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The King of Gee-Whiz
The King of Gee-Whiz

Chapter XXI

Cover illustration for The King of Gee-Whiz
Context Illustration Reading 1/9 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE JOURNEY TO FAIRY-LAND Nobody can tell how far the Twins went down the Golden Ladder before they dared to stop.
It may have been an hour or two hours before they began to get so tired that it seemed they could go no further, no matter what might happen.
They looked up at the Ladder down which they had come, and, to their great surprise, they could no longer see the top of it; the sides of the rocky walls seemed to come together above them, just as they still did below them.
It seemed to them that they were in the middle of the world.
They did not dare to try to climb back again, for they were too tired.
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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 King of Gee-Whiz

Chapter XXI

Reading 1/9 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE JOURNEY TO FAIRY-LAND Nobody can tell how far the Twins went down the Golden Ladder before they dared to stop.
Line 2
It may have been an hour or two hours before they began to get so tired that it seemed they could go no further, no matter what might happen.
Line 3
They looked up at the Ladder down which they had come, and, to their great surprise, they could no longer see the top of it; the sides of the rocky walls seemed to come together above them, just as they still did below them.
Line 4
It seemed to them that they were in the middle of the world.
Line 5
They did not dare to try to climb back again, for they were too tired.

Learner Dictionary

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

Above preposition US /əˈbʌv/

higher than, or over, something

From this reading “They looked up at the Ladder down which they had come, and, to their great surprise, they could no longer see the top of it; the sides of the rocky walls seemed to come together above them, just as they still did below them.”

Again noun US /again/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “They did not dare to try to climb back again, for they were too tired.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “It may have been an hour or two hours before they began to get so tired that it seemed they could go no further, no matter what might happen.”

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “THE JOURNEY TO FAIRY-LAND Nobody can tell how far the Twins went down the Golden Ladder before they dared to stop.”

Began noun US /began/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It may have been an hour or two hours before they began to get so tired that it seemed they could go no further, no matter what might happen.”

Below preposition US /bɪˈloʊ/

at or to a lower level than something

From this reading “They looked up at the Ladder down which they had come, and, to their great surprise, they could no longer see the top of it; the sides of the rocky walls seemed to come together above them, just as they still did below them.”

Come noun US /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “They looked up at the Ladder down which they had come, and, to their great surprise, they could no longer see the top of it; the sides of the rocky walls seemed to come together above them, just as they still did below them.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading “It may have been an hour or two hours before they began to get so tired that it seemed they could go no further, no matter what might happen.”

Great noun US /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “They looked up at the Ladder down which they had come, and, to their great surprise, they could no longer see the top of it; the sides of the rocky walls seemed to come together above them, just as they still did below them.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “It may have been an hour or two hours before they began to get so tired that it seemed they could go no further, no matter what might happen.”

JOURNEY noun US /ˈjourney/

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

From this reading “THE JOURNEY TO FAIRY-LAND Nobody can tell how far the Twins went down the Golden Ladder before they dared to stop.”

Looked noun US /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “They looked up at the Ladder down which they had come, and, to their great surprise, they could no longer see the top of it; the sides of the rocky walls seemed to come together above them, just as they still did below them.”

May modal verb US /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading “It may have been an hour or two hours before they began to get so tired that it seemed they could go no further, no matter what might happen.”

Might modal verb US /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading “It may have been an hour or two hours before they began to get so tired that it seemed they could go no further, no matter what might happen.”

Nobody pronoun US /ˈnoʊbɑːdiː/

no person; not anyone

From this reading “THE JOURNEY TO FAIRY-LAND Nobody can tell how far the Twins went down the Golden Ladder before they dared to stop.”

Seemed noun US /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It may have been an hour or two hours before they began to get so tired that it seemed they could go no further, no matter what might happen.”

Still noun US /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “They looked up at the Ladder down which they had come, and, to their great surprise, they could no longer see the top of it; the sides of the rocky walls seemed to come together above them, just as they still did below them.”

Tell noun US /tell/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “THE JOURNEY TO FAIRY-LAND Nobody can tell how far the Twins went down the Golden Ladder before they dared to stop.”

Went noun US /went/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “THE JOURNEY TO FAIRY-LAND Nobody can tell how far the Twins went down the Golden Ladder before they dared to stop.”

