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Chapter II

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Context Illustration Reading 1/96 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
I found my place of honour on a kind of scaffold, raised in the choir at a point that commanded the splendid scene.
The pilgrims thronged and thickened just beneath us; but they seemed far away in their murmurous confusion when I had taken my seat on the scaffold, among the black-arrayed group already established there aloft.
We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?
We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.
She had been carried away by a sympathetic enthusiasm and she wanted to join in the full-throated roar; but she was detached from it, isolated in a little ring of decorous silence; so that her queer _hoo-hoo-hoo_ fell upon her own ears too with disconcerting effect, and she faltered rather lamentably in the middle of her outcry.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Roman pictures

Chapter II

Reading 1/96 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
I found my place of honour on a kind of scaffold, raised in the choir at a point that commanded the splendid scene.
Line 2
The pilgrims thronged and thickened just beneath us; but they seemed far away in their murmurous confusion when I had taken my seat on the scaffold, among the black-arrayed group already established there aloft.
Line 3
We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?
Line 4
We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.
Line 5
She had been carried away by a sympathetic enthusiasm and she wanted to join in the full-throated roar; but she was detached from it, isolated in a little ring of decorous silence; so that her queer _hoo-hoo-hoo_ fell upon her own ears too with disconcerting effect, and she faltered rather lamentably in the middle of her outcry.

Learner Dictionary

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

Alone noun US /alone/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.”

Already noun US /already/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The pilgrims thronged and thickened just beneath us; but they seemed far away in their murmurous confusion when I had taken my seat on the scaffold, among the black-arrayed group already established there aloft.”

Among preposition US /əˈmʌŋ/

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading “The pilgrims thronged and thickened just beneath us; but they seemed far away in their murmurous confusion when I had taken my seat on the scaffold, among the black-arrayed group already established there aloft.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “She had been carried away by a sympathetic enthusiasm and she wanted to join in the full-throated roar; but she was detached from it, isolated in a little ring of decorous silence; so that her queer _hoo-hoo-hoo_ fell upon her own ears too with disconcerting effect, and she faltered rather lamentably in the middle of her outcry.”

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?”

Began noun US /began/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?”

Beneath preposition US /bɪˈniːθ/

Directly under; in or to a lower position than.

From this reading “The pilgrims thronged and thickened just beneath us; but they seemed far away in their murmurous confusion when I had taken my seat on the scaffold, among the black-arrayed group already established there aloft.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

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

From this reading “We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?”

Fidelity noun US /fɪˈdeləti/

continued loyalty to a person or promise

From this reading “We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.”

Found noun US /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “I found my place of honour on a kind of scaffold, raised in the choir at a point that commanded the splendid scene.”

Hands plural noun US /hændz/

members of a ship’s crew

From this reading “We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She had been carried away by a sympathetic enthusiasm and she wanted to join in the full-throated roar; but she was detached from it, isolated in a little ring of decorous silence; so that her queer _hoo-hoo-hoo_ fell upon her own ears too with disconcerting effect, and she faltered rather lamentably in the middle of her outcry.”

Look noun US /look/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?”

Looked noun US /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?”

Myself pronoun US /ˌmaɪˈself/

used when the speaker is also the object of the action

From this reading “We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.”

Nothing pronoun US /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading “We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.”

Perhaps noun US /perhaps/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.”

Point noun US /pɔɪnt/

the main matter or purpose being discussed

From this reading “I found my place of honour on a kind of scaffold, raised in the choir at a point that commanded the splendid scene.”

Rest noun US /rest/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.”

Seemed noun US /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The pilgrims thronged and thickened just beneath us; but they seemed far away in their murmurous confusion when I had taken my seat on the scaffold, among the black-arrayed group already established there aloft.”

Silence noun US /ˈsaɪ.ləns/

Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.

From this reading “She had been carried away by a sympathetic enthusiasm and she wanted to join in the full-throated roar; but she was detached from it, isolated in a little ring of decorous silence; so that her queer _hoo-hoo-hoo_ fell upon her own ears too with disconcerting effect, and she faltered rather lamentably in the middle of her outcry.”

Soon noun US /soon/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?”

Speak noun US /speak/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.”

Sudden noun US /sudden/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?”

