Chapter IX
"Who could have Foreseen it?" A dreadful thing has happened to us. Who could have foreseen it? I cannot foresee any end to our troubles. It may be that we are condemned to spend our whole lives in this strange, inaccessible place.
The Lost World
Chapter IX
English subtitles · tap any word to listen
1 / 5
"Who
could
have
Foreseen
it?"
A
dreadful
thing
has
happened
to
us.
Who
could
have
foreseen
it?
I
cannot
foresee
any
end
to
our
troubles.
It
may
be
that
we
are
condemned
to
spend
our
whole
lives
in
this
strange,
inaccessible
place.
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Line 1
"Who
could
have
Foreseen
it?"
Line 2
A
dreadful
thing
has
happened
to
us.
Line 3
Who
could
have
foreseen
it?
Line 4
I
cannot
foresee
any
end
to
our
troubles.
Line 5
It
may
be
that
we
are
condemned
to
spend
our
whole
lives
in
this
strange,
inaccessible
place.
Learner Dictionary
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.
Could
modal verb
US /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading “"Who could have Foreseen it?"”
Dreadful
adjective
US /ˈdrɛdfəl/
extremely frightening or unpleasant
From this reading “A dreadful thing has happened to us.”
Has
auxiliary verb
US /hæz/
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “A dreadful thing has happened to us.”
Have
auxiliary verb
US /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “"Who could have Foreseen it?"”
May
modal verb
US /meɪ/
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading “It may be that we are condemned to spend our whole lives in this strange, inaccessible place.”
Thing
noun
US /thing/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “A dreadful thing has happened to us.”
All words in this reading · 33
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 A dreadful thing has happened to us.
any
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I cannot foresee any end to our troubles.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading It may be that we are condemned to spend our whole lives in this strange, inaccessible place.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It may be that we are condemned to spend our whole lives in this strange, inaccessible place.
cannot
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I cannot foresee any end to our troubles.
condemned
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It may be that we are condemned to spend our whole lives in this strange, inaccessible place.
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "Who could have Foreseen it?"
dreadfuladjectiveUS /ˈdrɛdfəl/
extremely frightening or unpleasant
From this reading A dreadful thing has happened to us.
end
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I cannot foresee any end to our troubles.
foresee
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I cannot foresee any end to our troubles.
Foreseen
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Who could have Foreseen it?"
happened
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A dreadful thing has happened to us.
hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A dreadful thing has happened to us.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Who could have Foreseen it?"
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I cannot foresee any end to our troubles.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It may be that we are condemned to spend our whole lives in this strange, inaccessible place.
inaccessible
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It may be that we are condemned to spend our whole lives in this strange, inaccessible place.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Who could have Foreseen it?"
lives
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It may be that we are condemned to spend our whole lives in this strange, inaccessible place.
maymodal verbUS /meɪ/
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading It may be that we are condemned to spend our whole lives in this strange, inaccessible place.
ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading I cannot foresee any end to our troubles.
place
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It may be that we are condemned to spend our whole lives in this strange, inaccessible place.
spend
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It may be that we are condemned to spend our whole lives in this strange, inaccessible place.
strange
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It may be that we are condemned to spend our whole lives in this strange, inaccessible place.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It may be that we are condemned to spend our whole lives in this strange, inaccessible place.
thingnounUS /thing/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading A dreadful thing has happened to us.
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading It may be that we are condemned to spend our whole lives in this strange, inaccessible place.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A dreadful thing has happened to us.
troubles
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I cannot foresee any end to our troubles.
uspronounUS /ʌs/
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A dreadful thing has happened to us.
wepronounUS /wiː/
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading It may be that we are condemned to spend our whole lives in this strange, inaccessible place.
WhopronounUS /huː/
which person or people
From this reading "Who could have Foreseen it?"
whole
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It may be that we are condemned to spend our whole lives in this strange, inaccessible place.