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Jimmie Higgins
Jimmie Higgins

Chapter V

Cover illustration for Jimmie Higgins
Context Illustration Reading 1/42 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
JIMMIE HIGGINS HELPS THE KAISER I Jimmie Higgins regarded with the utmost resentment the determination of the war to come to Leesville, in spite of all his labours to keep it out.
Take the most preposterous thing you could imagine--the most idiotic thing on the face of the earth--take German spies!
When Jimmie heard people talking about German spies, he laughed in their faces, he told them they were a bunch of fools, they belonged in the nursery; for Jimmie classed German spies with goblins, witches and sea-serpents.
And here suddenly the bewildered little man found himself in the midst of a German spy mania, the like of which he could never have dreamed!
Everybody seemed to take it for granted that the Empire Machine Shops had been burned by German agents; they just knew it, and by the time the fire was out they had a hundred various stories to support their conviction.
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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.

Jimmie Higgins

Chapter V

Reading 1/42 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
JIMMIE HIGGINS HELPS THE KAISER I Jimmie Higgins regarded with the utmost resentment the determination of the war to come to Leesville, in spite of all his labours to keep it out.
Line 2
Take the most preposterous thing you could imagine--the most idiotic thing on the face of the earth--take German spies!
Line 3
When Jimmie heard people talking about German spies, he laughed in their faces, he told them they were a bunch of fools, they belonged in the nursery; for Jimmie classed German spies with goblins, witches and sea-serpents.
Line 4
And here suddenly the bewildered little man found himself in the midst of a German spy mania, the like of which he could never have dreamed!
Line 5
Everybody seemed to take it for granted that the Empire Machine Shops had been burned by German agents; they just knew it, and by the time the fire was out they had a hundred various stories to support their conviction.

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 “When Jimmie heard people talking about German spies, he laughed in their faces, he told them they were a bunch of fools, they belonged in the nursery; for Jimmie classed German spies with goblins, witches and sea-serpents.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “Everybody seemed to take it for granted that the Empire Machine Shops had been burned by German agents; they just knew it, and by the time the fire was out they had a hundred various stories to support their conviction.”

Bewildered noun US /bewildered/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “And here suddenly the bewildered little man found himself in the midst of a German spy mania, the like of which he could never have dreamed!”

Come noun US /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “JIMMIE HIGGINS HELPS THE KAISER I Jimmie Higgins regarded with the utmost resentment the determination of the war to come to Leesville, in spite of all his labours to keep it out.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

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

From this reading “Take the most preposterous thing you could imagine--the most idiotic thing on the face of the earth--take German spies!”

Everybody pronoun US /ˈevribɑːdi/

every person

From this reading “Everybody seemed to take it for granted that the Empire Machine Shops had been burned by German agents; they just knew it, and by the time the fire was out they had a hundred various stories to support their conviction.”

Found noun US /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “And here suddenly the bewildered little man found himself in the midst of a German spy mania, the like of which he could never have dreamed!”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “And here suddenly the bewildered little man found himself in the midst of a German spy mania, the like of which he could never have dreamed!”

Here noun US /here/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “And here suddenly the bewildered little man found himself in the midst of a German spy mania, the like of which he could never have dreamed!”

Himself pronoun US /hɪmˈself/

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

From this reading “And here suddenly the bewildered little man found himself in the midst of a German spy mania, the like of which he could never have dreamed!”

Imagine noun US /ˈimagine/

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

From this reading “Take the most preposterous thing you could imagine--the most idiotic thing on the face of the earth--take German spies!”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “And here suddenly the bewildered little man found himself in the midst of a German spy mania, the like of which he could never have dreamed!”

Never noun US /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “And here suddenly the bewildered little man found himself in the midst of a German spy mania, the like of which he could never have dreamed!”

Seemed noun US /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Everybody seemed to take it for granted that the Empire Machine Shops had been burned by German agents; they just knew it, and by the time the fire was out they had a hundred various stories to support their conviction.”

Suddenly noun US /ˈsuddenly/

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

From this reading “And here suddenly the bewildered little man found himself in the midst of a German spy mania, the like of which he could never have dreamed!”

Support verb US /səˈpɔːrt/

to provide what someone needs in order to live

From this reading “Everybody seemed to take it for granted that the Empire Machine Shops had been burned by German agents; they just knew it, and by the time the fire was out they had a hundred various stories to support their conviction.”

Take noun US /take/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Take the most preposterous thing you could imagine--the most idiotic thing on the face of the earth--take German spies!”