All words in this reading · 78

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

aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/

higher than, or over, something

From this reading They looked up at the Ladder down which they had come, and, to their great surprise, they could no longer see the top of it; the sides of the rocky walls seemed to come together above them, just as they still did below them.

againnounUS /again/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading They did not dare to try to climb back again, for they were too tired.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading It may have been an hour or two hours before they began to get so tired that it seemed they could go no further, no matter what might happen.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading They looked up at the Ladder down which they had come, and, to their great surprise, they could no longer see the top of it; the sides of the rocky walls seemed to come together above them, just as they still did below them.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading They looked up at the Ladder down which they had come, and, to their great surprise, they could no longer see the top of it; the sides of the rocky walls seemed to come together above them, just as they still did below them.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading They looked up at the Ladder down which they had come, and, to their great surprise, they could no longer see the top of it; the sides of the rocky walls seemed to come together above them, just as they still did below them.

back

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

From this reading They did not dare to try to climb back again, for they were too tired.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading It may have been an hour or two hours before they began to get so tired that it seemed they could go no further, no matter what might happen.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading THE JOURNEY TO FAIRY-LAND Nobody can tell how far the Twins went down the Golden Ladder before they dared to stop.

begannounUS /began/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It may have been an hour or two hours before they began to get so tired that it seemed they could go no further, no matter what might happen.

belowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/

at or to a lower level than something

From this reading They looked up at the Ladder down which they had come, and, to their great surprise, they could no longer see the top of it; the sides of the rocky walls seemed to come together above them, just as they still did below them.

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading THE JOURNEY TO FAIRY-LAND Nobody can tell how far the Twins went down the Golden Ladder before they dared to stop.

climb

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

From this reading They did not dare to try to climb back again, for they were too tired.

comenounUS /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading They looked up at the Ladder down which they had come, and, to their great surprise, they could no longer see the top of it; the sides of the rocky walls seemed to come together above them, just as they still did below them.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading It may have been an hour or two hours before they began to get so tired that it seemed they could go no further, no matter what might happen.

dare

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

From this reading They did not dare to try to climb back again, for they were too tired.

dared

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

From this reading THE JOURNEY TO FAIRY-LAND Nobody can tell how far the Twins went down the Golden Ladder before they dared to stop.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading They looked up at the Ladder down which they had come, and, to their great surprise, they could no longer see the top of it; the sides of the rocky walls seemed to come together above them, just as they still did below them.

down

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

From this reading THE JOURNEY TO FAIRY-LAND Nobody can tell how far the Twins went down the Golden Ladder before they dared to stop.

FAIRY-LAND

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

From this reading THE JOURNEY TO FAIRY-LAND Nobody can tell how far the Twins went down the Golden Ladder before they dared to stop.

far

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

From this reading THE JOURNEY TO FAIRY-LAND Nobody can tell how far the Twins went down the Golden Ladder before they dared to stop.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading They did not dare to try to climb back again, for they were too tired.

further

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

From this reading It may have been an hour or two hours before they began to get so tired that it seemed they could go no further, no matter what might happen.

get

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

From this reading It may have been an hour or two hours before they began to get so tired that it seemed they could go no further, no matter what might happen.

go

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

From this reading It may have been an hour or two hours before they began to get so tired that it seemed they could go no further, no matter what might happen.

Golden

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

From this reading THE JOURNEY TO FAIRY-LAND Nobody can tell how far the Twins went down the Golden Ladder before they dared to stop.

greatnounUS /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading They looked up at the Ladder down which they had come, and, to their great surprise, they could no longer see the top of it; the sides of the rocky walls seemed to come together above them, just as they still did below them.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading They looked up at the Ladder down which they had come, and, to their great surprise, they could no longer see the top of it; the sides of the rocky walls seemed to come together above them, just as they still did below them.

happen

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

From this reading It may have been an hour or two hours before they began to get so tired that it seemed they could go no further, no matter what might happen.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading It may have been an hour or two hours before they began to get so tired that it seemed they could go no further, no matter what might happen.

hour

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

From this reading It may have been an hour or two hours before they began to get so tired that it seemed they could go no further, no matter what might happen.

hours

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

From this reading It may have been an hour or two hours before they began to get so tired that it seemed they could go no further, no matter what might happen.

how

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

From this reading THE JOURNEY TO FAIRY-LAND Nobody can tell how far the Twins went down the Golden Ladder before they dared to stop.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading It seemed to them that they were in the middle of the world.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It may have been an hour or two hours before they began to get so tired that it seemed they could go no further, no matter what might happen.

JOURNEYnounUS /ˈjourney/

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

From this reading THE JOURNEY TO FAIRY-LAND Nobody can tell how far the Twins went down the Golden Ladder before they dared to stop.

just

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

From this reading They looked up at the Ladder down which they had come, and, to their great surprise, they could no longer see the top of it; the sides of the rocky walls seemed to come together above them, just as they still did below them.

Ladder

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

From this reading THE JOURNEY TO FAIRY-LAND Nobody can tell how far the Twins went down the Golden Ladder before they dared to stop.

longer

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

From this reading They looked up at the Ladder down which they had come, and, to their great surprise, they could no longer see the top of it; the sides of the rocky walls seemed to come together above them, just as they still did below them.

lookednounUS /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading They looked up at the Ladder down which they had come, and, to their great surprise, they could no longer see the top of it; the sides of the rocky walls seemed to come together above them, just as they still did below them.

matter

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

From this reading It may have been an hour or two hours before they began to get so tired that it seemed they could go no further, no matter what might happen.

