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Sudden Jim
Sudden Jim

Chapter X

Cover illustration for Sudden Jim
Context Illustration Reading 1/42 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
When Jim Ashe returned to the mill after his conversation with Zaanan Frame he found the machinery idle, employees pouring out of the entrances.
He walked past them and into the building in a frame of mind that would have rendered him undesirable as a dinner companion.
Another breakdown!
He found Nelson and Beam standing below a couple of mechanics who were working over a pair of big gears.
They only nodded curtly at his approach, for apparently their patience, like Jim’s, was close to the fusing-point.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Sudden Jim

Chapter X

Reading 1/42 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
When Jim Ashe returned to the mill after his conversation with Zaanan Frame he found the machinery idle, employees pouring out of the entrances.
Line 2
He walked past them and into the building in a frame of mind that would have rendered him undesirable as a dinner companion.
Line 3
Another breakdown!
Line 4
He found Nelson and Beam standing below a couple of mechanics who were working over a pair of big gears.
Line 5
They only nodded curtly at his approach, for apparently their patience, like Jim’s, was close to the fusing-point.

Learner Dictionary

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

After preposition US /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading “When Jim Ashe returned to the mill after his conversation with Zaanan Frame he found the machinery idle, employees pouring out of the entrances.”

Another noun US /ˈanother/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “Another breakdown!”

Below preposition US /bɪˈloʊ/

at or to a lower level than something

From this reading “He found Nelson and Beam standing below a couple of mechanics who were working over a pair of big gears.”

Couple noun US /ˈkʌpəl/

two people or things considered together

From this reading “He found Nelson and Beam standing below a couple of mechanics who were working over a pair of big gears.”

Found noun US /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “When Jim Ashe returned to the mill after his conversation with Zaanan Frame he found the machinery idle, employees pouring out of the entrances.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “He walked past them and into the building in a frame of mind that would have rendered him undesirable as a dinner companion.”

Mind noun US /mind/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He walked past them and into the building in a frame of mind that would have rendered him undesirable as a dinner companion.”

Nodded noun US /nodded/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “They only nodded curtly at his approach, for apparently their patience, like Jim’s, was close to the fusing-point.”

Over preposition US /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading “He found Nelson and Beam standing below a couple of mechanics who were working over a pair of big gears.”

Returned noun US /ˈreturned/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “When Jim Ashe returned to the mill after his conversation with Zaanan Frame he found the machinery idle, employees pouring out of the entrances.”

Standing noun US /ˈstanding/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “He found Nelson and Beam standing below a couple of mechanics who were working over a pair of big gears.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading “He walked past them and into the building in a frame of mind that would have rendered him undesirable as a dinner companion.”

All words in this reading · 70

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 walked past them and into the building in a frame of mind that would have rendered him undesirable as a dinner companion.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading When Jim Ashe returned to the mill after his conversation with Zaanan Frame he found the machinery idle, employees pouring out of the entrances.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading He walked past them and into the building in a frame of mind that would have rendered him undesirable as a dinner companion.

AnothernounUS /ˈanother/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading Another breakdown!

apparently

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

From this reading They only nodded curtly at his approach, for apparently their patience, like Jim’s, was close to the fusing-point.

approach

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

From this reading They only nodded curtly at his approach, for apparently their patience, like Jim’s, was close to the fusing-point.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading He walked past them and into the building in a frame of mind that would have rendered him undesirable as a dinner companion.

Ashe

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

From this reading When Jim Ashe returned to the mill after his conversation with Zaanan Frame he found the machinery idle, employees pouring out of the entrances.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading They only nodded curtly at his approach, for apparently their patience, like Jim’s, was close to the fusing-point.

Beam

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

From this reading He found Nelson and Beam standing below a couple of mechanics who were working over a pair of big gears.

belowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/

at or to a lower level than something

From this reading He found Nelson and Beam standing below a couple of mechanics who were working over a pair of big gears.

big

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

From this reading He found Nelson and Beam standing below a couple of mechanics who were working over a pair of big gears.

breakdown

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

From this reading Another breakdown!

building

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

From this reading He walked past them and into the building in a frame of mind that would have rendered him undesirable as a dinner companion.

close

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

From this reading They only nodded curtly at his approach, for apparently their patience, like Jim’s, was close to the fusing-point.

companion

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

From this reading He walked past them and into the building in a frame of mind that would have rendered him undesirable as a dinner companion.

conversation

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

From this reading When Jim Ashe returned to the mill after his conversation with Zaanan Frame he found the machinery idle, employees pouring out of the entrances.

couplenounUS /ˈkʌpəl/

two people or things considered together

From this reading He found Nelson and Beam standing below a couple of mechanics who were working over a pair of big gears.

curtly

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

From this reading They only nodded curtly at his approach, for apparently their patience, like Jim’s, was close to the fusing-point.

dinner

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

From this reading He walked past them and into the building in a frame of mind that would have rendered him undesirable as a dinner companion.

employees

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

From this reading When Jim Ashe returned to the mill after his conversation with Zaanan Frame he found the machinery idle, employees pouring out of the entrances.

entrances

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

From this reading When Jim Ashe returned to the mill after his conversation with Zaanan Frame he found the machinery idle, employees pouring out of the entrances.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading They only nodded curtly at his approach, for apparently their patience, like Jim’s, was close to the fusing-point.

foundnounUS /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading When Jim Ashe returned to the mill after his conversation with Zaanan Frame he found the machinery idle, employees pouring out of the entrances.