Thing noun US /thing/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Take the most preposterous thing you could imagine--the most idiotic thing on the face of the earth--take German spies!”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Everybody seemed to take it for granted that the Empire Machine Shops had been burned by German agents; they just knew it, and by the time the fire was out they had a hundred various stories to support their conviction.”

Told noun US /told/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “When Jimmie heard people talking about German spies, he laughed in their faces, he told them they were a bunch of fools, they belonged in the nursery; for Jimmie classed German spies with goblins, witches and sea-serpents.”

All words in this reading · 98

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 When Jimmie heard people talking about German spies, he laughed in their faces, he told them they were a bunch of fools, they belonged in the nursery; for Jimmie classed German spies with goblins, witches and sea-serpents.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading When Jimmie heard people talking about German spies, he laughed in their faces, he told them they were a bunch of fools, they belonged in the nursery; for Jimmie classed German spies with goblins, witches and sea-serpents.

agents

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

From this reading Everybody seemed to take it for granted that the Empire Machine Shops had been burned by German agents; they just knew it, and by the time the fire was out they had a hundred various stories to support their conviction.

all

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

From this reading JIMMIE HIGGINS HELPS THE KAISER I Jimmie Higgins regarded with the utmost resentment the determination of the war to come to Leesville, in spite of all his labours to keep it out.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading When Jimmie heard people talking about German spies, he laughed in their faces, he told them they were a bunch of fools, they belonged in the nursery; for Jimmie classed German spies with goblins, witches and sea-serpents.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Everybody seemed to take it for granted that the Empire Machine Shops had been burned by German agents; they just knew it, and by the time the fire was out they had a hundred various stories to support their conviction.

belonged

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

From this reading When Jimmie heard people talking about German spies, he laughed in their faces, he told them they were a bunch of fools, they belonged in the nursery; for Jimmie classed German spies with goblins, witches and sea-serpents.

bewilderednounUS /bewildered/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading And here suddenly the bewildered little man found himself in the midst of a German spy mania, the like of which he could never have dreamed!

bunch

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

From this reading When Jimmie heard people talking about German spies, he laughed in their faces, he told them they were a bunch of fools, they belonged in the nursery; for Jimmie classed German spies with goblins, witches and sea-serpents.

burned

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

From this reading Everybody seemed to take it for granted that the Empire Machine Shops had been burned by German agents; they just knew it, and by the time the fire was out they had a hundred various stories to support their conviction.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Everybody seemed to take it for granted that the Empire Machine Shops had been burned by German agents; they just knew it, and by the time the fire was out they had a hundred various stories to support their conviction.

classed

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

From this reading When Jimmie heard people talking about German spies, he laughed in their faces, he told them they were a bunch of fools, they belonged in the nursery; for Jimmie classed German spies with goblins, witches and sea-serpents.

comenounUS /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading JIMMIE HIGGINS HELPS THE KAISER I Jimmie Higgins regarded with the utmost resentment the determination of the war to come to Leesville, in spite of all his labours to keep it out.

conviction

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

From this reading Everybody seemed to take it for granted that the Empire Machine Shops had been burned by German agents; they just knew it, and by the time the fire was out they had a hundred various stories to support their conviction.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading Take the most preposterous thing you could imagine--the most idiotic thing on the face of the earth--take German spies!

determination

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

From this reading JIMMIE HIGGINS HELPS THE KAISER I Jimmie Higgins regarded with the utmost resentment the determination of the war to come to Leesville, in spite of all his labours to keep it out.

dreamed

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

From this reading And here suddenly the bewildered little man found himself in the midst of a German spy mania, the like of which he could never have dreamed!

earth

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

From this reading Take the most preposterous thing you could imagine--the most idiotic thing on the face of the earth--take German spies!

Empire

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

From this reading Everybody seemed to take it for granted that the Empire Machine Shops had been burned by German agents; they just knew it, and by the time the fire was out they had a hundred various stories to support their conviction.

