Chapter III
“Fear—sudden, terrible fear—I thought. But _fear_? Fear of what? I asked her. She clung close to me half-sobbing awhile before she could answer; and then she told me—nothing.
A Stable for Nightmares
Chapter III
English subtitles · tap any word to listen
1 / 5
“Fear—sudden,
terrible
fear—I
thought.
But
_fear_?
Fear
of
what?
I
asked
her.
She
clung
close
to
me
half-sobbing
awhile
before
she
could
answer;
and
then
she
told
me—nothing.
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Line 1
“Fear—sudden,
terrible
fear—I
thought.
Line 2
But
_fear_?
Line 3
Fear
of
what?
Line 4
I
asked
her.
/aɪ asked hɜːr/
Line 5
She
clung
close
to
me
half-sobbing
awhile
before
she
could
answer;
and
then
she
told
me—nothing.
Learner Dictionary
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.
Asked
noun
US /asked/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “I asked her.”
Before
preposition
US /bɪˈfɔːr/
earlier than; in front of
From this reading “She clung close to me half-sobbing awhile before she could answer; and then she told me—nothing.”
Clung
noun
US /clung/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “She clung close to me half-sobbing awhile before she could answer; and then she told me—nothing.”
Could
modal verb
US /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading “She clung close to me half-sobbing awhile before she could answer; and then she told me—nothing.”
Nothing
pronoun
US /ˈnʌθɪŋ/
not one thing; not anything
From this reading “She clung close to me half-sobbing awhile before she could answer; and then she told me—nothing.”
Sudden
noun
US /sudden/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading ““Fear—sudden, terrible fear—I thought.”
Terrible
noun
US /ˈterrible/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading ““Fear—sudden, terrible fear—I thought.”
Thought
noun
US /thought/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading ““Fear—sudden, terrible fear—I thought.”
Told
noun
US /told/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “She clung close to me half-sobbing awhile before she could answer; and then she told me—nothing.”
All words in this reading · 24
Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She clung close to me half-sobbing awhile before she could answer; and then she told me—nothing.
answer
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She clung close to me half-sobbing awhile before she could answer; and then she told me—nothing.
askednounUS /asked/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading I asked her.
awhile
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She clung close to me half-sobbing awhile before she could answer; and then she told me—nothing.
beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/
earlier than; in front of
From this reading She clung close to me half-sobbing awhile before she could answer; and then she told me—nothing.
ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But _fear_?
close
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She clung close to me half-sobbing awhile before she could answer; and then she told me—nothing.
clungnounUS /clung/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading She clung close to me half-sobbing awhile before she could answer; and then she told me—nothing.
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading She clung close to me half-sobbing awhile before she could answer; and then she told me—nothing.
Fear
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Fear—sudden, terrible fear—I thought.
half-sobbing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She clung close to me half-sobbing awhile before she could answer; and then she told me—nothing.
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading I asked her.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Fear—sudden, terrible fear—I thought.
mepronounUS /miː/
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She clung close to me half-sobbing awhile before she could answer; and then she told me—nothing.
nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/
not one thing; not anything
From this reading She clung close to me half-sobbing awhile before she could answer; and then she told me—nothing.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Fear of what?
ShepronounUS /ʃiː/
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She clung close to me half-sobbing awhile before she could answer; and then she told me—nothing.
suddennounUS /sudden/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “Fear—sudden, terrible fear—I thought.
terriblenounUS /ˈterrible/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading “Fear—sudden, terrible fear—I thought.
then
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She clung close to me half-sobbing awhile before she could answer; and then she told me—nothing.
thoughtnounUS /thought/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “Fear—sudden, terrible fear—I thought.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She clung close to me half-sobbing awhile before she could answer; and then she told me—nothing.
toldnounUS /told/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading She clung close to me half-sobbing awhile before she could answer; and then she told me—nothing.
whatpronounUS /wʌt/
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Fear of what?