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At the Sign of the Sword
At the Sign of the Sword

Chapter III

Cover illustration for At the Sign of the Sword
Context Illustration Reading 1/92 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Edmond, quite cool and determined, lay there firing away in the direction of the little puffs of grey smoke, which were hardly distinguishable behind the distant railway line.
It was his first experience of being under fire, and after the first few minutes he grew quite unconcerned, even though he saw that many of his comrades had, alas! been bowled over.
The primeval fury of the male beast bent on fighting, which seizes every man who is called upon to defend his life, had also seized him.
"They say that the French will be at Liege to-night," remarked the _onder-officier_ with the red moustache, in charge of the machine-gun.
"If they are, we will teach those German brutes a lesson.
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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.

At the Sign of the Sword

Chapter III

Reading 1/92 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Edmond, quite cool and determined, lay there firing away in the direction of the little puffs of grey smoke, which were hardly distinguishable behind the distant railway line.
Line 2
It was his first experience of being under fire, and after the first few minutes he grew quite unconcerned, even though he saw that many of his comrades had, alas! been bowled over.
Line 3
The primeval fury of the male beast bent on fighting, which seizes every man who is called upon to defend his life, had also seized him.
Line 4
"They say that the French will be at Liege to-night," remarked the _onder-officier_ with the red moustache, in charge of the machine-gun.
Line 5
"If they are, we will teach those German brutes a lesson.

Learner Dictionary

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

After preposition US /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading “It was his first experience of being under fire, and after the first few minutes he grew quite unconcerned, even though he saw that many of his comrades had, alas! been bowled over.”

Alas exclamation US /əˈlæs/

used to show sadness, pity, or regret

From this reading “It was his first experience of being under fire, and after the first few minutes he grew quite unconcerned, even though he saw that many of his comrades had, alas! been bowled over.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “It was his first experience of being under fire, and after the first few minutes he grew quite unconcerned, even though he saw that many of his comrades had, alas! been bowled over.”

Behind preposition US /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading “Edmond, quite cool and determined, lay there firing away in the direction of the little puffs of grey smoke, which were hardly distinguishable behind the distant railway line.”

Being auxiliary verb US /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading “It was his first experience of being under fire, and after the first few minutes he grew quite unconcerned, even though he saw that many of his comrades had, alas! been bowled over.”

Comrades noun US /ˈkɑːmrædz/

people who share difficult work or danger, especially soldiers

From this reading “It was his first experience of being under fire, and after the first few minutes he grew quite unconcerned, even though he saw that many of his comrades had, alas! been bowled over.”

Determined adjective US /dɪˈtɜrmɪnd/

having firmly decided to do something

From this reading “Edmond, quite cool and determined, lay there firing away in the direction of the little puffs of grey smoke, which were hardly distinguishable behind the distant railway line.”

Distant adjective US /ˈdɪstənt/

not friendly or close

From this reading “Edmond, quite cool and determined, lay there firing away in the direction of the little puffs of grey smoke, which were hardly distinguishable behind the distant railway line.”

Even noun US /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It was his first experience of being under fire, and after the first few minutes he grew quite unconcerned, even though he saw that many of his comrades had, alas! been bowled over.”

Every determiner US /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading “The primeval fury of the male beast bent on fighting, which seizes every man who is called upon to defend his life, had also seized him.”

First noun US /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It was his first experience of being under fire, and after the first few minutes he grew quite unconcerned, even though he saw that many of his comrades had, alas! been bowled over.”

Life noun US /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The primeval fury of the male beast bent on fighting, which seizes every man who is called upon to defend his life, had also seized him.”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Edmond, quite cool and determined, lay there firing away in the direction of the little puffs of grey smoke, which were hardly distinguishable behind the distant railway line.”

Over preposition US /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading “It was his first experience of being under fire, and after the first few minutes he grew quite unconcerned, even though he saw that many of his comrades had, alas! been bowled over.”

Quite noun US /quite/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Edmond, quite cool and determined, lay there firing away in the direction of the little puffs of grey smoke, which were hardly distinguishable behind the distant railway line.”

Those determiner US /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading “"If they are, we will teach those German brutes a lesson.”

Though conjunction US /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading “It was his first experience of being under fire, and after the first few minutes he grew quite unconcerned, even though he saw that many of his comrades had, alas! been bowled over.”

