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The Murder of Delicia
The Murder of Delicia

Chapter III

Cover illustration for The Murder of Delicia
Context Illustration Reading 1/86 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
‘It will,’ said Valdis.
‘Especially if you reproduce it in the journals, and call it “Portrait of a Lampooner’s Interior under Process of Destruction by the Microbes of Disappointment and Envy.”’
‘Good! good!’ chuckled Dalley, ‘And, my dear Valdis, how would you like a photo entitled, “Portrait of a Distinguished Actor’s Imaginative Organism consumed by the Fires of a Hopeless Love?”’
Valdis coloured violently, and anon grew pale.
‘You are an old friend of mine, Dalley,’ he said slowly, ‘but you may go too far!’
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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 Murder of Delicia

Chapter III

Reading 1/86 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
‘It will,’ said Valdis.
Line 2
‘Especially if you reproduce it in the journals, and call it “Portrait of a Lampooner’s Interior under Process of Destruction by the Microbes of Disappointment and Envy.”’
Line 3
‘Good! good!’ chuckled Dalley, ‘And, my dear Valdis, how would you like a photo entitled, “Portrait of a Distinguished Actor’s Imaginative Organism consumed by the Fires of a Hopeless Love?”’
Line 4
Valdis coloured violently, and anon grew pale.
Line 5
‘You are an old friend of mine, Dalley,’ he said slowly, ‘but you may go too far!’

Learner Dictionary

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

Disappointment noun US /ˈdisappointment/

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

From this reading “‘Especially if you reproduce it in the journals, and call it “Portrait of a Lampooner’s Interior under Process of Destruction by the Microbes of Disappointment and Envy.”’”

Good noun US /good/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “‘Good! good!’ chuckled Dalley, ‘And, my dear Valdis, how would you like a photo entitled, “Portrait of a Distinguished Actor’s Imaginative Organism consumed by the Fires of a Hopeless Love?”’”

May modal verb US /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading “‘You are an old friend of mine, Dalley,’ he said slowly, ‘but you may go too far!’”

Mine pronoun US /maɪn/

the one or ones belonging to the person speaking

From this reading “‘You are an old friend of mine, Dalley,’ he said slowly, ‘but you may go too far!’”

Under preposition US /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading “‘Especially if you reproduce it in the journals, and call it “Portrait of a Lampooner’s Interior under Process of Destruction by the Microbes of Disappointment and Envy.”’”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

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

From this reading “‘Good! good!’ chuckled Dalley, ‘And, my dear Valdis, how would you like a photo entitled, “Portrait of a Distinguished Actor’s Imaginative Organism consumed by the Fires of a Hopeless Love?”’”

All words in this reading · 60

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 ‘Especially if you reproduce it in the journals, and call it “Portrait of a Lampooner’s Interior under Process of Destruction by the Microbes of Disappointment and Envy.”’

Actor's

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

From this reading ‘Good! good!’ chuckled Dalley, ‘And, my dear Valdis, how would you like a photo entitled, “Portrait of a Distinguished Actor’s Imaginative Organism consumed by the Fires of a Hopeless Love?”’

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading ‘You are an old friend of mine, Dalley,’ he said slowly, ‘but you may go too far!’

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading ‘Especially if you reproduce it in the journals, and call it “Portrait of a Lampooner’s Interior under Process of Destruction by the Microbes of Disappointment and Envy.”’

anon

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

From this reading Valdis coloured violently, and anon grew pale.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading ‘You are an old friend of mine, Dalley,’ he said slowly, ‘but you may go too far!’

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading ‘You are an old friend of mine, Dalley,’ he said slowly, ‘but you may go too far!’

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading ‘Especially if you reproduce it in the journals, and call it “Portrait of a Lampooner’s Interior under Process of Destruction by the Microbes of Disappointment and Envy.”’

call

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

From this reading ‘Especially if you reproduce it in the journals, and call it “Portrait of a Lampooner’s Interior under Process of Destruction by the Microbes of Disappointment and Envy.”’

chuckled

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

From this reading ‘Good! good!’ chuckled Dalley, ‘And, my dear Valdis, how would you like a photo entitled, “Portrait of a Distinguished Actor’s Imaginative Organism consumed by the Fires of a Hopeless Love?”’

coloured

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

From this reading Valdis coloured violently, and anon grew pale.

consumed

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

From this reading ‘Good! good!’ chuckled Dalley, ‘And, my dear Valdis, how would you like a photo entitled, “Portrait of a Distinguished Actor’s Imaginative Organism consumed by the Fires of a Hopeless Love?”’

