Chapter XXI
FIVE SECONDS FROM DEATH. Somehow—he never knew how—Nick found his way to the top of the house. Here he was obliged to pause for a moment. His heart was pounding and his breath came short. Some little rest he _must_ have!
A Battle for Right
Chapter XXI
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FIVE
SECONDS
FROM
DEATH.
Somehow—he
never
knew
how—Nick
found
his
way
to
the
top
of
the
house.
Here
he
was
obliged
to
pause
for
a
moment.
His
heart
was
pounding
and
his
breath
came
short.
Some
little
rest
he
_must_
have!
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Line 1
FIVE
SECONDS
FROM
DEATH.
Line 2
Somehow—he
never
knew
how—Nick
found
his
way
to
the
top
of
the
house.
Line 3
Here
he
was
obliged
to
pause
for
a
moment.
Line 4
His
heart
was
pounding
and
his
breath
came
short.
Line 5
Some
little
rest
he
_must_
have!
Learner Dictionary
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.
Found
noun
US /found/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “Somehow—he never knew how—Nick found his way to the top of the house.”
Have
auxiliary verb
US /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “Some little rest he _must_ have!”
Here
noun
US /here/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “Here he was obliged to pause for a moment.”
Little
noun
US /little/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “Some little rest he _must_ have!”
Must
modal verb
US /mʌst/
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
Never
noun
US /never/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “Somehow—he never knew how—Nick found his way to the top of the house.”
Rest
noun
US /rest/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “Some little rest he _must_ have!”
Short
adjective
US /ʃɔrt/
brief or direct in expression
From this reading “His heart was pounding and his breath came short.”
All words in this reading · 36
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 Here he was obliged to pause for a moment.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading His heart was pounding and his breath came short.
breath
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His heart was pounding and his breath came short.
came
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His heart was pounding and his breath came short.
DEATH
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading FIVE SECONDS FROM DEATH.
FIVE
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading FIVE SECONDS FROM DEATH.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Here he was obliged to pause for a moment.
foundnounUS /found/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Somehow—he never knew how—Nick found his way to the top of the house.
FROMprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading FIVE SECONDS FROM DEATH.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Some little rest he _must_ have!
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Somehow—he never knew how—Nick found his way to the top of the house.
heart
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His heart was pounding and his breath came short.
HerenounUS /here/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Here he was obliged to pause for a moment.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Somehow—he never knew how—Nick found his way to the top of the house.
house
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Somehow—he never knew how—Nick found his way to the top of the house.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Somehow—he never knew how—Nick found his way to the top of the house.
knew
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Somehow—he never knew how—Nick found his way to the top of the house.
littlenounUS /little/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Some little rest he _must_ have!
moment
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Here he was obliged to pause for a moment.
mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading Some little rest he _must_ have!
nevernounUS /never/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Somehow—he never knew how—Nick found his way to the top of the house.
Nick
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Somehow—he never knew how—Nick found his way to the top of the house.
obliged
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Here he was obliged to pause for a moment.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Somehow—he never knew how—Nick found his way to the top of the house.
pause
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Here he was obliged to pause for a moment.
pounding
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His heart was pounding and his breath came short.
restnounUS /rest/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Some little rest he _must_ have!
SECONDS
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading FIVE SECONDS FROM DEATH.
shortadjectiveUS /ʃɔrt/
brief or direct in expression
From this reading His heart was pounding and his breath came short.
Some
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Some little rest he _must_ have!
Somehow
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Somehow—he never knew how—Nick found his way to the top of the house.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Somehow—he never knew how—Nick found his way to the top of the house.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Somehow—he never knew how—Nick found his way to the top of the house.
top
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Somehow—he never knew how—Nick found his way to the top of the house.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Here he was obliged to pause for a moment.
way
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Somehow—he never knew how—Nick found his way to the top of the house.