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Captain Dieppe
Captain Dieppe

Chapter IX

Cover illustration for Captain Dieppe
Context Illustration Reading 1/51 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE STRAW IN THE CORNER There was nothing odd in M. Guillaume's presence, however little the lady or the Captain had suspected it.
The surprise he gave was a reprisal for that which he had suffered when, after the Captain's exit, he had recovered his full faculties and heard a furtive movement within the hut.
It was the inspiration and the work of a moment to raise himself with an exaggerated effort and a purposed noise, and to take his departure with a tread heavy enough to force itself on the ears of the unknown person inside.
But he did not go far.
To what purpose should he, since it was vain to hope to overtake the Captain or Paul de Roustache?
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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.

Captain Dieppe

Chapter IX

Reading 1/51 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE STRAW IN THE CORNER There was nothing odd in M. Guillaume's presence, however little the lady or the Captain had suspected it.
Line 2
The surprise he gave was a reprisal for that which he had suffered when, after the Captain's exit, he had recovered his full faculties and heard a furtive movement within the hut.
Line 3
It was the inspiration and the work of a moment to raise himself with an exaggerated effort and a purposed noise, and to take his departure with a tread heavy enough to force itself on the ears of the unknown person inside.
Line 4
But he did not go far.
Line 5
To what purpose should he, since it was vain to hope to overtake the Captain or Paul de Roustache?

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 “The surprise he gave was a reprisal for that which he had suffered when, after the Captain's exit, he had recovered his full faculties and heard a furtive movement within the hut.”

Captain noun US /ˈcaptain/

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

From this reading “THE STRAW IN THE CORNER There was nothing odd in M. Guillaume's presence, however little the lady or the Captain had suspected it.”

Himself pronoun US /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading “It was the inspiration and the work of a moment to raise himself with an exaggerated effort and a purposed noise, and to take his departure with a tread heavy enough to force itself on the ears of the unknown person inside.”

However adverb US /ˌhaʊˈevər/

used to add a contrasting statement

From this reading “THE STRAW IN THE CORNER There was nothing odd in M. Guillaume's presence, however little the lady or the Captain had suspected it.”

Itself pronoun US /ˌɪtˈself/

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading “It was the inspiration and the work of a moment to raise himself with an exaggerated effort and a purposed noise, and to take his departure with a tread heavy enough to force itself on the ears of the unknown person inside.”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “THE STRAW IN THE CORNER There was nothing odd in M. Guillaume's presence, however little the lady or the Captain had suspected it.”

Nothing pronoun US /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading “THE STRAW IN THE CORNER There was nothing odd in M. Guillaume's presence, however little the lady or the Captain had suspected it.”

Since preposition US /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading “To what purpose should he, since it was vain to hope to overtake the Captain or Paul de Roustache?”

Take noun US /take/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It was the inspiration and the work of a moment to raise himself with an exaggerated effort and a purposed noise, and to take his departure with a tread heavy enough to force itself on the ears of the unknown person inside.”

Within preposition US /wɪˈðɪn/

inside; before a period of time has passed

From this reading “The surprise he gave was a reprisal for that which he had suffered when, after the Captain's exit, he had recovered his full faculties and heard a furtive movement within the hut.”

All words in this reading · 82

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 surprise he gave was a reprisal for that which he had suffered when, after the Captain's exit, he had recovered his full faculties and heard a furtive movement within the hut.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading The surprise he gave was a reprisal for that which he had suffered when, after the Captain's exit, he had recovered his full faculties and heard a furtive movement within the hut.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading It was the inspiration and the work of a moment to raise himself with an exaggerated effort and a purposed noise, and to take his departure with a tread heavy enough to force itself on the ears of the unknown person inside.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The surprise he gave was a reprisal for that which he had suffered when, after the Captain's exit, he had recovered his full faculties and heard a furtive movement within the hut.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But he did not go far.

