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Last Call for Doomsday!
Last Call for Doomsday!

Chapter VII

Cover illustration for Last Call for Doomsday!
Context Illustration Reading 1/40 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
A throbbing, lurid light beat in through the front windows of the store, as the flames across the Diamond swept up the fronts of old buildings.
The hoarse hallelujah-chorus of the Brotherhood, the quickened booming of the drums, was louder.
And the fiery light illumined the bloodless, distorted face of their prisoner as he stared up at Wales and Martha.
Wales still felt the shock of terrible surprise.
He had been so _sure_ that only the mad Brotherhood could possibly be behind the plot to seize Kendrick, the ghastly scheme to keep millions of people on Earth until Doomsday crashed down upon 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.

Last Call for Doomsday!

Chapter VII

Reading 1/40 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
A throbbing, lurid light beat in through the front windows of the store, as the flames across the Diamond swept up the fronts of old buildings.
Line 2
The hoarse hallelujah-chorus of the Brotherhood, the quickened booming of the drums, was louder.
Line 3
And the fiery light illumined the bloodless, distorted face of their prisoner as he stared up at Wales and Martha.
Line 4
Wales still felt the shock of terrible surprise.
Line 5
He had been so _sure_ that only the mad Brotherhood could possibly be behind the plot to seize Kendrick, the ghastly scheme to keep millions of people on Earth until Doomsday crashed down upon them.

Learner Dictionary

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

Across preposition US /əˈkrɔːs/

from one side of something to the other

From this reading “A throbbing, lurid light beat in through the front windows of the store, as the flames across the Diamond swept up the fronts of old buildings.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “He had been so _sure_ that only the mad Brotherhood could possibly be behind the plot to seize Kendrick, the ghastly scheme to keep millions of people on Earth until Doomsday crashed down upon them.”

Behind preposition US /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading “He had been so _sure_ that only the mad Brotherhood could possibly be behind the plot to seize Kendrick, the ghastly scheme to keep millions of people on Earth until Doomsday crashed down upon them.”

Booming noun US /ˈbooming/

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

From this reading “The hoarse hallelujah-chorus of the Brotherhood, the quickened booming of the drums, was louder.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

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

From this reading “He had been so _sure_ that only the mad Brotherhood could possibly be behind the plot to seize Kendrick, the ghastly scheme to keep millions of people on Earth until Doomsday crashed down upon them.”

Still noun US /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Wales still felt the shock of terrible surprise.”

Sure noun US /sure/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

Terrible noun US /ˈterrible/

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

From this reading “Wales still felt the shock of terrible surprise.”

Through noun US /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading “A throbbing, lurid light beat in through the front windows of the store, as the flames across the Diamond swept up the fronts of old buildings.”

Until preposition US /ənˈtɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading “He had been so _sure_ that only the mad Brotherhood could possibly be behind the plot to seize Kendrick, the ghastly scheme to keep millions of people on Earth until Doomsday crashed down upon them.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “He had been so _sure_ that only the mad Brotherhood could possibly be behind the plot to seize Kendrick, the ghastly scheme to keep millions of people on Earth until Doomsday crashed down upon them.”

All words in this reading · 75

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 A throbbing, lurid light beat in through the front windows of the store, as the flames across the Diamond swept up the fronts of old buildings.

acrossprepositionUS /əˈkrɔːs/

from one side of something to the other

From this reading A throbbing, lurid light beat in through the front windows of the store, as the flames across the Diamond swept up the fronts of old buildings.

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading And the fiery light illumined the bloodless, distorted face of their prisoner as he stared up at Wales and Martha.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading A throbbing, lurid light beat in through the front windows of the store, as the flames across the Diamond swept up the fronts of old buildings.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading And the fiery light illumined the bloodless, distorted face of their prisoner as he stared up at Wales and Martha.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading He had been so _sure_ that only the mad Brotherhood could possibly be behind the plot to seize Kendrick, the ghastly scheme to keep millions of people on Earth until Doomsday crashed down upon them.

beat

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

From this reading A throbbing, lurid light beat in through the front windows of the store, as the flames across the Diamond swept up the fronts of old buildings.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading He had been so _sure_ that only the mad Brotherhood could possibly be behind the plot to seize Kendrick, the ghastly scheme to keep millions of people on Earth until Doomsday crashed down upon them.

behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading He had been so _sure_ that only the mad Brotherhood could possibly be behind the plot to seize Kendrick, the ghastly scheme to keep millions of people on Earth until Doomsday crashed down upon them.

bloodless

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

From this reading And the fiery light illumined the bloodless, distorted face of their prisoner as he stared up at Wales and Martha.

boomingnounUS /ˈbooming/

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

From this reading The hoarse hallelujah-chorus of the Brotherhood, the quickened booming of the drums, was louder.

