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Harrigan
Harrigan

Chapter XII

Cover illustration for Harrigan
Context Illustration Reading 1/18 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Harrigan strode off through the trees.
To loosen the tight, aching muscles of his throat he began to sing--old Irish songs with a wail and a swing to them.
He had taken no certain direction, for he only wished to be alone and far away from the other two; but after a time he realized that he was on the side of the central hill to which McTee had gone to look for the dry wood.
Above all things in the world he wished to avoid the Scotchman now, and as soon as he became conscious of his whereabouts, he veered sharply to the right.
He had scarcely walked a minute in the new direction before he met McTee.
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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.

Harrigan

Chapter XII

Reading 1/18 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Harrigan strode off through the trees.
Line 2
To loosen the tight, aching muscles of his throat he began to sing--old Irish songs with a wail and a swing to them.
Line 3
He had taken no certain direction, for he only wished to be alone and far away from the other two; but after a time he realized that he was on the side of the central hill to which McTee had gone to look for the dry wood.
Line 4
Above all things in the world he wished to avoid the Scotchman now, and as soon as he became conscious of his whereabouts, he veered sharply to the right.
Line 5
He had scarcely walked a minute in the new direction before he met McTee.

Learner Dictionary

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

Above preposition US /əˈbʌv/

higher than, or over, something

From this reading “Above all things in the world he wished to avoid the Scotchman now, and as soon as he became conscious of his whereabouts, he veered sharply to the right.”

After preposition US /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading “He had taken no certain direction, for he only wished to be alone and far away from the other two; but after a time he realized that he was on the side of the central hill to which McTee had gone to look for the dry wood.”

Alone noun US /alone/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He had taken no certain direction, for he only wished to be alone and far away from the other two; but after a time he realized that he was on the side of the central hill to which McTee had gone to look for the dry wood.”

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “He had scarcely walked a minute in the new direction before he met McTee.”

Began noun US /began/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “To loosen the tight, aching muscles of his throat he began to sing--old Irish songs with a wail and a swing to them.”

Look noun US /look/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He had taken no certain direction, for he only wished to be alone and far away from the other two; but after a time he realized that he was on the side of the central hill to which McTee had gone to look for the dry wood.”

Right noun US /right/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Above all things in the world he wished to avoid the Scotchman now, and as soon as he became conscious of his whereabouts, he veered sharply to the right.”

Sharply noun US /ˈsharply/

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

From this reading “Above all things in the world he wished to avoid the Scotchman now, and as soon as he became conscious of his whereabouts, he veered sharply to the right.”

Soon noun US /soon/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Above all things in the world he wished to avoid the Scotchman now, and as soon as he became conscious of his whereabouts, he veered sharply to the right.”

Throat noun US /θroʊt/

The passage at the back of the mouth.

From this reading “To loosen the tight, aching muscles of his throat he began to sing--old Irish songs with a wail and a swing to them.”

Through noun US /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading “Harrigan strode off through the trees.”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He had taken no certain direction, for he only wished to be alone and far away from the other two; but after a time he realized that he was on the side of the central hill to which McTee had gone to look for the dry wood.”

All words in this reading · 79

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 To loosen the tight, aching muscles of his throat he began to sing--old Irish songs with a wail and a swing to them.

AboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/

higher than, or over, something

From this reading Above all things in the world he wished to avoid the Scotchman now, and as soon as he became conscious of his whereabouts, he veered sharply to the right.

aching

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

From this reading To loosen the tight, aching muscles of his throat he began to sing--old Irish songs with a wail and a swing to them.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading He had taken no certain direction, for he only wished to be alone and far away from the other two; but after a time he realized that he was on the side of the central hill to which McTee had gone to look for the dry wood.

all

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

From this reading Above all things in the world he wished to avoid the Scotchman now, and as soon as he became conscious of his whereabouts, he veered sharply to the right.

alonenounUS /alone/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He had taken no certain direction, for he only wished to be alone and far away from the other two; but after a time he realized that he was on the side of the central hill to which McTee had gone to look for the dry wood.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading To loosen the tight, aching muscles of his throat he began to sing--old Irish songs with a wail and a swing to them.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Above all things in the world he wished to avoid the Scotchman now, and as soon as he became conscious of his whereabouts, he veered sharply to the right.

avoid

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

From this reading Above all things in the world he wished to avoid the Scotchman now, and as soon as he became conscious of his whereabouts, he veered sharply to the right.

away

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

From this reading He had taken no certain direction, for he only wished to be alone and far away from the other two; but after a time he realized that he was on the side of the central hill to which McTee had gone to look for the dry wood.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading He had taken no certain direction, for he only wished to be alone and far away from the other two; but after a time he realized that he was on the side of the central hill to which McTee had gone to look for the dry wood.

