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The Mutable Many: A Novel
The Mutable Many: A Novel

Chapter V

Cover illustration for The Mutable Many: A Novel
Context Illustration Reading 1/44 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Barnard Hope, commonly known as Barney, never quite got over his surprise at finding himself the son of James Hope and Euphemia his wife.
James Hope, the junior member of the firm of Monkton & Hope, was an undersized man with a touch of baldness and an air of constant apology.
He seemed to attach a mental string to every hesitating opinion he uttered, so that he might instantly pull it back if necessary.
Meeting him on the street, one would take him for a very much bullied, very much underpaid clerk in the City.
In his office he lived in fear of his manager; at home he lived in fear of his wife.
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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 Mutable Many: A Novel

Chapter V

Reading 1/44 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Barnard Hope, commonly known as Barney, never quite got over his surprise at finding himself the son of James Hope and Euphemia his wife.
Line 2
James Hope, the junior member of the firm of Monkton & Hope, was an undersized man with a touch of baldness and an air of constant apology.
Line 3
He seemed to attach a mental string to every hesitating opinion he uttered, so that he might instantly pull it back if necessary.
Line 4
Meeting him on the street, one would take him for a very much bullied, very much underpaid clerk in the City.
Line 5
In his office he lived in fear of his manager; at home he lived in fear of his wife.

Learner Dictionary

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

Every determiner US /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading “He seemed to attach a mental string to every hesitating opinion he uttered, so that he might instantly pull it back if necessary.”

Himself pronoun US /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading “Barnard Hope, commonly known as Barney, never quite got over his surprise at finding himself the son of James Hope and Euphemia his wife.”

Might modal verb US /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading “He seemed to attach a mental string to every hesitating opinion he uttered, so that he might instantly pull it back if necessary.”

Never noun US /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Barnard Hope, commonly known as Barney, never quite got over his surprise at finding himself the son of James Hope and Euphemia his wife.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “Meeting him on the street, one would take him for a very much bullied, very much underpaid clerk in the City.”

Over preposition US /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading “Barnard Hope, commonly known as Barney, never quite got over his surprise at finding himself the son of James Hope and Euphemia his wife.”

Quite noun US /quite/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Barnard Hope, commonly known as Barney, never quite got over his surprise at finding himself the son of James Hope and Euphemia his wife.”

Seemed noun US /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He seemed to attach a mental string to every hesitating opinion he uttered, so that he might instantly pull it back if necessary.”

Take noun US /take/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Meeting him on the street, one would take him for a very much bullied, very much underpaid clerk in the City.”

Uttered noun US /ˈuttered/

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

From this reading “He seemed to attach a mental string to every hesitating opinion he uttered, so that he might instantly pull it back if necessary.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

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

From this reading “Meeting him on the street, one would take him for a very much bullied, very much underpaid clerk in the City.”

All words in this reading · 76

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 James Hope, the junior member of the firm of Monkton & Hope, was an undersized man with a touch of baldness and an air of constant apology.

air

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

From this reading James Hope, the junior member of the firm of Monkton & Hope, was an undersized man with a touch of baldness and an air of constant apology.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading James Hope, the junior member of the firm of Monkton & Hope, was an undersized man with a touch of baldness and an air of constant apology.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Barnard Hope, commonly known as Barney, never quite got over his surprise at finding himself the son of James Hope and Euphemia his wife.

apology

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

From this reading James Hope, the junior member of the firm of Monkton & Hope, was an undersized man with a touch of baldness and an air of constant apology.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Barnard Hope, commonly known as Barney, never quite got over his surprise at finding himself the son of James Hope and Euphemia his wife.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Barnard Hope, commonly known as Barney, never quite got over his surprise at finding himself the son of James Hope and Euphemia his wife.

attach

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

From this reading He seemed to attach a mental string to every hesitating opinion he uttered, so that he might instantly pull it back if necessary.

back

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

From this reading He seemed to attach a mental string to every hesitating opinion he uttered, so that he might instantly pull it back if necessary.

baldness

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

From this reading James Hope, the junior member of the firm of Monkton & Hope, was an undersized man with a touch of baldness and an air of constant apology.

