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A Hoodoo Machine
A Hoodoo Machine

Chapter II · Matt King’s Resolve

Cover illustration for A Hoodoo Machine
Context Illustration Reading 1/27 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
“That man was so mad he was locoed,” observed the cowboy.
“Certainly he was, Joe,” agreed Matt.
“If he hadn’t been, he’d never have given away that machine.
It’s a powerful car and worth twenty-five hundred of any man’s money.”
“Don’t tamper with it, Matt,” implored Billy.
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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.

A Hoodoo Machine

Chapter II · Matt King’s Resolve

Reading 1/27 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
“That man was so mad he was locoed,” observed the cowboy.
Line 2
“Certainly he was, Joe,” agreed Matt.
Line 3
“If he hadn’t been, he’d never have given away that machine.
Line 4
It’s a powerful car and worth twenty-five hundred of any man’s money.”
Line 5
“Don’t tamper with it, Matt,” implored Billy.

Learner Dictionary

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

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading ““If he hadn’t been, he’d never have given away that machine.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading ““If he hadn’t been, he’d never have given away that machine.”

Never noun US /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading ““If he hadn’t been, he’d never have given away that machine.”

All words in this reading · 41

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 It’s a powerful car and worth twenty-five hundred of any man’s money.”

agreed

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

From this reading “Certainly he was, Joe,” agreed Matt.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading It’s a powerful car and worth twenty-five hundred of any man’s money.”

any

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

From this reading It’s a powerful car and worth twenty-five hundred of any man’s money.”

away

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

From this reading “If he hadn’t been, he’d never have given away that machine.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “If he hadn’t been, he’d never have given away that machine.

Billy

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

From this reading “Don’t tamper with it, Matt,” implored Billy.

car

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

From this reading It’s a powerful car and worth twenty-five hundred of any man’s money.”

Certainly

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

From this reading “Certainly he was, Joe,” agreed Matt.

cowboy

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

From this reading “That man was so mad he was locoed,” observed the cowboy.

Don't

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

From this reading “Don’t tamper with it, Matt,” implored Billy.

given

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

From this reading “If he hadn’t been, he’d never have given away that machine.

hadn't

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

From this reading “If he hadn’t been, he’d never have given away that machine.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “If he hadn’t been, he’d never have given away that machine.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading “That man was so mad he was locoed,” observed the cowboy.

he'd

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

From this reading “If he hadn’t been, he’d never have given away that machine.

hundred

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

From this reading It’s a powerful car and worth twenty-five hundred of any man’s money.”

IfconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading “If he hadn’t been, he’d never have given away that machine.

implored

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

From this reading “Don’t tamper with it, Matt,” implored Billy.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading “Don’t tamper with it, Matt,” implored Billy.

It's

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

From this reading It’s a powerful car and worth twenty-five hundred of any man’s money.”

Joe

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

From this reading “Certainly he was, Joe,” agreed Matt.

locoed

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

From this reading “That man was so mad he was locoed,” observed the cowboy.

machine

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

From this reading “If he hadn’t been, he’d never have given away that machine.

mad

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

From this reading “That man was so mad he was locoed,” observed the cowboy.

man

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

From this reading “That man was so mad he was locoed,” observed the cowboy.

man's

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

From this reading It’s a powerful car and worth twenty-five hundred of any man’s money.”

Matt

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

From this reading “Certainly he was, Joe,” agreed Matt.

money

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

From this reading It’s a powerful car and worth twenty-five hundred of any man’s money.”

nevernounUS /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “If he hadn’t been, he’d never have given away that machine.

observed

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

From this reading “That man was so mad he was locoed,” observed the cowboy.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading It’s a powerful car and worth twenty-five hundred of any man’s money.”

powerful

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

From this reading It’s a powerful car and worth twenty-five hundred of any man’s money.”

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading “That man was so mad he was locoed,” observed the cowboy.

tamper

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

From this reading “Don’t tamper with it, Matt,” implored Billy.

ThatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading “That man was so mad he was locoed,” observed the cowboy.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading “That man was so mad he was locoed,” observed the cowboy.

twenty-five

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

From this reading It’s a powerful car and worth twenty-five hundred of any man’s money.”

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading “That man was so mad he was locoed,” observed the cowboy.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading “Don’t tamper with it, Matt,” implored Billy.

worth

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

From this reading It’s a powerful car and worth twenty-five hundred of any man’s money.”