became

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

From this reading Above all things in the world he wished to avoid the Scotchman now, and as soon as he became conscious of his whereabouts, he veered sharply to the right.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading He had scarcely walked a minute in the new direction before he met McTee.

begannounUS /began/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading To loosen the tight, aching muscles of his throat he began to sing--old Irish songs with a wail and a swing to them.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading He had taken no certain direction, for he only wished to be alone and far away from the other two; but after a time he realized that he was on the side of the central hill to which McTee had gone to look for the dry wood.

central

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

From this reading He had taken no certain direction, for he only wished to be alone and far away from the other two; but after a time he realized that he was on the side of the central hill to which McTee had gone to look for the dry wood.

certain

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

From this reading He had taken no certain direction, for he only wished to be alone and far away from the other two; but after a time he realized that he was on the side of the central hill to which McTee had gone to look for the dry wood.

conscious

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

From this reading Above all things in the world he wished to avoid the Scotchman now, and as soon as he became conscious of his whereabouts, he veered sharply to the right.

direction

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

From this reading He had taken no certain direction, for he only wished to be alone and far away from the other two; but after a time he realized that he was on the side of the central hill to which McTee had gone to look for the dry wood.

dry

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

From this reading He had taken no certain direction, for he only wished to be alone and far away from the other two; but after a time he realized that he was on the side of the central hill to which McTee had gone to look for the dry wood.

far

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

From this reading He had taken no certain direction, for he only wished to be alone and far away from the other two; but after a time he realized that he was on the side of the central hill to which McTee had gone to look for the dry wood.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading He had taken no certain direction, for he only wished to be alone and far away from the other two; but after a time he realized that he was on the side of the central hill to which McTee had gone to look for the dry wood.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading He had taken no certain direction, for he only wished to be alone and far away from the other two; but after a time he realized that he was on the side of the central hill to which McTee had gone to look for the dry wood.

gone

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

From this reading He had taken no certain direction, for he only wished to be alone and far away from the other two; but after a time he realized that he was on the side of the central hill to which McTee had gone to look for the dry wood.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading He had taken no certain direction, for he only wished to be alone and far away from the other two; but after a time he realized that he was on the side of the central hill to which McTee had gone to look for the dry wood.

Harrigan

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

From this reading Harrigan strode off through the trees.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading To loosen the tight, aching muscles of his throat he began to sing--old Irish songs with a wail and a swing to them.

hill

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

From this reading He had taken no certain direction, for he only wished to be alone and far away from the other two; but after a time he realized that he was on the side of the central hill to which McTee had gone to look for the dry wood.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading To loosen the tight, aching muscles of his throat he began to sing--old Irish songs with a wail and a swing to them.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Above all things in the world he wished to avoid the Scotchman now, and as soon as he became conscious of his whereabouts, he veered sharply to the right.

Irish

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

From this reading To loosen the tight, aching muscles of his throat he began to sing--old Irish songs with a wail and a swing to them.

looknounUS /look/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He had taken no certain direction, for he only wished to be alone and far away from the other two; but after a time he realized that he was on the side of the central hill to which McTee had gone to look for the dry wood.

loosen

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

From this reading To loosen the tight, aching muscles of his throat he began to sing--old Irish songs with a wail and a swing to them.

McTee

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

From this reading He had taken no certain direction, for he only wished to be alone and far away from the other two; but after a time he realized that he was on the side of the central hill to which McTee had gone to look for the dry wood.

met

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

From this reading He had scarcely walked a minute in the new direction before he met McTee.

minute

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

From this reading He had scarcely walked a minute in the new direction before he met McTee.

muscles

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

From this reading To loosen the tight, aching muscles of his throat he began to sing--old Irish songs with a wail and a swing to them.

new

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

From this reading He had scarcely walked a minute in the new direction before he met McTee.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading He had taken no certain direction, for he only wished to be alone and far away from the other two; but after a time he realized that he was on the side of the central hill to which McTee had gone to look for the dry wood.

now

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

From this reading Above all things in the world he wished to avoid the Scotchman now, and as soon as he became conscious of his whereabouts, he veered sharply to the right.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading To loosen the tight, aching muscles of his throat he began to sing--old Irish songs with a wail and a swing to them.

off

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

From this reading Harrigan strode off through the trees.

old

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

From this reading To loosen the tight, aching muscles of his throat he began to sing--old Irish songs with a wail and a swing to them.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading He had taken no certain direction, for he only wished to be alone and far away from the other two; but after a time he realized that he was on the side of the central hill to which McTee had gone to look for the dry wood.

only

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

From this reading He had taken no certain direction, for he only wished to be alone and far away from the other two; but after a time he realized that he was on the side of the central hill to which McTee had gone to look for the dry wood.

other

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

From this reading He had taken no certain direction, for he only wished to be alone and far away from the other two; but after a time he realized that he was on the side of the central hill to which McTee had gone to look for the dry wood.

realized

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

From this reading He had taken no certain direction, for he only wished to be alone and far away from the other two; but after a time he realized that he was on the side of the central hill to which McTee had gone to look for the dry wood.

rightnounUS /right/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Above all things in the world he wished to avoid the Scotchman now, and as soon as he became conscious of his whereabouts, he veered sharply to the right.

scarcely

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

From this reading He had scarcely walked a minute in the new direction before he met McTee.

