Chapter V
He stopped abruptly. He had been told rhetoric was his weakness. “But he is quite safe here, you know—quite safe.” The pale-faced man nodded. His eyes shone.
30 Strange Stories
Chapter V
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1 / 5
He
stopped
abruptly.
He
had
been
told
rhetoric
was
his
weakness.
“But
he
is
quite
safe
here,
you
know—quite
safe.”
The
pale-faced
man
nodded.
His
eyes
shone.
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Line 1
He
stopped
abruptly.
Line 2
He
had
been
told
rhetoric
was
his
weakness.
Line 3
“But
he
is
quite
safe
here,
you
know—quite
safe.”
Line 4
The
pale-faced
man
nodded.
Line 5
His
eyes
shone.
Learner Dictionary
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.
Been
auxiliary verb
US /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “He had been told rhetoric was his weakness.”
Here
noun
US /here/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading ““But he is quite safe here, you know—quite safe.””
Know
noun
US /know/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading ““But he is quite safe here, you know—quite safe.””
Nodded
noun
US /nodded/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “The pale-faced man nodded.”
Quite
noun
US /quite/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading ““But he is quite safe here, you know—quite safe.””
Stopped
noun
US /stopped/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “He stopped abruptly.”
Told
noun
US /told/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “He had been told rhetoric was his weakness.”
Weakness
noun
US /ˈwiːknəs/
a lack of physical strength
From this reading “He had been told rhetoric was his weakness.”
All words in this reading · 23
Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
abruptly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He stopped abruptly.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He had been told rhetoric was his weakness.
ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But he is quite safe here, you know—quite safe.”
eyes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His eyes shone.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had been told rhetoric was his weakness.
HepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He stopped abruptly.
herenounUS /here/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “But he is quite safe here, you know—quite safe.”
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He had been told rhetoric was his weakness.
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “But he is quite safe here, you know—quite safe.”
knownounUS /know/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “But he is quite safe here, you know—quite safe.”
man
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The pale-faced man nodded.
noddednounUS /nodded/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The pale-faced man nodded.
pale-faced
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The pale-faced man nodded.
quitenounUS /quite/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “But he is quite safe here, you know—quite safe.”
rhetoric
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had been told rhetoric was his weakness.
safe
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “But he is quite safe here, you know—quite safe.”
shone
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His eyes shone.
stoppednounUS /stopped/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He stopped abruptly.
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The pale-faced man nodded.
toldnounUS /told/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He had been told rhetoric was his weakness.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He had been told rhetoric was his weakness.
weaknessnounUS /ˈwiːknəs/
a lack of physical strength
From this reading He had been told rhetoric was his weakness.
youpronounUS /juː/
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “But he is quite safe here, you know—quite safe.”