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Jimbo: A Fantasy
Jimbo: A Fantasy

Chapter VII

Cover illustration for Jimbo: A Fantasy
Context Illustration Reading 1/36 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE SPELL OF THE EMPTY HOUSE It was not long before Jimbo realised that the House, and everything connected with it, spelt for him one message, and one only--a message of fear.
From the first day of his imprisonment the forces of his whole being shaped themselves without further ado into one intense, single, concentrated desire to _escape_.
Freedom, escape into the world beyond that terrible high wall, was his only object, and Miss Lake, the governess, as its symbol, was his only hope.
He asked a lot of questions and listened to a lot of answers, but all he really cared about was how he was going to escape, and when.
All her other explanations were tedious, and he only half-listened to them.
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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.

Jimbo: A Fantasy

Chapter VII

Reading 1/36 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE SPELL OF THE EMPTY HOUSE It was not long before Jimbo realised that the House, and everything connected with it, spelt for him one message, and one only--a message of fear.
Line 2
From the first day of his imprisonment the forces of his whole being shaped themselves without further ado into one intense, single, concentrated desire to _escape_.
Line 3
Freedom, escape into the world beyond that terrible high wall, was his only object, and Miss Lake, the governess, as its symbol, was his only hope.
Line 4
He asked a lot of questions and listened to a lot of answers, but all he really cared about was how he was going to escape, and when.
Line 5
All her other explanations were tedious, and he only half-listened to them.

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 “He asked a lot of questions and listened to a lot of answers, but all he really cared about was how he was going to escape, and when.”

Asked noun US /asked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He asked a lot of questions and listened to a lot of answers, but all he really cared about was how he was going to escape, and when.”

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “THE SPELL OF THE EMPTY HOUSE It was not long before Jimbo realised that the House, and everything connected with it, spelt for him one message, and one only--a message of fear.”

Being auxiliary verb US /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading “From the first day of his imprisonment the forces of his whole being shaped themselves without further ado into one intense, single, concentrated desire to _escape_.”

Beyond preposition US /bɪˈɑːnd/

on the far side of; further than

From this reading “Freedom, escape into the world beyond that terrible high wall, was his only object, and Miss Lake, the governess, as its symbol, was his only hope.”

Everything pronoun US /ˈevriθɪŋ/

all things; all of a situation

From this reading “THE SPELL OF THE EMPTY HOUSE It was not long before Jimbo realised that the House, and everything connected with it, spelt for him one message, and one only--a message of fear.”

First noun US /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “From the first day of his imprisonment the forces of his whole being shaped themselves without further ado into one intense, single, concentrated desire to _escape_.”

Long noun US /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “THE SPELL OF THE EMPTY HOUSE It was not long before Jimbo realised that the House, and everything connected with it, spelt for him one message, and one only--a message of fear.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “THE SPELL OF THE EMPTY HOUSE It was not long before Jimbo realised that the House, and everything connected with it, spelt for him one message, and one only--a message of fear.”

Terrible noun US /ˈterrible/

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

From this reading “Freedom, escape into the world beyond that terrible high wall, was his only object, and Miss Lake, the governess, as its symbol, was his only hope.”

Themselves pronoun US /ðemˈselvz/

used when the people doing the action are also its object

From this reading “From the first day of his imprisonment the forces of his whole being shaped themselves without further ado into one intense, single, concentrated desire to _escape_.”

Without preposition US /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading “From the first day of his imprisonment the forces of his whole being shaped themselves without further ado into one intense, single, concentrated desire to _escape_.”

All words in this reading · 80

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 THE SPELL OF THE EMPTY HOUSE It was not long before Jimbo realised that the House, and everything connected with it, spelt for him one message, and one only--a message of fear.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading He asked a lot of questions and listened to a lot of answers, but all he really cared about was how he was going to escape, and when.

ado

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

From this reading From the first day of his imprisonment the forces of his whole being shaped themselves without further ado into one intense, single, concentrated desire to _escape_.

all

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

From this reading He asked a lot of questions and listened to a lot of answers, but all he really cared about was how he was going to escape, and when.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading THE SPELL OF THE EMPTY HOUSE It was not long before Jimbo realised that the House, and everything connected with it, spelt for him one message, and one only--a message of fear.

answers

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

From this reading He asked a lot of questions and listened to a lot of answers, but all he really cared about was how he was going to escape, and when.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Freedom, escape into the world beyond that terrible high wall, was his only object, and Miss Lake, the governess, as its symbol, was his only hope.

askednounUS /asked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He asked a lot of questions and listened to a lot of answers, but all he really cared about was how he was going to escape, and when.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading THE SPELL OF THE EMPTY HOUSE It was not long before Jimbo realised that the House, and everything connected with it, spelt for him one message, and one only--a message of fear.

beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading From the first day of his imprisonment the forces of his whole being shaped themselves without further ado into one intense, single, concentrated desire to _escape_.

