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The Vanished Messenger
The Vanished Messenger

Chapter XIX

Cover illustration for The Vanished Messenger
Context Illustration Reading 1/41 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Mr. Fentolin remained upon the terrace long after the departure of his guests.
He had found a sunny corner out of the wind, and he sat there with a telescope by his side and a budget of newspapers upon his knee.
On some pretext or another he had detained all the others of the household so that they formed a little court around him.
Even Hamel, who had said something about a walk, had been induced to stop by an appealing glance from Esther.
Mr. Fentolin was in one of his most loquacious moods.
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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 Vanished Messenger

Chapter XIX

Reading 1/41 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Mr. Fentolin remained upon the terrace long after the departure of his guests.
Line 2
He had found a sunny corner out of the wind, and he sat there with a telescope by his side and a budget of newspapers upon his knee.
Line 3
On some pretext or another he had detained all the others of the household so that they formed a little court around him.
Line 4
Even Hamel, who had said something about a walk, had been induced to stop by an appealing glance from Esther.
Line 5
Mr. Fentolin was in one of his most loquacious moods.

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 “Even Hamel, who had said something about a walk, had been induced to stop by an appealing glance from Esther.”

After preposition US /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading “Mr. Fentolin remained upon the terrace long after the departure of his guests.”

Another noun US /ˈanother/

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

From this reading “On some pretext or another he had detained all the others of the household so that they formed a little court around him.”

Around preposition US /ərˈaʊnd/

surrounding, or on every side of, something

From this reading “On some pretext or another he had detained all the others of the household so that they formed a little court around him.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “Even Hamel, who had said something about a walk, had been induced to stop by an appealing glance from Esther.”

Even noun US /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Even Hamel, who had said something about a walk, had been induced to stop by an appealing glance from Esther.”

Found noun US /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He had found a sunny corner out of the wind, and he sat there with a telescope by his side and a budget of newspapers upon his knee.”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “On some pretext or another he had detained all the others of the household so that they formed a little court around him.”

Long noun US /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Mr. Fentolin remained upon the terrace long after the departure of his guests.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “Mr. Fentolin was in one of his most loquacious moods.”

Remained noun US /ˈremained/

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

From this reading “Mr. Fentolin remained upon the terrace long after the departure of his guests.”

Something pronoun US /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading “Even Hamel, who had said something about a walk, had been induced to stop by an appealing glance from Esther.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “Mr. Fentolin remained upon the terrace long after the departure of his guests.”

Wind noun US /wind/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He had found a sunny corner out of the wind, and he sat there with a telescope by his side and a budget of newspapers upon his knee.”

All words in this reading · 69

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 He had found a sunny corner out of the wind, and he sat there with a telescope by his side and a budget of newspapers upon his knee.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading Even Hamel, who had said something about a walk, had been induced to stop by an appealing glance from Esther.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading Mr. Fentolin remained upon the terrace long after the departure of his guests.

all

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

From this reading On some pretext or another he had detained all the others of the household so that they formed a little court around him.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading Even Hamel, who had said something about a walk, had been induced to stop by an appealing glance from Esther.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading He had found a sunny corner out of the wind, and he sat there with a telescope by his side and a budget of newspapers upon his knee.

anothernounUS /ˈanother/

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

From this reading On some pretext or another he had detained all the others of the household so that they formed a little court around him.

appealing

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

From this reading Even Hamel, who had said something about a walk, had been induced to stop by an appealing glance from Esther.

aroundprepositionUS /ərˈaʊnd/

surrounding, or on every side of, something

From this reading On some pretext or another he had detained all the others of the household so that they formed a little court around him.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Even Hamel, who had said something about a walk, had been induced to stop by an appealing glance from Esther.

budget

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

From this reading He had found a sunny corner out of the wind, and he sat there with a telescope by his side and a budget of newspapers upon his knee.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading He had found a sunny corner out of the wind, and he sat there with a telescope by his side and a budget of newspapers upon his knee.

corner

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

From this reading He had found a sunny corner out of the wind, and he sat there with a telescope by his side and a budget of newspapers upon his knee.

court

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

From this reading On some pretext or another he had detained all the others of the household so that they formed a little court around him.

departure

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

From this reading Mr. Fentolin remained upon the terrace long after the departure of his guests.

detained

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

From this reading On some pretext or another he had detained all the others of the household so that they formed a little court around him.

Esther

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

From this reading Even Hamel, who had said something about a walk, had been induced to stop by an appealing glance from Esther.

EvennounUS /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Even Hamel, who had said something about a walk, had been induced to stop by an appealing glance from Esther.

