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Down the River
Down the River

Chapter XIV

Cover illustration for Down the River
Context Illustration Reading 1/32 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
WHO ROBBED THE MAIL.
"Where on airth have you been?" said Mrs. Fishley, chiming in with her husband; and if I had not realized before, I did now, that the squire had actually gone home.
"I haven't been a great ways," I replied.
As the fact of my absence, rather than where I had been, was the great grievance with my tyrants, I concluded not to tell them in what precise locality I had spent the forenoon.
The old order of things was fully restored.
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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.

Down the River

Chapter XIV

Reading 1/32 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
WHO ROBBED THE MAIL.
Line 2
"Where on airth have you been?" said Mrs. Fishley, chiming in with her husband; and if I had not realized before, I did now, that the squire had actually gone home.
Line 3
"I haven't been a great ways," I replied.
Line 4
As the fact of my absence, rather than where I had been, was the great grievance with my tyrants, I concluded not to tell them in what precise locality I had spent the forenoon.
Line 5
The old order of things was fully restored.

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 “"Where on airth have you been?" said Mrs. Fishley, chiming in with her husband; and if I had not realized before, I did now, that the squire had actually gone home.”

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “"Where on airth have you been?" said Mrs. Fishley, chiming in with her husband; and if I had not realized before, I did now, that the squire had actually gone home.”

Great noun US /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “"I haven't been a great ways," I replied.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “"Where on airth have you been?" said Mrs. Fishley, chiming in with her husband; and if I had not realized before, I did now, that the squire had actually gone home.”

Order noun US /order/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The old order of things was fully restored.”

Replied noun US /replied/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “"I haven't been a great ways," I replied.”

Tell noun US /tell/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “As the fact of my absence, rather than where I had been, was the great grievance with my tyrants, I concluded not to tell them in what precise locality I had spent the forenoon.”

All words in this reading · 61

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 "I haven't been a great ways," I replied.

absence

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

From this reading As the fact of my absence, rather than where I had been, was the great grievance with my tyrants, I concluded not to tell them in what precise locality I had spent the forenoon.

actually

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

From this reading "Where on airth have you been?" said Mrs. Fishley, chiming in with her husband; and if I had not realized before, I did now, that the squire had actually gone home.

airth

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

From this reading "Where on airth have you been?" said Mrs. Fishley, chiming in with her husband; and if I had not realized before, I did now, that the squire had actually gone home.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading "Where on airth have you been?" said Mrs. Fishley, chiming in with her husband; and if I had not realized before, I did now, that the squire had actually gone home.

AsconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading As the fact of my absence, rather than where I had been, was the great grievance with my tyrants, I concluded not to tell them in what precise locality I had spent the forenoon.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading "Where on airth have you been?" said Mrs. Fishley, chiming in with her husband; and if I had not realized before, I did now, that the squire had actually gone home.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading "Where on airth have you been?" said Mrs. Fishley, chiming in with her husband; and if I had not realized before, I did now, that the squire had actually gone home.

chiming

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

From this reading "Where on airth have you been?" said Mrs. Fishley, chiming in with her husband; and if I had not realized before, I did now, that the squire had actually gone home.

concluded

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

From this reading As the fact of my absence, rather than where I had been, was the great grievance with my tyrants, I concluded not to tell them in what precise locality I had spent the forenoon.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading "Where on airth have you been?" said Mrs. Fishley, chiming in with her husband; and if I had not realized before, I did now, that the squire had actually gone home.

fact

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

From this reading As the fact of my absence, rather than where I had been, was the great grievance with my tyrants, I concluded not to tell them in what precise locality I had spent the forenoon.

Fishley

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

From this reading "Where on airth have you been?" said Mrs. Fishley, chiming in with her husband; and if I had not realized before, I did now, that the squire had actually gone home.

forenoon

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

From this reading As the fact of my absence, rather than where I had been, was the great grievance with my tyrants, I concluded not to tell them in what precise locality I had spent the forenoon.

fully

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

From this reading The old order of things was fully restored.

gone

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

From this reading "Where on airth have you been?" said Mrs. Fishley, chiming in with her husband; and if I had not realized before, I did now, that the squire had actually gone home.

greatnounUS /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading "I haven't been a great ways," I replied.

grievance

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

From this reading As the fact of my absence, rather than where I had been, was the great grievance with my tyrants, I concluded not to tell them in what precise locality I had spent the forenoon.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading "Where on airth have you been?" said Mrs. Fishley, chiming in with her husband; and if I had not realized before, I did now, that the squire had actually gone home.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "Where on airth have you been?" said Mrs. Fishley, chiming in with her husband; and if I had not realized before, I did now, that the squire had actually gone home.

haven't

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

From this reading "I haven't been a great ways," I replied.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading "Where on airth have you been?" said Mrs. Fishley, chiming in with her husband; and if I had not realized before, I did now, that the squire had actually gone home.

