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The Sign of Silence
The Sign of Silence

Chapter VI

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Context Illustration Reading 1/24 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE PIECE OF CONVICTION.
The morning of the tenth of January was one of those of gloom and darkness which are, on occasions, the blots upon London's reputation.
There seemed no fog, only a heavy, threatening cloud of night fell suddenly upon the city, and at three o'clock it might have been midnight.
Streets, shops, and offices were lit everywhere, and buses and taxis compelled to light up, while in the atmosphere was a sulphurous odour with a black deposit which caused the eyes to smart and the lungs to irritate.
Londoners know those periods of unpleasant darkness only too well.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Sign of Silence

Chapter VI

Reading 1/24 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE PIECE OF CONVICTION.
Line 2
The morning of the tenth of January was one of those of gloom and darkness which are, on occasions, the blots upon London's reputation.
Line 3
There seemed no fog, only a heavy, threatening cloud of night fell suddenly upon the city, and at three o'clock it might have been midnight.
Line 4
Streets, shops, and offices were lit everywhere, and buses and taxis compelled to light up, while in the atmosphere was a sulphurous odour with a black deposit which caused the eyes to smart and the lungs to irritate.
Line 5
Londoners know those periods of unpleasant darkness only too well.

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 “There seemed no fog, only a heavy, threatening cloud of night fell suddenly upon the city, and at three o'clock it might have been midnight.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “There seemed no fog, only a heavy, threatening cloud of night fell suddenly upon the city, and at three o'clock it might have been midnight.”

Know noun US /know/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Londoners know those periods of unpleasant darkness only too well.”

Might modal verb US /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading “There seemed no fog, only a heavy, threatening cloud of night fell suddenly upon the city, and at three o'clock it might have been midnight.”

Morning noun US /morning/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The morning of the tenth of January was one of those of gloom and darkness which are, on occasions, the blots upon London's reputation.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “The morning of the tenth of January was one of those of gloom and darkness which are, on occasions, the blots upon London's reputation.”

Seemed noun US /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “There seemed no fog, only a heavy, threatening cloud of night fell suddenly upon the city, and at three o'clock it might have been midnight.”

Suddenly noun US /ˈsuddenly/

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

From this reading “There seemed no fog, only a heavy, threatening cloud of night fell suddenly upon the city, and at three o'clock it might have been midnight.”

Those determiner US /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading “The morning of the tenth of January was one of those of gloom and darkness which are, on occasions, the blots upon London's reputation.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “The morning of the tenth of January was one of those of gloom and darkness which are, on occasions, the blots upon London's reputation.”

Well noun US /well/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Londoners know those periods of unpleasant darkness only too well.”

While conjunction US /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading “Streets, shops, and offices were lit everywhere, and buses and taxis compelled to light up, while in the atmosphere was a sulphurous odour with a black deposit which caused the eyes to smart and the lungs to irritate.”

All words in this reading · 73

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 There seemed no fog, only a heavy, threatening cloud of night fell suddenly upon the city, and at three o'clock it might have been midnight.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The morning of the tenth of January was one of those of gloom and darkness which are, on occasions, the blots upon London's reputation.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading The morning of the tenth of January was one of those of gloom and darkness which are, on occasions, the blots upon London's reputation.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading There seemed no fog, only a heavy, threatening cloud of night fell suddenly upon the city, and at three o'clock it might have been midnight.

atmosphere

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

From this reading Streets, shops, and offices were lit everywhere, and buses and taxis compelled to light up, while in the atmosphere was a sulphurous odour with a black deposit which caused the eyes to smart and the lungs to irritate.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading There seemed no fog, only a heavy, threatening cloud of night fell suddenly upon the city, and at three o'clock it might have been midnight.

black

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

From this reading Streets, shops, and offices were lit everywhere, and buses and taxis compelled to light up, while in the atmosphere was a sulphurous odour with a black deposit which caused the eyes to smart and the lungs to irritate.

blots

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

From this reading The morning of the tenth of January was one of those of gloom and darkness which are, on occasions, the blots upon London's reputation.

buses

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

From this reading Streets, shops, and offices were lit everywhere, and buses and taxis compelled to light up, while in the atmosphere was a sulphurous odour with a black deposit which caused the eyes to smart and the lungs to irritate.

caused

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

From this reading Streets, shops, and offices were lit everywhere, and buses and taxis compelled to light up, while in the atmosphere was a sulphurous odour with a black deposit which caused the eyes to smart and the lungs to irritate.

city

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

From this reading There seemed no fog, only a heavy, threatening cloud of night fell suddenly upon the city, and at three o'clock it might have been midnight.

cloud

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

From this reading There seemed no fog, only a heavy, threatening cloud of night fell suddenly upon the city, and at three o'clock it might have been midnight.

compelled

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

From this reading Streets, shops, and offices were lit everywhere, and buses and taxis compelled to light up, while in the atmosphere was a sulphurous odour with a black deposit which caused the eyes to smart and the lungs to irritate.