EverybodypronounUS /ˈevribɑːdi/

every person

From this reading Everybody seemed to take it for granted that the Empire Machine Shops had been burned by German agents; they just knew it, and by the time the fire was out they had a hundred various stories to support their conviction.

face

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

From this reading Take the most preposterous thing you could imagine--the most idiotic thing on the face of the earth--take German spies!

faces

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

From this reading When Jimmie heard people talking about German spies, he laughed in their faces, he told them they were a bunch of fools, they belonged in the nursery; for Jimmie classed German spies with goblins, witches and sea-serpents.

fire

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

From this reading Everybody seemed to take it for granted that the Empire Machine Shops had been burned by German agents; they just knew it, and by the time the fire was out they had a hundred various stories to support their conviction.

fools

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

From this reading When Jimmie heard people talking about German spies, he laughed in their faces, he told them they were a bunch of fools, they belonged in the nursery; for Jimmie classed German spies with goblins, witches and sea-serpents.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading When Jimmie heard people talking about German spies, he laughed in their faces, he told them they were a bunch of fools, they belonged in the nursery; for Jimmie classed German spies with goblins, witches and sea-serpents.

foundnounUS /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading And here suddenly the bewildered little man found himself in the midst of a German spy mania, the like of which he could never have dreamed!

German

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

From this reading Take the most preposterous thing you could imagine--the most idiotic thing on the face of the earth--take German spies!

goblins

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

From this reading When Jimmie heard people talking about German spies, he laughed in their faces, he told them they were a bunch of fools, they belonged in the nursery; for Jimmie classed German spies with goblins, witches and sea-serpents.

granted

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

From this reading Everybody seemed to take it for granted that the Empire Machine Shops had been burned by German agents; they just knew it, and by the time the fire was out they had a hundred various stories to support their conviction.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Everybody seemed to take it for granted that the Empire Machine Shops had been burned by German agents; they just knew it, and by the time the fire was out they had a hundred various stories to support their conviction.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading And here suddenly the bewildered little man found himself in the midst of a German spy mania, the like of which he could never have dreamed!

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading When Jimmie heard people talking about German spies, he laughed in their faces, he told them they were a bunch of fools, they belonged in the nursery; for Jimmie classed German spies with goblins, witches and sea-serpents.

heard

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

From this reading When Jimmie heard people talking about German spies, he laughed in their faces, he told them they were a bunch of fools, they belonged in the nursery; for Jimmie classed German spies with goblins, witches and sea-serpents.

HELPS

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

From this reading JIMMIE HIGGINS HELPS THE KAISER I Jimmie Higgins regarded with the utmost resentment the determination of the war to come to Leesville, in spite of all his labours to keep it out.

herenounUS /here/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading And here suddenly the bewildered little man found himself in the midst of a German spy mania, the like of which he could never have dreamed!

HIGGINS

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

From this reading JIMMIE HIGGINS HELPS THE KAISER I Jimmie Higgins regarded with the utmost resentment the determination of the war to come to Leesville, in spite of all his labours to keep it out.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

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

From this reading And here suddenly the bewildered little man found himself in the midst of a German spy mania, the like of which he could never have dreamed!

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading JIMMIE HIGGINS HELPS THE KAISER I Jimmie Higgins regarded with the utmost resentment the determination of the war to come to Leesville, in spite of all his labours to keep it out.

hundred

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

From this reading Everybody seemed to take it for granted that the Empire Machine Shops had been burned by German agents; they just knew it, and by the time the fire was out they had a hundred various stories to support their conviction.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading JIMMIE HIGGINS HELPS THE KAISER I Jimmie Higgins regarded with the utmost resentment the determination of the war to come to Leesville, in spite of all his labours to keep it out.

idiotic

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

From this reading Take the most preposterous thing you could imagine--the most idiotic thing on the face of the earth--take German spies!

imaginenounUS /ˈimagine/

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

From this reading Take the most preposterous thing you could imagine--the most idiotic thing on the face of the earth--take German spies!

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading JIMMIE HIGGINS HELPS THE KAISER I Jimmie Higgins regarded with the utmost resentment the determination of the war to come to Leesville, in spite of all his labours to keep it out.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading JIMMIE HIGGINS HELPS THE KAISER I Jimmie Higgins regarded with the utmost resentment the determination of the war to come to Leesville, in spite of all his labours to keep it out.

JIMMIE

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

From this reading JIMMIE HIGGINS HELPS THE KAISER I Jimmie Higgins regarded with the utmost resentment the determination of the war to come to Leesville, in spite of all his labours to keep it out.

just

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

From this reading Everybody seemed to take it for granted that the Empire Machine Shops had been burned by German agents; they just knew it, and by the time the fire was out they had a hundred various stories to support their conviction.

