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The War of the Worlds
The War of the Worlds

Chapter VII

Chapter 7, section 1: When I had last seen this part of Sheen in the daylight it had been a straggling street of comfortable white and red houses, interspersed with abundant shady trees. Now I stood on
Context Illustration Reading 1/84 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
When I had last seen this part of Sheen in the daylight it had been a straggling street of comfortable white and red houses, interspersed with abundant shady trees.
Now I stood on a mound of smashed brickwork, clay, and gravel, over which spread a multitude of red cactus-shaped plants, knee-high, without a solitary terrestrial growth to dispute their footing.
The trees near me were dead and brown, but further a network of red thread scaled the still living stems.
The neighbouring houses had all been wrecked, but none had been burned; their walls stood, sometimes to the second story, with smashed windows and shattered doors.
The red weed grew tumultuously in their roofless rooms.
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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 War of the Worlds

Chapter VII

Reading 1/84 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
When I had last seen this part of Sheen in the daylight it had been a straggling street of comfortable white and red houses, interspersed with abundant shady trees.
Line 2
Now I stood on a mound of smashed brickwork, clay, and gravel, over which spread a multitude of red cactus-shaped plants, knee-high, without a solitary terrestrial growth to dispute their footing.
Line 3
The trees near me were dead and brown, but further a network of red thread scaled the still living stems.
Line 4
The neighbouring houses had all been wrecked, but none had been burned; their walls stood, sometimes to the second story, with smashed windows and shattered doors.
Line 5
The red weed grew tumultuously in their roofless rooms.

Learner Dictionary

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

seen verb US /siːn/

inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading “When I had last seen this part of Sheen in the daylight it had been a straggling street of comfortable white and red houses, interspersed with abundant shady trees.”

Collocations
When IA source-grounded phrase from this reading.
I hadA source-grounded phrase from this reading.
All words in this reading · 80

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 When I had last seen this part of Sheen in the daylight it had been a straggling street of comfortable white and red houses, interspersed with abundant shady trees.

abundant

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

From this reading When I had last seen this part of Sheen in the daylight it had been a straggling street of comfortable white and red houses, interspersed with abundant shady trees.

all

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

From this reading The neighbouring houses had all been wrecked, but none had been burned; their walls stood, sometimes to the second story, with smashed windows and shattered doors.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading When I had last seen this part of Sheen in the daylight it had been a straggling street of comfortable white and red houses, interspersed with abundant shady trees.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading When I had last seen this part of Sheen in the daylight it had been a straggling street of comfortable white and red houses, interspersed with abundant shady trees.

brickwork

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

From this reading Now I stood on a mound of smashed brickwork, clay, and gravel, over which spread a multitude of red cactus-shaped plants, knee-high, without a solitary terrestrial growth to dispute their footing.

brown

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

From this reading The trees near me were dead and brown, but further a network of red thread scaled the still living stems.

burned

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

From this reading The neighbouring houses had all been wrecked, but none had been burned; their walls stood, sometimes to the second story, with smashed windows and shattered doors.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading The trees near me were dead and brown, but further a network of red thread scaled the still living stems.

cactus-shaped

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

From this reading Now I stood on a mound of smashed brickwork, clay, and gravel, over which spread a multitude of red cactus-shaped plants, knee-high, without a solitary terrestrial growth to dispute their footing.

clay

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

From this reading Now I stood on a mound of smashed brickwork, clay, and gravel, over which spread a multitude of red cactus-shaped plants, knee-high, without a solitary terrestrial growth to dispute their footing.

comfortable

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

From this reading When I had last seen this part of Sheen in the daylight it had been a straggling street of comfortable white and red houses, interspersed with abundant shady trees.

daylight

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

From this reading When I had last seen this part of Sheen in the daylight it had been a straggling street of comfortable white and red houses, interspersed with abundant shady trees.

deadnounUS /dead/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The trees near me were dead and brown, but further a network of red thread scaled the still living stems.

dispute

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

From this reading Now I stood on a mound of smashed brickwork, clay, and gravel, over which spread a multitude of red cactus-shaped plants, knee-high, without a solitary terrestrial growth to dispute their footing.

doors

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

From this reading The neighbouring houses had all been wrecked, but none had been burned; their walls stood, sometimes to the second story, with smashed windows and shattered doors.

footing

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

From this reading Now I stood on a mound of smashed brickwork, clay, and gravel, over which spread a multitude of red cactus-shaped plants, knee-high, without a solitary terrestrial growth to dispute their footing.

further

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

From this reading The trees near me were dead and brown, but further a network of red thread scaled the still living stems.

