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The Penalty
The Penalty

Chapter XIII

Cover illustration for The Penalty
Context Illustration Reading 1/80 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
After a few spoonfuls of the soup, Wilmot suggested that he should prefer something solid.
The woman shook her head.
"If I'm to be kept alive," he said petulantly, "why not comfortably?"
"Nothing solid.
That's the doctor's orders."
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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 Penalty

Chapter XIII

Reading 1/80 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
After a few spoonfuls of the soup, Wilmot suggested that he should prefer something solid.
Line 2
The woman shook her head.
Line 3
"If I'm to be kept alive," he said petulantly, "why not comfortably?"
Line 4
"Nothing solid.
Line 5
That's the doctor's orders."

Learner Dictionary

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

After preposition US /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading “After a few spoonfuls of the soup, Wilmot suggested that he should prefer something solid.”

Nothing pronoun US /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading “"Nothing solid.”

Something pronoun US /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading “After a few spoonfuls of the soup, Wilmot suggested that he should prefer something solid.”

All words in this reading · 34

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 After a few spoonfuls of the soup, Wilmot suggested that he should prefer something solid.

AfterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading After a few spoonfuls of the soup, Wilmot suggested that he should prefer something solid.

alive

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

From this reading "If I'm to be kept alive," he said petulantly, "why not comfortably?"

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading "If I'm to be kept alive," he said petulantly, "why not comfortably?"

comfortably

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

From this reading "If I'm to be kept alive," he said petulantly, "why not comfortably?"

doctor's

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

From this reading That's the doctor's orders."

few

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

From this reading After a few spoonfuls of the soup, Wilmot suggested that he should prefer something solid.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading After a few spoonfuls of the soup, Wilmot suggested that he should prefer something solid.

head

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

From this reading The woman shook her head.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading The woman shook her head.

I'm

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

From this reading "If I'm to be kept alive," he said petulantly, "why not comfortably?"

IfconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading "If I'm to be kept alive," he said petulantly, "why not comfortably?"

kept

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

From this reading "If I'm to be kept alive," he said petulantly, "why not comfortably?"

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading "If I'm to be kept alive," he said petulantly, "why not comfortably?"

NothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading "Nothing solid.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading After a few spoonfuls of the soup, Wilmot suggested that he should prefer something solid.

orders

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

From this reading That's the doctor's orders."

petulantly

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

From this reading "If I'm to be kept alive," he said petulantly, "why not comfortably?"

prefer

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

From this reading After a few spoonfuls of the soup, Wilmot suggested that he should prefer something solid.

said

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

From this reading "If I'm to be kept alive," he said petulantly, "why not comfortably?"

shook

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

From this reading The woman shook her head.

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading After a few spoonfuls of the soup, Wilmot suggested that he should prefer something solid.

solid

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

From this reading After a few spoonfuls of the soup, Wilmot suggested that he should prefer something solid.

somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading After a few spoonfuls of the soup, Wilmot suggested that he should prefer something solid.

soup

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

From this reading After a few spoonfuls of the soup, Wilmot suggested that he should prefer something solid.

spoonfuls

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

From this reading After a few spoonfuls of the soup, Wilmot suggested that he should prefer something solid.

suggested

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

From this reading After a few spoonfuls of the soup, Wilmot suggested that he should prefer something solid.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading After a few spoonfuls of the soup, Wilmot suggested that he should prefer something solid.

That's

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

From this reading That's the doctor's orders."

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading After a few spoonfuls of the soup, Wilmot suggested that he should prefer something solid.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading "If I'm to be kept alive," he said petulantly, "why not comfortably?"

why

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

From this reading "If I'm to be kept alive," he said petulantly, "why not comfortably?"

Wilmot

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

From this reading After a few spoonfuls of the soup, Wilmot suggested that he should prefer something solid.

woman

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

From this reading The woman shook her head.