Under preposition US /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading “It was his first experience of being under fire, and after the first few minutes he grew quite unconcerned, even though he saw that many of his comrades had, alas! been bowled over.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “The primeval fury of the male beast bent on fighting, which seizes every man who is called upon to defend his life, had also seized him.”

All words in this reading · 94

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 "If they are, we will teach those German brutes a lesson.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading It was his first experience of being under fire, and after the first few minutes he grew quite unconcerned, even though he saw that many of his comrades had, alas! been bowled over.

alasexclamationUS /əˈlæs/

used to show sadness, pity, or regret

From this reading It was his first experience of being under fire, and after the first few minutes he grew quite unconcerned, even though he saw that many of his comrades had, alas! been bowled over.

also

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

From this reading The primeval fury of the male beast bent on fighting, which seizes every man who is called upon to defend his life, had also seized him.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Edmond, quite cool and determined, lay there firing away in the direction of the little puffs of grey smoke, which were hardly distinguishable behind the distant railway line.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading "If they are, we will teach those German brutes a lesson.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading "They say that the French will be at Liege to-night," remarked the _onder-officier_ with the red moustache, in charge of the machine-gun.

away

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

From this reading Edmond, quite cool and determined, lay there firing away in the direction of the little puffs of grey smoke, which were hardly distinguishable behind the distant railway line.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading "They say that the French will be at Liege to-night," remarked the _onder-officier_ with the red moustache, in charge of the machine-gun.

beast

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

From this reading The primeval fury of the male beast bent on fighting, which seizes every man who is called upon to defend his life, had also seized him.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading It was his first experience of being under fire, and after the first few minutes he grew quite unconcerned, even though he saw that many of his comrades had, alas! been bowled over.

behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading Edmond, quite cool and determined, lay there firing away in the direction of the little puffs of grey smoke, which were hardly distinguishable behind the distant railway line.

beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading It was his first experience of being under fire, and after the first few minutes he grew quite unconcerned, even though he saw that many of his comrades had, alas! been bowled over.

bent

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

From this reading The primeval fury of the male beast bent on fighting, which seizes every man who is called upon to defend his life, had also seized him.

bowled

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

From this reading It was his first experience of being under fire, and after the first few minutes he grew quite unconcerned, even though he saw that many of his comrades had, alas! been bowled over.

brutes

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

From this reading "If they are, we will teach those German brutes a lesson.

called

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

From this reading The primeval fury of the male beast bent on fighting, which seizes every man who is called upon to defend his life, had also seized him.

charge

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

From this reading "They say that the French will be at Liege to-night," remarked the _onder-officier_ with the red moustache, in charge of the machine-gun.

comradesnounUS /ˈkɑːmrædz/

people who share difficult work or danger, especially soldiers

From this reading It was his first experience of being under fire, and after the first few minutes he grew quite unconcerned, even though he saw that many of his comrades had, alas! been bowled over.

cool

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

From this reading Edmond, quite cool and determined, lay there firing away in the direction of the little puffs of grey smoke, which were hardly distinguishable behind the distant railway line.

defend

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

From this reading The primeval fury of the male beast bent on fighting, which seizes every man who is called upon to defend his life, had also seized him.

determinedadjectiveUS /dɪˈtɜrmɪnd/

having firmly decided to do something

From this reading Edmond, quite cool and determined, lay there firing away in the direction of the little puffs of grey smoke, which were hardly distinguishable behind the distant railway line.

direction

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

From this reading Edmond, quite cool and determined, lay there firing away in the direction of the little puffs of grey smoke, which were hardly distinguishable behind the distant railway line.

distantadjectiveUS /ˈdɪstənt/

not friendly or close

From this reading Edmond, quite cool and determined, lay there firing away in the direction of the little puffs of grey smoke, which were hardly distinguishable behind the distant railway line.

distinguishable

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

From this reading Edmond, quite cool and determined, lay there firing away in the direction of the little puffs of grey smoke, which were hardly distinguishable behind the distant railway line.

Edmond

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

From this reading Edmond, quite cool and determined, lay there firing away in the direction of the little puffs of grey smoke, which were hardly distinguishable behind the distant railway line.

evennounUS /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It was his first experience of being under fire, and after the first few minutes he grew quite unconcerned, even though he saw that many of his comrades had, alas! been bowled over.

