Chapter XIV
‘He is dead,’ said Firmin. ‘He was shot.’ The ex-king reflected. ‘That’s about the best thing that could have happened,’ he said. ‘Where are the bombs?
The World Set Free
Chapter XIV
English subtitles · tap any word to listen
1 / 5
‘He
is
dead,’
said
Firmin.
‘He
was
shot.’
The
ex-king
reflected.
‘That’s
about
the
best
thing
that
could
have
happened,’
he
said.
‘Where
are
the
bombs?
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Line 1
‘He
is
dead,’
said
Firmin.
Line 2
‘He
was
shot.’
Line 3
The
ex-king
reflected.
Line 4
‘That’s
about
the
best
thing
that
could
have
happened,’
he
said.
Line 5
‘Where
are
the
bombs?
Learner Dictionary
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.
About
preposition
US /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “‘That’s about the best thing that could have happened,’ he said.”
Could
modal verb
US /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading “‘That’s about the best thing that could have happened,’ he said.”
Dead
noun
US /dead/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “‘He is dead,’ said Firmin.”
Have
auxiliary verb
US /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “‘That’s about the best thing that could have happened,’ he said.”
Thing
noun
US /thing/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “‘That’s about the best thing that could have happened,’ he said.”
All words in this reading · 21
Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading ‘That’s about the best thing that could have happened,’ he said.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading ‘Where are the bombs?
best
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘That’s about the best thing that could have happened,’ he said.
bombs
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Where are the bombs?
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading ‘That’s about the best thing that could have happened,’ he said.
deadnounUS /dead/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading ‘He is dead,’ said Firmin.
ex-king
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ex-king reflected.
Firmin
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘He is dead,’ said Firmin.
happened
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘That’s about the best thing that could have happened,’ he said.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading ‘That’s about the best thing that could have happened,’ he said.
HepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading ‘He is dead,’ said Firmin.
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading ‘He is dead,’ said Firmin.
reflected
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ex-king reflected.
said
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘He is dead,’ said Firmin.
shot
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘He was shot.’
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading ‘That’s about the best thing that could have happened,’ he said.
That's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘That’s about the best thing that could have happened,’ he said.
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The ex-king reflected.
thingnounUS /thing/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading ‘That’s about the best thing that could have happened,’ he said.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading ‘He was shot.’
WhereconjunctionUS /wer/
in or at the place that
From this reading ‘Where are the bombs?