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When the Sleeper Wakes
When the Sleeper Wakes

Chapter II · The Trance

Cover illustration for When the Sleeper Wakes
Context Illustration Reading 1/36 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The state of cataleptic rigour into which this man had fallen, lasted for an unprecedented length of time, and then he passed slowly to the flaccid state, to a lax attitude suggestive of profound repose.
Then it was his eyes could be closed.
He was removed from the hotel to the Boscastle surgery, and from the surgery, after some weeks, to London.
But he still resisted every attempt at reanimation.
After a time, for reasons that will appear later, these attempts were discontinued.
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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.

When the Sleeper Wakes

Chapter II · The Trance

Reading 1/36 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The state of cataleptic rigour into which this man had fallen, lasted for an unprecedented length of time, and then he passed slowly to the flaccid state, to a lax attitude suggestive of profound repose.
Line 2
Then it was his eyes could be closed.
Line 3
He was removed from the hotel to the Boscastle surgery, and from the surgery, after some weeks, to London.
Line 4
But he still resisted every attempt at reanimation.
Line 5
After a time, for reasons that will appear later, these attempts were discontinued.

Learner Dictionary

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

After preposition US /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading “He was removed from the hotel to the Boscastle surgery, and from the surgery, after some weeks, to London.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading “Then it was his eyes could be closed.”

Every determiner US /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading “But he still resisted every attempt at reanimation.”

Length noun US /leŋθ/

a period of time or extent

From this reading “The state of cataleptic rigour into which this man had fallen, lasted for an unprecedented length of time, and then he passed slowly to the flaccid state, to a lax attitude suggestive of profound repose.”

Passed noun US /passed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The state of cataleptic rigour into which this man had fallen, lasted for an unprecedented length of time, and then he passed slowly to the flaccid state, to a lax attitude suggestive of profound repose.”

Reasons noun US /ˈreasons/

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

From this reading “After a time, for reasons that will appear later, these attempts were discontinued.”

Still noun US /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “But he still resisted every attempt at reanimation.”

These determiner US /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading “After a time, for reasons that will appear later, these attempts were discontinued.”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The state of cataleptic rigour into which this man had fallen, lasted for an unprecedented length of time, and then he passed slowly to the flaccid state, to a lax attitude suggestive of profound repose.”

All words in this reading · 62

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 The state of cataleptic rigour into which this man had fallen, lasted for an unprecedented length of time, and then he passed slowly to the flaccid state, to a lax attitude suggestive of profound repose.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading He was removed from the hotel to the Boscastle surgery, and from the surgery, after some weeks, to London.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading The state of cataleptic rigour into which this man had fallen, lasted for an unprecedented length of time, and then he passed slowly to the flaccid state, to a lax attitude suggestive of profound repose.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The state of cataleptic rigour into which this man had fallen, lasted for an unprecedented length of time, and then he passed slowly to the flaccid state, to a lax attitude suggestive of profound repose.

appear

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

From this reading After a time, for reasons that will appear later, these attempts were discontinued.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading But he still resisted every attempt at reanimation.

attempt

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

From this reading But he still resisted every attempt at reanimation.

attempts

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

From this reading After a time, for reasons that will appear later, these attempts were discontinued.

attitude

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

From this reading The state of cataleptic rigour into which this man had fallen, lasted for an unprecedented length of time, and then he passed slowly to the flaccid state, to a lax attitude suggestive of profound repose.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Then it was his eyes could be closed.

Boscastle

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

From this reading He was removed from the hotel to the Boscastle surgery, and from the surgery, after some weeks, to London.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But he still resisted every attempt at reanimation.

cataleptic

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

From this reading The state of cataleptic rigour into which this man had fallen, lasted for an unprecedented length of time, and then he passed slowly to the flaccid state, to a lax attitude suggestive of profound repose.

closed

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

From this reading Then it was his eyes could be closed.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading Then it was his eyes could be closed.

discontinued

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

From this reading After a time, for reasons that will appear later, these attempts were discontinued.

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading But he still resisted every attempt at reanimation.

eyes

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

From this reading Then it was his eyes could be closed.

fallen

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

From this reading The state of cataleptic rigour into which this man had fallen, lasted for an unprecedented length of time, and then he passed slowly to the flaccid state, to a lax attitude suggestive of profound repose.

flaccid

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

From this reading The state of cataleptic rigour into which this man had fallen, lasted for an unprecedented length of time, and then he passed slowly to the flaccid state, to a lax attitude suggestive of profound repose.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading The state of cataleptic rigour into which this man had fallen, lasted for an unprecedented length of time, and then he passed slowly to the flaccid state, to a lax attitude suggestive of profound repose.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading He was removed from the hotel to the Boscastle surgery, and from the surgery, after some weeks, to London.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading The state of cataleptic rigour into which this man had fallen, lasted for an unprecedented length of time, and then he passed slowly to the flaccid state, to a lax attitude suggestive of profound repose.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading The state of cataleptic rigour into which this man had fallen, lasted for an unprecedented length of time, and then he passed slowly to the flaccid state, to a lax attitude suggestive of profound repose.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Then it was his eyes could be closed.

