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The Last Tenant
The Last Tenant

Chapter VI

Cover illustration for The Last Tenant
Context Illustration Reading 1/28 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE ANSWER TO THE BELL.
We stood transfixed with fear.
As I have said, we were on the second floor, and the sound which now filled us with apprehension proceeded from the lower part of the house.
It was very faint, and I judged--though in such circumstances but small reliance could be placed upon any judgment I may have formed--that if human feet produced it they must have been encased in soft shoes or slippers.
It has ever since been to me a matter for wonder how a sound so fine could have reached our ears from that distance.
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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 Last Tenant

Chapter VI

Reading 1/28 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE ANSWER TO THE BELL.
Line 2
We stood transfixed with fear.
Line 3
As I have said, we were on the second floor, and the sound which now filled us with apprehension proceeded from the lower part of the house.
Line 4
It was very faint, and I judged--though in such circumstances but small reliance could be placed upon any judgment I may have formed--that if human feet produced it they must have been encased in soft shoes or slippers.
Line 5
It has ever since been to me a matter for wonder how a sound so fine could have reached our ears from that distance.

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 “It was very faint, and I judged--though in such circumstances but small reliance could be placed upon any judgment I may have formed--that if human feet produced it they must have been encased in soft shoes or slippers.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

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

From this reading “It was very faint, and I judged--though in such circumstances but small reliance could be placed upon any judgment I may have formed--that if human feet produced it they must have been encased in soft shoes or slippers.”

Ever noun US /ever/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It has ever since been to me a matter for wonder how a sound so fine could have reached our ears from that distance.”

Fine noun US /fine/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It has ever since been to me a matter for wonder how a sound so fine could have reached our ears from that distance.”

Has auxiliary verb US /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading “It has ever since been to me a matter for wonder how a sound so fine could have reached our ears from that distance.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “As I have said, we were on the second floor, and the sound which now filled us with apprehension proceeded from the lower part of the house.”

May modal verb US /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading “It was very faint, and I judged--though in such circumstances but small reliance could be placed upon any judgment I may have formed--that if human feet produced it they must have been encased in soft shoes or slippers.”

Must modal verb US /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading “It was very faint, and I judged--though in such circumstances but small reliance could be placed upon any judgment I may have formed--that if human feet produced it they must have been encased in soft shoes or slippers.”

Part noun US /part/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “As I have said, we were on the second floor, and the sound which now filled us with apprehension proceeded from the lower part of the house.”

Second noun US /second/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “As I have said, we were on the second floor, and the sound which now filled us with apprehension proceeded from the lower part of the house.”

Since preposition US /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading “It has ever since been to me a matter for wonder how a sound so fine could have reached our ears from that distance.”

Stood noun US /stood/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “We stood transfixed with fear.”

Though conjunction US /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading “It was very faint, and I judged--though in such circumstances but small reliance could be placed upon any judgment I may have formed--that if human feet produced it they must have been encased in soft shoes or slippers.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “It was very faint, and I judged--though in such circumstances but small reliance could be placed upon any judgment I may have formed--that if human feet produced it they must have been encased in soft shoes or slippers.”

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading It has ever since been to me a matter for wonder how a sound so fine could have reached our ears from that distance.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading As I have said, we were on the second floor, and the sound which now filled us with apprehension proceeded from the lower part of the house.

ANSWER

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

From this reading THE ANSWER TO THE BELL.

any

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

From this reading It was very faint, and I judged--though in such circumstances but small reliance could be placed upon any judgment I may have formed--that if human feet produced it they must have been encased in soft shoes or slippers.

apprehension

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

From this reading As I have said, we were on the second floor, and the sound which now filled us with apprehension proceeded from the lower part of the house.

AsconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading As I have said, we were on the second floor, and the sound which now filled us with apprehension proceeded from the lower part of the house.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading It was very faint, and I judged--though in such circumstances but small reliance could be placed upon any judgment I may have formed--that if human feet produced it they must have been encased in soft shoes or slippers.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading It was very faint, and I judged--though in such circumstances but small reliance could be placed upon any judgment I may have formed--that if human feet produced it they must have been encased in soft shoes or slippers.