KAISER

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

From this reading JIMMIE HIGGINS HELPS THE KAISER I Jimmie Higgins regarded with the utmost resentment the determination of the war to come to Leesville, in spite of all his labours to keep it out.

keep

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

From this reading JIMMIE HIGGINS HELPS THE KAISER I Jimmie Higgins regarded with the utmost resentment the determination of the war to come to Leesville, in spite of all his labours to keep it out.

knew

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

From this reading Everybody seemed to take it for granted that the Empire Machine Shops had been burned by German agents; they just knew it, and by the time the fire was out they had a hundred various stories to support their conviction.

labours

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

From this reading JIMMIE HIGGINS HELPS THE KAISER I Jimmie Higgins regarded with the utmost resentment the determination of the war to come to Leesville, in spite of all his labours to keep it out.

laughed

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

From this reading When Jimmie heard people talking about German spies, he laughed in their faces, he told them they were a bunch of fools, they belonged in the nursery; for Jimmie classed German spies with goblins, witches and sea-serpents.

Leesville

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

From this reading JIMMIE HIGGINS HELPS THE KAISER I Jimmie Higgins regarded with the utmost resentment the determination of the war to come to Leesville, in spite of all his labours to keep it out.

like

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

From this reading And here suddenly the bewildered little man found himself in the midst of a German spy mania, the like of which he could never have dreamed!

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading And here suddenly the bewildered little man found himself in the midst of a German spy mania, the like of which he could never have dreamed!

Machine

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

From this reading Everybody seemed to take it for granted that the Empire Machine Shops had been burned by German agents; they just knew it, and by the time the fire was out they had a hundred various stories to support their conviction.

man

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

From this reading And here suddenly the bewildered little man found himself in the midst of a German spy mania, the like of which he could never have dreamed!

mania

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

From this reading And here suddenly the bewildered little man found himself in the midst of a German spy mania, the like of which he could never have dreamed!

midst

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

From this reading And here suddenly the bewildered little man found himself in the midst of a German spy mania, the like of which he could never have dreamed!

most

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

From this reading Take the most preposterous thing you could imagine--the most idiotic thing on the face of the earth--take German spies!

nevernounUS /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading And here suddenly the bewildered little man found himself in the midst of a German spy mania, the like of which he could never have dreamed!

nursery

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

From this reading When Jimmie heard people talking about German spies, he laughed in their faces, he told them they were a bunch of fools, they belonged in the nursery; for Jimmie classed German spies with goblins, witches and sea-serpents.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading JIMMIE HIGGINS HELPS THE KAISER I Jimmie Higgins regarded with the utmost resentment the determination of the war to come to Leesville, in spite of all his labours to keep it out.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Take the most preposterous thing you could imagine--the most idiotic thing on the face of the earth--take German spies!

out

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

From this reading JIMMIE HIGGINS HELPS THE KAISER I Jimmie Higgins regarded with the utmost resentment the determination of the war to come to Leesville, in spite of all his labours to keep it out.

people

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

From this reading When Jimmie heard people talking about German spies, he laughed in their faces, he told them they were a bunch of fools, they belonged in the nursery; for Jimmie classed German spies with goblins, witches and sea-serpents.

preposterous

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

From this reading Take the most preposterous thing you could imagine--the most idiotic thing on the face of the earth--take German spies!

regarded

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

From this reading JIMMIE HIGGINS HELPS THE KAISER I Jimmie Higgins regarded with the utmost resentment the determination of the war to come to Leesville, in spite of all his labours to keep it out.

resentment

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

From this reading JIMMIE HIGGINS HELPS THE KAISER I Jimmie Higgins regarded with the utmost resentment the determination of the war to come to Leesville, in spite of all his labours to keep it out.

sea-serpents

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

From this reading When Jimmie heard people talking about German spies, he laughed in their faces, he told them they were a bunch of fools, they belonged in the nursery; for Jimmie classed German spies with goblins, witches and sea-serpents.

seemednounUS /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Everybody seemed to take it for granted that the Empire Machine Shops had been burned by German agents; they just knew it, and by the time the fire was out they had a hundred various stories to support their conviction.