beyondprepositionUS /bɪˈɑːnd/

on the far side of; further than

From this reading Freedom, escape into the world beyond that terrible high wall, was his only object, and Miss Lake, the governess, as its symbol, was his only hope.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading He asked a lot of questions and listened to a lot of answers, but all he really cared about was how he was going to escape, and when.

cared

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

From this reading He asked a lot of questions and listened to a lot of answers, but all he really cared about was how he was going to escape, and when.

concentrated

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

From this reading From the first day of his imprisonment the forces of his whole being shaped themselves without further ado into one intense, single, concentrated desire to _escape_.

connected

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

From this reading THE SPELL OF THE EMPTY HOUSE It was not long before Jimbo realised that the House, and everything connected with it, spelt for him one message, and one only--a message of fear.

day

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

From this reading From the first day of his imprisonment the forces of his whole being shaped themselves without further ado into one intense, single, concentrated desire to _escape_.

desire

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

From this reading From the first day of his imprisonment the forces of his whole being shaped themselves without further ado into one intense, single, concentrated desire to _escape_.

EMPTY

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

From this reading THE SPELL OF THE EMPTY HOUSE It was not long before Jimbo realised that the House, and everything connected with it, spelt for him one message, and one only--a message of fear.

escape

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

From this reading From the first day of his imprisonment the forces of his whole being shaped themselves without further ado into one intense, single, concentrated desire to _escape_.

everythingpronounUS /ˈevriθɪŋ/

all things; all of a situation

From this reading THE SPELL OF THE EMPTY HOUSE It was not long before Jimbo realised that the House, and everything connected with it, spelt for him one message, and one only--a message of fear.

explanations

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

From this reading All her other explanations were tedious, and he only half-listened to them.

fear

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

From this reading THE SPELL OF THE EMPTY HOUSE It was not long before Jimbo realised that the House, and everything connected with it, spelt for him one message, and one only--a message of fear.

firstnounUS /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading From the first day of his imprisonment the forces of his whole being shaped themselves without further ado into one intense, single, concentrated desire to _escape_.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading THE SPELL OF THE EMPTY HOUSE It was not long before Jimbo realised that the House, and everything connected with it, spelt for him one message, and one only--a message of fear.

forces

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

From this reading From the first day of his imprisonment the forces of his whole being shaped themselves without further ado into one intense, single, concentrated desire to _escape_.

Freedom

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

From this reading Freedom, escape into the world beyond that terrible high wall, was his only object, and Miss Lake, the governess, as its symbol, was his only hope.

FromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading From the first day of his imprisonment the forces of his whole being shaped themselves without further ado into one intense, single, concentrated desire to _escape_.

further

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

From this reading From the first day of his imprisonment the forces of his whole being shaped themselves without further ado into one intense, single, concentrated desire to _escape_.

going

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

From this reading He asked a lot of questions and listened to a lot of answers, but all he really cared about was how he was going to escape, and when.

governess

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

From this reading Freedom, escape into the world beyond that terrible high wall, was his only object, and Miss Lake, the governess, as its symbol, was his only hope.

half-listened

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

From this reading All her other explanations were tedious, and he only half-listened to them.

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He asked a lot of questions and listened to a lot of answers, but all he really cared about was how he was going to escape, and when.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading All her other explanations were tedious, and he only half-listened to them.

high

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

From this reading Freedom, escape into the world beyond that terrible high wall, was his only object, and Miss Lake, the governess, as its symbol, was his only hope.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading THE SPELL OF THE EMPTY HOUSE It was not long before Jimbo realised that the House, and everything connected with it, spelt for him one message, and one only--a message of fear.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading From the first day of his imprisonment the forces of his whole being shaped themselves without further ado into one intense, single, concentrated desire to _escape_.

hope

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

From this reading Freedom, escape into the world beyond that terrible high wall, was his only object, and Miss Lake, the governess, as its symbol, was his only hope.

HOUSE

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

From this reading THE SPELL OF THE EMPTY HOUSE It was not long before Jimbo realised that the House, and everything connected with it, spelt for him one message, and one only--a message of fear.

how

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

From this reading He asked a lot of questions and listened to a lot of answers, but all he really cared about was how he was going to escape, and when.

imprisonment

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

From this reading From the first day of his imprisonment the forces of his whole being shaped themselves without further ado into one intense, single, concentrated desire to _escape_.

intense

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

From this reading From the first day of his imprisonment the forces of his whole being shaped themselves without further ado into one intense, single, concentrated desire to _escape_.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading From the first day of his imprisonment the forces of his whole being shaped themselves without further ado into one intense, single, concentrated desire to _escape_.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading THE SPELL OF THE EMPTY HOUSE It was not long before Jimbo realised that the House, and everything connected with it, spelt for him one message, and one only--a message of fear.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading Freedom, escape into the world beyond that terrible high wall, was his only object, and Miss Lake, the governess, as its symbol, was his only hope.

Jimbo

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

From this reading THE SPELL OF THE EMPTY HOUSE It was not long before Jimbo realised that the House, and everything connected with it, spelt for him one message, and one only--a message of fear.