Dalley

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

From this reading ‘Good! good!’ chuckled Dalley, ‘And, my dear Valdis, how would you like a photo entitled, “Portrait of a Distinguished Actor’s Imaginative Organism consumed by the Fires of a Hopeless Love?”’

dear

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

From this reading ‘Good! good!’ chuckled Dalley, ‘And, my dear Valdis, how would you like a photo entitled, “Portrait of a Distinguished Actor’s Imaginative Organism consumed by the Fires of a Hopeless Love?”’

Destruction

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

From this reading ‘Especially if you reproduce it in the journals, and call it “Portrait of a Lampooner’s Interior under Process of Destruction by the Microbes of Disappointment and Envy.”’

DisappointmentnounUS /ˈdisappointment/

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

From this reading ‘Especially if you reproduce it in the journals, and call it “Portrait of a Lampooner’s Interior under Process of Destruction by the Microbes of Disappointment and Envy.”’

Distinguished

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

From this reading ‘Good! good!’ chuckled Dalley, ‘And, my dear Valdis, how would you like a photo entitled, “Portrait of a Distinguished Actor’s Imaginative Organism consumed by the Fires of a Hopeless Love?”’

entitled

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

From this reading ‘Good! good!’ chuckled Dalley, ‘And, my dear Valdis, how would you like a photo entitled, “Portrait of a Distinguished Actor’s Imaginative Organism consumed by the Fires of a Hopeless Love?”’

Envy

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

From this reading ‘Especially if you reproduce it in the journals, and call it “Portrait of a Lampooner’s Interior under Process of Destruction by the Microbes of Disappointment and Envy.”’

Especially

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

From this reading ‘Especially if you reproduce it in the journals, and call it “Portrait of a Lampooner’s Interior under Process of Destruction by the Microbes of Disappointment and Envy.”’

far

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

From this reading ‘You are an old friend of mine, Dalley,’ he said slowly, ‘but you may go too far!’

Fires

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

From this reading ‘Good! good!’ chuckled Dalley, ‘And, my dear Valdis, how would you like a photo entitled, “Portrait of a Distinguished Actor’s Imaginative Organism consumed by the Fires of a Hopeless Love?”’

friend

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

From this reading ‘You are an old friend of mine, Dalley,’ he said slowly, ‘but you may go too far!’

go

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

From this reading ‘You are an old friend of mine, Dalley,’ he said slowly, ‘but you may go too far!’

GoodnounUS /good/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading ‘Good! good!’ chuckled Dalley, ‘And, my dear Valdis, how would you like a photo entitled, “Portrait of a Distinguished Actor’s Imaginative Organism consumed by the Fires of a Hopeless Love?”’

grew

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

From this reading Valdis coloured violently, and anon grew pale.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading ‘You are an old friend of mine, Dalley,’ he said slowly, ‘but you may go too far!’

Hopeless

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

From this reading ‘Good! good!’ chuckled Dalley, ‘And, my dear Valdis, how would you like a photo entitled, “Portrait of a Distinguished Actor’s Imaginative Organism consumed by the Fires of a Hopeless Love?”’

how

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

From this reading ‘Good! good!’ chuckled Dalley, ‘And, my dear Valdis, how would you like a photo entitled, “Portrait of a Distinguished Actor’s Imaginative Organism consumed by the Fires of a Hopeless Love?”’

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading ‘Especially if you reproduce it in the journals, and call it “Portrait of a Lampooner’s Interior under Process of Destruction by the Microbes of Disappointment and Envy.”’

Imaginative

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

From this reading ‘Good! good!’ chuckled Dalley, ‘And, my dear Valdis, how would you like a photo entitled, “Portrait of a Distinguished Actor’s Imaginative Organism consumed by the Fires of a Hopeless Love?”’

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading ‘Especially if you reproduce it in the journals, and call it “Portrait of a Lampooner’s Interior under Process of Destruction by the Microbes of Disappointment and Envy.”’

Interior

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

From this reading ‘Especially if you reproduce it in the journals, and call it “Portrait of a Lampooner’s Interior under Process of Destruction by the Microbes of Disappointment and Envy.”’