Fentolin

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

From this reading Mr. Fentolin remained upon the terrace long after the departure of his guests.

formed

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

From this reading On some pretext or another he had detained all the others of the household so that they formed a little court around him.

foundnounUS /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He had found a sunny corner out of the wind, and he sat there with a telescope by his side and a budget of newspapers upon his knee.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Even Hamel, who had said something about a walk, had been induced to stop by an appealing glance from Esther.

glance

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

From this reading Even Hamel, who had said something about a walk, had been induced to stop by an appealing glance from Esther.

guests

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

From this reading Mr. Fentolin remained upon the terrace long after the departure of his guests.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading He had found a sunny corner out of the wind, and he sat there with a telescope by his side and a budget of newspapers upon his knee.

Hamel

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

From this reading Even Hamel, who had said something about a walk, had been induced to stop by an appealing glance from Esther.

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He had found a sunny corner out of the wind, and he sat there with a telescope by his side and a budget of newspapers upon his knee.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading On some pretext or another he had detained all the others of the household so that they formed a little court around him.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Mr. Fentolin remained upon the terrace long after the departure of his guests.

household

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

From this reading On some pretext or another he had detained all the others of the household so that they formed a little court around him.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Mr. Fentolin was in one of his most loquacious moods.

induced

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

From this reading Even Hamel, who had said something about a walk, had been induced to stop by an appealing glance from Esther.

knee

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

From this reading He had found a sunny corner out of the wind, and he sat there with a telescope by his side and a budget of newspapers upon his knee.

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading On some pretext or another he had detained all the others of the household so that they formed a little court around him.

longnounUS /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Mr. Fentolin remained upon the terrace long after the departure of his guests.

loquacious

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

From this reading Mr. Fentolin was in one of his most loquacious moods.

moods

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

From this reading Mr. Fentolin was in one of his most loquacious moods.

most

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

From this reading Mr. Fentolin was in one of his most loquacious moods.

Mr

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

From this reading Mr. Fentolin remained upon the terrace long after the departure of his guests.

newspapers

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

From this reading He had found a sunny corner out of the wind, and he sat there with a telescope by his side and a budget of newspapers upon his knee.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Mr. Fentolin remained upon the terrace long after the departure of his guests.

OnprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading On some pretext or another he had detained all the others of the household so that they formed a little court around him.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Mr. Fentolin was in one of his most loquacious moods.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading On some pretext or another he had detained all the others of the household so that they formed a little court around him.

others

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

From this reading On some pretext or another he had detained all the others of the household so that they formed a little court around him.

out

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

From this reading He had found a sunny corner out of the wind, and he sat there with a telescope by his side and a budget of newspapers upon his knee.

pretext

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

From this reading On some pretext or another he had detained all the others of the household so that they formed a little court around him.

remainednounUS /ˈremained/

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

From this reading Mr. Fentolin remained upon the terrace long after the departure of his guests.

said

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

From this reading Even Hamel, who had said something about a walk, had been induced to stop by an appealing glance from Esther.

sat

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

From this reading He had found a sunny corner out of the wind, and he sat there with a telescope by his side and a budget of newspapers upon his knee.

side

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

From this reading He had found a sunny corner out of the wind, and he sat there with a telescope by his side and a budget of newspapers upon his knee.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading On some pretext or another he had detained all the others of the household so that they formed a little court around him.

some

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

From this reading On some pretext or another he had detained all the others of the household so that they formed a little court around him.

somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading Even Hamel, who had said something about a walk, had been induced to stop by an appealing glance from Esther.

stop

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

From this reading Even Hamel, who had said something about a walk, had been induced to stop by an appealing glance from Esther.

sunny

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

From this reading He had found a sunny corner out of the wind, and he sat there with a telescope by his side and a budget of newspapers upon his knee.

telescope

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

From this reading He had found a sunny corner out of the wind, and he sat there with a telescope by his side and a budget of newspapers upon his knee.

terrace

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

From this reading Mr. Fentolin remained upon the terrace long after the departure of his guests.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading On some pretext or another he had detained all the others of the household so that they formed a little court around him.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Mr. Fentolin remained upon the terrace long after the departure of his guests.

there

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

From this reading He had found a sunny corner out of the wind, and he sat there with a telescope by his side and a budget of newspapers upon his knee.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading On some pretext or another he had detained all the others of the household so that they formed a little court around him.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Even Hamel, who had said something about a walk, had been induced to stop by an appealing glance from Esther.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading Mr. Fentolin remained upon the terrace long after the departure of his guests.

walk

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

From this reading Even Hamel, who had said something about a walk, had been induced to stop by an appealing glance from Esther.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Mr. Fentolin was in one of his most loquacious moods.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading Even Hamel, who had said something about a walk, had been induced to stop by an appealing glance from Esther.

windnounUS /wind/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He had found a sunny corner out of the wind, and he sat there with a telescope by his side and a budget of newspapers upon his knee.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading He had found a sunny corner out of the wind, and he sat there with a telescope by his side and a budget of newspapers upon his knee.