Lake

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

From this reading Freedom, escape into the world beyond that terrible high wall, was his only object, and Miss Lake, the governess, as its symbol, was his only hope.

listened

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

From this reading He asked a lot of questions and listened to a lot of answers, but all he really cared about was how he was going to escape, and when.

longnounUS /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading THE SPELL OF THE EMPTY HOUSE It was not long before Jimbo realised that the House, and everything connected with it, spelt for him one message, and one only--a message of fear.

lot

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

From this reading He asked a lot of questions and listened to a lot of answers, but all he really cared about was how he was going to escape, and when.

message

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

From this reading THE SPELL OF THE EMPTY HOUSE It was not long before Jimbo realised that the House, and everything connected with it, spelt for him one message, and one only--a message of fear.

Miss

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

From this reading Freedom, escape into the world beyond that terrible high wall, was his only object, and Miss Lake, the governess, as its symbol, was his only hope.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading THE SPELL OF THE EMPTY HOUSE It was not long before Jimbo realised that the House, and everything connected with it, spelt for him one message, and one only--a message of fear.

object

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

From this reading Freedom, escape into the world beyond that terrible high wall, was his only object, and Miss Lake, the governess, as its symbol, was his only hope.

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE SPELL OF THE EMPTY HOUSE It was not long before Jimbo realised that the House, and everything connected with it, spelt for him one message, and one only--a message of fear.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading THE SPELL OF THE EMPTY HOUSE It was not long before Jimbo realised that the House, and everything connected with it, spelt for him one message, and one only--a message of fear.

only

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

From this reading THE SPELL OF THE EMPTY HOUSE It was not long before Jimbo realised that the House, and everything connected with it, spelt for him one message, and one only--a message of fear.

other

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

From this reading All her other explanations were tedious, and he only half-listened to them.

questions

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

From this reading He asked a lot of questions and listened to a lot of answers, but all he really cared about was how he was going to escape, and when.

realised

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

From this reading THE SPELL OF THE EMPTY HOUSE It was not long before Jimbo realised that the House, and everything connected with it, spelt for him one message, and one only--a message of fear.

really

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

From this reading He asked a lot of questions and listened to a lot of answers, but all he really cared about was how he was going to escape, and when.

shaped

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

From this reading From the first day of his imprisonment the forces of his whole being shaped themselves without further ado into one intense, single, concentrated desire to _escape_.

single

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

From this reading From the first day of his imprisonment the forces of his whole being shaped themselves without further ado into one intense, single, concentrated desire to _escape_.

SPELL

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

From this reading THE SPELL OF THE EMPTY HOUSE It was not long before Jimbo realised that the House, and everything connected with it, spelt for him one message, and one only--a message of fear.

spelt

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

From this reading THE SPELL OF THE EMPTY HOUSE It was not long before Jimbo realised that the House, and everything connected with it, spelt for him one message, and one only--a message of fear.

symbol

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

From this reading Freedom, escape into the world beyond that terrible high wall, was his only object, and Miss Lake, the governess, as its symbol, was his only hope.

tedious

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

From this reading All her other explanations were tedious, and he only half-listened to them.

terriblenounUS /ˈterrible/

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

From this reading Freedom, escape into the world beyond that terrible high wall, was his only object, and Miss Lake, the governess, as its symbol, was his only hope.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading THE SPELL OF THE EMPTY HOUSE It was not long before Jimbo realised that the House, and everything connected with it, spelt for him one message, and one only--a message of fear.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE SPELL OF THE EMPTY HOUSE It was not long before Jimbo realised that the House, and everything connected with it, spelt for him one message, and one only--a message of fear.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading All her other explanations were tedious, and he only half-listened to them.

themselvespronounUS /ðemˈselvz/

used when the people doing the action are also its object

From this reading From the first day of his imprisonment the forces of his whole being shaped themselves without further ado into one intense, single, concentrated desire to _escape_.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading From the first day of his imprisonment the forces of his whole being shaped themselves without further ado into one intense, single, concentrated desire to _escape_.

wall

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

From this reading Freedom, escape into the world beyond that terrible high wall, was his only object, and Miss Lake, the governess, as its symbol, was his only hope.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading THE SPELL OF THE EMPTY HOUSE It was not long before Jimbo realised that the House, and everything connected with it, spelt for him one message, and one only--a message of fear.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading All her other explanations were tedious, and he only half-listened to them.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading He asked a lot of questions and listened to a lot of answers, but all he really cared about was how he was going to escape, and when.

whole

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

From this reading From the first day of his imprisonment the forces of his whole being shaped themselves without further ado into one intense, single, concentrated desire to _escape_.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading THE SPELL OF THE EMPTY HOUSE It was not long before Jimbo realised that the House, and everything connected with it, spelt for him one message, and one only--a message of fear.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading From the first day of his imprisonment the forces of his whole being shaped themselves without further ado into one intense, single, concentrated desire to _escape_.

world

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

From this reading Freedom, escape into the world beyond that terrible high wall, was his only object, and Miss Lake, the governess, as its symbol, was his only hope.