CONVICTION

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From this reading THE PIECE OF CONVICTION.

darkness

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

From this reading The morning of the tenth of January was one of those of gloom and darkness which are, on occasions, the blots upon London's reputation.

deposit

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

From this reading Streets, shops, and offices were lit everywhere, and buses and taxis compelled to light up, while in the atmosphere was a sulphurous odour with a black deposit which caused the eyes to smart and the lungs to irritate.

everywhere

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

From this reading Streets, shops, and offices were lit everywhere, and buses and taxis compelled to light up, while in the atmosphere was a sulphurous odour with a black deposit which caused the eyes to smart and the lungs to irritate.

eyes

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

From this reading Streets, shops, and offices were lit everywhere, and buses and taxis compelled to light up, while in the atmosphere was a sulphurous odour with a black deposit which caused the eyes to smart and the lungs to irritate.

fell

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

From this reading There seemed no fog, only a heavy, threatening cloud of night fell suddenly upon the city, and at three o'clock it might have been midnight.

fog

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

From this reading There seemed no fog, only a heavy, threatening cloud of night fell suddenly upon the city, and at three o'clock it might have been midnight.

gloom

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

From this reading The morning of the tenth of January was one of those of gloom and darkness which are, on occasions, the blots upon London's reputation.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading There seemed no fog, only a heavy, threatening cloud of night fell suddenly upon the city, and at three o'clock it might have been midnight.

heavy

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

From this reading There seemed no fog, only a heavy, threatening cloud of night fell suddenly upon the city, and at three o'clock it might have been midnight.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Streets, shops, and offices were lit everywhere, and buses and taxis compelled to light up, while in the atmosphere was a sulphurous odour with a black deposit which caused the eyes to smart and the lungs to irritate.

irritate

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

From this reading Streets, shops, and offices were lit everywhere, and buses and taxis compelled to light up, while in the atmosphere was a sulphurous odour with a black deposit which caused the eyes to smart and the lungs to irritate.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading There seemed no fog, only a heavy, threatening cloud of night fell suddenly upon the city, and at three o'clock it might have been midnight.

January

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

From this reading The morning of the tenth of January was one of those of gloom and darkness which are, on occasions, the blots upon London's reputation.

knownounUS /know/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Londoners know those periods of unpleasant darkness only too well.

light

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

From this reading Streets, shops, and offices were lit everywhere, and buses and taxis compelled to light up, while in the atmosphere was a sulphurous odour with a black deposit which caused the eyes to smart and the lungs to irritate.

lit

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

From this reading Streets, shops, and offices were lit everywhere, and buses and taxis compelled to light up, while in the atmosphere was a sulphurous odour with a black deposit which caused the eyes to smart and the lungs to irritate.

London's

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

From this reading The morning of the tenth of January was one of those of gloom and darkness which are, on occasions, the blots upon London's reputation.

Londoners

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

From this reading Londoners know those periods of unpleasant darkness only too well.

lungs

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

From this reading Streets, shops, and offices were lit everywhere, and buses and taxis compelled to light up, while in the atmosphere was a sulphurous odour with a black deposit which caused the eyes to smart and the lungs to irritate.

midnight

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

From this reading There seemed no fog, only a heavy, threatening cloud of night fell suddenly upon the city, and at three o'clock it might have been midnight.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading There seemed no fog, only a heavy, threatening cloud of night fell suddenly upon the city, and at three o'clock it might have been midnight.

morningnounUS /morning/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The morning of the tenth of January was one of those of gloom and darkness which are, on occasions, the blots upon London's reputation.

night

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

From this reading There seemed no fog, only a heavy, threatening cloud of night fell suddenly upon the city, and at three o'clock it might have been midnight.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading There seemed no fog, only a heavy, threatening cloud of night fell suddenly upon the city, and at three o'clock it might have been midnight.

o'clock

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

From this reading There seemed no fog, only a heavy, threatening cloud of night fell suddenly upon the city, and at three o'clock it might have been midnight.

occasions

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

From this reading The morning of the tenth of January was one of those of gloom and darkness which are, on occasions, the blots upon London's reputation.

odour

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

From this reading Streets, shops, and offices were lit everywhere, and buses and taxis compelled to light up, while in the atmosphere was a sulphurous odour with a black deposit which caused the eyes to smart and the lungs to irritate.