Frame

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

From this reading When Jim Ashe returned to the mill after his conversation with Zaanan Frame he found the machinery idle, employees pouring out of the entrances.

fusing-point

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

From this reading They only nodded curtly at his approach, for apparently their patience, like Jim’s, was close to the fusing-point.

gears

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

From this reading He found Nelson and Beam standing below a couple of mechanics who were working over a pair of big gears.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading He walked past them and into the building in a frame of mind that would have rendered him undesirable as a dinner companion.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading When Jim Ashe returned to the mill after his conversation with Zaanan Frame he found the machinery idle, employees pouring out of the entrances.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading He walked past them and into the building in a frame of mind that would have rendered him undesirable as a dinner companion.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading When Jim Ashe returned to the mill after his conversation with Zaanan Frame he found the machinery idle, employees pouring out of the entrances.

idle

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

From this reading When Jim Ashe returned to the mill after his conversation with Zaanan Frame he found the machinery idle, employees pouring out of the entrances.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading He walked past them and into the building in a frame of mind that would have rendered him undesirable as a dinner companion.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading He walked past them and into the building in a frame of mind that would have rendered him undesirable as a dinner companion.

Jim

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

From this reading When Jim Ashe returned to the mill after his conversation with Zaanan Frame he found the machinery idle, employees pouring out of the entrances.

Jim's

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

From this reading They only nodded curtly at his approach, for apparently their patience, like Jim’s, was close to the fusing-point.

like

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

From this reading They only nodded curtly at his approach, for apparently their patience, like Jim’s, was close to the fusing-point.

machinery

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

From this reading When Jim Ashe returned to the mill after his conversation with Zaanan Frame he found the machinery idle, employees pouring out of the entrances.

mechanics

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

From this reading He found Nelson and Beam standing below a couple of mechanics who were working over a pair of big gears.

mill

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

From this reading When Jim Ashe returned to the mill after his conversation with Zaanan Frame he found the machinery idle, employees pouring out of the entrances.

mindnounUS /mind/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He walked past them and into the building in a frame of mind that would have rendered him undesirable as a dinner companion.

Nelson

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

From this reading He found Nelson and Beam standing below a couple of mechanics who were working over a pair of big gears.

noddednounUS /nodded/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading They only nodded curtly at his approach, for apparently their patience, like Jim’s, was close to the fusing-point.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading When Jim Ashe returned to the mill after his conversation with Zaanan Frame he found the machinery idle, employees pouring out of the entrances.

only

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

From this reading They only nodded curtly at his approach, for apparently their patience, like Jim’s, was close to the fusing-point.

out

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

From this reading When Jim Ashe returned to the mill after his conversation with Zaanan Frame he found the machinery idle, employees pouring out of the entrances.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading He found Nelson and Beam standing below a couple of mechanics who were working over a pair of big gears.

pair

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

From this reading He found Nelson and Beam standing below a couple of mechanics who were working over a pair of big gears.

past

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

From this reading He walked past them and into the building in a frame of mind that would have rendered him undesirable as a dinner companion.

patience

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

From this reading They only nodded curtly at his approach, for apparently their patience, like Jim’s, was close to the fusing-point.

pouring

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

From this reading When Jim Ashe returned to the mill after his conversation with Zaanan Frame he found the machinery idle, employees pouring out of the entrances.

rendered

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

From this reading He walked past them and into the building in a frame of mind that would have rendered him undesirable as a dinner companion.

returnednounUS /ˈreturned/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading When Jim Ashe returned to the mill after his conversation with Zaanan Frame he found the machinery idle, employees pouring out of the entrances.

standingnounUS /ˈstanding/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading He found Nelson and Beam standing below a couple of mechanics who were working over a pair of big gears.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading He walked past them and into the building in a frame of mind that would have rendered him undesirable as a dinner companion.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading When Jim Ashe returned to the mill after his conversation with Zaanan Frame he found the machinery idle, employees pouring out of the entrances.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading They only nodded curtly at his approach, for apparently their patience, like Jim’s, was close to the fusing-point.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading He walked past them and into the building in a frame of mind that would have rendered him undesirable as a dinner companion.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading They only nodded curtly at his approach, for apparently their patience, like Jim’s, was close to the fusing-point.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading When Jim Ashe returned to the mill after his conversation with Zaanan Frame he found the machinery idle, employees pouring out of the entrances.

undesirable

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

From this reading He walked past them and into the building in a frame of mind that would have rendered him undesirable as a dinner companion.

walked

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

From this reading He walked past them and into the building in a frame of mind that would have rendered him undesirable as a dinner companion.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading They only nodded curtly at his approach, for apparently their patience, like Jim’s, was close to the fusing-point.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading He found Nelson and Beam standing below a couple of mechanics who were working over a pair of big gears.

WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading When Jim Ashe returned to the mill after his conversation with Zaanan Frame he found the machinery idle, employees pouring out of the entrances.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading He found Nelson and Beam standing below a couple of mechanics who were working over a pair of big gears.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading When Jim Ashe returned to the mill after his conversation with Zaanan Frame he found the machinery idle, employees pouring out of the entrances.

working

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

From this reading He found Nelson and Beam standing below a couple of mechanics who were working over a pair of big gears.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading He walked past them and into the building in a frame of mind that would have rendered him undesirable as a dinner companion.

Zaanan

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

From this reading When Jim Ashe returned to the mill after his conversation with Zaanan Frame he found the machinery idle, employees pouring out of the entrances.