Brotherhood

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

From this reading The hoarse hallelujah-chorus of the Brotherhood, the quickened booming of the drums, was louder.

buildings

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

From this reading A throbbing, lurid light beat in through the front windows of the store, as the flames across the Diamond swept up the fronts of old buildings.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading He had been so _sure_ that only the mad Brotherhood could possibly be behind the plot to seize Kendrick, the ghastly scheme to keep millions of people on Earth until Doomsday crashed down upon them.

crashed

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

From this reading He had been so _sure_ that only the mad Brotherhood could possibly be behind the plot to seize Kendrick, the ghastly scheme to keep millions of people on Earth until Doomsday crashed down upon them.

Diamond

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

From this reading A throbbing, lurid light beat in through the front windows of the store, as the flames across the Diamond swept up the fronts of old buildings.

distorted

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

From this reading And the fiery light illumined the bloodless, distorted face of their prisoner as he stared up at Wales and Martha.

Doomsday

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

From this reading He had been so _sure_ that only the mad Brotherhood could possibly be behind the plot to seize Kendrick, the ghastly scheme to keep millions of people on Earth until Doomsday crashed down upon them.

down

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

From this reading He had been so _sure_ that only the mad Brotherhood could possibly be behind the plot to seize Kendrick, the ghastly scheme to keep millions of people on Earth until Doomsday crashed down upon them.

drums

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

From this reading The hoarse hallelujah-chorus of the Brotherhood, the quickened booming of the drums, was louder.

Earth

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

From this reading He had been so _sure_ that only the mad Brotherhood could possibly be behind the plot to seize Kendrick, the ghastly scheme to keep millions of people on Earth until Doomsday crashed down upon them.

face

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

From this reading And the fiery light illumined the bloodless, distorted face of their prisoner as he stared up at Wales and Martha.

felt

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

From this reading Wales still felt the shock of terrible surprise.

fiery

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

From this reading And the fiery light illumined the bloodless, distorted face of their prisoner as he stared up at Wales and Martha.

flames

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

From this reading A throbbing, lurid light beat in through the front windows of the store, as the flames across the Diamond swept up the fronts of old buildings.

front

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

From this reading A throbbing, lurid light beat in through the front windows of the store, as the flames across the Diamond swept up the fronts of old buildings.

fronts

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

From this reading A throbbing, lurid light beat in through the front windows of the store, as the flames across the Diamond swept up the fronts of old buildings.

ghastly

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

From this reading He had been so _sure_ that only the mad Brotherhood could possibly be behind the plot to seize Kendrick, the ghastly scheme to keep millions of people on Earth until Doomsday crashed down upon them.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading He had been so _sure_ that only the mad Brotherhood could possibly be behind the plot to seize Kendrick, the ghastly scheme to keep millions of people on Earth until Doomsday crashed down upon them.

hallelujah-chorus

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

From this reading The hoarse hallelujah-chorus of the Brotherhood, the quickened booming of the drums, was louder.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading And the fiery light illumined the bloodless, distorted face of their prisoner as he stared up at Wales and Martha.

hoarse

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

From this reading The hoarse hallelujah-chorus of the Brotherhood, the quickened booming of the drums, was louder.

illumined

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

From this reading And the fiery light illumined the bloodless, distorted face of their prisoner as he stared up at Wales and Martha.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading A throbbing, lurid light beat in through the front windows of the store, as the flames across the Diamond swept up the fronts of old buildings.

keep

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

From this reading He had been so _sure_ that only the mad Brotherhood could possibly be behind the plot to seize Kendrick, the ghastly scheme to keep millions of people on Earth until Doomsday crashed down upon them.

Kendrick

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

From this reading He had been so _sure_ that only the mad Brotherhood could possibly be behind the plot to seize Kendrick, the ghastly scheme to keep millions of people on Earth until Doomsday crashed down upon them.

light

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

From this reading A throbbing, lurid light beat in through the front windows of the store, as the flames across the Diamond swept up the fronts of old buildings.

louder

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

From this reading The hoarse hallelujah-chorus of the Brotherhood, the quickened booming of the drums, was louder.

lurid

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

From this reading A throbbing, lurid light beat in through the front windows of the store, as the flames across the Diamond swept up the fronts of old buildings.

mad

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

From this reading He had been so _sure_ that only the mad Brotherhood could possibly be behind the plot to seize Kendrick, the ghastly scheme to keep millions of people on Earth until Doomsday crashed down upon them.

