Chapter III
"What was it?" "It was the cellar door." "Was it a burglar, do you think?" "Yes," I said, "of course it was. Did you suppose it was a Sunday-school superintendent?"
Chapters from My Autobiography
Chapter III
English subtitles · tap any word to listen
1 / 5
"What
was
it?"
"It
was
the
cellar
door."
"Was
it
a
burglar,
do
you
think?"
"Yes,"
I
said,
"of
course
it
was.
Did
you
suppose
it
was
a
Sunday-school
superintendent?"
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Line 1
"What
was
it?"
/wʌt wɑːz ɪt/
Line 2
"It
was
the
cellar
door."
Line 3
"Was
it
a
burglar,
do
you
think?"
/wɑːz ɪt ə ˈbɝː.ɡlɚ duː juː think/
Line 4
"Yes,"
I
said,
"of
course
it
was.
Line 5
Did
you
suppose
it
was
a
Sunday-school
superintendent?"
Learner Dictionary
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.
Burglar
noun
US /ˈbɝː.ɡlɚ/
A person who commits illegal entry into a building with intent to steal valuable treasures.
From this reading “"Was it a burglar, do you think?"”
Course
noun
US /course/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “"Yes," I said, "of course it was.”
Suppose
noun
US /ˈsuppose/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading “Did you suppose it was a Sunday-school superintendent?"”
Think
noun
US /think/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “"Was it a burglar, do you think?"”
All words in this reading · 20
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 "Was it a burglar, do you think?"
burglarnounUS /ˈbɝː.ɡlɚ/
A person who commits illegal entry into a building with intent to steal valuable treasures.
From this reading "Was it a burglar, do you think?"
cellar
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It was the cellar door."
coursenounUS /course/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading "Yes," I said, "of course it was.
Didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Did you suppose it was a Sunday-school superintendent?"
doauxiliary verbUS /duː/
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Was it a burglar, do you think?"
door
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It was the cellar door."
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Yes," I said, "of course it was.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "What was it?"
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Yes," I said, "of course it was.
said
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes," I said, "of course it was.
Sunday-school
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Did you suppose it was a Sunday-school superintendent?"
superintendent
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Did you suppose it was a Sunday-school superintendent?"
supposenounUS /ˈsuppose/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading Did you suppose it was a Sunday-school superintendent?"
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "It was the cellar door."
thinknounUS /think/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading "Was it a burglar, do you think?"
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What was it?"
WhatpronounUS /wʌt/
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What was it?"
Yes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes," I said, "of course it was.
youpronounUS /juː/
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Was it a burglar, do you think?"