Chapter II
He rubbed his eyes. “If I could have a cup of tea!” he said. Then he perceived with surprise that he had not thought of praying. What should he say? To what could he pray?
The Soul of a Bishop
Chapter II
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1 / 5
He
rubbed
his
eyes.
“If
I
could
have
a
cup
of
tea!”
he
said.
Then
he
perceived
with
surprise
that
he
had
not
thought
of
praying.
What
should
he
say?
To
what
could
he
pray?
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Line 1
He
rubbed
his
eyes.
Line 2
“If
I
could
have
a
cup
of
tea!”
he
said.
Line 3
Then
he
perceived
with
surprise
that
he
had
not
thought
of
praying.
Line 4
What
should
he
say?
Line 5
To
what
could
he
pray?
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 ““If I could have a cup of tea!” he said.”
Have
auxiliary verb
US /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading ““If I could have a cup of tea!” he said.”
Thought
noun
US /thought/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “Then he perceived with surprise that he had not thought of praying.”
All words in this reading · 27
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 “If I could have a cup of tea!” he said.
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading “If I could have a cup of tea!” he said.
cup
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “If I could have a cup of tea!” he said.
eyes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He rubbed his eyes.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Then he perceived with surprise that he had not thought of praying.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “If I could have a cup of tea!” he said.
HepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He rubbed his eyes.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He rubbed his eyes.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “If I could have a cup of tea!” he said.
IfconjunctionUS /ɪf/
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “If I could have a cup of tea!” he said.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Then he perceived with surprise that he had not thought of praying.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “If I could have a cup of tea!” he said.
perceived
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then he perceived with surprise that he had not thought of praying.
pray
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To what could he pray?
praying
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then he perceived with surprise that he had not thought of praying.
rubbed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He rubbed his eyes.
said
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “If I could have a cup of tea!” he said.
say
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What should he say?
shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading What should he say?
surprise
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then he perceived with surprise that he had not thought of praying.
tea
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “If I could have a cup of tea!” he said.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Then he perceived with surprise that he had not thought of praying.
Then
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then he perceived with surprise that he had not thought of praying.
thoughtnounUS /thought/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Then he perceived with surprise that he had not thought of praying.
ToparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To what could he pray?
WhatpronounUS /wʌt/
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What should he say?
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading Then he perceived with surprise that he had not thought of praying.