All words in this reading · 155

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 I found my place of honour on a kind of scaffold, raised in the choir at a point that commanded the splendid scene.

all

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

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?

aloft

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

From this reading The pilgrims thronged and thickened just beneath us; but they seemed far away in their murmurous confusion when I had taken my seat on the scaffold, among the black-arrayed group already established there aloft.

alonenounUS /alone/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.

aloud

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

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?

alreadynounUS /already/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The pilgrims thronged and thickened just beneath us; but they seemed far away in their murmurous confusion when I had taken my seat on the scaffold, among the black-arrayed group already established there aloft.

amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading The pilgrims thronged and thickened just beneath us; but they seemed far away in their murmurous confusion when I had taken my seat on the scaffold, among the black-arrayed group already established there aloft.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The pilgrims thronged and thickened just beneath us; but they seemed far away in their murmurous confusion when I had taken my seat on the scaffold, among the black-arrayed group already established there aloft.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading I found my place of honour on a kind of scaffold, raised in the choir at a point that commanded the splendid scene.

attention

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

From this reading We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.

attracted

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

From this reading We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.

away

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

From this reading The pilgrims thronged and thickened just beneath us; but they seemed far away in their murmurous confusion when I had taken my seat on the scaffold, among the black-arrayed group already established there aloft.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading She had been carried away by a sympathetic enthusiasm and she wanted to join in the full-throated roar; but she was detached from it, isolated in a little ring of decorous silence; so that her queer _hoo-hoo-hoo_ fell upon her own ears too with disconcerting effect, and she faltered rather lamentably in the middle of her outcry.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?

begannounUS /began/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?

beneathprepositionUS /bɪˈniːθ/

Directly under; in or to a lower position than.

From this reading The pilgrims thronged and thickened just beneath us; but they seemed far away in their murmurous confusion when I had taken my seat on the scaffold, among the black-arrayed group already established there aloft.

bird-like

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

From this reading We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.

black-arrayed

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

From this reading The pilgrims thronged and thickened just beneath us; but they seemed far away in their murmurous confusion when I had taken my seat on the scaffold, among the black-arrayed group already established there aloft.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading The pilgrims thronged and thickened just beneath us; but they seemed far away in their murmurous confusion when I had taken my seat on the scaffold, among the black-arrayed group already established there aloft.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.

carried

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

From this reading She had been carried away by a sympathetic enthusiasm and she wanted to join in the full-throated roar; but she was detached from it, isolated in a little ring of decorous silence; so that her queer _hoo-hoo-hoo_ fell upon her own ears too with disconcerting effect, and she faltered rather lamentably in the middle of her outcry.

chanced

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

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?

cheering

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

From this reading We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.

choir

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

From this reading I found my place of honour on a kind of scaffold, raised in the choir at a point that commanded the splendid scene.

commanded

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

From this reading I found my place of honour on a kind of scaffold, raised in the choir at a point that commanded the splendid scene.

confusion

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

From this reading The pilgrims thronged and thickened just beneath us; but they seemed far away in their murmurous confusion when I had taken my seat on the scaffold, among the black-arrayed group already established there aloft.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?

crying

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

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?

decorous

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

From this reading She had been carried away by a sympathetic enthusiasm and she wanted to join in the full-throated roar; but she was detached from it, isolated in a little ring of decorous silence; so that her queer _hoo-hoo-hoo_ fell upon her own ears too with disconcerting effect, and she faltered rather lamentably in the middle of her outcry.

detached

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

From this reading She had been carried away by a sympathetic enthusiasm and she wanted to join in the full-throated roar; but she was detached from it, isolated in a little ring of decorous silence; so that her queer _hoo-hoo-hoo_ fell upon her own ears too with disconcerting effect, and she faltered rather lamentably in the middle of her outcry.

disconcerting

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

From this reading She had been carried away by a sympathetic enthusiasm and she wanted to join in the full-throated roar; but she was detached from it, isolated in a little ring of decorous silence; so that her queer _hoo-hoo-hoo_ fell upon her own ears too with disconcerting effect, and she faltered rather lamentably in the middle of her outcry.

display

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

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?

dozen

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

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?

ears

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

From this reading She had been carried away by a sympathetic enthusiasm and she wanted to join in the full-throated roar; but she was detached from it, isolated in a little ring of decorous silence; so that her queer _hoo-hoo-hoo_ fell upon her own ears too with disconcerting effect, and she faltered rather lamentably in the middle of her outcry.

effect

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

From this reading She had been carried away by a sympathetic enthusiasm and she wanted to join in the full-throated roar; but she was detached from it, isolated in a little ring of decorous silence; so that her queer _hoo-hoo-hoo_ fell upon her own ears too with disconcerting effect, and she faltered rather lamentably in the middle of her outcry.

embarrassed

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

From this reading We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.