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading The primeval fury of the male beast bent on fighting, which seizes every man who is called upon to defend his life, had also seized him.

experience

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

From this reading It was his first experience of being under fire, and after the first few minutes he grew quite unconcerned, even though he saw that many of his comrades had, alas! been bowled over.

few

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

From this reading It was his first experience of being under fire, and after the first few minutes he grew quite unconcerned, even though he saw that many of his comrades had, alas! been bowled over.

fighting

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

From this reading The primeval fury of the male beast bent on fighting, which seizes every man who is called upon to defend his life, had also seized him.

fire

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

From this reading It was his first experience of being under fire, and after the first few minutes he grew quite unconcerned, even though he saw that many of his comrades had, alas! been bowled over.

firing

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

From this reading Edmond, quite cool and determined, lay there firing away in the direction of the little puffs of grey smoke, which were hardly distinguishable behind the distant railway line.

firstnounUS /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It was his first experience of being under fire, and after the first few minutes he grew quite unconcerned, even though he saw that many of his comrades had, alas! been bowled over.

French

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

From this reading "They say that the French will be at Liege to-night," remarked the _onder-officier_ with the red moustache, in charge of the machine-gun.

fury

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

From this reading The primeval fury of the male beast bent on fighting, which seizes every man who is called upon to defend his life, had also seized him.

German

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

From this reading "If they are, we will teach those German brutes a lesson.

grew

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

From this reading It was his first experience of being under fire, and after the first few minutes he grew quite unconcerned, even though he saw that many of his comrades had, alas! been bowled over.

grey

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

From this reading Edmond, quite cool and determined, lay there firing away in the direction of the little puffs of grey smoke, which were hardly distinguishable behind the distant railway line.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading It was his first experience of being under fire, and after the first few minutes he grew quite unconcerned, even though he saw that many of his comrades had, alas! been bowled over.

hardly

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

From this reading Edmond, quite cool and determined, lay there firing away in the direction of the little puffs of grey smoke, which were hardly distinguishable behind the distant railway line.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading It was his first experience of being under fire, and after the first few minutes he grew quite unconcerned, even though he saw that many of his comrades had, alas! been bowled over.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading The primeval fury of the male beast bent on fighting, which seizes every man who is called upon to defend his life, had also seized him.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading It was his first experience of being under fire, and after the first few minutes he grew quite unconcerned, even though he saw that many of his comrades had, alas! been bowled over.

IfconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading "If they are, we will teach those German brutes a lesson.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Edmond, quite cool and determined, lay there firing away in the direction of the little puffs of grey smoke, which were hardly distinguishable behind the distant railway line.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading The primeval fury of the male beast bent on fighting, which seizes every man who is called upon to defend his life, had also seized him.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was his first experience of being under fire, and after the first few minutes he grew quite unconcerned, even though he saw that many of his comrades had, alas! been bowled over.

lay

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

From this reading Edmond, quite cool and determined, lay there firing away in the direction of the little puffs of grey smoke, which were hardly distinguishable behind the distant railway line.

lesson

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

From this reading "If they are, we will teach those German brutes a lesson.

Liege

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

From this reading "They say that the French will be at Liege to-night," remarked the _onder-officier_ with the red moustache, in charge of the machine-gun.

lifenounUS /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The primeval fury of the male beast bent on fighting, which seizes every man who is called upon to defend his life, had also seized him.

line

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

From this reading Edmond, quite cool and determined, lay there firing away in the direction of the little puffs of grey smoke, which were hardly distinguishable behind the distant railway line.

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Edmond, quite cool and determined, lay there firing away in the direction of the little puffs of grey smoke, which were hardly distinguishable behind the distant railway line.

machine-gun

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

From this reading "They say that the French will be at Liege to-night," remarked the _onder-officier_ with the red moustache, in charge of the machine-gun.

male

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

From this reading The primeval fury of the male beast bent on fighting, which seizes every man who is called upon to defend his life, had also seized him.

man

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

From this reading The primeval fury of the male beast bent on fighting, which seizes every man who is called upon to defend his life, had also seized him.

many

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

From this reading It was his first experience of being under fire, and after the first few minutes he grew quite unconcerned, even though he saw that many of his comrades had, alas! been bowled over.

minutes

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

From this reading It was his first experience of being under fire, and after the first few minutes he grew quite unconcerned, even though he saw that many of his comrades had, alas! been bowled over.

moustache

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

From this reading "They say that the French will be at Liege to-night," remarked the _onder-officier_ with the red moustache, in charge of the machine-gun.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Edmond, quite cool and determined, lay there firing away in the direction of the little puffs of grey smoke, which were hardly distinguishable behind the distant railway line.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The primeval fury of the male beast bent on fighting, which seizes every man who is called upon to defend his life, had also seized him.

