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Dikes and Ditches

Chapter VI

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Context Illustration Reading 1/45 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
PROFESSOR HAMBLIN CHANGES HIS MIND.
Professor Hamblin went on deck, walked up and down, and made himself as miserable as possible.
He was the senior instructor of the Josephine, and was the superintendent of her academic department.
He had been a schoolmaster or a professor for forty years, and was fully steeped in the dogmatism of the pedagogue.
He was disposed to be overbearing and tyrannical, though perhaps his profession, rather than his nature, had implanted this tendency in his character.
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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.

Dikes and Ditches

Chapter VI

Reading 1/45 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
PROFESSOR HAMBLIN CHANGES HIS MIND.
Line 2
Professor Hamblin went on deck, walked up and down, and made himself as miserable as possible.
Line 3
He was the senior instructor of the Josephine, and was the superintendent of her academic department.
Line 4
He had been a schoolmaster or a professor for forty years, and was fully steeped in the dogmatism of the pedagogue.
Line 5
He was disposed to be overbearing and tyrannical, though perhaps his profession, rather than his nature, had implanted this tendency in his character.

Learner Dictionary

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

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “He had been a schoolmaster or a professor for forty years, and was fully steeped in the dogmatism of the pedagogue.”

Disposed noun US /ˈdisposed/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “He was disposed to be overbearing and tyrannical, though perhaps his profession, rather than his nature, had implanted this tendency in his character.”

Himself pronoun US /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading “Professor Hamblin went on deck, walked up and down, and made himself as miserable as possible.”

MIND noun US /mind/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “PROFESSOR HAMBLIN CHANGES HIS MIND.”

Perhaps noun US /perhaps/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He was disposed to be overbearing and tyrannical, though perhaps his profession, rather than his nature, had implanted this tendency in his character.”

Though conjunction US /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading “He was disposed to be overbearing and tyrannical, though perhaps his profession, rather than his nature, had implanted this tendency in his character.”

Went noun US /went/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Professor Hamblin went on deck, walked up and down, and made himself as miserable as possible.”

All words in this reading · 56

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 He had been a schoolmaster or a professor for forty years, and was fully steeped in the dogmatism of the pedagogue.

academic

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

From this reading He was the senior instructor of the Josephine, and was the superintendent of her academic department.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Professor Hamblin went on deck, walked up and down, and made himself as miserable as possible.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Professor Hamblin went on deck, walked up and down, and made himself as miserable as possible.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading He was disposed to be overbearing and tyrannical, though perhaps his profession, rather than his nature, had implanted this tendency in his character.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading He had been a schoolmaster or a professor for forty years, and was fully steeped in the dogmatism of the pedagogue.

CHANGES

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

From this reading PROFESSOR HAMBLIN CHANGES HIS MIND.

character

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

From this reading He was disposed to be overbearing and tyrannical, though perhaps his profession, rather than his nature, had implanted this tendency in his character.

deck

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

From this reading Professor Hamblin went on deck, walked up and down, and made himself as miserable as possible.

department

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

From this reading He was the senior instructor of the Josephine, and was the superintendent of her academic department.

disposednounUS /ˈdisposed/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading He was disposed to be overbearing and tyrannical, though perhaps his profession, rather than his nature, had implanted this tendency in his character.

dogmatism

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

From this reading He had been a schoolmaster or a professor for forty years, and was fully steeped in the dogmatism of the pedagogue.

down

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

From this reading Professor Hamblin went on deck, walked up and down, and made himself as miserable as possible.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading He had been a schoolmaster or a professor for forty years, and was fully steeped in the dogmatism of the pedagogue.

forty

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

From this reading He had been a schoolmaster or a professor for forty years, and was fully steeped in the dogmatism of the pedagogue.

fully

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

From this reading He had been a schoolmaster or a professor for forty years, and was fully steeped in the dogmatism of the pedagogue.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading He had been a schoolmaster or a professor for forty years, and was fully steeped in the dogmatism of the pedagogue.

HAMBLIN

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

From this reading PROFESSOR HAMBLIN CHANGES HIS MIND.

