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From the Earth to the Moon, Direct in Ninety-Seven Hours and Twenty Minutes
From the Earth to the Moon, Direct in Ninety-Seven Hours and Twenty Minutes

Chapter XXXIII

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Context Illustration Reading 1/34 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
HYPERBOLA OR PARABOLA.
We may, perhaps, be astonished to find Barbicane and his companions so little occupied with the future reserved for them in their metal prison which was bearing them through the infinity of space.
Instead of asking where they were going, they passed their time making experiments, as if they had been quietly installed in their own study.
We might answer that men so strong-minded were above such anxieties—that they did not trouble themselves about such trifles—and that they had something else to do than to occupy their minds with the future.
The truth was that they were not masters of their projectile; they could neither check its course, nor alter its direction.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

From the Earth to the Moon, Direct in Ninety-Seven Hours and Twenty Minutes

Chapter XXXIII

Reading 1/34 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
HYPERBOLA OR PARABOLA.
Line 2
We may, perhaps, be astonished to find Barbicane and his companions so little occupied with the future reserved for them in their metal prison which was bearing them through the infinity of space.
Line 3
Instead of asking where they were going, they passed their time making experiments, as if they had been quietly installed in their own study.
Line 4
We might answer that men so strong-minded were above such anxieties—that they did not trouble themselves about such trifles—and that they had something else to do than to occupy their minds with the future.
Line 5
The truth was that they were not masters of their projectile; they could neither check its course, nor alter its direction.

Learner Dictionary

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

About preposition US /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading “We might answer that men so strong-minded were above such anxieties—that they did not trouble themselves about such trifles—and that they had something else to do than to occupy their minds with the future.”

Above preposition US /əˈbʌv/

higher than, or over, something

From this reading “We might answer that men so strong-minded were above such anxieties—that they did not trouble themselves about such trifles—and that they had something else to do than to occupy their minds with the future.”

Astonished adjective US /əˈstɑːnɪʃt/

very surprised

From this reading “We may, perhaps, be astonished to find Barbicane and his companions so little occupied with the future reserved for them in their metal prison which was bearing them through the infinity of space.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “Instead of asking where they were going, they passed their time making experiments, as if they had been quietly installed in their own study.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading “The truth was that they were not masters of their projectile; they could neither check its course, nor alter its direction.”

Course noun US /course/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The truth was that they were not masters of their projectile; they could neither check its course, nor alter its direction.”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “We may, perhaps, be astonished to find Barbicane and his companions so little occupied with the future reserved for them in their metal prison which was bearing them through the infinity of space.”

May modal verb US /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading “We may, perhaps, be astonished to find Barbicane and his companions so little occupied with the future reserved for them in their metal prison which was bearing them through the infinity of space.”

Might modal verb US /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading “We might answer that men so strong-minded were above such anxieties—that they did not trouble themselves about such trifles—and that they had something else to do than to occupy their minds with the future.”

Neither determiner US /ˈniːðər/

not one and not the other of two

From this reading “The truth was that they were not masters of their projectile; they could neither check its course, nor alter its direction.”

Passed noun US /passed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Instead of asking where they were going, they passed their time making experiments, as if they had been quietly installed in their own study.”

Perhaps noun US /perhaps/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “We may, perhaps, be astonished to find Barbicane and his companions so little occupied with the future reserved for them in their metal prison which was bearing them through the infinity of space.”

Something pronoun US /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading “We might answer that men so strong-minded were above such anxieties—that they did not trouble themselves about such trifles—and that they had something else to do than to occupy their minds with the future.”

Themselves pronoun US /ðemˈselvz/

used when the people doing the action are also its object

From this reading “We might answer that men so strong-minded were above such anxieties—that they did not trouble themselves about such trifles—and that they had something else to do than to occupy their minds with the future.”

Through noun US /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading “We may, perhaps, be astonished to find Barbicane and his companions so little occupied with the future reserved for them in their metal prison which was bearing them through the infinity of space.”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Instead of asking where they were going, they passed their time making experiments, as if they had been quietly installed in their own study.”