onder-officier

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

From this reading "They say that the French will be at Liege to-night," remarked the _onder-officier_ with the red moustache, in charge of the machine-gun.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading It was his first experience of being under fire, and after the first few minutes he grew quite unconcerned, even though he saw that many of his comrades had, alas! been bowled over.

primeval

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

From this reading The primeval fury of the male beast bent on fighting, which seizes every man who is called upon to defend his life, had also seized him.

puffs

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

From this reading Edmond, quite cool and determined, lay there firing away in the direction of the little puffs of grey smoke, which were hardly distinguishable behind the distant railway line.

quitenounUS /quite/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Edmond, quite cool and determined, lay there firing away in the direction of the little puffs of grey smoke, which were hardly distinguishable behind the distant railway line.

railway

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

From this reading Edmond, quite cool and determined, lay there firing away in the direction of the little puffs of grey smoke, which were hardly distinguishable behind the distant railway line.

red

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

From this reading "They say that the French will be at Liege to-night," remarked the _onder-officier_ with the red moustache, in charge of the machine-gun.

remarked

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

From this reading "They say that the French will be at Liege to-night," remarked the _onder-officier_ with the red moustache, in charge of the machine-gun.

saw

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

From this reading It was his first experience of being under fire, and after the first few minutes he grew quite unconcerned, even though he saw that many of his comrades had, alas! been bowled over.

say

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

From this reading "They say that the French will be at Liege to-night," remarked the _onder-officier_ with the red moustache, in charge of the machine-gun.

seized

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

From this reading The primeval fury of the male beast bent on fighting, which seizes every man who is called upon to defend his life, had also seized him.

seizes

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

From this reading The primeval fury of the male beast bent on fighting, which seizes every man who is called upon to defend his life, had also seized him.

smoke

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

From this reading Edmond, quite cool and determined, lay there firing away in the direction of the little puffs of grey smoke, which were hardly distinguishable behind the distant railway line.

teach

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

From this reading "If they are, we will teach those German brutes a lesson.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading It was his first experience of being under fire, and after the first few minutes he grew quite unconcerned, even though he saw that many of his comrades had, alas! been bowled over.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Edmond, quite cool and determined, lay there firing away in the direction of the little puffs of grey smoke, which were hardly distinguishable behind the distant railway line.

there

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

From this reading Edmond, quite cool and determined, lay there firing away in the direction of the little puffs of grey smoke, which were hardly distinguishable behind the distant railway line.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading "They say that the French will be at Liege to-night," remarked the _onder-officier_ with the red moustache, in charge of the machine-gun.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading "If they are, we will teach those German brutes a lesson.

thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading It was his first experience of being under fire, and after the first few minutes he grew quite unconcerned, even though he saw that many of his comrades had, alas! been bowled over.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The primeval fury of the male beast bent on fighting, which seizes every man who is called upon to defend his life, had also seized him.

to-night

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

From this reading "They say that the French will be at Liege to-night," remarked the _onder-officier_ with the red moustache, in charge of the machine-gun.

unconcerned

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

From this reading It was his first experience of being under fire, and after the first few minutes he grew quite unconcerned, even though he saw that many of his comrades had, alas! been bowled over.

underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading It was his first experience of being under fire, and after the first few minutes he grew quite unconcerned, even though he saw that many of his comrades had, alas! been bowled over.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading The primeval fury of the male beast bent on fighting, which seizes every man who is called upon to defend his life, had also seized him.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading It was his first experience of being under fire, and after the first few minutes he grew quite unconcerned, even though he saw that many of his comrades had, alas! been bowled over.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading "If they are, we will teach those German brutes a lesson.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading Edmond, quite cool and determined, lay there firing away in the direction of the little puffs of grey smoke, which were hardly distinguishable behind the distant railway line.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading Edmond, quite cool and determined, lay there firing away in the direction of the little puffs of grey smoke, which were hardly distinguishable behind the distant railway line.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading The primeval fury of the male beast bent on fighting, which seizes every man who is called upon to defend his life, had also seized him.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading "They say that the French will be at Liege to-night," remarked the _onder-officier_ with the red moustache, in charge of the machine-gun.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading "They say that the French will be at Liege to-night," remarked the _onder-officier_ with the red moustache, in charge of the machine-gun.