Barnard

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

From this reading Barnard Hope, commonly known as Barney, never quite got over his surprise at finding himself the son of James Hope and Euphemia his wife.

Barney

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

From this reading Barnard Hope, commonly known as Barney, never quite got over his surprise at finding himself the son of James Hope and Euphemia his wife.

bullied

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

From this reading Meeting him on the street, one would take him for a very much bullied, very much underpaid clerk in the City.

City

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

From this reading Meeting him on the street, one would take him for a very much bullied, very much underpaid clerk in the City.

clerk

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

From this reading Meeting him on the street, one would take him for a very much bullied, very much underpaid clerk in the City.

commonly

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

From this reading Barnard Hope, commonly known as Barney, never quite got over his surprise at finding himself the son of James Hope and Euphemia his wife.

constant

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

From this reading James Hope, the junior member of the firm of Monkton & Hope, was an undersized man with a touch of baldness and an air of constant apology.

Euphemia

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

From this reading Barnard Hope, commonly known as Barney, never quite got over his surprise at finding himself the son of James Hope and Euphemia his wife.

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading He seemed to attach a mental string to every hesitating opinion he uttered, so that he might instantly pull it back if necessary.

fear

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

From this reading In his office he lived in fear of his manager; at home he lived in fear of his wife.

finding

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

From this reading Barnard Hope, commonly known as Barney, never quite got over his surprise at finding himself the son of James Hope and Euphemia his wife.

firm

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

From this reading James Hope, the junior member of the firm of Monkton & Hope, was an undersized man with a touch of baldness and an air of constant apology.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Meeting him on the street, one would take him for a very much bullied, very much underpaid clerk in the City.

got

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

From this reading Barnard Hope, commonly known as Barney, never quite got over his surprise at finding himself the son of James Hope and Euphemia his wife.

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He seemed to attach a mental string to every hesitating opinion he uttered, so that he might instantly pull it back if necessary.

hesitating

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

From this reading He seemed to attach a mental string to every hesitating opinion he uttered, so that he might instantly pull it back if necessary.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading Meeting him on the street, one would take him for a very much bullied, very much underpaid clerk in the City.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading Barnard Hope, commonly known as Barney, never quite got over his surprise at finding himself the son of James Hope and Euphemia his wife.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Barnard Hope, commonly known as Barney, never quite got over his surprise at finding himself the son of James Hope and Euphemia his wife.

home

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

From this reading In his office he lived in fear of his manager; at home he lived in fear of his wife.

Hope

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

From this reading Barnard Hope, commonly known as Barney, never quite got over his surprise at finding himself the son of James Hope and Euphemia his wife.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading He seemed to attach a mental string to every hesitating opinion he uttered, so that he might instantly pull it back if necessary.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Meeting him on the street, one would take him for a very much bullied, very much underpaid clerk in the City.

instantly

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

From this reading He seemed to attach a mental string to every hesitating opinion he uttered, so that he might instantly pull it back if necessary.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading He seemed to attach a mental string to every hesitating opinion he uttered, so that he might instantly pull it back if necessary.

James

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

From this reading Barnard Hope, commonly known as Barney, never quite got over his surprise at finding himself the son of James Hope and Euphemia his wife.

junior

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

From this reading James Hope, the junior member of the firm of Monkton & Hope, was an undersized man with a touch of baldness and an air of constant apology.

known

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

From this reading Barnard Hope, commonly known as Barney, never quite got over his surprise at finding himself the son of James Hope and Euphemia his wife.

lived

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

From this reading In his office he lived in fear of his manager; at home he lived in fear of his wife.

man

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

From this reading James Hope, the junior member of the firm of Monkton & Hope, was an undersized man with a touch of baldness and an air of constant apology.

manager

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

From this reading In his office he lived in fear of his manager; at home he lived in fear of his wife.