gravel

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

From this reading Now I stood on a mound of smashed brickwork, clay, and gravel, over which spread a multitude of red cactus-shaped plants, knee-high, without a solitary terrestrial growth to dispute their footing.

grew

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

From this reading The red weed grew tumultuously in their roofless rooms.

growth

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

From this reading Now I stood on a mound of smashed brickwork, clay, and gravel, over which spread a multitude of red cactus-shaped plants, knee-high, without a solitary terrestrial growth to dispute their footing.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading When I had last seen this part of Sheen in the daylight it had been a straggling street of comfortable white and red houses, interspersed with abundant shady trees.

houses

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

From this reading When I had last seen this part of Sheen in the daylight it had been a straggling street of comfortable white and red houses, interspersed with abundant shady trees.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading When I had last seen this part of Sheen in the daylight it had been a straggling street of comfortable white and red houses, interspersed with abundant shady trees.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading When I had last seen this part of Sheen in the daylight it had been a straggling street of comfortable white and red houses, interspersed with abundant shady trees.

interspersed

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

From this reading When I had last seen this part of Sheen in the daylight it had been a straggling street of comfortable white and red houses, interspersed with abundant shady trees.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading When I had last seen this part of Sheen in the daylight it had been a straggling street of comfortable white and red houses, interspersed with abundant shady trees.

knee-high

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

From this reading Now I stood on a mound of smashed brickwork, clay, and gravel, over which spread a multitude of red cactus-shaped plants, knee-high, without a solitary terrestrial growth to dispute their footing.

lastnounUS /last/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading When I had last seen this part of Sheen in the daylight it had been a straggling street of comfortable white and red houses, interspersed with abundant shady trees.

living

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

From this reading The trees near me were dead and brown, but further a network of red thread scaled the still living stems.

mepronounUS /miː/

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

From this reading The trees near me were dead and brown, but further a network of red thread scaled the still living stems.

mound

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

From this reading Now I stood on a mound of smashed brickwork, clay, and gravel, over which spread a multitude of red cactus-shaped plants, knee-high, without a solitary terrestrial growth to dispute their footing.

multitude

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

From this reading Now I stood on a mound of smashed brickwork, clay, and gravel, over which spread a multitude of red cactus-shaped plants, knee-high, without a solitary terrestrial growth to dispute their footing.

near

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

From this reading The trees near me were dead and brown, but further a network of red thread scaled the still living stems.

neighbouring

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

From this reading The neighbouring houses had all been wrecked, but none had been burned; their walls stood, sometimes to the second story, with smashed windows and shattered doors.

network

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

From this reading The trees near me were dead and brown, but further a network of red thread scaled the still living stems.

nonepronounUS /nʌn/

not one, and not any

From this reading The neighbouring houses had all been wrecked, but none had been burned; their walls stood, sometimes to the second story, with smashed windows and shattered doors.

Now

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

From this reading Now I stood on a mound of smashed brickwork, clay, and gravel, over which spread a multitude of red cactus-shaped plants, knee-high, without a solitary terrestrial growth to dispute their footing.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading When I had last seen this part of Sheen in the daylight it had been a straggling street of comfortable white and red houses, interspersed with abundant shady trees.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Now I stood on a mound of smashed brickwork, clay, and gravel, over which spread a multitude of red cactus-shaped plants, knee-high, without a solitary terrestrial growth to dispute their footing.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading Now I stood on a mound of smashed brickwork, clay, and gravel, over which spread a multitude of red cactus-shaped plants, knee-high, without a solitary terrestrial growth to dispute their footing.

partnounUS /part/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading When I had last seen this part of Sheen in the daylight it had been a straggling street of comfortable white and red houses, interspersed with abundant shady trees.

plants

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

From this reading Now I stood on a mound of smashed brickwork, clay, and gravel, over which spread a multitude of red cactus-shaped plants, knee-high, without a solitary terrestrial growth to dispute their footing.

red

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

From this reading When I had last seen this part of Sheen in the daylight it had been a straggling street of comfortable white and red houses, interspersed with abundant shady trees.

roofless

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

From this reading The red weed grew tumultuously in their roofless rooms.

rooms

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

From this reading The red weed grew tumultuously in their roofless rooms.

scaled

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

From this reading The trees near me were dead and brown, but further a network of red thread scaled the still living stems.

second

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

From this reading The neighbouring houses had all been wrecked, but none had been burned; their walls stood, sometimes to the second story, with smashed windows and shattered doors.

seenverbUS /siːn/

inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading When I had last seen this part of Sheen in the daylight it had been a straggling street of comfortable white and red houses, interspersed with abundant shady trees.

shady

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

From this reading When I had last seen this part of Sheen in the daylight it had been a straggling street of comfortable white and red houses, interspersed with abundant shady trees.

shattered

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

From this reading The neighbouring houses had all been wrecked, but none had been burned; their walls stood, sometimes to the second story, with smashed windows and shattered doors.

