Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The Queen's Advocate
The Queen's Advocate

Chapter II

Cover illustration for The Queen's Advocate
Context Illustration Reading 1/54 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
KARASCH.
I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.
These Eastern Europeans can be dangerous enough in a crowd, or in the dark, or in any circumstances which offer a chance of treachery.
But they don’t fight well alone or in the open.
That’s where they differ from the desperadoes of the West and the mining camps; and I knew it.
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 Queen's Advocate

Chapter II

Reading 1/54 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
KARASCH.
Line 2
I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.
Line 3
These Eastern Europeans can be dangerous enough in a crowd, or in the dark, or in any circumstances which offer a chance of treachery.
Line 4
But they don’t fight well alone or in the open.
Line 5
That’s where they differ from the desperadoes of the West and the mining camps; and I knew it.

Learner Dictionary

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

Alone noun US /alone/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “But they don’t fight well alone or in the open.”

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.”

First noun US /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.”

Having auxiliary verb US /ˈhævɪŋ/

the -ing form of “have”

From this reading “I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.”

However adverb US /ˌhaʊˈevər/

used to add a contrasting statement

From this reading “I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.”

Open verb US /ˈoʊ.pən/

To move from a closed position.

From this reading “But they don’t fight well alone or in the open.”

Stood noun US /stood/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.”

These determiner US /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading “These Eastern Europeans can be dangerous enough in a crowd, or in the dark, or in any circumstances which offer a chance of treachery.”

Treachery noun US /ˈtrɛtʃəri/

betrayal of trust

From this reading “These Eastern Europeans can be dangerous enough in a crowd, or in the dark, or in any circumstances which offer a chance of treachery.”

Well noun US /well/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “But they don’t fight well alone or in the open.”

While conjunction US /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading “I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.”

All words in this reading · 75

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 These Eastern Europeans can be dangerous enough in a crowd, or in the dark, or in any circumstances which offer a chance of treachery.

alonenounUS /alone/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading But they don’t fight well alone or in the open.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.

any

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

From this reading These Eastern Europeans can be dangerous enough in a crowd, or in the dark, or in any circumstances which offer a chance of treachery.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading These Eastern Europeans can be dangerous enough in a crowd, or in the dark, or in any circumstances which offer a chance of treachery.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.

brows

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

From this reading I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But they don’t fight well alone or in the open.

camps

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

From this reading That’s where they differ from the desperadoes of the West and the mining camps; and I knew it.

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading These Eastern Europeans can be dangerous enough in a crowd, or in the dark, or in any circumstances which offer a chance of treachery.

carried

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

From this reading I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.

chance

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

From this reading These Eastern Europeans can be dangerous enough in a crowd, or in the dark, or in any circumstances which offer a chance of treachery.

circumstances

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

From this reading These Eastern Europeans can be dangerous enough in a crowd, or in the dark, or in any circumstances which offer a chance of treachery.

crowd

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

From this reading These Eastern Europeans can be dangerous enough in a crowd, or in the dark, or in any circumstances which offer a chance of treachery.

dangerous

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

From this reading I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.

dark

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

From this reading These Eastern Europeans can be dangerous enough in a crowd, or in the dark, or in any circumstances which offer a chance of treachery.

deal

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

From this reading I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.

desperadoes

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

From this reading That’s where they differ from the desperadoes of the West and the mining camps; and I knew it.

differ

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

From this reading That’s where they differ from the desperadoes of the West and the mining camps; and I knew it.

don't

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

From this reading But they don’t fight well alone or in the open.

Eastern

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

From this reading These Eastern Europeans can be dangerous enough in a crowd, or in the dark, or in any circumstances which offer a chance of treachery.

enough

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

From this reading These Eastern Europeans can be dangerous enough in a crowd, or in the dark, or in any circumstances which offer a chance of treachery.

Europeans

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

From this reading These Eastern Europeans can be dangerous enough in a crowd, or in the dark, or in any circumstances which offer a chance of treachery.

eyeing

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

From this reading I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.

far

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

From this reading I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.

fellow

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

From this reading I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.

fight

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

From this reading But they don’t fight well alone or in the open.

fingers

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

From this reading I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.

firstnounUS /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading That’s where they differ from the desperadoes of the West and the mining camps; and I knew it.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.

haft

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

From this reading I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.

havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/

the -ing form of “have”

From this reading I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.

howeveradverbUS /ˌhaʊˈevər/

used to add a contrasting statement

From this reading I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading These Eastern Europeans can be dangerous enough in a crowd, or in the dark, or in any circumstances which offer a chance of treachery.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading That’s where they differ from the desperadoes of the West and the mining camps; and I knew it.

KARASCH

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

From this reading KARASCH.

knew

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

From this reading That’s where they differ from the desperadoes of the West and the mining camps; and I knew it.

knife

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

From this reading I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.

lowering

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

From this reading I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.

men

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

From this reading I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.

mining

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

From this reading That’s where they differ from the desperadoes of the West and the mining camps; and I knew it.

more

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

From this reading I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.

note

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

From this reading I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.

offer

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

From this reading These Eastern Europeans can be dangerous enough in a crowd, or in the dark, or in any circumstances which offer a chance of treachery.

openverbUS /ˈoʊ.pən/

To move from a closed position.

From this reading But they don’t fight well alone or in the open.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading These Eastern Europeans can be dangerous enough in a crowd, or in the dark, or in any circumstances which offer a chance of treachery.

played

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

From this reading I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.

rebellion

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

From this reading I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.

round

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

From this reading I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.

sounded

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

From this reading I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.

stoodnounUS /stood/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.

tackle

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

From this reading I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.

That's

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

From this reading That’s where they differ from the desperadoes of the West and the mining camps; and I knew it.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.

ThesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading These Eastern Europeans can be dangerous enough in a crowd, or in the dark, or in any circumstances which offer a chance of treachery.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading But they don’t fight well alone or in the open.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.

treacherynounUS /ˈtrɛtʃəri/

betrayal of trust

From this reading These Eastern Europeans can be dangerous enough in a crowd, or in the dark, or in any circumstances which offer a chance of treachery.

trouble

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

From this reading I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.

well

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

From this reading But they don’t fight well alone or in the open.

West

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

From this reading That’s where they differ from the desperadoes of the West and the mining camps; and I knew it.

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading That’s where they differ from the desperadoes of the West and the mining camps; and I knew it.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading These Eastern Europeans can be dangerous enough in a crowd, or in the dark, or in any circumstances which offer a chance of treachery.

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.

worse

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

From this reading I had had to deal with worse trouble than this before, however, and to tackle far more dangerous men than the fellow who, having sounded the first note of rebellion, stood eyeing me with lowering brows, while his fingers played round the haft of the knife he carried.