enthusiasm

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

From this reading She had been carried away by a sympathetic enthusiasm and she wanted to join in the full-throated roar; but she was detached from it, isolated in a little ring of decorous silence; so that her queer _hoo-hoo-hoo_ fell upon her own ears too with disconcerting effect, and she faltered rather lamentably in the middle of her outcry.

established

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

From this reading The pilgrims thronged and thickened just beneath us; but they seemed far away in their murmurous confusion when I had taken my seat on the scaffold, among the black-arrayed group already established there aloft.

faltered

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

From this reading She had been carried away by a sympathetic enthusiasm and she wanted to join in the full-throated roar; but she was detached from it, isolated in a little ring of decorous silence; so that her queer _hoo-hoo-hoo_ fell upon her own ears too with disconcerting effect, and she faltered rather lamentably in the middle of her outcry.

far

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

From this reading The pilgrims thronged and thickened just beneath us; but they seemed far away in their murmurous confusion when I had taken my seat on the scaffold, among the black-arrayed group already established there aloft.

feet

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

From this reading We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.

fell

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

From this reading She had been carried away by a sympathetic enthusiasm and she wanted to join in the full-throated roar; but she was detached from it, isolated in a little ring of decorous silence; so that her queer _hoo-hoo-hoo_ fell upon her own ears too with disconcerting effect, and she faltered rather lamentably in the middle of her outcry.

fidelitynounUS /fɪˈdeləti/

continued loyalty to a person or promise

From this reading We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.

foundnounUS /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading I found my place of honour on a kind of scaffold, raised in the choir at a point that commanded the splendid scene.

fro

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

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading She had been carried away by a sympathetic enthusiasm and she wanted to join in the full-throated roar; but she was detached from it, isolated in a little ring of decorous silence; so that her queer _hoo-hoo-hoo_ fell upon her own ears too with disconcerting effect, and she faltered rather lamentably in the middle of her outcry.

full-throated

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

From this reading She had been carried away by a sympathetic enthusiasm and she wanted to join in the full-throated roar; but she was detached from it, isolated in a little ring of decorous silence; so that her queer _hoo-hoo-hoo_ fell upon her own ears too with disconcerting effect, and she faltered rather lamentably in the middle of her outcry.

group

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

From this reading The pilgrims thronged and thickened just beneath us; but they seemed far away in their murmurous confusion when I had taken my seat on the scaffold, among the black-arrayed group already established there aloft.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The pilgrims thronged and thickened just beneath us; but they seemed far away in their murmurous confusion when I had taken my seat on the scaffold, among the black-arrayed group already established there aloft.

handsplural nounUS /hændz/

members of a ship’s crew

From this reading We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.

homage

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

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?

honour

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

From this reading I found my place of honour on a kind of scaffold, raised in the choir at a point that commanded the splendid scene.

hoo-hoo-hoo

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

From this reading She had been carried away by a sympathetic enthusiasm and she wanted to join in the full-throated roar; but she was detached from it, isolated in a little ring of decorous silence; so that her queer _hoo-hoo-hoo_ fell upon her own ears too with disconcerting effect, and she faltered rather lamentably in the middle of her outcry.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading I found my place of honour on a kind of scaffold, raised in the choir at a point that commanded the splendid scene.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading I found my place of honour on a kind of scaffold, raised in the choir at a point that commanded the splendid scene.

indeed

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

From this reading We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.

instead

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

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?

isolated

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

From this reading She had been carried away by a sympathetic enthusiasm and she wanted to join in the full-throated roar; but she was detached from it, isolated in a little ring of decorous silence; so that her queer _hoo-hoo-hoo_ fell upon her own ears too with disconcerting effect, and she faltered rather lamentably in the middle of her outcry.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.

join

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

From this reading She had been carried away by a sympathetic enthusiasm and she wanted to join in the full-throated roar; but she was detached from it, isolated in a little ring of decorous silence; so that her queer _hoo-hoo-hoo_ fell upon her own ears too with disconcerting effect, and she faltered rather lamentably in the middle of her outcry.

joining

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

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?

jubilant

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

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?

just

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

From this reading The pilgrims thronged and thickened just beneath us; but they seemed far away in their murmurous confusion when I had taken my seat on the scaffold, among the black-arrayed group already established there aloft.

kind

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

From this reading I found my place of honour on a kind of scaffold, raised in the choir at a point that commanded the splendid scene.