Shops

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

From this reading Everybody seemed to take it for granted that the Empire Machine Shops had been burned by German agents; they just knew it, and by the time the fire was out they had a hundred various stories to support their conviction.

spies

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

From this reading Take the most preposterous thing you could imagine--the most idiotic thing on the face of the earth--take German spies!

spite

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

From this reading JIMMIE HIGGINS HELPS THE KAISER I Jimmie Higgins regarded with the utmost resentment the determination of the war to come to Leesville, in spite of all his labours to keep it out.

spy

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

From this reading And here suddenly the bewildered little man found himself in the midst of a German spy mania, the like of which he could never have dreamed!

stories

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

From this reading Everybody seemed to take it for granted that the Empire Machine Shops had been burned by German agents; they just knew it, and by the time the fire was out they had a hundred various stories to support their conviction.

suddenlynounUS /ˈsuddenly/

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

From this reading And here suddenly the bewildered little man found himself in the midst of a German spy mania, the like of which he could never have dreamed!

supportverbUS /səˈpɔːrt/

to provide what someone needs in order to live

From this reading Everybody seemed to take it for granted that the Empire Machine Shops had been burned by German agents; they just knew it, and by the time the fire was out they had a hundred various stories to support their conviction.

TakenounUS /take/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Take the most preposterous thing you could imagine--the most idiotic thing on the face of the earth--take German spies!

talking

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

From this reading When Jimmie heard people talking about German spies, he laughed in their faces, he told them they were a bunch of fools, they belonged in the nursery; for Jimmie classed German spies with goblins, witches and sea-serpents.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Everybody seemed to take it for granted that the Empire Machine Shops had been burned by German agents; they just knew it, and by the time the fire was out they had a hundred various stories to support their conviction.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading JIMMIE HIGGINS HELPS THE KAISER I Jimmie Higgins regarded with the utmost resentment the determination of the war to come to Leesville, in spite of all his labours to keep it out.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading When Jimmie heard people talking about German spies, he laughed in their faces, he told them they were a bunch of fools, they belonged in the nursery; for Jimmie classed German spies with goblins, witches and sea-serpents.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading When Jimmie heard people talking about German spies, he laughed in their faces, he told them they were a bunch of fools, they belonged in the nursery; for Jimmie classed German spies with goblins, witches and sea-serpents.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading When Jimmie heard people talking about German spies, he laughed in their faces, he told them they were a bunch of fools, they belonged in the nursery; for Jimmie classed German spies with goblins, witches and sea-serpents.

thingnounUS /thing/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Take the most preposterous thing you could imagine--the most idiotic thing on the face of the earth--take German spies!

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Everybody seemed to take it for granted that the Empire Machine Shops had been burned by German agents; they just knew it, and by the time the fire was out they had a hundred various stories to support their conviction.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading JIMMIE HIGGINS HELPS THE KAISER I Jimmie Higgins regarded with the utmost resentment the determination of the war to come to Leesville, in spite of all his labours to keep it out.

toldnounUS /told/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading When Jimmie heard people talking about German spies, he laughed in their faces, he told them they were a bunch of fools, they belonged in the nursery; for Jimmie classed German spies with goblins, witches and sea-serpents.

utmost

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

From this reading JIMMIE HIGGINS HELPS THE KAISER I Jimmie Higgins regarded with the utmost resentment the determination of the war to come to Leesville, in spite of all his labours to keep it out.

various

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

From this reading Everybody seemed to take it for granted that the Empire Machine Shops had been burned by German agents; they just knew it, and by the time the fire was out they had a hundred various stories to support their conviction.

war

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

From this reading JIMMIE HIGGINS HELPS THE KAISER I Jimmie Higgins regarded with the utmost resentment the determination of the war to come to Leesville, in spite of all his labours to keep it out.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Everybody seemed to take it for granted that the Empire Machine Shops had been burned by German agents; they just knew it, and by the time the fire was out they had a hundred various stories to support their conviction.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading When Jimmie heard people talking about German spies, he laughed in their faces, he told them they were a bunch of fools, they belonged in the nursery; for Jimmie classed German spies with goblins, witches and sea-serpents.

WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading When Jimmie heard people talking about German spies, he laughed in their faces, he told them they were a bunch of fools, they belonged in the nursery; for Jimmie classed German spies with goblins, witches and sea-serpents.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading And here suddenly the bewildered little man found himself in the midst of a German spy mania, the like of which he could never have dreamed!

witches

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

From this reading When Jimmie heard people talking about German spies, he laughed in their faces, he told them they were a bunch of fools, they belonged in the nursery; for Jimmie classed German spies with goblins, witches and sea-serpents.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading JIMMIE HIGGINS HELPS THE KAISER I Jimmie Higgins regarded with the utmost resentment the determination of the war to come to Leesville, in spite of all his labours to keep it out.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Take the most preposterous thing you could imagine--the most idiotic thing on the face of the earth--take German spies!