Meeting

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

From this reading Meeting him on the street, one would take him for a very much bullied, very much underpaid clerk in the City.

member

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

From this reading James Hope, the junior member of the firm of Monkton & Hope, was an undersized man with a touch of baldness and an air of constant apology.

mental

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

From this reading He seemed to attach a mental string to every hesitating opinion he uttered, so that he might instantly pull it back if necessary.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading He seemed to attach a mental string to every hesitating opinion he uttered, so that he might instantly pull it back if necessary.

Monkton

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

From this reading James Hope, the junior member of the firm of Monkton & Hope, was an undersized man with a touch of baldness and an air of constant apology.

much

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

From this reading Meeting him on the street, one would take him for a very much bullied, very much underpaid clerk in the City.

necessary

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

From this reading He seemed to attach a mental string to every hesitating opinion he uttered, so that he might instantly pull it back if necessary.

nevernounUS /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Barnard Hope, commonly known as Barney, never quite got over his surprise at finding himself the son of James Hope and Euphemia his wife.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Barnard Hope, commonly known as Barney, never quite got over his surprise at finding himself the son of James Hope and Euphemia his wife.

office

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

From this reading In his office he lived in fear of his manager; at home he lived in fear of his wife.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Meeting him on the street, one would take him for a very much bullied, very much underpaid clerk in the City.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Meeting him on the street, one would take him for a very much bullied, very much underpaid clerk in the City.

opinion

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

From this reading He seemed to attach a mental string to every hesitating opinion he uttered, so that he might instantly pull it back if necessary.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading Barnard Hope, commonly known as Barney, never quite got over his surprise at finding himself the son of James Hope and Euphemia his wife.

pull

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

From this reading He seemed to attach a mental string to every hesitating opinion he uttered, so that he might instantly pull it back if necessary.

quitenounUS /quite/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Barnard Hope, commonly known as Barney, never quite got over his surprise at finding himself the son of James Hope and Euphemia his wife.

seemednounUS /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He seemed to attach a mental string to every hesitating opinion he uttered, so that he might instantly pull it back if necessary.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading He seemed to attach a mental string to every hesitating opinion he uttered, so that he might instantly pull it back if necessary.

son

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

From this reading Barnard Hope, commonly known as Barney, never quite got over his surprise at finding himself the son of James Hope and Euphemia his wife.

street

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

From this reading Meeting him on the street, one would take him for a very much bullied, very much underpaid clerk in the City.

string

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

From this reading He seemed to attach a mental string to every hesitating opinion he uttered, so that he might instantly pull it back if necessary.

surprise

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

From this reading Barnard Hope, commonly known as Barney, never quite got over his surprise at finding himself the son of James Hope and Euphemia his wife.

takenounUS /take/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Meeting him on the street, one would take him for a very much bullied, very much underpaid clerk in the City.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading He seemed to attach a mental string to every hesitating opinion he uttered, so that he might instantly pull it back if necessary.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Barnard Hope, commonly known as Barney, never quite got over his surprise at finding himself the son of James Hope and Euphemia his wife.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading He seemed to attach a mental string to every hesitating opinion he uttered, so that he might instantly pull it back if necessary.

touch

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

From this reading James Hope, the junior member of the firm of Monkton & Hope, was an undersized man with a touch of baldness and an air of constant apology.

underpaid

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

From this reading Meeting him on the street, one would take him for a very much bullied, very much underpaid clerk in the City.

undersized

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

From this reading James Hope, the junior member of the firm of Monkton & Hope, was an undersized man with a touch of baldness and an air of constant apology.

utterednounUS /ˈuttered/

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

From this reading He seemed to attach a mental string to every hesitating opinion he uttered, so that he might instantly pull it back if necessary.

very

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

From this reading Meeting him on the street, one would take him for a very much bullied, very much underpaid clerk in the City.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading James Hope, the junior member of the firm of Monkton & Hope, was an undersized man with a touch of baldness and an air of constant apology.

wife

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

From this reading Barnard Hope, commonly known as Barney, never quite got over his surprise at finding himself the son of James Hope and Euphemia his wife.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading James Hope, the junior member of the firm of Monkton & Hope, was an undersized man with a touch of baldness and an air of constant apology.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

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

From this reading Meeting him on the street, one would take him for a very much bullied, very much underpaid clerk in the City.