Chapter V
[The Baby wails; the LITTLE MAN heaves it; the gale of laughter blows.] AMERICAN. [Gravely] It's highly entertaining--not for the baby. What kind of an old baby is it, anyway? [He sniff's] I judge it's a bit--niffy.
Six Short Plays
Chapter V
English subtitles · tap any word to listen
1 / 5
[The
Baby
wails;
the
LITTLE
MAN
heaves
it;
the
gale
of
laughter
blows.]
AMERICAN.
[Gravely]
It's
highly
entertaining--not
for
the
baby.
What
kind
of
an
old
baby
is
it,
anyway?
[He
sniff's]
I
judge
it's
a
bit--niffy.
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Line 1
[The
Baby
wails;
the
LITTLE
MAN
heaves
it;
the
gale
of
laughter
blows.]
Line 2
AMERICAN.
Line 3
[Gravely]
It's
highly
entertaining--not
for
the
baby.
Line 4
What
kind
of
an
old
baby
is
it,
anyway?
Line 5
[He
sniff's]
I
judge
it's
a
bit--niffy.
Learner Dictionary
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.
LITTLE
noun
US /little/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “[The Baby wails; the LITTLE MAN heaves it; the gale of laughter blows.]”
All words in this reading · 31
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 [He sniff's] I judge it's a bit--niffy.
AMERICAN
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AMERICAN.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading What kind of an old baby is it, anyway?
anyway
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What kind of an old baby is it, anyway?
Baby
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [The Baby wails; the LITTLE MAN heaves it; the gale of laughter blows.]
bit
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [He sniff's] I judge it's a bit--niffy.
blows
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [The Baby wails; the LITTLE MAN heaves it; the gale of laughter blows.]
entertaining
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [Gravely] It's highly entertaining--not for the baby.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading [Gravely] It's highly entertaining--not for the baby.
gale
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [The Baby wails; the LITTLE MAN heaves it; the gale of laughter blows.]
Gravely
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [Gravely] It's highly entertaining--not for the baby.
HepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading [He sniff's] I judge it's a bit--niffy.
heaves
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [The Baby wails; the LITTLE MAN heaves it; the gale of laughter blows.]
highly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [Gravely] It's highly entertaining--not for the baby.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading [He sniff's] I judge it's a bit--niffy.
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading What kind of an old baby is it, anyway?
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading [The Baby wails; the LITTLE MAN heaves it; the gale of laughter blows.]
It's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [Gravely] It's highly entertaining--not for the baby.
judge
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [He sniff's] I judge it's a bit--niffy.
kind
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What kind of an old baby is it, anyway?
laughter
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [The Baby wails; the LITTLE MAN heaves it; the gale of laughter blows.]
LITTLEnounUS /little/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading [The Baby wails; the LITTLE MAN heaves it; the gale of laughter blows.]
MAN
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [The Baby wails; the LITTLE MAN heaves it; the gale of laughter blows.]
niffy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [He sniff's] I judge it's a bit--niffy.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading [Gravely] It's highly entertaining--not for the baby.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading [The Baby wails; the LITTLE MAN heaves it; the gale of laughter blows.]
old
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What kind of an old baby is it, anyway?
sniff's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [He sniff's] I judge it's a bit--niffy.
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading [The Baby wails; the LITTLE MAN heaves it; the gale of laughter blows.]
wails
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [The Baby wails; the LITTLE MAN heaves it; the gale of laughter blows.]
WhatpronounUS /wʌt/
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What kind of an old baby is it, anyway?