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The Inner House
The Inner House

Chapter XV

Cover illustration for The Inner House
Context Illustration Reading 1/20 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
PRISONERS.
Thus, then, were the tables turned upon us.
We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.
Lost to us forever!
What would become of the College when the Great Mystery was lost to it?
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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 Inner House

Chapter XV

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

Line 1
PRISONERS.
Line 2
Thus, then, were the tables turned upon us.
Line 3
We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.
Line 4
Lost to us forever!
Line 5
What would become of the College when the Great Mystery was lost to it?

Learner Dictionary

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

Great noun US /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.”

Hands plural noun US /hændz/

members of a ship’s crew

From this reading “We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.”

Itself pronoun US /ˌɪtˈself/

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading “We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.”

Life noun US /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.”

Secret noun US /ˈsiː.krət/

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

From this reading “We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “Thus, then, were the tables turned upon us.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

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

From this reading “What would become of the College when the Great Mystery was lost to it?”

All words in this reading · 52

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

actually

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

From this reading We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.

Arch

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

From this reading We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.

arrested

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

From this reading We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.

become

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

From this reading What would become of the College when the Great Mystery was lost to it?

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.

College

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

From this reading We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.

doubt

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

From this reading We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.

forever

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

From this reading Lost to us forever!

given

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

From this reading We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.

GreatnounUS /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.

handsplural nounUS /hændz/

members of a ship’s crew

From this reading We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.

House

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

From this reading We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.

itselfpronounUS /ˌɪtˈself/

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.

LifenounUS /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.

locked

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

From this reading We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.

Lost

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

From this reading Lost to us forever!

Mystery

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

From this reading What would become of the College when the Great Mystery was lost to it?

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.

PRISONERS

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

From this reading PRISONERS.

probably

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

From this reading We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.

proposed

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

From this reading We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.

Rebels

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

From this reading We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.

Sacred

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

From this reading We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.

SecretnounUS /ˈsiː.krət/

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

From this reading We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.

tables

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

From this reading Thus, then, were the tables turned upon us.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Thus, then, were the tables turned upon us.

then

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

From this reading Thus, then, were the tables turned upon us.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.

Thus

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

From this reading Thus, then, were the tables turned upon us.

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.

Traitor

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

From this reading We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.

turned

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

From this reading Thus, then, were the tables turned upon us.

up

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

From this reading We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading Thus, then, were the tables turned upon us.

uspronounUS /ʌs/

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Thus, then, were the tables turned upon us.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.

WepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading Thus, then, were the tables turned upon us.

WhatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading What would become of the College when the Great Mystery was lost to it?

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.

whompronounUS /huːm/

the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading We were locked up, prisoners--actually the Sacred College, prisoners--in the House of Life itself, and the Great Secret was probably by this time in the hands of the Rebels, to whom the Arch Traitor had no doubt given it, as he had proposed to do when we arrested him.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

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

From this reading What would become of the College when the Great Mystery was lost to it?