Chapter XXII
MR. STARR’S CRUSHING DEFEAT. The old man, his month wide open in astonishment and dismay, presented a ludicrous spectacle. At first he seemed to be incapable of speech, but he managed to ejaculate, feebly: “‘Tain’t so--’tain’t so!”
Andy Gordon
Chapter XXII
English subtitles · tap any word to listen
1 / 5
MR.
STARR’S
CRUSHING
DEFEAT.
The
old
man,
his
month
wide
open
in
astonishment
and
dismay,
presented
a
ludicrous
spectacle.
At
first
he
seemed
to
be
incapable
of
speech,
but
he
managed
to
ejaculate,
feebly:
“‘Tain’t
so--’tain’t
so!”
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Line 1
MR.
Line 2
STARR’S
CRUSHING
DEFEAT.
Line 3
The
old
man,
his
month
wide
open
in
astonishment
and
dismay,
presented
a
ludicrous
spectacle.
Line 4
At
first
he
seemed
to
be
incapable
of
speech,
but
he
managed
to
ejaculate,
feebly:
Line 5
“‘Tain’t
so--’tain’t
so!”
Learner Dictionary
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.
First
noun
US /first/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “At first he seemed to be incapable of speech, but he managed to ejaculate, feebly:”
Open
verb
US /ˈoʊ.pən/
To move from a closed position.
From this reading “The old man, his month wide open in astonishment and dismay, presented a ludicrous spectacle.”
Seemed
noun
US /seemed/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “At first he seemed to be incapable of speech, but he managed to ejaculate, feebly:”
All words in this reading · 34
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 The old man, his month wide open in astonishment and dismay, presented a ludicrous spectacle.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The old man, his month wide open in astonishment and dismay, presented a ludicrous spectacle.
astonishment
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The old man, his month wide open in astonishment and dismay, presented a ludicrous spectacle.
AtprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At first he seemed to be incapable of speech, but he managed to ejaculate, feebly:
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading At first he seemed to be incapable of speech, but he managed to ejaculate, feebly:
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading At first he seemed to be incapable of speech, but he managed to ejaculate, feebly:
CRUSHING
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From this reading STARR’S CRUSHING DEFEAT.
DEFEAT
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From this reading STARR’S CRUSHING DEFEAT.
dismay
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From this reading The old man, his month wide open in astonishment and dismay, presented a ludicrous spectacle.
ejaculate
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From this reading At first he seemed to be incapable of speech, but he managed to ejaculate, feebly:
feebly
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From this reading At first he seemed to be incapable of speech, but he managed to ejaculate, feebly:
firstnounUS /first/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading At first he seemed to be incapable of speech, but he managed to ejaculate, feebly:
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading At first he seemed to be incapable of speech, but he managed to ejaculate, feebly:
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The old man, his month wide open in astonishment and dismay, presented a ludicrous spectacle.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The old man, his month wide open in astonishment and dismay, presented a ludicrous spectacle.
incapable
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At first he seemed to be incapable of speech, but he managed to ejaculate, feebly:
ludicrous
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The old man, his month wide open in astonishment and dismay, presented a ludicrous spectacle.
man
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From this reading The old man, his month wide open in astonishment and dismay, presented a ludicrous spectacle.
managed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At first he seemed to be incapable of speech, but he managed to ejaculate, feebly:
month
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The old man, his month wide open in astonishment and dismay, presented a ludicrous spectacle.
MR
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From this reading MR.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading At first he seemed to be incapable of speech, but he managed to ejaculate, feebly:
old
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The old man, his month wide open in astonishment and dismay, presented a ludicrous spectacle.
openverbUS /ˈoʊ.pən/
To move from a closed position.
From this reading The old man, his month wide open in astonishment and dismay, presented a ludicrous spectacle.
presented
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The old man, his month wide open in astonishment and dismay, presented a ludicrous spectacle.
seemednounUS /seemed/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading At first he seemed to be incapable of speech, but he managed to ejaculate, feebly:
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “‘Tain’t so--’tain’t so!”
spectacle
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The old man, his month wide open in astonishment and dismay, presented a ludicrous spectacle.
speech
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At first he seemed to be incapable of speech, but he managed to ejaculate, feebly:
STARR'S
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From this reading STARR’S CRUSHING DEFEAT.
Tain't
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From this reading “‘Tain’t so--’tain’t so!”
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The old man, his month wide open in astonishment and dismay, presented a ludicrous spectacle.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading At first he seemed to be incapable of speech, but he managed to ejaculate, feebly:
wide
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The old man, his month wide open in astonishment and dismay, presented a ludicrous spectacle.