hotel

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

From this reading He was removed from the hotel to the Boscastle surgery, and from the surgery, after some weeks, to London.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading The state of cataleptic rigour into which this man had fallen, lasted for an unprecedented length of time, and then he passed slowly to the flaccid state, to a lax attitude suggestive of profound repose.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Then it was his eyes could be closed.

lasted

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

From this reading The state of cataleptic rigour into which this man had fallen, lasted for an unprecedented length of time, and then he passed slowly to the flaccid state, to a lax attitude suggestive of profound repose.

later

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

From this reading After a time, for reasons that will appear later, these attempts were discontinued.

lax

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

From this reading The state of cataleptic rigour into which this man had fallen, lasted for an unprecedented length of time, and then he passed slowly to the flaccid state, to a lax attitude suggestive of profound repose.

lengthnounUS /leŋθ/

a period of time or extent

From this reading The state of cataleptic rigour into which this man had fallen, lasted for an unprecedented length of time, and then he passed slowly to the flaccid state, to a lax attitude suggestive of profound repose.

London

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

From this reading He was removed from the hotel to the Boscastle surgery, and from the surgery, after some weeks, to London.

man

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

From this reading The state of cataleptic rigour into which this man had fallen, lasted for an unprecedented length of time, and then he passed slowly to the flaccid state, to a lax attitude suggestive of profound repose.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The state of cataleptic rigour into which this man had fallen, lasted for an unprecedented length of time, and then he passed slowly to the flaccid state, to a lax attitude suggestive of profound repose.

passednounUS /passed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The state of cataleptic rigour into which this man had fallen, lasted for an unprecedented length of time, and then he passed slowly to the flaccid state, to a lax attitude suggestive of profound repose.

profound

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

From this reading The state of cataleptic rigour into which this man had fallen, lasted for an unprecedented length of time, and then he passed slowly to the flaccid state, to a lax attitude suggestive of profound repose.

reanimation

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

From this reading But he still resisted every attempt at reanimation.

reasonsnounUS /ˈreasons/

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

From this reading After a time, for reasons that will appear later, these attempts were discontinued.

removed

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

From this reading He was removed from the hotel to the Boscastle surgery, and from the surgery, after some weeks, to London.

repose

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

From this reading The state of cataleptic rigour into which this man had fallen, lasted for an unprecedented length of time, and then he passed slowly to the flaccid state, to a lax attitude suggestive of profound repose.

resisted

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

From this reading But he still resisted every attempt at reanimation.

rigour

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

From this reading The state of cataleptic rigour into which this man had fallen, lasted for an unprecedented length of time, and then he passed slowly to the flaccid state, to a lax attitude suggestive of profound repose.

slowly

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

From this reading The state of cataleptic rigour into which this man had fallen, lasted for an unprecedented length of time, and then he passed slowly to the flaccid state, to a lax attitude suggestive of profound repose.

some

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

From this reading He was removed from the hotel to the Boscastle surgery, and from the surgery, after some weeks, to London.

state

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

From this reading The state of cataleptic rigour into which this man had fallen, lasted for an unprecedented length of time, and then he passed slowly to the flaccid state, to a lax attitude suggestive of profound repose.

stillnounUS /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading But he still resisted every attempt at reanimation.

suggestive

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

From this reading The state of cataleptic rigour into which this man had fallen, lasted for an unprecedented length of time, and then he passed slowly to the flaccid state, to a lax attitude suggestive of profound repose.

surgery

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

From this reading He was removed from the hotel to the Boscastle surgery, and from the surgery, after some weeks, to London.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading After a time, for reasons that will appear later, these attempts were discontinued.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The state of cataleptic rigour into which this man had fallen, lasted for an unprecedented length of time, and then he passed slowly to the flaccid state, to a lax attitude suggestive of profound repose.

then

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

From this reading The state of cataleptic rigour into which this man had fallen, lasted for an unprecedented length of time, and then he passed slowly to the flaccid state, to a lax attitude suggestive of profound repose.

thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading After a time, for reasons that will appear later, these attempts were discontinued.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading The state of cataleptic rigour into which this man had fallen, lasted for an unprecedented length of time, and then he passed slowly to the flaccid state, to a lax attitude suggestive of profound repose.

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The state of cataleptic rigour into which this man had fallen, lasted for an unprecedented length of time, and then he passed slowly to the flaccid state, to a lax attitude suggestive of profound repose.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The state of cataleptic rigour into which this man had fallen, lasted for an unprecedented length of time, and then he passed slowly to the flaccid state, to a lax attitude suggestive of profound repose.

unprecedented

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

From this reading The state of cataleptic rigour into which this man had fallen, lasted for an unprecedented length of time, and then he passed slowly to the flaccid state, to a lax attitude suggestive of profound repose.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Then it was his eyes could be closed.

weeks

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

From this reading He was removed from the hotel to the Boscastle surgery, and from the surgery, after some weeks, to London.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading After a time, for reasons that will appear later, these attempts were discontinued.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading The state of cataleptic rigour into which this man had fallen, lasted for an unprecedented length of time, and then he passed slowly to the flaccid state, to a lax attitude suggestive of profound repose.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading After a time, for reasons that will appear later, these attempts were discontinued.