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The Spider and the Fly
The Spider and the Fly

Chapter XXI

Cover illustration for The Spider and the Fly
Context Illustration Reading 1/61 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
WILLFUL MURDER.
The captain slept the sleep of the innocent and just.
He did not even dream of a white, mangled face lying on the jagged rocks.
In the morning he came down, dressed with his usual care, smiling and serene.
The breakfast threatened to go off as quietly and uneventfully as usual.
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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 Spider and the Fly

Chapter XXI

Reading 1/61 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
WILLFUL MURDER.
Line 2
The captain slept the sleep of the innocent and just.
Line 3
He did not even dream of a white, mangled face lying on the jagged rocks.
Line 4
In the morning he came down, dressed with his usual care, smiling and serene.
Line 5
The breakfast threatened to go off as quietly and uneventfully as usual.

Learner Dictionary

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

Captain noun US /ˈcaptain/

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

From this reading “The captain slept the sleep of the innocent and just.”

Dream noun US /driːm/

A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.

From this reading “He did not even dream of a white, mangled face lying on the jagged rocks.”

Even noun US /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He did not even dream of a white, mangled face lying on the jagged rocks.”

Morning noun US /morning/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “In the morning he came down, dressed with his usual care, smiling and serene.”

All words in this reading · 42

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 He did not even dream of a white, mangled face lying on the jagged rocks.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The captain slept the sleep of the innocent and just.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading The breakfast threatened to go off as quietly and uneventfully as usual.

breakfast

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

From this reading The breakfast threatened to go off as quietly and uneventfully as usual.

came

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

From this reading In the morning he came down, dressed with his usual care, smiling and serene.

captainnounUS /ˈcaptain/

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

From this reading The captain slept the sleep of the innocent and just.

care

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

From this reading In the morning he came down, dressed with his usual care, smiling and serene.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading He did not even dream of a white, mangled face lying on the jagged rocks.

down

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

From this reading In the morning he came down, dressed with his usual care, smiling and serene.

dreamnounUS /driːm/

A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.

From this reading He did not even dream of a white, mangled face lying on the jagged rocks.

dressed

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

From this reading In the morning he came down, dressed with his usual care, smiling and serene.

evennounUS /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He did not even dream of a white, mangled face lying on the jagged rocks.

face

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

From this reading He did not even dream of a white, mangled face lying on the jagged rocks.

go

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

From this reading The breakfast threatened to go off as quietly and uneventfully as usual.

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He did not even dream of a white, mangled face lying on the jagged rocks.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading In the morning he came down, dressed with his usual care, smiling and serene.

InprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading In the morning he came down, dressed with his usual care, smiling and serene.

innocent

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

From this reading The captain slept the sleep of the innocent and just.

jagged

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

From this reading He did not even dream of a white, mangled face lying on the jagged rocks.

just

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

From this reading The captain slept the sleep of the innocent and just.

lying

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

From this reading He did not even dream of a white, mangled face lying on the jagged rocks.

mangled

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

From this reading He did not even dream of a white, mangled face lying on the jagged rocks.

morningnounUS /morning/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading In the morning he came down, dressed with his usual care, smiling and serene.

MURDER

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

From this reading WILLFUL MURDER.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading He did not even dream of a white, mangled face lying on the jagged rocks.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The captain slept the sleep of the innocent and just.

off

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

From this reading The breakfast threatened to go off as quietly and uneventfully as usual.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading He did not even dream of a white, mangled face lying on the jagged rocks.

quietly

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

From this reading The breakfast threatened to go off as quietly and uneventfully as usual.

rocks

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

From this reading He did not even dream of a white, mangled face lying on the jagged rocks.

serene

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

From this reading In the morning he came down, dressed with his usual care, smiling and serene.

sleep

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

From this reading The captain slept the sleep of the innocent and just.

slept

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

From this reading The captain slept the sleep of the innocent and just.

smiling

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

From this reading In the morning he came down, dressed with his usual care, smiling and serene.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The captain slept the sleep of the innocent and just.

threatened

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

From this reading The breakfast threatened to go off as quietly and uneventfully as usual.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The breakfast threatened to go off as quietly and uneventfully as usual.

uneventfully

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

From this reading The breakfast threatened to go off as quietly and uneventfully as usual.

usual

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

From this reading In the morning he came down, dressed with his usual care, smiling and serene.

white

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

From this reading He did not even dream of a white, mangled face lying on the jagged rocks.

WILLFUL

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

From this reading WILLFUL MURDER.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading In the morning he came down, dressed with his usual care, smiling and serene.