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The Dumpling
The Dumpling

Chapter XII

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Context Illustration Reading 1/20 · 5 lines
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THE DUMPLING'S SECRET.
The man, as I have said before, was mad--stark, staring mad, and with a madman one must go warily.
Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.
Under the circumstances I thought it best not to appear too eager.
"You can't frighten me with your threats," I said, quietly.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Dumpling

Chapter XII

Reading 1/20 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE DUMPLING'S SECRET.
Line 2
The man, as I have said before, was mad--stark, staring mad, and with a madman one must go warily.
Line 3
Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.
Line 4
Under the circumstances I thought it best not to appear too eager.
Line 5
"You can't frighten me with your threats," I said, quietly.

Learner Dictionary

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

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.”

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “The man, as I have said before, was mad--stark, staring mad, and with a madman one must go warily.”

Believe noun US /ˈbelieve/

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

From this reading “Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “The man, as I have said before, was mad--stark, staring mad, and with a madman one must go warily.”

Life noun US /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.”

Must modal verb US /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading “The man, as I have said before, was mad--stark, staring mad, and with a madman one must go warily.”

Myself pronoun US /ˌmaɪˈself/

used when the speaker is also the object of the action

From this reading “Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “The man, as I have said before, was mad--stark, staring mad, and with a madman one must go warily.”

Readily noun US /readily/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.”

SECRET noun US /ˈsiː.krət/

Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.

From this reading “THE DUMPLING'S SECRET.”

Thought noun US /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Under the circumstances I thought it best not to appear too eager.”

Under preposition US /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading “Under the circumstances I thought it best not to appear too eager.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

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

From this reading “Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.”

All words in this reading · 71

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 The man, as I have said before, was mad--stark, staring mad, and with a madman one must go warily.

adherent

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

From this reading Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.

amauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The man, as I have said before, was mad--stark, staring mad, and with a madman one must go warily.

appear

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

From this reading Under the circumstances I thought it best not to appear too eager.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading The man, as I have said before, was mad--stark, staring mad, and with a madman one must go warily.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading The man, as I have said before, was mad--stark, staring mad, and with a madman one must go warily.

believenounUS /ˈbelieve/

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

From this reading Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.

best

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

From this reading Under the circumstances I thought it best not to appear too eager.

can't

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

From this reading "You can't frighten me with your threats," I said, quietly.

case

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

From this reading Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.

circumstances

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

From this reading Under the circumstances I thought it best not to appear too eager.

cunning

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

From this reading Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.

declared

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

From this reading Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.

doubt

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

From this reading Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.

DUMPLING'S

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

From this reading THE DUMPLING'S SECRET.

eager

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

From this reading Under the circumstances I thought it best not to appear too eager.

frighten

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

From this reading "You can't frighten me with your threats," I said, quietly.

fulfilled

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

From this reading Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.

go

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

From this reading The man, as I have said before, was mad--stark, staring mad, and with a madman one must go warily.

Hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading The man, as I have said before, was mad--stark, staring mad, and with a madman one must go warily.

heart

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

From this reading Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading The man, as I have said before, was mad--stark, staring mad, and with a madman one must go warily.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Under the circumstances I thought it best not to appear too eager.

led

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

From this reading Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.

lifenounUS /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.

mad

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

From this reading The man, as I have said before, was mad--stark, staring mad, and with a madman one must go warily.

madman

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

From this reading The man, as I have said before, was mad--stark, staring mad, and with a madman one must go warily.

man

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

From this reading The man, as I have said before, was mad--stark, staring mad, and with a madman one must go warily.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading The man, as I have said before, was mad--stark, staring mad, and with a madman one must go warily.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.

myselfpronounUS /ˌmaɪˈself/

used when the speaker is also the object of the action

From this reading Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Under the circumstances I thought it best not to appear too eager.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading The man, as I have said before, was mad--stark, staring mad, and with a madman one must go warily.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.

out

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

From this reading Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.

persuaded

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

From this reading Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.

profusely

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

From this reading Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.

promise

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

From this reading Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.

protested

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

From this reading Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.

quietly

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

From this reading "You can't frighten me with your threats," I said, quietly.

readilynounUS /readily/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.

said

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

From this reading The man, as I have said before, was mad--stark, staring mad, and with a madman one must go warily.

SECRETnounUS /ˈsiː.krət/

Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.

From this reading THE DUMPLING'S SECRET.

sincerity

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

From this reading Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.

staring

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

From this reading The man, as I have said before, was mad--stark, staring mad, and with a madman one must go warily.

stark

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

From this reading The man, as I have said before, was mad--stark, staring mad, and with a madman one must go warily.

strangle

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

From this reading Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.

sympathy

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

From this reading Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.

tear

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

From this reading Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE DUMPLING'S SECRET.

thoughtnounUS /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Under the circumstances I thought it best not to appear too eager.

threats

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

From this reading "You can't frighten me with your threats," I said, quietly.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.

too

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

From this reading Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.

UnderprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading Under the circumstances I thought it best not to appear too eager.

warily

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

From this reading The man, as I have said before, was mad--stark, staring mad, and with a madman one must go warily.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The man, as I have said before, was mad--stark, staring mad, and with a madman one must go warily.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading The man, as I have said before, was mad--stark, staring mad, and with a madman one must go warily.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

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

From this reading Had I too profusely protested my sympathy, too readily declared myself an adherent, his cunning would, I am persuaded, have led him to doubt my sincerity, in which case his promise to strangle the life, or to tear the heart out of me, would, I believe, have been fulfilled.

YoupronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "You can't frighten me with your threats," I said, quietly.

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "You can't frighten me with your threats," I said, quietly.