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Passages from the American Notebooks, Volume 1
Passages from the American Notebooks, Volume 1

Chapter V

Cover illustration for Passages from the American Notebooks, Volume 1
Context Illustration Reading 1/86 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
A bat being startled, probably, out of the meeting-house, by the commotion around, flew blindly about in the sunshine, and alighted on a man's sleeve.
I looked at him,--a droll, winged, beast-insect, creeping up the man's arm, not over-clean, and scattering dust on the man's coat from his vampire wings.
The man stared at him, and let the spectators stare for a minute, and then shook him gently off; and the poor devil took a flight across the green to the meeting-house, and then, I believe, alighted on somebody else.
Probably he was put to death.
Bats are very numerous in these parts.
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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.

Passages from the American Notebooks, Volume 1

Chapter V

Reading 1/86 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
A bat being startled, probably, out of the meeting-house, by the commotion around, flew blindly about in the sunshine, and alighted on a man's sleeve.
Line 2
I looked at him,--a droll, winged, beast-insect, creeping up the man's arm, not over-clean, and scattering dust on the man's coat from his vampire wings.
Line 3
The man stared at him, and let the spectators stare for a minute, and then shook him gently off; and the poor devil took a flight across the green to the meeting-house, and then, I believe, alighted on somebody else.
Line 4
Probably he was put to death.
Line 5
Bats are very numerous in these parts.

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 “A bat being startled, probably, out of the meeting-house, by the commotion around, flew blindly about in the sunshine, and alighted on a man's sleeve.”

Across preposition US /əˈkrɔːs/

from one side of something to the other

From this reading “The man stared at him, and let the spectators stare for a minute, and then shook him gently off; and the poor devil took a flight across the green to the meeting-house, and then, I believe, alighted on somebody else.”

Around preposition US /ərˈaʊnd/

surrounding, or on every side of, something

From this reading “A bat being startled, probably, out of the meeting-house, by the commotion around, flew blindly about in the sunshine, and alighted on a man's sleeve.”

Being auxiliary verb US /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading “A bat being startled, probably, out of the meeting-house, by the commotion around, flew blindly about in the sunshine, and alighted on a man's sleeve.”

Believe noun US /ˈbelieve/

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

From this reading “The man stared at him, and let the spectators stare for a minute, and then shook him gently off; and the poor devil took a flight across the green to the meeting-house, and then, I believe, alighted on somebody else.”

Let auxiliary verb US /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading “The man stared at him, and let the spectators stare for a minute, and then shook him gently off; and the poor devil took a flight across the green to the meeting-house, and then, I believe, alighted on somebody else.”

Looked noun US /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “I looked at him,--a droll, winged, beast-insect, creeping up the man's arm, not over-clean, and scattering dust on the man's coat from his vampire wings.”

Poor noun US /poor/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The man stared at him, and let the spectators stare for a minute, and then shook him gently off; and the poor devil took a flight across the green to the meeting-house, and then, I believe, alighted on somebody else.”

Somebody pronoun US /ˈsʌmbɑːdi/

a person, without saying who

From this reading “The man stared at him, and let the spectators stare for a minute, and then shook him gently off; and the poor devil took a flight across the green to the meeting-house, and then, I believe, alighted on somebody else.”

These determiner US /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading “Bats are very numerous in these parts.”

Took noun US /took/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The man stared at him, and let the spectators stare for a minute, and then shook him gently off; and the poor devil took a flight across the green to the meeting-house, and then, I believe, alighted on somebody else.”

All words in this reading · 72

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 bat being startled, probably, out of the meeting-house, by the commotion around, flew blindly about in the sunshine, and alighted on a man's sleeve.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading A bat being startled, probably, out of the meeting-house, by the commotion around, flew blindly about in the sunshine, and alighted on a man's sleeve.

acrossprepositionUS /əˈkrɔːs/

from one side of something to the other

From this reading The man stared at him, and let the spectators stare for a minute, and then shook him gently off; and the poor devil took a flight across the green to the meeting-house, and then, I believe, alighted on somebody else.

alighted

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

From this reading A bat being startled, probably, out of the meeting-house, by the commotion around, flew blindly about in the sunshine, and alighted on a man's sleeve.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading A bat being startled, probably, out of the meeting-house, by the commotion around, flew blindly about in the sunshine, and alighted on a man's sleeve.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading Bats are very numerous in these parts.

arm

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

From this reading I looked at him,--a droll, winged, beast-insect, creeping up the man's arm, not over-clean, and scattering dust on the man's coat from his vampire wings.

aroundprepositionUS /ərˈaʊnd/

surrounding, or on every side of, something

From this reading A bat being startled, probably, out of the meeting-house, by the commotion around, flew blindly about in the sunshine, and alighted on a man's sleeve.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading I looked at him,--a droll, winged, beast-insect, creeping up the man's arm, not over-clean, and scattering dust on the man's coat from his vampire wings.

bat

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

From this reading A bat being startled, probably, out of the meeting-house, by the commotion around, flew blindly about in the sunshine, and alighted on a man's sleeve.