All words in this reading · 83

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading We might answer that men so strong-minded were above such anxieties—that they did not trouble themselves about such trifles—and that they had something else to do than to occupy their minds with the future.

aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/

higher than, or over, something

From this reading We might answer that men so strong-minded were above such anxieties—that they did not trouble themselves about such trifles—and that they had something else to do than to occupy their minds with the future.

alter

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

From this reading The truth was that they were not masters of their projectile; they could neither check its course, nor alter its direction.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading We may, perhaps, be astonished to find Barbicane and his companions so little occupied with the future reserved for them in their metal prison which was bearing them through the infinity of space.

answer

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

From this reading We might answer that men so strong-minded were above such anxieties—that they did not trouble themselves about such trifles—and that they had something else to do than to occupy their minds with the future.

anxieties

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

From this reading We might answer that men so strong-minded were above such anxieties—that they did not trouble themselves about such trifles—and that they had something else to do than to occupy their minds with the future.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Instead of asking where they were going, they passed their time making experiments, as if they had been quietly installed in their own study.

asking

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

From this reading Instead of asking where they were going, they passed their time making experiments, as if they had been quietly installed in their own study.

astonishedadjectiveUS /əˈstɑːnɪʃt/

very surprised

From this reading We may, perhaps, be astonished to find Barbicane and his companions so little occupied with the future reserved for them in their metal prison which was bearing them through the infinity of space.

Barbicane

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

From this reading We may, perhaps, be astonished to find Barbicane and his companions so little occupied with the future reserved for them in their metal prison which was bearing them through the infinity of space.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading We may, perhaps, be astonished to find Barbicane and his companions so little occupied with the future reserved for them in their metal prison which was bearing them through the infinity of space.

bearing

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

From this reading We may, perhaps, be astonished to find Barbicane and his companions so little occupied with the future reserved for them in their metal prison which was bearing them through the infinity of space.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Instead of asking where they were going, they passed their time making experiments, as if they had been quietly installed in their own study.

check

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

From this reading The truth was that they were not masters of their projectile; they could neither check its course, nor alter its direction.

companions

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

From this reading We may, perhaps, be astonished to find Barbicane and his companions so little occupied with the future reserved for them in their metal prison which was bearing them through the infinity of space.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading The truth was that they were not masters of their projectile; they could neither check its course, nor alter its direction.

coursenounUS /course/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The truth was that they were not masters of their projectile; they could neither check its course, nor alter its direction.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

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

From this reading We might answer that men so strong-minded were above such anxieties—that they did not trouble themselves about such trifles—and that they had something else to do than to occupy their minds with the future.

direction

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

From this reading The truth was that they were not masters of their projectile; they could neither check its course, nor alter its direction.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading We might answer that men so strong-minded were above such anxieties—that they did not trouble themselves about such trifles—and that they had something else to do than to occupy their minds with the future.

else

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

From this reading We might answer that men so strong-minded were above such anxieties—that they did not trouble themselves about such trifles—and that they had something else to do than to occupy their minds with the future.

experiments

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

From this reading Instead of asking where they were going, they passed their time making experiments, as if they had been quietly installed in their own study.

find

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

From this reading We may, perhaps, be astonished to find Barbicane and his companions so little occupied with the future reserved for them in their metal prison which was bearing them through the infinity of space.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading We may, perhaps, be astonished to find Barbicane and his companions so little occupied with the future reserved for them in their metal prison which was bearing them through the infinity of space.

future

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

From this reading We may, perhaps, be astonished to find Barbicane and his companions so little occupied with the future reserved for them in their metal prison which was bearing them through the infinity of space.

going

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

From this reading Instead of asking where they were going, they passed their time making experiments, as if they had been quietly installed in their own study.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Instead of asking where they were going, they passed their time making experiments, as if they had been quietly installed in their own study.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading We may, perhaps, be astonished to find Barbicane and his companions so little occupied with the future reserved for them in their metal prison which was bearing them through the infinity of space.

