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Chapter XXI
When Hurstwood got back to his office again he was in a greater quandary than ever. Lord, Lord, he thought, what had he got into? How could things have taken such a violent turn, and so quickly? He could hardly realise how it had all come about. It seemed a monstrous, unnatural, unwarranted condition which had suddenly descended upon him without his let or hindrance.
Reading 1/26 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “He could hardly realise how it had all come about.”
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “When Hurstwood got back to his office again he was in a greater quandary than ever.”
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “He could hardly realise how it had all come about.”
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading “How could things have taken such a violent turn, and so quickly?”
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading “It seemed a monstrous, unnatural, unwarranted condition which had suddenly descended upon him without his let or hindrance.”
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “When Hurstwood got back to his office again he was in a greater quandary than ever.”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “How could things have taken such a violent turn, and so quickly?”
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading “It seemed a monstrous, unnatural, unwarranted condition which had suddenly descended upon him without his let or hindrance.”
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “It seemed a monstrous, unnatural, unwarranted condition which had suddenly descended upon him without his let or hindrance.”
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading “It seemed a monstrous, unnatural, unwarranted condition which had suddenly descended upon him without his let or hindrance.”
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “Lord, Lord, he thought, what had he got into?”
a formal word for “on”
From this reading “It seemed a monstrous, unnatural, unwarranted condition which had suddenly descended upon him without his let or hindrance.”
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading “How could things have taken such a violent turn, and so quickly?”
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading “It seemed a monstrous, unnatural, unwarranted condition which had suddenly descended upon him without his let or hindrance.”
Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading When Hurstwood got back to his office again he was in a greater quandary than ever.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He could hardly realise how it had all come about.
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading When Hurstwood got back to his office again he was in a greater quandary than ever.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He could hardly realise how it had all come about.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading How could things have taken such a violent turn, and so quickly?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Hurstwood got back to his office again he was in a greater quandary than ever.
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He could hardly realise how it had all come about.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed a monstrous, unnatural, unwarranted condition which had suddenly descended upon him without his let or hindrance.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading How could things have taken such a violent turn, and so quickly?
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading It seemed a monstrous, unnatural, unwarranted condition which had suddenly descended upon him without his let or hindrance.
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading When Hurstwood got back to his office again he was in a greater quandary than ever.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Hurstwood got back to his office again he was in a greater quandary than ever.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Hurstwood got back to his office again he was in a greater quandary than ever.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Lord, Lord, he thought, what had he got into?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He could hardly realise how it had all come about.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading How could things have taken such a violent turn, and so quickly?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When Hurstwood got back to his office again he was in a greater quandary than ever.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It seemed a monstrous, unnatural, unwarranted condition which had suddenly descended upon him without his let or hindrance.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed a monstrous, unnatural, unwarranted condition which had suddenly descended upon him without his let or hindrance.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading When Hurstwood got back to his office again he was in a greater quandary than ever.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How could things have taken such a violent turn, and so quickly?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Hurstwood got back to his office again he was in a greater quandary than ever.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading When Hurstwood got back to his office again he was in a greater quandary than ever.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Lord, Lord, he thought, what had he got into?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He could hardly realise how it had all come about.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading It seemed a monstrous, unnatural, unwarranted condition which had suddenly descended upon him without his let or hindrance.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Lord, Lord, he thought, what had he got into?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed a monstrous, unnatural, unwarranted condition which had suddenly descended upon him without his let or hindrance.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Hurstwood got back to his office again he was in a greater quandary than ever.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading It seemed a monstrous, unnatural, unwarranted condition which had suddenly descended upon him without his let or hindrance.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Hurstwood got back to his office again he was in a greater quandary than ever.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How could things have taken such a violent turn, and so quickly?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He could hardly realise how it had all come about.
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It seemed a monstrous, unnatural, unwarranted condition which had suddenly descended upon him without his let or hindrance.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading How could things have taken such a violent turn, and so quickly?
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading How could things have taken such a violent turn, and so quickly?
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading It seemed a monstrous, unnatural, unwarranted condition which had suddenly descended upon him without his let or hindrance.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How could things have taken such a violent turn, and so quickly?
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading When Hurstwood got back to his office again he was in a greater quandary than ever.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How could things have taken such a violent turn, and so quickly?
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Lord, Lord, he thought, what had he got into?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading When Hurstwood got back to his office again he was in a greater quandary than ever.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How could things have taken such a violent turn, and so quickly?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed a monstrous, unnatural, unwarranted condition which had suddenly descended upon him without his let or hindrance.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed a monstrous, unnatural, unwarranted condition which had suddenly descended upon him without his let or hindrance.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading It seemed a monstrous, unnatural, unwarranted condition which had suddenly descended upon him without his let or hindrance.
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading How could things have taken such a violent turn, and so quickly?
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When Hurstwood got back to his office again he was in a greater quandary than ever.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Lord, Lord, he thought, what had he got into?
at the time that
From this reading When Hurstwood got back to his office again he was in a greater quandary than ever.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It seemed a monstrous, unnatural, unwarranted condition which had suddenly descended upon him without his let or hindrance.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading It seemed a monstrous, unnatural, unwarranted condition which had suddenly descended upon him without his let or hindrance.