home

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

From this reading "Where on airth have you been?" said Mrs. Fishley, chiming in with her husband; and if I had not realized before, I did now, that the squire had actually gone home.

husband

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

From this reading "Where on airth have you been?" said Mrs. Fishley, chiming in with her husband; and if I had not realized before, I did now, that the squire had actually gone home.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading "Where on airth have you been?" said Mrs. Fishley, chiming in with her husband; and if I had not realized before, I did now, that the squire had actually gone home.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading "Where on airth have you been?" said Mrs. Fishley, chiming in with her husband; and if I had not realized before, I did now, that the squire had actually gone home.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading "Where on airth have you been?" said Mrs. Fishley, chiming in with her husband; and if I had not realized before, I did now, that the squire had actually gone home.

locality

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

From this reading As the fact of my absence, rather than where I had been, was the great grievance with my tyrants, I concluded not to tell them in what precise locality I had spent the forenoon.

MAIL

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

From this reading WHO ROBBED THE MAIL.

Mrs

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

From this reading "Where on airth have you been?" said Mrs. Fishley, chiming in with her husband; and if I had not realized before, I did now, that the squire had actually gone home.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading As the fact of my absence, rather than where I had been, was the great grievance with my tyrants, I concluded not to tell them in what precise locality I had spent the forenoon.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading "Where on airth have you been?" said Mrs. Fishley, chiming in with her husband; and if I had not realized before, I did now, that the squire had actually gone home.

now

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

From this reading "Where on airth have you been?" said Mrs. Fishley, chiming in with her husband; and if I had not realized before, I did now, that the squire had actually gone home.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading As the fact of my absence, rather than where I had been, was the great grievance with my tyrants, I concluded not to tell them in what precise locality I had spent the forenoon.

old

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

From this reading The old order of things was fully restored.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading "Where on airth have you been?" said Mrs. Fishley, chiming in with her husband; and if I had not realized before, I did now, that the squire had actually gone home.

ordernounUS /order/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The old order of things was fully restored.

precise

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

From this reading As the fact of my absence, rather than where I had been, was the great grievance with my tyrants, I concluded not to tell them in what precise locality I had spent the forenoon.

rather

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

From this reading As the fact of my absence, rather than where I had been, was the great grievance with my tyrants, I concluded not to tell them in what precise locality I had spent the forenoon.

realized

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

From this reading "Where on airth have you been?" said Mrs. Fishley, chiming in with her husband; and if I had not realized before, I did now, that the squire had actually gone home.

repliednounUS /replied/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading "I haven't been a great ways," I replied.

restored

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

From this reading The old order of things was fully restored.

ROBBED

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

From this reading WHO ROBBED THE MAIL.

said

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

From this reading "Where on airth have you been?" said Mrs. Fishley, chiming in with her husband; and if I had not realized before, I did now, that the squire had actually gone home.

spent

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

From this reading As the fact of my absence, rather than where I had been, was the great grievance with my tyrants, I concluded not to tell them in what precise locality I had spent the forenoon.

squire

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

From this reading "Where on airth have you been?" said Mrs. Fishley, chiming in with her husband; and if I had not realized before, I did now, that the squire had actually gone home.

tellnounUS /tell/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading As the fact of my absence, rather than where I had been, was the great grievance with my tyrants, I concluded not to tell them in what precise locality I had spent the forenoon.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading As the fact of my absence, rather than where I had been, was the great grievance with my tyrants, I concluded not to tell them in what precise locality I had spent the forenoon.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "Where on airth have you been?" said Mrs. Fishley, chiming in with her husband; and if I had not realized before, I did now, that the squire had actually gone home.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading WHO ROBBED THE MAIL.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading As the fact of my absence, rather than where I had been, was the great grievance with my tyrants, I concluded not to tell them in what precise locality I had spent the forenoon.

things

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

From this reading The old order of things was fully restored.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading As the fact of my absence, rather than where I had been, was the great grievance with my tyrants, I concluded not to tell them in what precise locality I had spent the forenoon.

tyrants

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

From this reading As the fact of my absence, rather than where I had been, was the great grievance with my tyrants, I concluded not to tell them in what precise locality I had spent the forenoon.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading As the fact of my absence, rather than where I had been, was the great grievance with my tyrants, I concluded not to tell them in what precise locality I had spent the forenoon.

ways

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

From this reading "I haven't been a great ways," I replied.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading As the fact of my absence, rather than where I had been, was the great grievance with my tyrants, I concluded not to tell them in what precise locality I had spent the forenoon.

WhereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading "Where on airth have you been?" said Mrs. Fishley, chiming in with her husband; and if I had not realized before, I did now, that the squire had actually gone home.

WHOpronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading WHO ROBBED THE MAIL.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading "Where on airth have you been?" said Mrs. Fishley, chiming in with her husband; and if I had not realized before, I did now, that the squire had actually gone home.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "Where on airth have you been?" said Mrs. Fishley, chiming in with her husband; and if I had not realized before, I did now, that the squire had actually gone home.