Chapter VI
‘I am the happiest of men,’ he repeated. I plied him with the spur of silence. ‘And I owe it all to having once yielded to a bad impulse. Absurd, the threads our destinies hang on!’ Again I plied him with that spur.
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Seven Men [Excerpts]
Chapter VI
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‘I
am
the
happiest
of
men,’
he
repeated.
I
plied
him
with
the
spur
of
silence.
‘And
I
owe
it
all
to
having
once
yielded
to
a
bad
impulse.
Absurd,
the
threads
our
destinies
hang
on!’
Again
I
plied
him
with
that
spur.
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Line 1
‘I
am
the
happiest
of
men,’
he
repeated.
Line 2
I
plied
him
with
the
spur
of
silence.
Line 3
‘And
I
owe
it
all
to
having
once
yielded
to
a
bad
impulse.
Line 4
Absurd,
the
threads
our
destinies
hang
on!’
Line 5
Again
I
plied
him
with
that
spur.
Learner Dictionary
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.
Again
noun
US /again/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “Again I plied him with that spur.”
Having
auxiliary verb
US /ˈhævɪŋ/
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading “‘And I owe it all to having once yielded to a bad impulse.”
Impulse
noun
US /ˈɪmpʌls/
a sudden strong desire to act
From this reading “‘And I owe it all to having once yielded to a bad impulse.”
Once
noun
US /once/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “‘And I owe it all to having once yielded to a bad impulse.”
Repeated
noun
US /repeated/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “‘I am the happiest of men,’ he repeated.”
Silence
noun
US /ˈsaɪ.ləns/
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading “I plied him with the spur of silence.”
All words in this reading · 32
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 ‘And I owe it all to having once yielded to a bad impulse.
Absurd
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Absurd, the threads our destinies hang on!’
AgainnounUS /again/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Again I plied him with that spur.
all
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘And I owe it all to having once yielded to a bad impulse.
amauxiliary verbUS /æm/
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading ‘I am the happiest of men,’ he repeated.
AndconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading ‘And I owe it all to having once yielded to a bad impulse.
bad
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘And I owe it all to having once yielded to a bad impulse.
destinies
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Absurd, the threads our destinies hang on!’
hang
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Absurd, the threads our destinies hang on!’
happiest
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘I am the happiest of men,’ he repeated.
havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading ‘And I owe it all to having once yielded to a bad impulse.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading ‘I am the happiest of men,’ he repeated.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I plied him with the spur of silence.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading ‘I am the happiest of men,’ he repeated.
impulsenounUS /ˈɪmpʌls/
a sudden strong desire to act
From this reading ‘And I owe it all to having once yielded to a bad impulse.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading ‘And I owe it all to having once yielded to a bad impulse.
men
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘I am the happiest of men,’ he repeated.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading ‘I am the happiest of men,’ he repeated.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Absurd, the threads our destinies hang on!’
once
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘And I owe it all to having once yielded to a bad impulse.
ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Absurd, the threads our destinies hang on!’
owe
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘And I owe it all to having once yielded to a bad impulse.
plied
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I plied him with the spur of silence.
repeatednounUS /repeated/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading ‘I am the happiest of men,’ he repeated.
silencenounUS /ˈsaɪ.ləns/
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading I plied him with the spur of silence.
spur
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I plied him with the spur of silence.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Again I plied him with that spur.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ‘I am the happiest of men,’ he repeated.
threads
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Absurd, the threads our destinies hang on!’
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading ‘And I owe it all to having once yielded to a bad impulse.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading I plied him with the spur of silence.
yielded
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘And I owe it all to having once yielded to a bad impulse.