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The Divine Fire
The Divine Fire

Chapter VII

Cover illustration for The Divine Fire
Context Illustration Reading 1/57 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
LUCIA'S WAY He wondered how much longer they were going to keep him waiting.
His head still ached, and every nerve was irritable.
He began to suspect the servant of having failed to report his arrival; he thought of ringing for him and announcing himself a second time.
Then he remembered that he was only the man who had come about the books; he was there on the Hardens' business, and their time was his time.
And there were worse places to wait in than the library of Court House.
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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.

The Divine Fire

Chapter VII

Reading 1/57 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
LUCIA'S WAY He wondered how much longer they were going to keep him waiting.
Line 2
His head still ached, and every nerve was irritable.
Line 3
He began to suspect the servant of having failed to report his arrival; he thought of ringing for him and announcing himself a second time.
Line 4
Then he remembered that he was only the man who had come about the books; he was there on the Hardens' business, and their time was his time.
Line 5
And there were worse places to wait in than the library of Court House.

Learner Dictionary

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

About preposition US /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading “Then he remembered that he was only the man who had come about the books; he was there on the Hardens' business, and their time was his time.”

Began noun US /began/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He began to suspect the servant of having failed to report his arrival; he thought of ringing for him and announcing himself a second time.”

Books noun US /bʊks/

Bound written or printed works.

From this reading “Then he remembered that he was only the man who had come about the books; he was there on the Hardens' business, and their time was his time.”

Come noun US /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Then he remembered that he was only the man who had come about the books; he was there on the Hardens' business, and their time was his time.”

Every determiner US /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading “His head still ached, and every nerve was irritable.”

Having auxiliary verb US /ˈhævɪŋ/

the -ing form of “have”

From this reading “He began to suspect the servant of having failed to report his arrival; he thought of ringing for him and announcing himself a second time.”

Himself pronoun US /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading “He began to suspect the servant of having failed to report his arrival; he thought of ringing for him and announcing himself a second time.”

Second noun US /second/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He began to suspect the servant of having failed to report his arrival; he thought of ringing for him and announcing himself a second time.”

Still noun US /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “His head still ached, and every nerve was irritable.”

Thought noun US /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He began to suspect the servant of having failed to report his arrival; he thought of ringing for him and announcing himself a second time.”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He began to suspect the servant of having failed to report his arrival; he thought of ringing for him and announcing himself a second time.”

Waiting noun US /ˈwaiting/

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

From this reading “LUCIA'S WAY He wondered how much longer they were going to keep him waiting.”

Wondered noun US /wondered/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “LUCIA'S WAY He wondered how much longer they were going to keep him waiting.”

All words in this reading · 63

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 began to suspect the servant of having failed to report his arrival; he thought of ringing for him and announcing himself a second time.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading Then he remembered that he was only the man who had come about the books; he was there on the Hardens' business, and their time was his time.

ached

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

From this reading His head still ached, and every nerve was irritable.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading His head still ached, and every nerve was irritable.

announcing

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

From this reading He began to suspect the servant of having failed to report his arrival; he thought of ringing for him and announcing himself a second time.

arrival

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

From this reading He began to suspect the servant of having failed to report his arrival; he thought of ringing for him and announcing himself a second time.

begannounUS /began/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He began to suspect the servant of having failed to report his arrival; he thought of ringing for him and announcing himself a second time.

booksnounUS /bʊks/

Bound written or printed works.

From this reading Then he remembered that he was only the man who had come about the books; he was there on the Hardens' business, and their time was his time.

business

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

From this reading Then he remembered that he was only the man who had come about the books; he was there on the Hardens' business, and their time was his time.

comenounUS /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Then he remembered that he was only the man who had come about the books; he was there on the Hardens' business, and their time was his time.

Court

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

From this reading And there were worse places to wait in than the library of Court House.

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading His head still ached, and every nerve was irritable.

failed

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

From this reading He began to suspect the servant of having failed to report his arrival; he thought of ringing for him and announcing himself a second time.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading He began to suspect the servant of having failed to report his arrival; he thought of ringing for him and announcing himself a second time.

going

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

From this reading LUCIA'S WAY He wondered how much longer they were going to keep him waiting.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Then he remembered that he was only the man who had come about the books; he was there on the Hardens' business, and their time was his time.