Scotchman

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

From this reading Above all things in the world he wished to avoid the Scotchman now, and as soon as he became conscious of his whereabouts, he veered sharply to the right.

sharplynounUS /ˈsharply/

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

From this reading Above all things in the world he wished to avoid the Scotchman now, and as soon as he became conscious of his whereabouts, he veered sharply to the right.

side

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

From this reading He had taken no certain direction, for he only wished to be alone and far away from the other two; but after a time he realized that he was on the side of the central hill to which McTee had gone to look for the dry wood.

sing

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

From this reading To loosen the tight, aching muscles of his throat he began to sing--old Irish songs with a wail and a swing to them.

songs

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

From this reading To loosen the tight, aching muscles of his throat he began to sing--old Irish songs with a wail and a swing to them.

soon

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

From this reading Above all things in the world he wished to avoid the Scotchman now, and as soon as he became conscious of his whereabouts, he veered sharply to the right.

strode

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

From this reading Harrigan strode off through the trees.

swing

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

From this reading To loosen the tight, aching muscles of his throat he began to sing--old Irish songs with a wail and a swing to them.

taken

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

From this reading He had taken no certain direction, for he only wished to be alone and far away from the other two; but after a time he realized that he was on the side of the central hill to which McTee had gone to look for the dry wood.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading He had taken no certain direction, for he only wished to be alone and far away from the other two; but after a time he realized that he was on the side of the central hill to which McTee had gone to look for the dry wood.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Harrigan strode off through the trees.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading To loosen the tight, aching muscles of his throat he began to sing--old Irish songs with a wail and a swing to them.

things

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

From this reading Above all things in the world he wished to avoid the Scotchman now, and as soon as he became conscious of his whereabouts, he veered sharply to the right.

throatnounUS /θroʊt/

The passage at the back of the mouth.

From this reading To loosen the tight, aching muscles of his throat he began to sing--old Irish songs with a wail and a swing to them.

throughnounUS /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading Harrigan strode off through the trees.

tight

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

From this reading To loosen the tight, aching muscles of his throat he began to sing--old Irish songs with a wail and a swing to them.

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He had taken no certain direction, for he only wished to be alone and far away from the other two; but after a time he realized that he was on the side of the central hill to which McTee had gone to look for the dry wood.

ToparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading To loosen the tight, aching muscles of his throat he began to sing--old Irish songs with a wail and a swing to them.

trees

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

From this reading Harrigan strode off through the trees.

two

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

From this reading He had taken no certain direction, for he only wished to be alone and far away from the other two; but after a time he realized that he was on the side of the central hill to which McTee had gone to look for the dry wood.

veered

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

From this reading Above all things in the world he wished to avoid the Scotchman now, and as soon as he became conscious of his whereabouts, he veered sharply to the right.

wail

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

From this reading To loosen the tight, aching muscles of his throat he began to sing--old Irish songs with a wail and a swing to them.

walked

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

From this reading He had scarcely walked a minute in the new direction before he met McTee.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading He had taken no certain direction, for he only wished to be alone and far away from the other two; but after a time he realized that he was on the side of the central hill to which McTee had gone to look for the dry wood.

whereabouts

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

From this reading Above all things in the world he wished to avoid the Scotchman now, and as soon as he became conscious of his whereabouts, he veered sharply to the right.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading He had taken no certain direction, for he only wished to be alone and far away from the other two; but after a time he realized that he was on the side of the central hill to which McTee had gone to look for the dry wood.

wished

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

From this reading He had taken no certain direction, for he only wished to be alone and far away from the other two; but after a time he realized that he was on the side of the central hill to which McTee had gone to look for the dry wood.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading To loosen the tight, aching muscles of his throat he began to sing--old Irish songs with a wail and a swing to them.

wood

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

From this reading He had taken no certain direction, for he only wished to be alone and far away from the other two; but after a time he realized that he was on the side of the central hill to which McTee had gone to look for the dry wood.

world

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

From this reading Above all things in the world he wished to avoid the Scotchman now, and as soon as he became conscious of his whereabouts, he veered sharply to the right.