BELL

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

From this reading THE ANSWER TO THE BELL.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading It was very faint, and I judged--though in such circumstances but small reliance could be placed upon any judgment I may have formed--that if human feet produced it they must have been encased in soft shoes or slippers.

circumstances

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

From this reading It was very faint, and I judged--though in such circumstances but small reliance could be placed upon any judgment I may have formed--that if human feet produced it they must have been encased in soft shoes or slippers.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading It was very faint, and I judged--though in such circumstances but small reliance could be placed upon any judgment I may have formed--that if human feet produced it they must have been encased in soft shoes or slippers.

distance

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

From this reading It has ever since been to me a matter for wonder how a sound so fine could have reached our ears from that distance.

ears

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

From this reading It has ever since been to me a matter for wonder how a sound so fine could have reached our ears from that distance.

encased

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

From this reading It was very faint, and I judged--though in such circumstances but small reliance could be placed upon any judgment I may have formed--that if human feet produced it they must have been encased in soft shoes or slippers.

evernounUS /ever/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It has ever since been to me a matter for wonder how a sound so fine could have reached our ears from that distance.

faint

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

From this reading It was very faint, and I judged--though in such circumstances but small reliance could be placed upon any judgment I may have formed--that if human feet produced it they must have been encased in soft shoes or slippers.

fear

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

From this reading We stood transfixed with fear.

feet

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

From this reading It was very faint, and I judged--though in such circumstances but small reliance could be placed upon any judgment I may have formed--that if human feet produced it they must have been encased in soft shoes or slippers.

filled

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

From this reading As I have said, we were on the second floor, and the sound which now filled us with apprehension proceeded from the lower part of the house.

finenounUS /fine/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It has ever since been to me a matter for wonder how a sound so fine could have reached our ears from that distance.

floor

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

From this reading As I have said, we were on the second floor, and the sound which now filled us with apprehension proceeded from the lower part of the house.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading It has ever since been to me a matter for wonder how a sound so fine could have reached our ears from that distance.

formed

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

From this reading It was very faint, and I judged--though in such circumstances but small reliance could be placed upon any judgment I may have formed--that if human feet produced it they must have been encased in soft shoes or slippers.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading As I have said, we were on the second floor, and the sound which now filled us with apprehension proceeded from the lower part of the house.

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading It has ever since been to me a matter for wonder how a sound so fine could have reached our ears from that distance.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading As I have said, we were on the second floor, and the sound which now filled us with apprehension proceeded from the lower part of the house.

house

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

From this reading As I have said, we were on the second floor, and the sound which now filled us with apprehension proceeded from the lower part of the house.

how

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

From this reading It has ever since been to me a matter for wonder how a sound so fine could have reached our ears from that distance.

human

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

From this reading It was very faint, and I judged--though in such circumstances but small reliance could be placed upon any judgment I may have formed--that if human feet produced it they must have been encased in soft shoes or slippers.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading As I have said, we were on the second floor, and the sound which now filled us with apprehension proceeded from the lower part of the house.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading It was very faint, and I judged--though in such circumstances but small reliance could be placed upon any judgment I may have formed--that if human feet produced it they must have been encased in soft shoes or slippers.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading It was very faint, and I judged--though in such circumstances but small reliance could be placed upon any judgment I may have formed--that if human feet produced it they must have been encased in soft shoes or slippers.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was very faint, and I judged--though in such circumstances but small reliance could be placed upon any judgment I may have formed--that if human feet produced it they must have been encased in soft shoes or slippers.

judged

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

From this reading It was very faint, and I judged--though in such circumstances but small reliance could be placed upon any judgment I may have formed--that if human feet produced it they must have been encased in soft shoes or slippers.

judgment

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

From this reading It was very faint, and I judged--though in such circumstances but small reliance could be placed upon any judgment I may have formed--that if human feet produced it they must have been encased in soft shoes or slippers.

lower

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

From this reading As I have said, we were on the second floor, and the sound which now filled us with apprehension proceeded from the lower part of the house.

matter

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

From this reading It has ever since been to me a matter for wonder how a sound so fine could have reached our ears from that distance.

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading It was very faint, and I judged--though in such circumstances but small reliance could be placed upon any judgment I may have formed--that if human feet produced it they must have been encased in soft shoes or slippers.

mepronounUS /miː/

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

From this reading It has ever since been to me a matter for wonder how a sound so fine could have reached our ears from that distance.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading It was very faint, and I judged--though in such circumstances but small reliance could be placed upon any judgment I may have formed--that if human feet produced it they must have been encased in soft shoes or slippers.

now

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

From this reading As I have said, we were on the second floor, and the sound which now filled us with apprehension proceeded from the lower part of the house.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading As I have said, we were on the second floor, and the sound which now filled us with apprehension proceeded from the lower part of the house.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading As I have said, we were on the second floor, and the sound which now filled us with apprehension proceeded from the lower part of the house.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading It was very faint, and I judged--though in such circumstances but small reliance could be placed upon any judgment I may have formed--that if human feet produced it they must have been encased in soft shoes or slippers.

