Chapter IV
“When, uncle?” “To-morrow.” “But, my dear uncle, I am not committed to anything?” “Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose. He won’t be the first, I fancy?”
The Ball at Sceaux
Chapter IV
English subtitles · tap any word to listen
1 / 5
“When,
uncle?”
“To-morrow.”
“But,
my
dear
uncle,
I
am
not
committed
to
anything?”
“Nothing
whatever,
and
you
may
bombard
him,
set
fire
to
him,
and
leave
him
to
founder
like
an
old
hulk
if
you
choose.
He
won’t
be
the
first,
I
fancy?”
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Line 1
“When,
uncle?”
Line 2
“To-morrow.”
Line 3
“But,
my
dear
uncle,
I
am
not
committed
to
anything?”
Line 4
“Nothing
whatever,
and
you
may
bombard
him,
set
fire
to
him,
and
leave
him
to
founder
like
an
old
hulk
if
you
choose.
Line 5
He
won’t
be
the
first,
I
fancy?”
Learner Dictionary
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.
Anything
pronoun
US /ˈeniθɪŋ/
any thing at all
From this reading ““But, my dear uncle, I am not committed to anything?””
Choose
noun
US /choose/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading ““Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.”
First
noun
US /first/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “He won’t be the first, I fancy?””
May
modal verb
US /meɪ/
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading ““Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.”
Nothing
pronoun
US /ˈnʌθɪŋ/
not one thing; not anything
From this reading ““Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.”
Whatever
determiner
US /ˌwʌˈtevər/
any or all of a kind, it does not matter which
From this reading ““Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.”
All words in this reading · 35
Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
amauxiliary verbUS /æm/
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “But, my dear uncle, I am not committed to anything?”
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.
anythingpronounUS /ˈeniθɪŋ/
any thing at all
From this reading “But, my dear uncle, I am not committed to anything?”
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He won’t be the first, I fancy?”
bombard
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.
ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But, my dear uncle, I am not committed to anything?”
choosenounUS /choose/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.
committed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “But, my dear uncle, I am not committed to anything?”
dear
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “But, my dear uncle, I am not committed to anything?”
fancy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He won’t be the first, I fancy?”
fire
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.
firstnounUS /first/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He won’t be the first, I fancy?”
founder
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.
HepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He won’t be the first, I fancy?”
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.
hulk
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “But, my dear uncle, I am not committed to anything?”
ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.
leave
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.
like
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.
maymodal verbUS /meɪ/
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading “Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.
mydeterminerUS /maɪ/
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “But, my dear uncle, I am not committed to anything?”
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “But, my dear uncle, I am not committed to anything?”
NothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/
not one thing; not anything
From this reading “Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.
old
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.
set
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He won’t be the first, I fancy?”
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “But, my dear uncle, I am not committed to anything?”
To-morrow
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “To-morrow.”
uncle
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “When, uncle?”
whateverdeterminerUS /ˌwʌˈtevər/
any or all of a kind, it does not matter which
From this reading “Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.
WhenconjunctionUS /wen/
at the time that
From this reading “When, uncle?”
won't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He won’t be the first, I fancy?”
youpronounUS /juː/
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Nothing whatever, and you may bombard him, set fire to him, and leave him to founder like an old hulk if you choose.