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE PIECE OF CONVICTION.

offices

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

From this reading Streets, shops, and offices were lit everywhere, and buses and taxis compelled to light up, while in the atmosphere was a sulphurous odour with a black deposit which caused the eyes to smart and the lungs to irritate.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The morning of the tenth of January was one of those of gloom and darkness which are, on occasions, the blots upon London's reputation.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading The morning of the tenth of January was one of those of gloom and darkness which are, on occasions, the blots upon London's reputation.

only

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

From this reading There seemed no fog, only a heavy, threatening cloud of night fell suddenly upon the city, and at three o'clock it might have been midnight.

periods

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

From this reading Londoners know those periods of unpleasant darkness only too well.

PIECE

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

From this reading THE PIECE OF CONVICTION.

reputation

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

From this reading The morning of the tenth of January was one of those of gloom and darkness which are, on occasions, the blots upon London's reputation.

seemednounUS /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading There seemed no fog, only a heavy, threatening cloud of night fell suddenly upon the city, and at three o'clock it might have been midnight.

shops

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

From this reading Streets, shops, and offices were lit everywhere, and buses and taxis compelled to light up, while in the atmosphere was a sulphurous odour with a black deposit which caused the eyes to smart and the lungs to irritate.

smart

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

From this reading Streets, shops, and offices were lit everywhere, and buses and taxis compelled to light up, while in the atmosphere was a sulphurous odour with a black deposit which caused the eyes to smart and the lungs to irritate.

Streets

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

From this reading Streets, shops, and offices were lit everywhere, and buses and taxis compelled to light up, while in the atmosphere was a sulphurous odour with a black deposit which caused the eyes to smart and the lungs to irritate.

suddenlynounUS /ˈsuddenly/

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

From this reading There seemed no fog, only a heavy, threatening cloud of night fell suddenly upon the city, and at three o'clock it might have been midnight.

sulphurous

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

From this reading Streets, shops, and offices were lit everywhere, and buses and taxis compelled to light up, while in the atmosphere was a sulphurous odour with a black deposit which caused the eyes to smart and the lungs to irritate.

taxis

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

From this reading Streets, shops, and offices were lit everywhere, and buses and taxis compelled to light up, while in the atmosphere was a sulphurous odour with a black deposit which caused the eyes to smart and the lungs to irritate.

tenth

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

From this reading The morning of the tenth of January was one of those of gloom and darkness which are, on occasions, the blots upon London's reputation.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE PIECE OF CONVICTION.

There

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

From this reading There seemed no fog, only a heavy, threatening cloud of night fell suddenly upon the city, and at three o'clock it might have been midnight.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading The morning of the tenth of January was one of those of gloom and darkness which are, on occasions, the blots upon London's reputation.

threatening

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

From this reading There seemed no fog, only a heavy, threatening cloud of night fell suddenly upon the city, and at three o'clock it might have been midnight.

three

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

From this reading There seemed no fog, only a heavy, threatening cloud of night fell suddenly upon the city, and at three o'clock it might have been midnight.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Streets, shops, and offices were lit everywhere, and buses and taxis compelled to light up, while in the atmosphere was a sulphurous odour with a black deposit which caused the eyes to smart and the lungs to irritate.

too

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

From this reading Londoners know those periods of unpleasant darkness only too well.

unpleasant

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

From this reading Londoners know those periods of unpleasant darkness only too well.

up

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

From this reading Streets, shops, and offices were lit everywhere, and buses and taxis compelled to light up, while in the atmosphere was a sulphurous odour with a black deposit which caused the eyes to smart and the lungs to irritate.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading The morning of the tenth of January was one of those of gloom and darkness which are, on occasions, the blots upon London's reputation.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The morning of the tenth of January was one of those of gloom and darkness which are, on occasions, the blots upon London's reputation.

well

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

From this reading Londoners know those periods of unpleasant darkness only too well.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading Streets, shops, and offices were lit everywhere, and buses and taxis compelled to light up, while in the atmosphere was a sulphurous odour with a black deposit which caused the eyes to smart and the lungs to irritate.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading The morning of the tenth of January was one of those of gloom and darkness which are, on occasions, the blots upon London's reputation.

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading Streets, shops, and offices were lit everywhere, and buses and taxis compelled to light up, while in the atmosphere was a sulphurous odour with a black deposit which caused the eyes to smart and the lungs to irritate.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Streets, shops, and offices were lit everywhere, and buses and taxis compelled to light up, while in the atmosphere was a sulphurous odour with a black deposit which caused the eyes to smart and the lungs to irritate.