HYPERBOLA

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

From this reading HYPERBOLA OR PARABOLA.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading Instead of asking where they were going, they passed their time making experiments, as if they had been quietly installed in their own study.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading We may, perhaps, be astonished to find Barbicane and his companions so little occupied with the future reserved for them in their metal prison which was bearing them through the infinity of space.

infinity

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

From this reading We may, perhaps, be astonished to find Barbicane and his companions so little occupied with the future reserved for them in their metal prison which was bearing them through the infinity of space.

installed

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

From this reading Instead of asking where they were going, they passed their time making experiments, as if they had been quietly installed in their own study.

Instead

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

From this reading Instead of asking where they were going, they passed their time making experiments, as if they had been quietly installed in their own study.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading The truth was that they were not masters of their projectile; they could neither check its course, nor alter its direction.

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading We may, perhaps, be astonished to find Barbicane and his companions so little occupied with the future reserved for them in their metal prison which was bearing them through the infinity of space.

making

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

From this reading Instead of asking where they were going, they passed their time making experiments, as if they had been quietly installed in their own study.

masters

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

From this reading The truth was that they were not masters of their projectile; they could neither check its course, nor alter its direction.

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading We may, perhaps, be astonished to find Barbicane and his companions so little occupied with the future reserved for them in their metal prison which was bearing them through the infinity of space.

men

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

From this reading We might answer that men so strong-minded were above such anxieties—that they did not trouble themselves about such trifles—and that they had something else to do than to occupy their minds with the future.

metal

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

From this reading We may, perhaps, be astonished to find Barbicane and his companions so little occupied with the future reserved for them in their metal prison which was bearing them through the infinity of space.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading We might answer that men so strong-minded were above such anxieties—that they did not trouble themselves about such trifles—and that they had something else to do than to occupy their minds with the future.

minds

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

From this reading We might answer that men so strong-minded were above such anxieties—that they did not trouble themselves about such trifles—and that they had something else to do than to occupy their minds with the future.

neitherdeterminerUS /ˈniːðər/

not one and not the other of two

From this reading The truth was that they were not masters of their projectile; they could neither check its course, nor alter its direction.

norconjunctionUS /nɔːr/

and not; used after a negative to add a second negative

From this reading The truth was that they were not masters of their projectile; they could neither check its course, nor alter its direction.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading We might answer that men so strong-minded were above such anxieties—that they did not trouble themselves about such trifles—and that they had something else to do than to occupy their minds with the future.

occupied

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

From this reading We may, perhaps, be astonished to find Barbicane and his companions so little occupied with the future reserved for them in their metal prison which was bearing them through the infinity of space.

occupy

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

From this reading We might answer that men so strong-minded were above such anxieties—that they did not trouble themselves about such trifles—and that they had something else to do than to occupy their minds with the future.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading We may, perhaps, be astonished to find Barbicane and his companions so little occupied with the future reserved for them in their metal prison which was bearing them through the infinity of space.

ORconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading HYPERBOLA OR PARABOLA.

own

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

From this reading Instead of asking where they were going, they passed their time making experiments, as if they had been quietly installed in their own study.

PARABOLA

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

From this reading HYPERBOLA OR PARABOLA.

passednounUS /passed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Instead of asking where they were going, they passed their time making experiments, as if they had been quietly installed in their own study.

perhaps

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

From this reading We may, perhaps, be astonished to find Barbicane and his companions so little occupied with the future reserved for them in their metal prison which was bearing them through the infinity of space.

prison

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

From this reading We may, perhaps, be astonished to find Barbicane and his companions so little occupied with the future reserved for them in their metal prison which was bearing them through the infinity of space.

projectile

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

From this reading The truth was that they were not masters of their projectile; they could neither check its course, nor alter its direction.

