Chapter VII
“Yes, sir.” “Then you caught a glimpse of the papers he selected?” “I did, sir. I could not help it. I had to wait, for he wished me to relieve him of the ones he didn’t want.”
The step on the stair
Chapter VII
English subtitles · tap any word to listen
1 / 5
“Yes,
sir.”
“Then
you
caught
a
glimpse
of
the
papers
he
selected?”
“I
did,
sir.
I
could
not
help
it.
I
had
to
wait,
for
he
wished
me
to
relieve
him
of
the
ones
he
didn’t
want.”
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Line 1
“Yes,
sir.”
Line 2
“Then
you
caught
a
glimpse
of
the
papers
he
selected?”
Line 3
“I
did,
sir.
Line 4
I
could
not
help
it.
/aɪ kʊd nɑːt help ɪt/
Line 5
I
had
to
wait,
for
he
wished
me
to
relieve
him
of
the
ones
he
didn’t
want.”
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 “I could not help it.”
Help
noun
US /help/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “I could not help it.”
All words in this reading · 29
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 “Then you caught a glimpse of the papers he selected?”
caught
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Then you caught a glimpse of the papers he selected?”
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading I could not help it.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “I did, sir.
didn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I had to wait, for he wished me to relieve him of the ones he didn’t want.”
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I had to wait, for he wished me to relieve him of the ones he didn’t want.”
glimpse
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Then you caught a glimpse of the papers he selected?”
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I had to wait, for he wished me to relieve him of the ones he didn’t want.”
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Then you caught a glimpse of the papers he selected?”
helpnounUS /help/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading I could not help it.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I had to wait, for he wished me to relieve him of the ones he didn’t want.”
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I did, sir.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I could not help it.
mepronounUS /miː/
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I had to wait, for he wished me to relieve him of the ones he didn’t want.”
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I could not help it.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Then you caught a glimpse of the papers he selected?”
ones
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I had to wait, for he wished me to relieve him of the ones he didn’t want.”
papers
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Then you caught a glimpse of the papers he selected?”
relieve
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I had to wait, for he wished me to relieve him of the ones he didn’t want.”
selected
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Then you caught a glimpse of the papers he selected?”
sir
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Yes, sir.”
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Then you caught a glimpse of the papers he selected?”
Then
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Then you caught a glimpse of the papers he selected?”
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I had to wait, for he wished me to relieve him of the ones he didn’t want.”
wait
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I had to wait, for he wished me to relieve him of the ones he didn’t want.”
want
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I had to wait, for he wished me to relieve him of the ones he didn’t want.”
wished
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I had to wait, for he wished me to relieve him of the ones he didn’t want.”
Yes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Yes, sir.”
youpronounUS /juː/
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Then you caught a glimpse of the papers he selected?”