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He was the senior instructor of the Josephine, and was the superintendent of her academic department.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading He was the senior instructor of the Josephine, and was the superintendent of her academic department.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading Professor Hamblin went on deck, walked up and down, and made himself as miserable as possible.

HISdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading PROFESSOR HAMBLIN CHANGES HIS MIND.

implanted

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

From this reading He was disposed to be overbearing and tyrannical, though perhaps his profession, rather than his nature, had implanted this tendency in his character.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading He had been a schoolmaster or a professor for forty years, and was fully steeped in the dogmatism of the pedagogue.

instructor

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

From this reading He was the senior instructor of the Josephine, and was the superintendent of her academic department.

Josephine

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

From this reading He was the senior instructor of the Josephine, and was the superintendent of her academic department.

made

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

From this reading Professor Hamblin went on deck, walked up and down, and made himself as miserable as possible.

MINDnounUS /mind/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading PROFESSOR HAMBLIN CHANGES HIS MIND.

miserable

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

From this reading Professor Hamblin went on deck, walked up and down, and made himself as miserable as possible.

nature

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

From this reading He was disposed to be overbearing and tyrannical, though perhaps his profession, rather than his nature, had implanted this tendency in his character.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading He was the senior instructor of the Josephine, and was the superintendent of her academic department.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Professor Hamblin went on deck, walked up and down, and made himself as miserable as possible.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading He had been a schoolmaster or a professor for forty years, and was fully steeped in the dogmatism of the pedagogue.

overbearing

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

From this reading He was disposed to be overbearing and tyrannical, though perhaps his profession, rather than his nature, had implanted this tendency in his character.

pedagogue

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

From this reading He had been a schoolmaster or a professor for forty years, and was fully steeped in the dogmatism of the pedagogue.

perhaps

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

From this reading He was disposed to be overbearing and tyrannical, though perhaps his profession, rather than his nature, had implanted this tendency in his character.

possible

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

From this reading Professor Hamblin went on deck, walked up and down, and made himself as miserable as possible.

profession

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

From this reading He was disposed to be overbearing and tyrannical, though perhaps his profession, rather than his nature, had implanted this tendency in his character.

PROFESSOR

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

From this reading PROFESSOR HAMBLIN CHANGES HIS MIND.

rather

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

From this reading He was disposed to be overbearing and tyrannical, though perhaps his profession, rather than his nature, had implanted this tendency in his character.

schoolmaster

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

From this reading He had been a schoolmaster or a professor for forty years, and was fully steeped in the dogmatism of the pedagogue.

senior

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

From this reading He was the senior instructor of the Josephine, and was the superintendent of her academic department.

steeped

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

From this reading He had been a schoolmaster or a professor for forty years, and was fully steeped in the dogmatism of the pedagogue.

superintendent

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

From this reading He was the senior instructor of the Josephine, and was the superintendent of her academic department.

tendency

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

From this reading He was disposed to be overbearing and tyrannical, though perhaps his profession, rather than his nature, had implanted this tendency in his character.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading He was disposed to be overbearing and tyrannical, though perhaps his profession, rather than his nature, had implanted this tendency in his character.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading He was the senior instructor of the Josephine, and was the superintendent of her academic department.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading He was disposed to be overbearing and tyrannical, though perhaps his profession, rather than his nature, had implanted this tendency in his character.

thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading He was disposed to be overbearing and tyrannical, though perhaps his profession, rather than his nature, had implanted this tendency in his character.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading He was disposed to be overbearing and tyrannical, though perhaps his profession, rather than his nature, had implanted this tendency in his character.

tyrannical

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

From this reading He was disposed to be overbearing and tyrannical, though perhaps his profession, rather than his nature, had implanted this tendency in his character.

up

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

From this reading Professor Hamblin went on deck, walked up and down, and made himself as miserable as possible.

walked

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

From this reading Professor Hamblin went on deck, walked up and down, and made himself as miserable as possible.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading He was the senior instructor of the Josephine, and was the superintendent of her academic department.

wentnounUS /went/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Professor Hamblin went on deck, walked up and down, and made himself as miserable as possible.

years

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

From this reading He had been a schoolmaster or a professor for forty years, and was fully steeped in the dogmatism of the pedagogue.