Bats

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

From this reading Bats are very numerous in these parts.

beast-insect

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

From this reading I looked at him,--a droll, winged, beast-insect, creeping up the man's arm, not over-clean, and scattering dust on the man's coat from his vampire wings.

beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading A bat being startled, probably, out of the meeting-house, by the commotion around, flew blindly about in the sunshine, and alighted on a man's sleeve.

believenounUS /ˈbelieve/

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

From this reading The man stared at him, and let the spectators stare for a minute, and then shook him gently off; and the poor devil took a flight across the green to the meeting-house, and then, I believe, alighted on somebody else.

blindly

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

From this reading A bat being startled, probably, out of the meeting-house, by the commotion around, flew blindly about in the sunshine, and alighted on a man's sleeve.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading A bat being startled, probably, out of the meeting-house, by the commotion around, flew blindly about in the sunshine, and alighted on a man's sleeve.

coat

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

From this reading I looked at him,--a droll, winged, beast-insect, creeping up the man's arm, not over-clean, and scattering dust on the man's coat from his vampire wings.

commotion

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

From this reading A bat being startled, probably, out of the meeting-house, by the commotion around, flew blindly about in the sunshine, and alighted on a man's sleeve.

creeping

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

From this reading I looked at him,--a droll, winged, beast-insect, creeping up the man's arm, not over-clean, and scattering dust on the man's coat from his vampire wings.

death

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

From this reading Probably he was put to death.

devil

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

From this reading The man stared at him, and let the spectators stare for a minute, and then shook him gently off; and the poor devil took a flight across the green to the meeting-house, and then, I believe, alighted on somebody else.

droll

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

From this reading I looked at him,--a droll, winged, beast-insect, creeping up the man's arm, not over-clean, and scattering dust on the man's coat from his vampire wings.

dust

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

From this reading I looked at him,--a droll, winged, beast-insect, creeping up the man's arm, not over-clean, and scattering dust on the man's coat from his vampire wings.

else

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

From this reading The man stared at him, and let the spectators stare for a minute, and then shook him gently off; and the poor devil took a flight across the green to the meeting-house, and then, I believe, alighted on somebody else.

flew

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

From this reading A bat being startled, probably, out of the meeting-house, by the commotion around, flew blindly about in the sunshine, and alighted on a man's sleeve.

flight

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

From this reading The man stared at him, and let the spectators stare for a minute, and then shook him gently off; and the poor devil took a flight across the green to the meeting-house, and then, I believe, alighted on somebody else.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading The man stared at him, and let the spectators stare for a minute, and then shook him gently off; and the poor devil took a flight across the green to the meeting-house, and then, I believe, alighted on somebody else.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading I looked at him,--a droll, winged, beast-insect, creeping up the man's arm, not over-clean, and scattering dust on the man's coat from his vampire wings.

gently

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

From this reading The man stared at him, and let the spectators stare for a minute, and then shook him gently off; and the poor devil took a flight across the green to the meeting-house, and then, I believe, alighted on somebody else.

green

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

From this reading The man stared at him, and let the spectators stare for a minute, and then shook him gently off; and the poor devil took a flight across the green to the meeting-house, and then, I believe, alighted on somebody else.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading Probably he was put to death.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading I looked at him,--a droll, winged, beast-insect, creeping up the man's arm, not over-clean, and scattering dust on the man's coat from his vampire wings.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading I looked at him,--a droll, winged, beast-insect, creeping up the man's arm, not over-clean, and scattering dust on the man's coat from his vampire wings.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading I looked at him,--a droll, winged, beast-insect, creeping up the man's arm, not over-clean, and scattering dust on the man's coat from his vampire wings.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading A bat being startled, probably, out of the meeting-house, by the commotion around, flew blindly about in the sunshine, and alighted on a man's sleeve.

letauxiliary verbUS /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading The man stared at him, and let the spectators stare for a minute, and then shook him gently off; and the poor devil took a flight across the green to the meeting-house, and then, I believe, alighted on somebody else.

lookednounUS /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading I looked at him,--a droll, winged, beast-insect, creeping up the man's arm, not over-clean, and scattering dust on the man's coat from his vampire wings.

man

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

From this reading The man stared at him, and let the spectators stare for a minute, and then shook him gently off; and the poor devil took a flight across the green to the meeting-house, and then, I believe, alighted on somebody else.

man's

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

From this reading A bat being startled, probably, out of the meeting-house, by the commotion around, flew blindly about in the sunshine, and alighted on a man's sleeve.

meeting-house

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

From this reading A bat being startled, probably, out of the meeting-house, by the commotion around, flew blindly about in the sunshine, and alighted on a man's sleeve.

