Chapter IX
"Can you go through the ceremony of marriage?" "I must--if nothing happens to-night." "And then?" I spoke involuntarily. I was thinking not of him, but of myself.
Room Number 3, and Other Detective Stories
Chapter IX
English subtitles · tap any word to listen
1 / 5
"Can
you
go
through
the
ceremony
of
marriage?"
"I
must--if
nothing
happens
to-night."
"And
then?"
I
spoke
involuntarily.
I
was
thinking
not
of
him,
but
of
myself.
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Line 1
"Can
you
go
through
the
ceremony
of
marriage?"
Line 2
"I
must--if
nothing
happens
to-night."
Line 3
"And
then?"
Line 4
I
spoke
involuntarily.
Line 5
I
was
thinking
not
of
him,
but
of
myself.
/aɪ wɑːz thinking nɑːt ʌv hɪm bʌt ʌv ˌmaɪˈself/
Learner Dictionary
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.
Must
modal verb
US /mʌst/
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “"I must--if nothing happens to-night."”
Myself
pronoun
US /ˌmaɪˈself/
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading “I was thinking not of him, but of myself.”
Nothing
pronoun
US /ˈnʌθɪŋ/
not one thing; not anything
From this reading “"I must--if nothing happens to-night."”
Thinking
noun
US /thinking/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “I was thinking not of him, but of myself.”
Through
noun
US /ˈthrough/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading “"Can you go through the ceremony of marriage?"”
All words in this reading · 24
Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
AndconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And then?"
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I was thinking not of him, but of myself.
Canmodal verbUS /kæn/
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "Can you go through the ceremony of marriage?"
ceremony
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Can you go through the ceremony of marriage?"
go
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Can you go through the ceremony of marriage?"
happens
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I must--if nothing happens to-night."
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I was thinking not of him, but of myself.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I must--if nothing happens to-night."
ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "I must--if nothing happens to-night."
involuntarily
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I spoke involuntarily.
marriage
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Can you go through the ceremony of marriage?"
mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "I must--if nothing happens to-night."
myselfpronounUS /ˌmaɪˈself/
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading I was thinking not of him, but of myself.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I was thinking not of him, but of myself.
nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/
not one thing; not anything
From this reading "I must--if nothing happens to-night."
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Can you go through the ceremony of marriage?"
spoke
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I spoke involuntarily.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Can you go through the ceremony of marriage?"
then
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "And then?"
thinkingnounUS /thinking/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading I was thinking not of him, but of myself.
throughnounUS /ˈthrough/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading "Can you go through the ceremony of marriage?"
to-night
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I must--if nothing happens to-night."
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was thinking not of him, but of myself.
youpronounUS /juː/
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Can you go through the ceremony of marriage?"