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Ben Hardy's flying machine
Ben Hardy's flying machine

Chapter XII

Cover illustration for Ben Hardy's flying machine
Context Illustration Reading 1/24 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
A SERIOUS CHARGE Ben had never been more astonished in his life than he was now at the amazing words of the proprietor of the Saxton Automobile Works.
As to Mr. Hardy, he gave a start and stared blankly at his employer.
“What was that you said, sir?” he demanded, and Ben detected a latent fire in his father’s eye that was not usually there.
Dense and thick-skinned as Jasper Saxton was, he could not fail to realize that his bulldozing methods had exceeded the limit in the present instance.
He failed to meet Mr. Hardy’s fixed, challenging glance.
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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.

Ben Hardy's flying machine

Chapter XII

Reading 1/24 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
A SERIOUS CHARGE Ben had never been more astonished in his life than he was now at the amazing words of the proprietor of the Saxton Automobile Works.
Line 2
As to Mr. Hardy, he gave a start and stared blankly at his employer.
Line 3
“What was that you said, sir?” he demanded, and Ben detected a latent fire in his father’s eye that was not usually there.
Line 4
Dense and thick-skinned as Jasper Saxton was, he could not fail to realize that his bulldozing methods had exceeded the limit in the present instance.
Line 5
He failed to meet Mr. Hardy’s fixed, challenging glance.

Learner Dictionary

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

Astonished adjective US /əˈstɑːnɪʃt/

very surprised

From this reading “A SERIOUS CHARGE Ben had never been more astonished in his life than he was now at the amazing words of the proprietor of the Saxton Automobile Works.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “A SERIOUS CHARGE Ben had never been more astonished in his life than he was now at the amazing words of the proprietor of the Saxton Automobile Works.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

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

From this reading “Dense and thick-skinned as Jasper Saxton was, he could not fail to realize that his bulldozing methods had exceeded the limit in the present instance.”

Life noun US /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “A SERIOUS CHARGE Ben had never been more astonished in his life than he was now at the amazing words of the proprietor of the Saxton Automobile Works.”

Never noun US /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “A SERIOUS CHARGE Ben had never been more astonished in his life than he was now at the amazing words of the proprietor of the Saxton Automobile Works.”

Start noun US /start/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “As to Mr. Hardy, he gave a start and stared blankly at his employer.”

All words in this reading · 67

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 A SERIOUS CHARGE Ben had never been more astonished in his life than he was now at the amazing words of the proprietor of the Saxton Automobile Works.

amazing

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

From this reading A SERIOUS CHARGE Ben had never been more astonished in his life than he was now at the amazing words of the proprietor of the Saxton Automobile Works.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading As to Mr. Hardy, he gave a start and stared blankly at his employer.

AsconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading As to Mr. Hardy, he gave a start and stared blankly at his employer.

astonishedadjectiveUS /əˈstɑːnɪʃt/

very surprised

From this reading A SERIOUS CHARGE Ben had never been more astonished in his life than he was now at the amazing words of the proprietor of the Saxton Automobile Works.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading A SERIOUS CHARGE Ben had never been more astonished in his life than he was now at the amazing words of the proprietor of the Saxton Automobile Works.

Automobile

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

From this reading A SERIOUS CHARGE Ben had never been more astonished in his life than he was now at the amazing words of the proprietor of the Saxton Automobile Works.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading A SERIOUS CHARGE Ben had never been more astonished in his life than he was now at the amazing words of the proprietor of the Saxton Automobile Works.

Ben

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

From this reading A SERIOUS CHARGE Ben had never been more astonished in his life than he was now at the amazing words of the proprietor of the Saxton Automobile Works.

blankly

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

From this reading As to Mr. Hardy, he gave a start and stared blankly at his employer.

bulldozing

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

From this reading Dense and thick-skinned as Jasper Saxton was, he could not fail to realize that his bulldozing methods had exceeded the limit in the present instance.

challenging

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

From this reading He failed to meet Mr. Hardy’s fixed, challenging glance.

CHARGE

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

From this reading A SERIOUS CHARGE Ben had never been more astonished in his life than he was now at the amazing words of the proprietor of the Saxton Automobile Works.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading Dense and thick-skinned as Jasper Saxton was, he could not fail to realize that his bulldozing methods had exceeded the limit in the present instance.

demanded

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

From this reading “What was that you said, sir?” he demanded, and Ben detected a latent fire in his father’s eye that was not usually there.

Dense

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

From this reading Dense and thick-skinned as Jasper Saxton was, he could not fail to realize that his bulldozing methods had exceeded the limit in the present instance.

detected

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

From this reading “What was that you said, sir?” he demanded, and Ben detected a latent fire in his father’s eye that was not usually there.

employer

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

From this reading As to Mr. Hardy, he gave a start and stared blankly at his employer.

exceeded

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

From this reading Dense and thick-skinned as Jasper Saxton was, he could not fail to realize that his bulldozing methods had exceeded the limit in the present instance.

eye

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

From this reading “What was that you said, sir?” he demanded, and Ben detected a latent fire in his father’s eye that was not usually there.

fail

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

From this reading Dense and thick-skinned as Jasper Saxton was, he could not fail to realize that his bulldozing methods had exceeded the limit in the present instance.

failed

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

From this reading He failed to meet Mr. Hardy’s fixed, challenging glance.

father's

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

From this reading “What was that you said, sir?” he demanded, and Ben detected a latent fire in his father’s eye that was not usually there.

fire

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

From this reading “What was that you said, sir?” he demanded, and Ben detected a latent fire in his father’s eye that was not usually there.

fixed

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

From this reading He failed to meet Mr. Hardy’s fixed, challenging glance.

gave

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

From this reading As to Mr. Hardy, he gave a start and stared blankly at his employer.

glance

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

From this reading He failed to meet Mr. Hardy’s fixed, challenging glance.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading A SERIOUS CHARGE Ben had never been more astonished in his life than he was now at the amazing words of the proprietor of the Saxton Automobile Works.