minute

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

From this reading The man stared at him, and let the spectators stare for a minute, and then shook him gently off; and the poor devil took a flight across the green to the meeting-house, and then, I believe, alighted on somebody else.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading I looked at him,--a droll, winged, beast-insect, creeping up the man's arm, not over-clean, and scattering dust on the man's coat from his vampire wings.

numerous

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

From this reading Bats are very numerous in these parts.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading A bat being startled, probably, out of the meeting-house, by the commotion around, flew blindly about in the sunshine, and alighted on a man's sleeve.

off

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

From this reading The man stared at him, and let the spectators stare for a minute, and then shook him gently off; and the poor devil took a flight across the green to the meeting-house, and then, I believe, alighted on somebody else.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading A bat being startled, probably, out of the meeting-house, by the commotion around, flew blindly about in the sunshine, and alighted on a man's sleeve.

out

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

From this reading A bat being startled, probably, out of the meeting-house, by the commotion around, flew blindly about in the sunshine, and alighted on a man's sleeve.

over-clean

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

From this reading I looked at him,--a droll, winged, beast-insect, creeping up the man's arm, not over-clean, and scattering dust on the man's coat from his vampire wings.

parts

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

From this reading Bats are very numerous in these parts.

poornounUS /poor/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The man stared at him, and let the spectators stare for a minute, and then shook him gently off; and the poor devil took a flight across the green to the meeting-house, and then, I believe, alighted on somebody else.

probably

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

From this reading A bat being startled, probably, out of the meeting-house, by the commotion around, flew blindly about in the sunshine, and alighted on a man's sleeve.

put

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

From this reading Probably he was put to death.

scattering

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

From this reading I looked at him,--a droll, winged, beast-insect, creeping up the man's arm, not over-clean, and scattering dust on the man's coat from his vampire wings.

shook

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

From this reading The man stared at him, and let the spectators stare for a minute, and then shook him gently off; and the poor devil took a flight across the green to the meeting-house, and then, I believe, alighted on somebody else.

sleeve

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

From this reading A bat being startled, probably, out of the meeting-house, by the commotion around, flew blindly about in the sunshine, and alighted on a man's sleeve.

somebodypronounUS /ˈsʌmbɑːdi/

a person, without saying who

From this reading The man stared at him, and let the spectators stare for a minute, and then shook him gently off; and the poor devil took a flight across the green to the meeting-house, and then, I believe, alighted on somebody else.

spectators

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

From this reading The man stared at him, and let the spectators stare for a minute, and then shook him gently off; and the poor devil took a flight across the green to the meeting-house, and then, I believe, alighted on somebody else.

stare

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

From this reading The man stared at him, and let the spectators stare for a minute, and then shook him gently off; and the poor devil took a flight across the green to the meeting-house, and then, I believe, alighted on somebody else.

stared

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

From this reading The man stared at him, and let the spectators stare for a minute, and then shook him gently off; and the poor devil took a flight across the green to the meeting-house, and then, I believe, alighted on somebody else.

startled

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

From this reading A bat being startled, probably, out of the meeting-house, by the commotion around, flew blindly about in the sunshine, and alighted on a man's sleeve.

sunshine

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

From this reading A bat being startled, probably, out of the meeting-house, by the commotion around, flew blindly about in the sunshine, and alighted on a man's sleeve.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading A bat being startled, probably, out of the meeting-house, by the commotion around, flew blindly about in the sunshine, and alighted on a man's sleeve.

then

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

From this reading The man stared at him, and let the spectators stare for a minute, and then shook him gently off; and the poor devil took a flight across the green to the meeting-house, and then, I believe, alighted on somebody else.

thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading Bats are very numerous in these parts.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The man stared at him, and let the spectators stare for a minute, and then shook him gently off; and the poor devil took a flight across the green to the meeting-house, and then, I believe, alighted on somebody else.

tooknounUS /took/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The man stared at him, and let the spectators stare for a minute, and then shook him gently off; and the poor devil took a flight across the green to the meeting-house, and then, I believe, alighted on somebody else.

up

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

From this reading I looked at him,--a droll, winged, beast-insect, creeping up the man's arm, not over-clean, and scattering dust on the man's coat from his vampire wings.

vampire

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

From this reading I looked at him,--a droll, winged, beast-insect, creeping up the man's arm, not over-clean, and scattering dust on the man's coat from his vampire wings.

very

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

From this reading Bats are very numerous in these parts.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Probably he was put to death.

winged

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

From this reading I looked at him,--a droll, winged, beast-insect, creeping up the man's arm, not over-clean, and scattering dust on the man's coat from his vampire wings.

wings

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

From this reading I looked at him,--a droll, winged, beast-insect, creeping up the man's arm, not over-clean, and scattering dust on the man's coat from his vampire wings.