lamentably

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

From this reading She had been carried away by a sympathetic enthusiasm and she wanted to join in the full-throated roar; but she was detached from it, isolated in a little ring of decorous silence; so that her queer _hoo-hoo-hoo_ fell upon her own ears too with disconcerting effect, and she faltered rather lamentably in the middle of her outcry.

like

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

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading She had been carried away by a sympathetic enthusiasm and she wanted to join in the full-throated roar; but she was detached from it, isolated in a little ring of decorous silence; so that her queer _hoo-hoo-hoo_ fell upon her own ears too with disconcerting effect, and she faltered rather lamentably in the middle of her outcry.

looknounUS /look/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?

lookednounUS /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?

luckily

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

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?

men

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

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?

middle

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

From this reading She had been carried away by a sympathetic enthusiasm and she wanted to join in the full-throated roar; but she was detached from it, isolated in a little ring of decorous silence; so that her queer _hoo-hoo-hoo_ fell upon her own ears too with disconcerting effect, and she faltered rather lamentably in the middle of her outcry.

middle-aged

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

From this reading We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.

movement

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

From this reading We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.

murmurous

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

From this reading The pilgrims thronged and thickened just beneath us; but they seemed far away in their murmurous confusion when I had taken my seat on the scaffold, among the black-arrayed group already established there aloft.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading I found my place of honour on a kind of scaffold, raised in the choir at a point that commanded the splendid scene.

myselfpronounUS /ˌmaɪˈself/

used when the speaker is also the object of the action

From this reading We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.

neighbour

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

From this reading We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?

note

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

From this reading We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading I found my place of honour on a kind of scaffold, raised in the choir at a point that commanded the splendid scene.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading I found my place of honour on a kind of scaffold, raised in the choir at a point that commanded the splendid scene.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?

outcry

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

From this reading She had been carried away by a sympathetic enthusiasm and she wanted to join in the full-throated roar; but she was detached from it, isolated in a little ring of decorous silence; so that her queer _hoo-hoo-hoo_ fell upon her own ears too with disconcerting effect, and she faltered rather lamentably in the middle of her outcry.

overtaken

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

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?

own

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

From this reading She had been carried away by a sympathetic enthusiasm and she wanted to join in the full-throated roar; but she was detached from it, isolated in a little ring of decorous silence; so that her queer _hoo-hoo-hoo_ fell upon her own ears too with disconcerting effect, and she faltered rather lamentably in the middle of her outcry.

passion

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

From this reading We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.

perhaps

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

From this reading We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.

pilgrims

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

From this reading The pilgrims thronged and thickened just beneath us; but they seemed far away in their murmurous confusion when I had taken my seat on the scaffold, among the black-arrayed group already established there aloft.

place

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

From this reading I found my place of honour on a kind of scaffold, raised in the choir at a point that commanded the splendid scene.

pointnounUS /pɔɪnt/

the main matter or purpose being discussed

From this reading I found my place of honour on a kind of scaffold, raised in the choir at a point that commanded the splendid scene.

presently

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

From this reading We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.

queer

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

From this reading She had been carried away by a sympathetic enthusiasm and she wanted to join in the full-throated roar; but she was detached from it, isolated in a little ring of decorous silence; so that her queer _hoo-hoo-hoo_ fell upon her own ears too with disconcerting effect, and she faltered rather lamentably in the middle of her outcry.

raised

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

From this reading I found my place of honour on a kind of scaffold, raised in the choir at a point that commanded the splendid scene.

rather

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

From this reading She had been carried away by a sympathetic enthusiasm and she wanted to join in the full-throated roar; but she was detached from it, isolated in a little ring of decorous silence; so that her queer _hoo-hoo-hoo_ fell upon her own ears too with disconcerting effect, and she faltered rather lamentably in the middle of her outcry.

restnounUS /rest/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.

ring

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

From this reading She had been carried away by a sympathetic enthusiasm and she wanted to join in the full-throated roar; but she was detached from it, isolated in a little ring of decorous silence; so that her queer _hoo-hoo-hoo_ fell upon her own ears too with disconcerting effect, and she faltered rather lamentably in the middle of her outcry.

rising

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

From this reading We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.

roar

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

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?

Rome

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

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?

scaffold

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

From this reading I found my place of honour on a kind of scaffold, raised in the choir at a point that commanded the splendid scene.

scene

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

From this reading I found my place of honour on a kind of scaffold, raised in the choir at a point that commanded the splendid scene.

seat

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

From this reading The pilgrims thronged and thickened just beneath us; but they seemed far away in their murmurous confusion when I had taken my seat on the scaffold, among the black-arrayed group already established there aloft.

seemednounUS /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The pilgrims thronged and thickened just beneath us; but they seemed far away in their murmurous confusion when I had taken my seat on the scaffold, among the black-arrayed group already established there aloft.

share

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

From this reading We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.

shockingly

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

From this reading We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.

shrine

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

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?

silencenounUS /ˈsaɪ.ləns/

Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.