CaptainnounUS /ˈcaptain/

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

From this reading THE STRAW IN THE CORNER There was nothing odd in M. Guillaume's presence, however little the lady or the Captain had suspected it.

Captain's

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

From this reading The surprise he gave was a reprisal for that which he had suffered when, after the Captain's exit, he had recovered his full faculties and heard a furtive movement within the hut.

CORNER

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

From this reading THE STRAW IN THE CORNER There was nothing odd in M. Guillaume's presence, however little the lady or the Captain had suspected it.

de

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

From this reading To what purpose should he, since it was vain to hope to overtake the Captain or Paul de Roustache?

departure

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

From this reading It was the inspiration and the work of a moment to raise himself with an exaggerated effort and a purposed noise, and to take his departure with a tread heavy enough to force itself on the ears of the unknown person inside.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading But he did not go far.

ears

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

From this reading It was the inspiration and the work of a moment to raise himself with an exaggerated effort and a purposed noise, and to take his departure with a tread heavy enough to force itself on the ears of the unknown person inside.

effort

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

From this reading It was the inspiration and the work of a moment to raise himself with an exaggerated effort and a purposed noise, and to take his departure with a tread heavy enough to force itself on the ears of the unknown person inside.

enough

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

From this reading It was the inspiration and the work of a moment to raise himself with an exaggerated effort and a purposed noise, and to take his departure with a tread heavy enough to force itself on the ears of the unknown person inside.

exaggerated

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

From this reading It was the inspiration and the work of a moment to raise himself with an exaggerated effort and a purposed noise, and to take his departure with a tread heavy enough to force itself on the ears of the unknown person inside.

exit

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

From this reading The surprise he gave was a reprisal for that which he had suffered when, after the Captain's exit, he had recovered his full faculties and heard a furtive movement within the hut.

faculties

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

From this reading The surprise he gave was a reprisal for that which he had suffered when, after the Captain's exit, he had recovered his full faculties and heard a furtive movement within the hut.

far

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

From this reading But he did not go far.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading The surprise he gave was a reprisal for that which he had suffered when, after the Captain's exit, he had recovered his full faculties and heard a furtive movement within the hut.

force

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

From this reading It was the inspiration and the work of a moment to raise himself with an exaggerated effort and a purposed noise, and to take his departure with a tread heavy enough to force itself on the ears of the unknown person inside.

full

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

From this reading The surprise he gave was a reprisal for that which he had suffered when, after the Captain's exit, he had recovered his full faculties and heard a furtive movement within the hut.

furtive

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

From this reading The surprise he gave was a reprisal for that which he had suffered when, after the Captain's exit, he had recovered his full faculties and heard a furtive movement within the hut.

gave

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

From this reading The surprise he gave was a reprisal for that which he had suffered when, after the Captain's exit, he had recovered his full faculties and heard a furtive movement within the hut.

go

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

From this reading But he did not go far.

Guillaume's

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

From this reading THE STRAW IN THE CORNER There was nothing odd in M. Guillaume's presence, however little the lady or the Captain had suspected it.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading THE STRAW IN THE CORNER There was nothing odd in M. Guillaume's presence, however little the lady or the Captain had suspected it.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading The surprise he gave was a reprisal for that which he had suffered when, after the Captain's exit, he had recovered his full faculties and heard a furtive movement within the hut.

heard

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

From this reading The surprise he gave was a reprisal for that which he had suffered when, after the Captain's exit, he had recovered his full faculties and heard a furtive movement within the hut.

heavy

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

From this reading It was the inspiration and the work of a moment to raise himself with an exaggerated effort and a purposed noise, and to take his departure with a tread heavy enough to force itself on the ears of the unknown person inside.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading It was the inspiration and the work of a moment to raise himself with an exaggerated effort and a purposed noise, and to take his departure with a tread heavy enough to force itself on the ears of the unknown person inside.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading The surprise he gave was a reprisal for that which he had suffered when, after the Captain's exit, he had recovered his full faculties and heard a furtive movement within the hut.

hope

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

From this reading To what purpose should he, since it was vain to hope to overtake the Captain or Paul de Roustache?

howeveradverbUS /ˌhaʊˈevər/

used to add a contrasting statement

From this reading THE STRAW IN THE CORNER There was nothing odd in M. Guillaume's presence, however little the lady or the Captain had suspected it.

hut

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

From this reading The surprise he gave was a reprisal for that which he had suffered when, after the Captain's exit, he had recovered his full faculties and heard a furtive movement within the hut.

INprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading THE STRAW IN THE CORNER There was nothing odd in M. Guillaume's presence, however little the lady or the Captain had suspected it.

inside

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

From this reading It was the inspiration and the work of a moment to raise himself with an exaggerated effort and a purposed noise, and to take his departure with a tread heavy enough to force itself on the ears of the unknown person inside.

inspiration

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

From this reading It was the inspiration and the work of a moment to raise himself with an exaggerated effort and a purposed noise, and to take his departure with a tread heavy enough to force itself on the ears of the unknown person inside.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading THE STRAW IN THE CORNER There was nothing odd in M. Guillaume's presence, however little the lady or the Captain had suspected it.

itselfpronounUS /ˌɪtˈself/

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading It was the inspiration and the work of a moment to raise himself with an exaggerated effort and a purposed noise, and to take his departure with a tread heavy enough to force itself on the ears of the unknown person inside.

lady

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

From this reading THE STRAW IN THE CORNER There was nothing odd in M. Guillaume's presence, however little the lady or the Captain had suspected it.

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading THE STRAW IN THE CORNER There was nothing odd in M. Guillaume's presence, however little the lady or the Captain had suspected it.

M

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

From this reading THE STRAW IN THE CORNER There was nothing odd in M. Guillaume's presence, however little the lady or the Captain had suspected it.

moment

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

From this reading It was the inspiration and the work of a moment to raise himself with an exaggerated effort and a purposed noise, and to take his departure with a tread heavy enough to force itself on the ears of the unknown person inside.

movement

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

From this reading The surprise he gave was a reprisal for that which he had suffered when, after the Captain's exit, he had recovered his full faculties and heard a furtive movement within the hut.

noise

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

From this reading It was the inspiration and the work of a moment to raise himself with an exaggerated effort and a purposed noise, and to take his departure with a tread heavy enough to force itself on the ears of the unknown person inside.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading But he did not go far.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading THE STRAW IN THE CORNER There was nothing odd in M. Guillaume's presence, however little the lady or the Captain had suspected it.

odd

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

From this reading THE STRAW IN THE CORNER There was nothing odd in M. Guillaume's presence, however little the lady or the Captain had suspected it.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading It was the inspiration and the work of a moment to raise himself with an exaggerated effort and a purposed noise, and to take his departure with a tread heavy enough to force itself on the ears of the unknown person inside.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading It was the inspiration and the work of a moment to raise himself with an exaggerated effort and a purposed noise, and to take his departure with a tread heavy enough to force itself on the ears of the unknown person inside.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading THE STRAW IN THE CORNER There was nothing odd in M. Guillaume's presence, however little the lady or the Captain had suspected it.

overtake

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

From this reading To what purpose should he, since it was vain to hope to overtake the Captain or Paul de Roustache?

Paul

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

From this reading To what purpose should he, since it was vain to hope to overtake the Captain or Paul de Roustache?

person

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

From this reading It was the inspiration and the work of a moment to raise himself with an exaggerated effort and a purposed noise, and to take his departure with a tread heavy enough to force itself on the ears of the unknown person inside.

presence

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

From this reading THE STRAW IN THE CORNER There was nothing odd in M. Guillaume's presence, however little the lady or the Captain had suspected it.

purpose

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

From this reading To what purpose should he, since it was vain to hope to overtake the Captain or Paul de Roustache?

purposed

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

From this reading It was the inspiration and the work of a moment to raise himself with an exaggerated effort and a purposed noise, and to take his departure with a tread heavy enough to force itself on the ears of the unknown person inside.

raise

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

From this reading It was the inspiration and the work of a moment to raise himself with an exaggerated effort and a purposed noise, and to take his departure with a tread heavy enough to force itself on the ears of the unknown person inside.

recovered

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

From this reading The surprise he gave was a reprisal for that which he had suffered when, after the Captain's exit, he had recovered his full faculties and heard a furtive movement within the hut.

reprisal

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

From this reading The surprise he gave was a reprisal for that which he had suffered when, after the Captain's exit, he had recovered his full faculties and heard a furtive movement within the hut.