Sheen

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

From this reading When I had last seen this part of Sheen in the daylight it had been a straggling street of comfortable white and red houses, interspersed with abundant shady trees.

smashed

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

From this reading Now I stood on a mound of smashed brickwork, clay, and gravel, over which spread a multitude of red cactus-shaped plants, knee-high, without a solitary terrestrial growth to dispute their footing.

solitary

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

From this reading Now I stood on a mound of smashed brickwork, clay, and gravel, over which spread a multitude of red cactus-shaped plants, knee-high, without a solitary terrestrial growth to dispute their footing.

sometimes

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

From this reading The neighbouring houses had all been wrecked, but none had been burned; their walls stood, sometimes to the second story, with smashed windows and shattered doors.

spread

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

From this reading Now I stood on a mound of smashed brickwork, clay, and gravel, over which spread a multitude of red cactus-shaped plants, knee-high, without a solitary terrestrial growth to dispute their footing.

stems

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

From this reading The trees near me were dead and brown, but further a network of red thread scaled the still living stems.

stillnounUS /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The trees near me were dead and brown, but further a network of red thread scaled the still living stems.

stoodnounUS /stood/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Now I stood on a mound of smashed brickwork, clay, and gravel, over which spread a multitude of red cactus-shaped plants, knee-high, without a solitary terrestrial growth to dispute their footing.

story

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

From this reading The neighbouring houses had all been wrecked, but none had been burned; their walls stood, sometimes to the second story, with smashed windows and shattered doors.

straggling

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

From this reading When I had last seen this part of Sheen in the daylight it had been a straggling street of comfortable white and red houses, interspersed with abundant shady trees.

street

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

From this reading When I had last seen this part of Sheen in the daylight it had been a straggling street of comfortable white and red houses, interspersed with abundant shady trees.

terrestrial

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

From this reading Now I stood on a mound of smashed brickwork, clay, and gravel, over which spread a multitude of red cactus-shaped plants, knee-high, without a solitary terrestrial growth to dispute their footing.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading When I had last seen this part of Sheen in the daylight it had been a straggling street of comfortable white and red houses, interspersed with abundant shady trees.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Now I stood on a mound of smashed brickwork, clay, and gravel, over which spread a multitude of red cactus-shaped plants, knee-high, without a solitary terrestrial growth to dispute their footing.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading When I had last seen this part of Sheen in the daylight it had been a straggling street of comfortable white and red houses, interspersed with abundant shady trees.

thread

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

From this reading The trees near me were dead and brown, but further a network of red thread scaled the still living stems.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Now I stood on a mound of smashed brickwork, clay, and gravel, over which spread a multitude of red cactus-shaped plants, knee-high, without a solitary terrestrial growth to dispute their footing.

trees

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

From this reading When I had last seen this part of Sheen in the daylight it had been a straggling street of comfortable white and red houses, interspersed with abundant shady trees.

tumultuously

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

From this reading The red weed grew tumultuously in their roofless rooms.

walls

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

From this reading The neighbouring houses had all been wrecked, but none had been burned; their walls stood, sometimes to the second story, with smashed windows and shattered doors.

weed

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

From this reading The red weed grew tumultuously in their roofless rooms.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading The trees near me were dead and brown, but further a network of red thread scaled the still living stems.

WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading When I had last seen this part of Sheen in the daylight it had been a straggling street of comfortable white and red houses, interspersed with abundant shady trees.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading Now I stood on a mound of smashed brickwork, clay, and gravel, over which spread a multitude of red cactus-shaped plants, knee-high, without a solitary terrestrial growth to dispute their footing.

white

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

From this reading When I had last seen this part of Sheen in the daylight it had been a straggling street of comfortable white and red houses, interspersed with abundant shady trees.

windows

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

From this reading The neighbouring houses had all been wrecked, but none had been burned; their walls stood, sometimes to the second story, with smashed windows and shattered doors.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading When I had last seen this part of Sheen in the daylight it had been a straggling street of comfortable white and red houses, interspersed with abundant shady trees.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading Now I stood on a mound of smashed brickwork, clay, and gravel, over which spread a multitude of red cactus-shaped plants, knee-high, without a solitary terrestrial growth to dispute their footing.

wreckedadjectiveUS /rɛkt/

destroyed or damaged by shipwreck

From this reading The neighbouring houses had all been wrecked, but none had been burned; their walls stood, sometimes to the second story, with smashed windows and shattered doors.