Hardy

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

From this reading As to Mr. Hardy, he gave a start and stared blankly at his employer.

Hardy's

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

From this reading He failed to meet Mr. Hardy’s fixed, challenging glance.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading A SERIOUS CHARGE Ben had never been more astonished in his life than he was now at the amazing words of the proprietor of the Saxton Automobile Works.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading A SERIOUS CHARGE Ben had never been more astonished in his life than he was now at the amazing words of the proprietor of the Saxton Automobile Works.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading A SERIOUS CHARGE Ben had never been more astonished in his life than he was now at the amazing words of the proprietor of the Saxton Automobile Works.

instance

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

From this reading Dense and thick-skinned as Jasper Saxton was, he could not fail to realize that his bulldozing methods had exceeded the limit in the present instance.

Jasper

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

From this reading Dense and thick-skinned as Jasper Saxton was, he could not fail to realize that his bulldozing methods had exceeded the limit in the present instance.

latent

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

From this reading “What was that you said, sir?” he demanded, and Ben detected a latent fire in his father’s eye that was not usually there.

lifenounUS /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading A SERIOUS CHARGE Ben had never been more astonished in his life than he was now at the amazing words of the proprietor of the Saxton Automobile Works.

limit

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

From this reading Dense and thick-skinned as Jasper Saxton was, he could not fail to realize that his bulldozing methods had exceeded the limit in the present instance.

meet

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

From this reading He failed to meet Mr. Hardy’s fixed, challenging glance.

methods

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

From this reading Dense and thick-skinned as Jasper Saxton was, he could not fail to realize that his bulldozing methods had exceeded the limit in the present instance.

more

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

From this reading A SERIOUS CHARGE Ben had never been more astonished in his life than he was now at the amazing words of the proprietor of the Saxton Automobile Works.

Mr

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

From this reading As to Mr. Hardy, he gave a start and stared blankly at his employer.

nevernounUS /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading A SERIOUS CHARGE Ben had never been more astonished in his life than he was now at the amazing words of the proprietor of the Saxton Automobile Works.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading “What was that you said, sir?” he demanded, and Ben detected a latent fire in his father’s eye that was not usually there.

now

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

From this reading A SERIOUS CHARGE Ben had never been more astonished in his life than he was now at the amazing words of the proprietor of the Saxton Automobile Works.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading A SERIOUS CHARGE Ben had never been more astonished in his life than he was now at the amazing words of the proprietor of the Saxton Automobile Works.

present

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

From this reading Dense and thick-skinned as Jasper Saxton was, he could not fail to realize that his bulldozing methods had exceeded the limit in the present instance.

proprietor

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

From this reading A SERIOUS CHARGE Ben had never been more astonished in his life than he was now at the amazing words of the proprietor of the Saxton Automobile Works.

realize

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

From this reading Dense and thick-skinned as Jasper Saxton was, he could not fail to realize that his bulldozing methods had exceeded the limit in the present instance.

said

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

From this reading “What was that you said, sir?” he demanded, and Ben detected a latent fire in his father’s eye that was not usually there.

Saxton

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

From this reading A SERIOUS CHARGE Ben had never been more astonished in his life than he was now at the amazing words of the proprietor of the Saxton Automobile Works.

SERIOUS

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

From this reading A SERIOUS CHARGE Ben had never been more astonished in his life than he was now at the amazing words of the proprietor of the Saxton Automobile Works.

sir

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

From this reading “What was that you said, sir?” he demanded, and Ben detected a latent fire in his father’s eye that was not usually there.

stared

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

From this reading As to Mr. Hardy, he gave a start and stared blankly at his employer.

startnounUS /start/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading As to Mr. Hardy, he gave a start and stared blankly at his employer.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading A SERIOUS CHARGE Ben had never been more astonished in his life than he was now at the amazing words of the proprietor of the Saxton Automobile Works.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading “What was that you said, sir?” he demanded, and Ben detected a latent fire in his father’s eye that was not usually there.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading A SERIOUS CHARGE Ben had never been more astonished in his life than he was now at the amazing words of the proprietor of the Saxton Automobile Works.

there

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

From this reading “What was that you said, sir?” he demanded, and Ben detected a latent fire in his father’s eye that was not usually there.

thick-skinned

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

From this reading Dense and thick-skinned as Jasper Saxton was, he could not fail to realize that his bulldozing methods had exceeded the limit in the present instance.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading As to Mr. Hardy, he gave a start and stared blankly at his employer.

usually

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

From this reading “What was that you said, sir?” he demanded, and Ben detected a latent fire in his father’s eye that was not usually there.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading A SERIOUS CHARGE Ben had never been more astonished in his life than he was now at the amazing words of the proprietor of the Saxton Automobile Works.

WhatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading “What was that you said, sir?” he demanded, and Ben detected a latent fire in his father’s eye that was not usually there.

words

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

From this reading A SERIOUS CHARGE Ben had never been more astonished in his life than he was now at the amazing words of the proprietor of the Saxton Automobile Works.

Works

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

From this reading A SERIOUS CHARGE Ben had never been more astonished in his life than he was now at the amazing words of the proprietor of the Saxton Automobile Works.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “What was that you said, sir?” he demanded, and Ben detected a latent fire in his father’s eye that was not usually there.