From this reading She had been carried away by a sympathetic enthusiasm and she wanted to join in the full-throated roar; but she was detached from it, isolated in a little ring of decorous silence; so that her queer _hoo-hoo-hoo_ fell upon her own ears too with disconcerting effect, and she faltered rather lamentably in the middle of her outcry.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?

soon

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

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?

speak

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

From this reading We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.

spectacle

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

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?

splendid

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

From this reading I found my place of honour on a kind of scaffold, raised in the choir at a point that commanded the splendid scene.

springing

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

From this reading We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.

strange

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

From this reading We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.

suddennounUS /sudden/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.

sway

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

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?

sympathetic

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

From this reading She had been carried away by a sympathetic enthusiasm and she wanted to join in the full-throated roar; but she was detached from it, isolated in a little ring of decorous silence; so that her queer _hoo-hoo-hoo_ fell upon her own ears too with disconcerting effect, and she faltered rather lamentably in the middle of her outcry.

taken

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

From this reading The pilgrims thronged and thickened just beneath us; but they seemed far away in their murmurous confusion when I had taken my seat on the scaffold, among the black-arrayed group already established there aloft.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading I found my place of honour on a kind of scaffold, raised in the choir at a point that commanded the splendid scene.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading I found my place of honour on a kind of scaffold, raised in the choir at a point that commanded the splendid scene.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading The pilgrims thronged and thickened just beneath us; but they seemed far away in their murmurous confusion when I had taken my seat on the scaffold, among the black-arrayed group already established there aloft.

there

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

From this reading The pilgrims thronged and thickened just beneath us; but they seemed far away in their murmurous confusion when I had taken my seat on the scaffold, among the black-arrayed group already established there aloft.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading The pilgrims thronged and thickened just beneath us; but they seemed far away in their murmurous confusion when I had taken my seat on the scaffold, among the black-arrayed group already established there aloft.

thickened

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

From this reading The pilgrims thronged and thickened just beneath us; but they seemed far away in their murmurous confusion when I had taken my seat on the scaffold, among the black-arrayed group already established there aloft.

thousands

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

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?

throats

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

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?

thronged

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

From this reading The pilgrims thronged and thickened just beneath us; but they seemed far away in their murmurous confusion when I had taken my seat on the scaffold, among the black-arrayed group already established there aloft.

throwing

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

From this reading We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?

too

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

From this reading She had been carried away by a sympathetic enthusiasm and she wanted to join in the full-throated roar; but she was detached from it, isolated in a little ring of decorous silence; so that her queer _hoo-hoo-hoo_ fell upon her own ears too with disconcerting effect, and she faltered rather lamentably in the middle of her outcry.

uncertain

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

From this reading We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.

up

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

From this reading We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?

uspronounUS /ʌs/

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading The pilgrims thronged and thickened just beneath us; but they seemed far away in their murmurous confusion when I had taken my seat on the scaffold, among the black-arrayed group already established there aloft.

wanted

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

From this reading She had been carried away by a sympathetic enthusiasm and she wanted to join in the full-throated roar; but she was detached from it, isolated in a little ring of decorous silence; so that her queer _hoo-hoo-hoo_ fell upon her own ears too with disconcerting effect, and she faltered rather lamentably in the middle of her outcry.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.

WepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading The pilgrims thronged and thickened just beneath us; but they seemed far away in their murmurous confusion when I had taken my seat on the scaffold, among the black-arrayed group already established there aloft.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.

woman

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

From this reading We had nothing to do with it, no share in that rising passion of fidelity;--or perhaps indeed I should speak for myself alone, for my neighbour on the scaffold had presently attracted my attention by a sudden movement, springing to her feet (she was a middle-aged woman), throwing up her hands and cheering--cheering with a strange uncertain bird-like note that shockingly embarrassed the rest of us.

women

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

From this reading We were a dozen or so, men and women; we looked not at all like pilgrims, and instead of joining in the jubilant roar that soon began to sway to and fro in the thousands of throats beneath us--instead of crying aloud in our homage before the shrine of Rome--what could we do but look on as at a spectacle, a display which we had luckily chanced upon and overtaken in time?