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading It may have been an hour or two hours before they began to get so tired that it seemed they could go no further, no matter what might happen.

middle

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

From this reading It seemed to them that they were in the middle of the world.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading It may have been an hour or two hours before they began to get so tired that it seemed they could go no further, no matter what might happen.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading It may have been an hour or two hours before they began to get so tired that it seemed they could go no further, no matter what might happen.

NobodypronounUS /ˈnoʊbɑːdiː/

no person; not anyone

From this reading THE JOURNEY TO FAIRY-LAND Nobody can tell how far the Twins went down the Golden Ladder before they dared to stop.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading They did not dare to try to climb back again, for they were too tired.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading They looked up at the Ladder down which they had come, and, to their great surprise, they could no longer see the top of it; the sides of the rocky walls seemed to come together above them, just as they still did below them.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading It may have been an hour or two hours before they began to get so tired that it seemed they could go no further, no matter what might happen.

rocky

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

From this reading They looked up at the Ladder down which they had come, and, to their great surprise, they could no longer see the top of it; the sides of the rocky walls seemed to come together above them, just as they still did below them.

see

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

From this reading They looked up at the Ladder down which they had come, and, to their great surprise, they could no longer see the top of it; the sides of the rocky walls seemed to come together above them, just as they still did below them.

seemednounUS /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It may have been an hour or two hours before they began to get so tired that it seemed they could go no further, no matter what might happen.

sides

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

From this reading They looked up at the Ladder down which they had come, and, to their great surprise, they could no longer see the top of it; the sides of the rocky walls seemed to come together above them, just as they still did below them.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading It may have been an hour or two hours before they began to get so tired that it seemed they could go no further, no matter what might happen.

stillnounUS /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading They looked up at the Ladder down which they had come, and, to their great surprise, they could no longer see the top of it; the sides of the rocky walls seemed to come together above them, just as they still did below them.

stop

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

From this reading THE JOURNEY TO FAIRY-LAND Nobody can tell how far the Twins went down the Golden Ladder before they dared to stop.

surprise

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

From this reading They looked up at the Ladder down which they had come, and, to their great surprise, they could no longer see the top of it; the sides of the rocky walls seemed to come together above them, just as they still did below them.

tellnounUS /tell/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading THE JOURNEY TO FAIRY-LAND Nobody can tell how far the Twins went down the Golden Ladder before they dared to stop.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading It may have been an hour or two hours before they began to get so tired that it seemed they could go no further, no matter what might happen.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE JOURNEY TO FAIRY-LAND Nobody can tell how far the Twins went down the Golden Ladder before they dared to stop.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading They looked up at the Ladder down which they had come, and, to their great surprise, they could no longer see the top of it; the sides of the rocky walls seemed to come together above them, just as they still did below them.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading They looked up at the Ladder down which they had come, and, to their great surprise, they could no longer see the top of it; the sides of the rocky walls seemed to come together above them, just as they still did below them.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading THE JOURNEY TO FAIRY-LAND Nobody can tell how far the Twins went down the Golden Ladder before they dared to stop.

tired

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

From this reading It may have been an hour or two hours before they began to get so tired that it seemed they could go no further, no matter what might happen.

TOparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading THE JOURNEY TO FAIRY-LAND Nobody can tell how far the Twins went down the Golden Ladder before they dared to stop.

together

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

From this reading They looked up at the Ladder down which they had come, and, to their great surprise, they could no longer see the top of it; the sides of the rocky walls seemed to come together above them, just as they still did below them.

too

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

From this reading They did not dare to try to climb back again, for they were too tired.

top

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

From this reading They looked up at the Ladder down which they had come, and, to their great surprise, they could no longer see the top of it; the sides of the rocky walls seemed to come together above them, just as they still did below them.

try

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

From this reading They did not dare to try to climb back again, for they were too tired.

Twins

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

From this reading THE JOURNEY TO FAIRY-LAND Nobody can tell how far the Twins went down the Golden Ladder before they dared to stop.

two

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

From this reading It may have been an hour or two hours before they began to get so tired that it seemed they could go no further, no matter what might happen.

up

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

From this reading They looked up at the Ladder down which they had come, and, to their great surprise, they could no longer see the top of it; the sides of the rocky walls seemed to come together above them, just as they still did below them.

walls

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

From this reading They looked up at the Ladder down which they had come, and, to their great surprise, they could no longer see the top of it; the sides of the rocky walls seemed to come together above them, just as they still did below them.

wentnounUS /went/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading THE JOURNEY TO FAIRY-LAND Nobody can tell how far the Twins went down the Golden Ladder before they dared to stop.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading It seemed to them that they were in the middle of the world.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading It may have been an hour or two hours before they began to get so tired that it seemed they could go no further, no matter what might happen.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading They looked up at the Ladder down which they had come, and, to their great surprise, they could no longer see the top of it; the sides of the rocky walls seemed to come together above them, just as they still did below them.

world

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

From this reading It seemed to them that they were in the middle of the world.