improved by being rebuilt.”

All words in this reading · 66

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 in the heart, if not exactly of a slum, then certainly of an unsavoury district.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading Its surroundings, residentially speaking, were about as undesirable as they could have been.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading It was in the heart, if not exactly of a slum, then certainly of an unsavoury district.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Its surroundings, residentially speaking, were about as undesirable as they could have been.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading Camford Street itself was long, dreary, out-at-elbows, old enough to look as if it would be improved by being rebuilt.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Its surroundings, residentially speaking, were about as undesirable as they could have been.

beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading Camford Street itself was long, dreary, out-at-elbows, old enough to look as if it would be improved by being rebuilt.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Camford Street itself was long, dreary, out-at-elbows, old enough to look as if it would be improved by being rebuilt.

Camford

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

From this reading I should not myself have cared to live in Camford Street, though it had many residents.

cared

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

From this reading I should not myself have cared to live in Camford Street, though it had many residents.

certainly

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

From this reading It was in the heart, if not exactly of a slum, then certainly of an unsavoury district.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading Its surroundings, residentially speaking, were about as undesirable as they could have been.

district

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

From this reading It was in the heart, if not exactly of a slum, then certainly of an unsavoury district.

down

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

From this reading Painters, whitewashers, people of that kind, had not been down that way for years; that was obvious from the fronts of the houses.

dreary

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

From this reading Camford Street itself was long, dreary, out-at-elbows, old enough to look as if it would be improved by being rebuilt.

enough

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

From this reading Camford Street itself was long, dreary, out-at-elbows, old enough to look as if it would be improved by being rebuilt.

exactly

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

From this reading It was in the heart, if not exactly of a slum, then certainly of an unsavoury district.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Painters, whitewashers, people of that kind, had not been down that way for years; that was obvious from the fronts of the houses.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Painters, whitewashers, people of that kind, had not been down that way for years; that was obvious from the fronts of the houses.

fronts

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

From this reading Painters, whitewashers, people of that kind, had not been down that way for years; that was obvious from the fronts of the houses.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading I should not myself have cared to live in Camford Street, though it had many residents.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading I should not myself have cared to live in Camford Street, though it had many residents.

heart

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

From this reading It was in the heart, if not exactly of a slum, then certainly of an unsavoury district.

houses

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

From this reading Painters, whitewashers, people of that kind, had not been down that way for years; that was obvious from the fronts of the houses.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading I should not myself have cared to live in Camford Street, though it had many residents.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading It was in the heart, if not exactly of a slum, then certainly of an unsavoury district.

improved

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

From this reading Camford Street itself was long, dreary, out-at-elbows, old enough to look as if it would be improved by being rebuilt.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading I should not myself have cared to live in Camford Street, though it had many residents.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading I should not myself have cared to live in Camford Street, though it had many residents.

ItsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading Its surroundings, residentially speaking, were about as undesirable as they could have been.

itselfpronounUS /ˌɪtˈself/

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading Camford Street itself was long, dreary, out-at-elbows, old enough to look as if it would be improved by being rebuilt.

kind

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

From this reading Painters, whitewashers, people of that kind, had not been down that way for years; that was obvious from the fronts of the houses.

live

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

From this reading I should not myself have cared to live in Camford Street, though it had many residents.

longnounUS /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Camford Street itself was long, dreary, out-at-elbows, old enough to look as if it would be improved by being rebuilt.

looknounUS /look/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Camford Street itself was long, dreary, out-at-elbows, old enough to look as if it would be improved by being rebuilt.

many

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

From this reading I should not myself have cared to live in Camford Street, though it had many residents.

myselfpronounUS /ˌmaɪˈself/

used when the speaker is also the object of the action

From this reading I should not myself have cared to live in Camford Street, though it had many residents.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading I should not myself have cared to live in Camford Street, though it had many residents.

obvious

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

From this reading Painters, whitewashers, people of that kind, had not been down that way for years; that was obvious from the fronts of the houses.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading It was in the heart, if not exactly of a slum, then certainly of an unsavoury district.

old

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

From this reading Camford Street itself was long, dreary, out-at-elbows, old enough to look as if it would be improved by being rebuilt.

out-at-elbows

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

From this reading Camford Street itself was long, dreary, out-at-elbows, old enough to look as if it would be improved by being rebuilt.

Painters

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

From this reading Painters, whitewashers, people of that kind, had not been down that way for years; that was obvious from the fronts of the houses.

people

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

From this reading Painters, whitewashers, people of that kind, had not been down that way for years; that was obvious from the fronts of the houses.

rebuilt

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

From this reading Camford Street itself was long, dreary, out-at-elbows, old enough to look as if it would be improved by being rebuilt.

residentially

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

From this reading Its surroundings, residentially speaking, were about as undesirable as they could have been.

residents

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

From this reading I should not myself have cared to live in Camford Street, though it had many residents.

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading I should not myself have cared to live in Camford Street, though it had many residents.

slum

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

From this reading It was in the heart, if not exactly of a slum, then certainly of an unsavoury district.

speaking

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

From this reading Its surroundings, residentially speaking, were about as undesirable as they could have been.

Street

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

From this reading I should not myself have cared to live in Camford Street, though it had many residents.

surroundings

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

From this reading Its surroundings, residentially speaking, were about as undesirable as they could have been.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Painters, whitewashers, people of that kind, had not been down that way for years; that was obvious from the fronts of the houses.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading It was in the heart, if not exactly of a slum, then certainly of an unsavoury district.

then

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

From this reading It was in the heart, if not exactly of a slum, then certainly of an unsavoury district.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading Its surroundings, residentially speaking, were about as undesirable as they could have been.

thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading I should not myself have cared to live in Camford Street, though it had many residents.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading I should not myself have cared to live in Camford Street, though it had many residents.

undesirable

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

From this reading Its surroundings, residentially speaking, were about as undesirable as they could have been.

unsavoury

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

From this reading It was in the heart, if not exactly of a slum, then certainly of an unsavoury district.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading It was in the heart, if not exactly of a slum, then certainly of an unsavoury district.

way

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

From this reading Painters, whitewashers, people of that kind, had not been down that way for years; that was obvious from the fronts of the houses.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading Its surroundings, residentially speaking, were about as undesirable as they could have been.

whitewashers

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

From this reading Painters, whitewashers, people of that kind, had not been down that way for years; that was obvious from the fronts of the houses.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

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

From this reading Camford Street itself was long, dreary, out-at-elbows, old enough to look as if it would be improved by being rebuilt.

years

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

From this reading Painters, whitewashers, people of that kind, had not been down that way for years; that was obvious from the fronts of the houses.