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading ‘It will,’ said Valdis.

journals

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

From this reading ‘Especially if you reproduce it in the journals, and call it “Portrait of a Lampooner’s Interior under Process of Destruction by the Microbes of Disappointment and Envy.”’

Lampooner's

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

From this reading ‘Especially if you reproduce it in the journals, and call it “Portrait of a Lampooner’s Interior under Process of Destruction by the Microbes of Disappointment and Envy.”’

like

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

From this reading ‘Good! good!’ chuckled Dalley, ‘And, my dear Valdis, how would you like a photo entitled, “Portrait of a Distinguished Actor’s Imaginative Organism consumed by the Fires of a Hopeless Love?”’

Love

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

From this reading ‘Good! good!’ chuckled Dalley, ‘And, my dear Valdis, how would you like a photo entitled, “Portrait of a Distinguished Actor’s Imaginative Organism consumed by the Fires of a Hopeless Love?”’

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading ‘You are an old friend of mine, Dalley,’ he said slowly, ‘but you may go too far!’

Microbes

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

From this reading ‘Especially if you reproduce it in the journals, and call it “Portrait of a Lampooner’s Interior under Process of Destruction by the Microbes of Disappointment and Envy.”’

minepronounUS /maɪn/

the one or ones belonging to the person speaking

From this reading ‘You are an old friend of mine, Dalley,’ he said slowly, ‘but you may go too far!’

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading ‘Good! good!’ chuckled Dalley, ‘And, my dear Valdis, how would you like a photo entitled, “Portrait of a Distinguished Actor’s Imaginative Organism consumed by the Fires of a Hopeless Love?”’

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading ‘Especially if you reproduce it in the journals, and call it “Portrait of a Lampooner’s Interior under Process of Destruction by the Microbes of Disappointment and Envy.”’

old

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

From this reading ‘You are an old friend of mine, Dalley,’ he said slowly, ‘but you may go too far!’

Organism

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

From this reading ‘Good! good!’ chuckled Dalley, ‘And, my dear Valdis, how would you like a photo entitled, “Portrait of a Distinguished Actor’s Imaginative Organism consumed by the Fires of a Hopeless Love?”’

pale

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

From this reading Valdis coloured violently, and anon grew pale.

photo

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

From this reading ‘Good! good!’ chuckled Dalley, ‘And, my dear Valdis, how would you like a photo entitled, “Portrait of a Distinguished Actor’s Imaginative Organism consumed by the Fires of a Hopeless Love?”’

Portrait

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

From this reading ‘Especially if you reproduce it in the journals, and call it “Portrait of a Lampooner’s Interior under Process of Destruction by the Microbes of Disappointment and Envy.”’

Process

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

From this reading ‘Especially if you reproduce it in the journals, and call it “Portrait of a Lampooner’s Interior under Process of Destruction by the Microbes of Disappointment and Envy.”’

reproduce

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

From this reading ‘Especially if you reproduce it in the journals, and call it “Portrait of a Lampooner’s Interior under Process of Destruction by the Microbes of Disappointment and Envy.”’

said

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

From this reading ‘It will,’ said Valdis.

slowly

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

From this reading ‘You are an old friend of mine, Dalley,’ he said slowly, ‘but you may go too far!’

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading ‘Especially if you reproduce it in the journals, and call it “Portrait of a Lampooner’s Interior under Process of Destruction by the Microbes of Disappointment and Envy.”’

too

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

From this reading ‘You are an old friend of mine, Dalley,’ he said slowly, ‘but you may go too far!’

underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading ‘Especially if you reproduce it in the journals, and call it “Portrait of a Lampooner’s Interior under Process of Destruction by the Microbes of Disappointment and Envy.”’

Valdis

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

From this reading ‘It will,’ said Valdis.

violently

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

From this reading Valdis coloured violently, and anon grew pale.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading ‘It will,’ said Valdis.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

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

From this reading ‘Good! good!’ chuckled Dalley, ‘And, my dear Valdis, how would you like a photo entitled, “Portrait of a Distinguished Actor’s Imaginative Organism consumed by the Fires of a Hopeless Love?”’

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading ‘Especially if you reproduce it in the journals, and call it “Portrait of a Lampooner’s Interior under Process of Destruction by the Microbes of Disappointment and Envy.”’