Martha

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

From this reading And the fiery light illumined the bloodless, distorted face of their prisoner as he stared up at Wales and Martha.

millions

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

From this reading He had been so _sure_ that only the mad Brotherhood could possibly be behind the plot to seize Kendrick, the ghastly scheme to keep millions of people on Earth until Doomsday crashed down upon them.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading A throbbing, lurid light beat in through the front windows of the store, as the flames across the Diamond swept up the fronts of old buildings.

old

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

From this reading A throbbing, lurid light beat in through the front windows of the store, as the flames across the Diamond swept up the fronts of old buildings.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading He had been so _sure_ that only the mad Brotherhood could possibly be behind the plot to seize Kendrick, the ghastly scheme to keep millions of people on Earth until Doomsday crashed down upon them.

only

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

From this reading He had been so _sure_ that only the mad Brotherhood could possibly be behind the plot to seize Kendrick, the ghastly scheme to keep millions of people on Earth until Doomsday crashed down upon them.

people

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

From this reading He had been so _sure_ that only the mad Brotherhood could possibly be behind the plot to seize Kendrick, the ghastly scheme to keep millions of people on Earth until Doomsday crashed down upon them.

plot

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

From this reading He had been so _sure_ that only the mad Brotherhood could possibly be behind the plot to seize Kendrick, the ghastly scheme to keep millions of people on Earth until Doomsday crashed down upon them.

possibly

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

From this reading He had been so _sure_ that only the mad Brotherhood could possibly be behind the plot to seize Kendrick, the ghastly scheme to keep millions of people on Earth until Doomsday crashed down upon them.

prisoner

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

From this reading And the fiery light illumined the bloodless, distorted face of their prisoner as he stared up at Wales and Martha.

quickened

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

From this reading The hoarse hallelujah-chorus of the Brotherhood, the quickened booming of the drums, was louder.

scheme

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

From this reading He had been so _sure_ that only the mad Brotherhood could possibly be behind the plot to seize Kendrick, the ghastly scheme to keep millions of people on Earth until Doomsday crashed down upon them.

seize

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

From this reading He had been so _sure_ that only the mad Brotherhood could possibly be behind the plot to seize Kendrick, the ghastly scheme to keep millions of people on Earth until Doomsday crashed down upon them.

shock

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

From this reading Wales still felt the shock of terrible surprise.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading He had been so _sure_ that only the mad Brotherhood could possibly be behind the plot to seize Kendrick, the ghastly scheme to keep millions of people on Earth until Doomsday crashed down upon them.

stared

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

From this reading And the fiery light illumined the bloodless, distorted face of their prisoner as he stared up at Wales and Martha.

stillnounUS /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Wales still felt the shock of terrible surprise.

store

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

From this reading A throbbing, lurid light beat in through the front windows of the store, as the flames across the Diamond swept up the fronts of old buildings.

surenounUS /sure/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He had been so _sure_ that only the mad Brotherhood could possibly be behind the plot to seize Kendrick, the ghastly scheme to keep millions of people on Earth until Doomsday crashed down upon them.

surprise

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

From this reading Wales still felt the shock of terrible surprise.

swept

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

From this reading A throbbing, lurid light beat in through the front windows of the store, as the flames across the Diamond swept up the fronts of old buildings.

terriblenounUS /ˈterrible/

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

From this reading Wales still felt the shock of terrible surprise.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading He had been so _sure_ that only the mad Brotherhood could possibly be behind the plot to seize Kendrick, the ghastly scheme to keep millions of people on Earth until Doomsday crashed down upon them.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading A throbbing, lurid light beat in through the front windows of the store, as the flames across the Diamond swept up the fronts of old buildings.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading And the fiery light illumined the bloodless, distorted face of their prisoner as he stared up at Wales and Martha.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading He had been so _sure_ that only the mad Brotherhood could possibly be behind the plot to seize Kendrick, the ghastly scheme to keep millions of people on Earth until Doomsday crashed down upon them.

throbbing

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

From this reading A throbbing, lurid light beat in through the front windows of the store, as the flames across the Diamond swept up the fronts of old buildings.

throughnounUS /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading A throbbing, lurid light beat in through the front windows of the store, as the flames across the Diamond swept up the fronts of old buildings.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading He had been so _sure_ that only the mad Brotherhood could possibly be behind the plot to seize Kendrick, the ghastly scheme to keep millions of people on Earth until Doomsday crashed down upon them.

untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading He had been so _sure_ that only the mad Brotherhood could possibly be behind the plot to seize Kendrick, the ghastly scheme to keep millions of people on Earth until Doomsday crashed down upon them.

up

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

From this reading A throbbing, lurid light beat in through the front windows of the store, as the flames across the Diamond swept up the fronts of old buildings.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading He had been so _sure_ that only the mad Brotherhood could possibly be behind the plot to seize Kendrick, the ghastly scheme to keep millions of people on Earth until Doomsday crashed down upon them.

Wales

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

From this reading And the fiery light illumined the bloodless, distorted face of their prisoner as he stared up at Wales and Martha.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The hoarse hallelujah-chorus of the Brotherhood, the quickened booming of the drums, was louder.

windows

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

From this reading A throbbing, lurid light beat in through the front windows of the store, as the flames across the Diamond swept up the fronts of old buildings.