Roustache

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

From this reading To what purpose should he, since it was vain to hope to overtake the Captain or Paul de Roustache?

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading To what purpose should he, since it was vain to hope to overtake the Captain or Paul de Roustache?

sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading To what purpose should he, since it was vain to hope to overtake the Captain or Paul de Roustache?

STRAW

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

From this reading THE STRAW IN THE CORNER There was nothing odd in M. Guillaume's presence, however little the lady or the Captain had suspected it.

suffered

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

From this reading The surprise he gave was a reprisal for that which he had suffered when, after the Captain's exit, he had recovered his full faculties and heard a furtive movement within the hut.

surprise

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

From this reading The surprise he gave was a reprisal for that which he had suffered when, after the Captain's exit, he had recovered his full faculties and heard a furtive movement within the hut.

suspected

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

From this reading THE STRAW IN THE CORNER There was nothing odd in M. Guillaume's presence, however little the lady or the Captain had suspected it.

takenounUS /take/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It was the inspiration and the work of a moment to raise himself with an exaggerated effort and a purposed noise, and to take his departure with a tread heavy enough to force itself on the ears of the unknown person inside.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The surprise he gave was a reprisal for that which he had suffered when, after the Captain's exit, he had recovered his full faculties and heard a furtive movement within the hut.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE STRAW IN THE CORNER There was nothing odd in M. Guillaume's presence, however little the lady or the Captain had suspected it.

There

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

From this reading THE STRAW IN THE CORNER There was nothing odd in M. Guillaume's presence, however little the lady or the Captain had suspected it.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading It was the inspiration and the work of a moment to raise himself with an exaggerated effort and a purposed noise, and to take his departure with a tread heavy enough to force itself on the ears of the unknown person inside.

tread

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

From this reading It was the inspiration and the work of a moment to raise himself with an exaggerated effort and a purposed noise, and to take his departure with a tread heavy enough to force itself on the ears of the unknown person inside.

unknown

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

From this reading It was the inspiration and the work of a moment to raise himself with an exaggerated effort and a purposed noise, and to take his departure with a tread heavy enough to force itself on the ears of the unknown person inside.

vain

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

From this reading To what purpose should he, since it was vain to hope to overtake the Captain or Paul de Roustache?

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading THE STRAW IN THE CORNER There was nothing odd in M. Guillaume's presence, however little the lady or the Captain had suspected it.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading To what purpose should he, since it was vain to hope to overtake the Captain or Paul de Roustache?

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading The surprise he gave was a reprisal for that which he had suffered when, after the Captain's exit, he had recovered his full faculties and heard a furtive movement within the hut.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading The surprise he gave was a reprisal for that which he had suffered when, after the Captain's exit, he had recovered his full faculties and heard a furtive movement within the hut.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading It was the inspiration and the work of a moment to raise himself with an exaggerated effort and a purposed noise, and to take his departure with a tread heavy enough to force itself on the ears of the unknown person inside.

withinprepositionUS /wɪˈðɪn/

inside; before a period of time has passed

From this reading The surprise he gave was a reprisal for that which he had suffered when, after the Captain's exit, he had recovered his full faculties and heard a furtive movement within the hut.

work

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

From this reading It was the inspiration and the work of a moment to raise himself with an exaggerated effort and a purposed noise, and to take his departure with a tread heavy enough to force itself on the ears of the unknown person inside.