Hardens

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

From this reading Then he remembered that he was only the man who had come about the books; he was there on the Hardens' business, and their time was his time.

havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/

the -ing form of “have”

From this reading He began to suspect the servant of having failed to report his arrival; he thought of ringing for him and announcing himself a second time.

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading LUCIA'S WAY He wondered how much longer they were going to keep him waiting.

head

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

From this reading His head still ached, and every nerve was irritable.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading LUCIA'S WAY He wondered how much longer they were going to keep him waiting.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading He began to suspect the servant of having failed to report his arrival; he thought of ringing for him and announcing himself a second time.

HisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading His head still ached, and every nerve was irritable.

House

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

From this reading And there were worse places to wait in than the library of Court House.

how

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

From this reading LUCIA'S WAY He wondered how much longer they were going to keep him waiting.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading And there were worse places to wait in than the library of Court House.

irritable

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

From this reading His head still ached, and every nerve was irritable.

keep

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

From this reading LUCIA'S WAY He wondered how much longer they were going to keep him waiting.

library

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

From this reading And there were worse places to wait in than the library of Court House.

longer

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

From this reading LUCIA'S WAY He wondered how much longer they were going to keep him waiting.

LUCIA'S

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

From this reading LUCIA'S WAY He wondered how much longer they were going to keep him waiting.

man

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

From this reading Then he remembered that he was only the man who had come about the books; he was there on the Hardens' business, and their time was his time.

much

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

From this reading LUCIA'S WAY He wondered how much longer they were going to keep him waiting.

nerve

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

From this reading His head still ached, and every nerve was irritable.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading He began to suspect the servant of having failed to report his arrival; he thought of ringing for him and announcing himself a second time.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Then he remembered that he was only the man who had come about the books; he was there on the Hardens' business, and their time was his time.

only

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

From this reading Then he remembered that he was only the man who had come about the books; he was there on the Hardens' business, and their time was his time.

places

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

From this reading And there were worse places to wait in than the library of Court House.

remembered

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

From this reading Then he remembered that he was only the man who had come about the books; he was there on the Hardens' business, and their time was his time.

report

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

From this reading He began to suspect the servant of having failed to report his arrival; he thought of ringing for him and announcing himself a second time.

ringing

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

From this reading He began to suspect the servant of having failed to report his arrival; he thought of ringing for him and announcing himself a second time.

second

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

From this reading He began to suspect the servant of having failed to report his arrival; he thought of ringing for him and announcing himself a second time.

servant

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

From this reading He began to suspect the servant of having failed to report his arrival; he thought of ringing for him and announcing himself a second time.

stillnounUS /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading His head still ached, and every nerve was irritable.

suspect

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

From this reading He began to suspect the servant of having failed to report his arrival; he thought of ringing for him and announcing himself a second time.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading And there were worse places to wait in than the library of Court House.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Then he remembered that he was only the man who had come about the books; he was there on the Hardens' business, and their time was his time.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading He began to suspect the servant of having failed to report his arrival; he thought of ringing for him and announcing himself a second time.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Then he remembered that he was only the man who had come about the books; he was there on the Hardens' business, and their time was his time.

Then

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

From this reading Then he remembered that he was only the man who had come about the books; he was there on the Hardens' business, and their time was his time.

there

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

From this reading Then he remembered that he was only the man who had come about the books; he was there on the Hardens' business, and their time was his time.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading LUCIA'S WAY He wondered how much longer they were going to keep him waiting.

thoughtnounUS /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He began to suspect the servant of having failed to report his arrival; he thought of ringing for him and announcing himself a second time.

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He began to suspect the servant of having failed to report his arrival; he thought of ringing for him and announcing himself a second time.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading LUCIA'S WAY He wondered how much longer they were going to keep him waiting.

wait

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

From this reading And there were worse places to wait in than the library of Court House.

waiting

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

From this reading LUCIA'S WAY He wondered how much longer they were going to keep him waiting.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading His head still ached, and every nerve was irritable.

WAY

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

From this reading LUCIA'S WAY He wondered how much longer they were going to keep him waiting.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading LUCIA'S WAY He wondered how much longer they were going to keep him waiting.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading Then he remembered that he was only the man who had come about the books; he was there on the Hardens' business, and their time was his time.

wonderednounUS /wondered/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading LUCIA'S WAY He wondered how much longer they were going to keep him waiting.

worse

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

From this reading And there were worse places to wait in than the library of Court House.