Chapter III
"Why, they're all big mice," I said. "No; nearly all young rats," said Mercer, counting. "Twenty-two," he cried, "and all fresh. Why, they must have been caught last night. That's a fine mouse," he cried, taking one up by its tail.
Burr Junior
Chapter III
English subtitles · tap any word to listen
1 / 5
"Why,
they're
all
big
mice,"
I
said.
"No;
nearly
all
young
rats,"
said
Mercer,
counting.
"Twenty-two,"
he
cried,
"and
all
fresh.
Why,
they
must
have
been
caught
last
night.
That's
a
fine
mouse,"
he
cried,
taking
one
up
by
its
tail.
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Line 1
"Why,
they're
all
big
mice,"
I
said.
Line 2
"No;
nearly
all
young
rats,"
said
Mercer,
counting.
Line 3
"Twenty-two,"
he
cried,
"and
all
fresh.
Line 4
Why,
they
must
have
been
caught
last
night.
Line 5
That's
a
fine
mouse,"
he
cried,
taking
one
up
by
its
tail.
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 “Why, they must have been caught last night.”
Cried
noun
US /cried/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “"Twenty-two," he cried, "and all fresh.”
Fine
noun
US /fine/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “That's a fine mouse," he cried, taking one up by its tail.”
Have
auxiliary verb
US /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “Why, they must have been caught last night.”
Last
noun
US /last/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “Why, they must have been caught last night.”
Must
modal verb
US /mʌst/
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “Why, they must have been caught last night.”
One
pronoun
US /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “That's a fine mouse," he cried, taking one up by its tail.”
All words in this reading · 35
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 That's a fine mouse," he cried, taking one up by its tail.
all
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why, they're all big mice," I said.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Twenty-two," he cried, "and all fresh.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Why, they must have been caught last night.
big
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why, they're all big mice," I said.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading That's a fine mouse," he cried, taking one up by its tail.
caught
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Why, they must have been caught last night.
counting
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No; nearly all young rats," said Mercer, counting.
criednounUS /cried/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading "Twenty-two," he cried, "and all fresh.
finenounUS /fine/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading That's a fine mouse," he cried, taking one up by its tail.
fresh
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Twenty-two," he cried, "and all fresh.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Why, they must have been caught last night.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Twenty-two," he cried, "and all fresh.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Why, they're all big mice," I said.
itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading That's a fine mouse," he cried, taking one up by its tail.
lastnounUS /last/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Why, they must have been caught last night.
Mercer
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No; nearly all young rats," said Mercer, counting.
mice
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why, they're all big mice," I said.
mouse
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That's a fine mouse," he cried, taking one up by its tail.
mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading Why, they must have been caught last night.
nearly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No; nearly all young rats," said Mercer, counting.
night
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Why, they must have been caught last night.
NodeterminerUS /noʊ/
not any; not one
From this reading "No; nearly all young rats," said Mercer, counting.
onepronounUS /wʌn/
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading That's a fine mouse," he cried, taking one up by its tail.
rats
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No; nearly all young rats," said Mercer, counting.
said
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why, they're all big mice," I said.
tail
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That's a fine mouse," he cried, taking one up by its tail.
taking
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That's a fine mouse," he cried, taking one up by its tail.
That's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That's a fine mouse," he cried, taking one up by its tail.
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Why, they must have been caught last night.
they're
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why, they're all big mice," I said.
Twenty-two
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Twenty-two," he cried, "and all fresh.
up
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That's a fine mouse," he cried, taking one up by its tail.
Why
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why, they're all big mice," I said.
young
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No; nearly all young rats," said Mercer, counting.