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Aces Up
Aces Up

Chapter XIII

Cover illustration for Aces Up
Context Illustration Reading 1/57 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The Last of the Big Shows The following morning had no dawning.
A light rain had fallen during the night and a heavy, obliterating fog arose from the wet earth, blanketing hill and valley alike.
So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.
What did it hold?
Where were the German lines?
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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.

Aces Up

Chapter XIII

Reading 1/57 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The Last of the Big Shows The following morning had no dawning.
Line 2
A light rain had fallen during the night and a heavy, obliterating fog arose from the wet earth, blanketing hill and valley alike.
Line 3
So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.
Line 4
What did it hold?
Line 5
Where were the German lines?

Learner Dictionary

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

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.”

Dream noun US /driːm/

A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.

From this reading “So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.”

During preposition US /ˈdʊrɪŋ/

all through a period, or at some point within it

From this reading “A light rain had fallen during the night and a heavy, obliterating fog arose from the wet earth, blanketing hill and valley alike.”

Ever noun US /ever/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.”

Last noun US /last/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The Last of the Big Shows The following morning had no dawning.”

Morning noun US /morning/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The Last of the Big Shows The following morning had no dawning.”

Mysterious adjective US /mɪˈstɪriəs/

difficult to explain or understand

From this reading “So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.”

Nothing pronoun US /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading “So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.”

Over preposition US /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading “So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.”

All words in this reading · 71

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 A light rain had fallen during the night and a heavy, obliterating fog arose from the wet earth, blanketing hill and valley alike.

alike

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

From this reading A light rain had fallen during the night and a heavy, obliterating fog arose from the wet earth, blanketing hill and valley alike.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading A light rain had fallen during the night and a heavy, obliterating fog arose from the wet earth, blanketing hill and valley alike.

anxious

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

From this reading So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.

any

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

From this reading So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.

arose

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

From this reading A light rain had fallen during the night and a heavy, obliterating fog arose from the wet earth, blanketing hill and valley alike.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.

awaited

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

From this reading So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.

battle

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

From this reading So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.

Big

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

From this reading The Last of the Big Shows The following morning had no dawning.

blanketing

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

From this reading A light rain had fallen during the night and a heavy, obliterating fog arose from the wet earth, blanketing hill and valley alike.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.

dawning

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

From this reading The Last of the Big Shows The following morning had no dawning.

dense

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

From this reading So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading What did it hold?

dreamnounUS /driːm/

A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.

From this reading So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.

duringprepositionUS /ˈdʊrɪŋ/

all through a period, or at some point within it

From this reading A light rain had fallen during the night and a heavy, obliterating fog arose from the wet earth, blanketing hill and valley alike.

earth

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

From this reading A light rain had fallen during the night and a heavy, obliterating fog arose from the wet earth, blanketing hill and valley alike.

evernounUS /ever/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.

fallen

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

From this reading A light rain had fallen during the night and a heavy, obliterating fog arose from the wet earth, blanketing hill and valley alike.

fancied

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

From this reading So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.

fog

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

From this reading A light rain had fallen during the night and a heavy, obliterating fog arose from the wet earth, blanketing hill and valley alike.

following

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

From this reading The Last of the Big Shows The following morning had no dawning.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading A light rain had fallen during the night and a heavy, obliterating fog arose from the wet earth, blanketing hill and valley alike.

front

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

From this reading So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.

German

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

From this reading Where were the German lines?

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The Last of the Big Shows The following morning had no dawning.

heavy

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

From this reading A light rain had fallen during the night and a heavy, obliterating fog arose from the wet earth, blanketing hill and valley alike.

hill

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

From this reading A light rain had fallen during the night and a heavy, obliterating fog arose from the wet earth, blanketing hill and valley alike.

hold

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

From this reading What did it hold?

hour

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

From this reading So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.

land

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

From this reading So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.

LastnounUS /last/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The Last of the Big Shows The following morning had no dawning.

light

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

From this reading A light rain had fallen during the night and a heavy, obliterating fog arose from the wet earth, blanketing hill and valley alike.

lines

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

From this reading So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.

made

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

From this reading So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.

more

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

From this reading So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.

morningnounUS /morning/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The Last of the Big Shows The following morning had no dawning.

mysteriousadjectiveUS /mɪˈstɪriəs/

difficult to explain or understand

From this reading So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.

nervousness

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

From this reading So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.

night

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

From this reading A light rain had fallen during the night and a heavy, obliterating fog arose from the wet earth, blanketing hill and valley alike.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading The Last of the Big Shows The following morning had no dawning.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.

obliterating

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

From this reading A light rain had fallen during the night and a heavy, obliterating fog arose from the wet earth, blanketing hill and valley alike.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The Last of the Big Shows The following morning had no dawning.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.

peeping

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

From this reading So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.

rain

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

From this reading A light rain had fallen during the night and a heavy, obliterating fog arose from the wet earth, blanketing hill and valley alike.

saw

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

From this reading So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.

shell-tortured

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

From this reading So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.

Shows

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

From this reading The Last of the Big Shows The following morning had no dawning.

SoconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The Last of the Big Shows The following morning had no dawning.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.

top

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

From this reading So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.

troops

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

From this reading So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.

valley

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

From this reading A light rain had fallen during the night and a heavy, obliterating fog arose from the wet earth, blanketing hill and valley alike.

wall

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

From this reading So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Where were the German lines?

wet

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

From this reading A light rain had fallen during the night and a heavy, obliterating fog arose from the wet earth, blanketing hill and valley alike.

WhatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading What did it hold?

WhereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading Where were the German lines?

white

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

From this reading So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.

zero

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

From this reading So dense was it that troops in the front lines, peeping over the top in anxious nervousness as they awaited the zero hour, saw nothing but a wall of white that made the shell-tortured land before them more mysterious than any dream of battle ever fancied.