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading It has ever since been to me a matter for wonder how a sound so fine could have reached our ears from that distance.

partnounUS /part/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading As I have said, we were on the second floor, and the sound which now filled us with apprehension proceeded from the lower part of the house.

placed

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

From this reading It was very faint, and I judged--though in such circumstances but small reliance could be placed upon any judgment I may have formed--that if human feet produced it they must have been encased in soft shoes or slippers.

proceeded

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

From this reading As I have said, we were on the second floor, and the sound which now filled us with apprehension proceeded from the lower part of the house.

produced

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

From this reading It was very faint, and I judged--though in such circumstances but small reliance could be placed upon any judgment I may have formed--that if human feet produced it they must have been encased in soft shoes or slippers.

reached

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

From this reading It has ever since been to me a matter for wonder how a sound so fine could have reached our ears from that distance.

reliance

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

From this reading It was very faint, and I judged--though in such circumstances but small reliance could be placed upon any judgment I may have formed--that if human feet produced it they must have been encased in soft shoes or slippers.

said

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

From this reading As I have said, we were on the second floor, and the sound which now filled us with apprehension proceeded from the lower part of the house.

second

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

From this reading As I have said, we were on the second floor, and the sound which now filled us with apprehension proceeded from the lower part of the house.

shoes

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

From this reading It was very faint, and I judged--though in such circumstances but small reliance could be placed upon any judgment I may have formed--that if human feet produced it they must have been encased in soft shoes or slippers.

sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading It has ever since been to me a matter for wonder how a sound so fine could have reached our ears from that distance.

slippers

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

From this reading It was very faint, and I judged--though in such circumstances but small reliance could be placed upon any judgment I may have formed--that if human feet produced it they must have been encased in soft shoes or slippers.

small

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

From this reading It was very faint, and I judged--though in such circumstances but small reliance could be placed upon any judgment I may have formed--that if human feet produced it they must have been encased in soft shoes or slippers.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading It has ever since been to me a matter for wonder how a sound so fine could have reached our ears from that distance.

soft

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

From this reading It was very faint, and I judged--though in such circumstances but small reliance could be placed upon any judgment I may have formed--that if human feet produced it they must have been encased in soft shoes or slippers.

sound

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

From this reading As I have said, we were on the second floor, and the sound which now filled us with apprehension proceeded from the lower part of the house.

stoodnounUS /stood/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading We stood transfixed with fear.

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading It was very faint, and I judged--though in such circumstances but small reliance could be placed upon any judgment I may have formed--that if human feet produced it they must have been encased in soft shoes or slippers.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading It was very faint, and I judged--though in such circumstances but small reliance could be placed upon any judgment I may have formed--that if human feet produced it they must have been encased in soft shoes or slippers.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE ANSWER TO THE BELL.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading It was very faint, and I judged--though in such circumstances but small reliance could be placed upon any judgment I may have formed--that if human feet produced it they must have been encased in soft shoes or slippers.

thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading It was very faint, and I judged--though in such circumstances but small reliance could be placed upon any judgment I may have formed--that if human feet produced it they must have been encased in soft shoes or slippers.

TOparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading THE ANSWER TO THE BELL.

transfixed

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

From this reading We stood transfixed with fear.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading It was very faint, and I judged--though in such circumstances but small reliance could be placed upon any judgment I may have formed--that if human feet produced it they must have been encased in soft shoes or slippers.

uspronounUS /ʌs/

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

From this reading As I have said, we were on the second floor, and the sound which now filled us with apprehension proceeded from the lower part of the house.

very

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

From this reading It was very faint, and I judged--though in such circumstances but small reliance could be placed upon any judgment I may have formed--that if human feet produced it they must have been encased in soft shoes or slippers.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading It was very faint, and I judged--though in such circumstances but small reliance could be placed upon any judgment I may have formed--that if human feet produced it they must have been encased in soft shoes or slippers.

WepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading We stood transfixed with fear.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading As I have said, we were on the second floor, and the sound which now filled us with apprehension proceeded from the lower part of the house.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading As I have said, we were on the second floor, and the sound which now filled us with apprehension proceeded from the lower part of the house.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading We stood transfixed with fear.

wonder

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

From this reading It has ever since been to me a matter for wonder how a sound so fine could have reached our ears from that distance.