quietly

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

From this reading Instead of asking where they were going, they passed their time making experiments, as if they had been quietly installed in their own study.

reserved

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

From this reading We may, perhaps, be astonished to find Barbicane and his companions so little occupied with the future reserved for them in their metal prison which was bearing them through the infinity of space.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading We may, perhaps, be astonished to find Barbicane and his companions so little occupied with the future reserved for them in their metal prison which was bearing them through the infinity of space.

somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading We might answer that men so strong-minded were above such anxieties—that they did not trouble themselves about such trifles—and that they had something else to do than to occupy their minds with the future.

space

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

From this reading We may, perhaps, be astonished to find Barbicane and his companions so little occupied with the future reserved for them in their metal prison which was bearing them through the infinity of space.

strong-minded

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

From this reading We might answer that men so strong-minded were above such anxieties—that they did not trouble themselves about such trifles—and that they had something else to do than to occupy their minds with the future.

study

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

From this reading Instead of asking where they were going, they passed their time making experiments, as if they had been quietly installed in their own study.

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading We might answer that men so strong-minded were above such anxieties—that they did not trouble themselves about such trifles—and that they had something else to do than to occupy their minds with the future.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading We might answer that men so strong-minded were above such anxieties—that they did not trouble themselves about such trifles—and that they had something else to do than to occupy their minds with the future.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading We might answer that men so strong-minded were above such anxieties—that they did not trouble themselves about such trifles—and that they had something else to do than to occupy their minds with the future.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading We may, perhaps, be astonished to find Barbicane and his companions so little occupied with the future reserved for them in their metal prison which was bearing them through the infinity of space.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading We may, perhaps, be astonished to find Barbicane and his companions so little occupied with the future reserved for them in their metal prison which was bearing them through the infinity of space.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading We may, perhaps, be astonished to find Barbicane and his companions so little occupied with the future reserved for them in their metal prison which was bearing them through the infinity of space.

themselvespronounUS /ðemˈselvz/

used when the people doing the action are also its object

From this reading We might answer that men so strong-minded were above such anxieties—that they did not trouble themselves about such trifles—and that they had something else to do than to occupy their minds with the future.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading Instead of asking where they were going, they passed their time making experiments, as if they had been quietly installed in their own study.

throughnounUS /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading We may, perhaps, be astonished to find Barbicane and his companions so little occupied with the future reserved for them in their metal prison which was bearing them through the infinity of space.

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Instead of asking where they were going, they passed their time making experiments, as if they had been quietly installed in their own study.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading We may, perhaps, be astonished to find Barbicane and his companions so little occupied with the future reserved for them in their metal prison which was bearing them through the infinity of space.

trifles

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

From this reading We might answer that men so strong-minded were above such anxieties—that they did not trouble themselves about such trifles—and that they had something else to do than to occupy their minds with the future.

trouble

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

From this reading We might answer that men so strong-minded were above such anxieties—that they did not trouble themselves about such trifles—and that they had something else to do than to occupy their minds with the future.

truth

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

From this reading The truth was that they were not masters of their projectile; they could neither check its course, nor alter its direction.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading We may, perhaps, be astonished to find Barbicane and his companions so little occupied with the future reserved for them in their metal prison which was bearing them through the infinity of space.

WepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading We may, perhaps, be astonished to find Barbicane and his companions so little occupied with the future reserved for them in their metal prison which was bearing them through the infinity of space.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading Instead of asking where they were going, they passed their time making experiments, as if they had been quietly installed in their own study.

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading Instead of asking where they were going, they passed their time making experiments, as if they had been quietly installed in their own study.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading We may, perhaps, be astonished to find Barbicane and his companions so little occupied with the future reserved for them in their metal prison which was bearing them through the infinity of space.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading We may, perhaps, be astonished to find Barbicane and his companions so little occupied with the future reserved for them in their metal prison which was bearing them through the infinity of space.