Chapter IV
“He began to speak as soon as he saw me. I had been very long on the road. He could not wait. Had to start without me. The up-river stations had to be relieved.
Heart of Darkness
Chapter IV
English subtitles · tap any word to listen
1 / 5
“He
began
to
speak
as
soon
as
he
saw
me.
I
had
been
very
long
on
the
road.
He
could
not
wait.
Had
to
start
without
me.
The
up-river
stations
had
to
be
relieved.
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Line 1
“He
began
to
speak
as
soon
as
he
saw
me.
Line 2
I
had
been
very
long
on
the
road.
Line 3
He
could
not
wait.
Line 4
Had
to
start
without
me.
/hæd tuː start wɪˈθaʊt miː/
Line 5
The
up-river
stations
had
to
be
relieved.
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 “I had been very long on the road.”
Began
noun
US /began/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading ““He began to speak as soon as he saw me.”
Could
modal verb
US /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading “He could not wait.”
Long
noun
US /long/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “I had been very long on the road.”
Relieved
noun
US /ˈrelieved/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading “The up-river stations had to be relieved.”
Soon
noun
US /soon/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading ““He began to speak as soon as he saw me.”
Speak
noun
US /speak/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading ““He began to speak as soon as he saw me.”
Start
noun
US /start/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “Had to start without me.”
Without
preposition
US /wɪˈθaʊt/
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading “Had to start without me.”
All words in this reading · 25
Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “He began to speak as soon as he saw me.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The up-river stations had to be relieved.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading I had been very long on the road.
begannounUS /began/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “He began to speak as soon as he saw me.
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He could not wait.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I had been very long on the road.
HepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “He began to speak as soon as he saw me.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I had been very long on the road.
longnounUS /long/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading I had been very long on the road.
mepronounUS /miː/
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “He began to speak as soon as he saw me.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He could not wait.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I had been very long on the road.
relievednounUS /ˈrelieved/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading The up-river stations had to be relieved.
road
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I had been very long on the road.
saw
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “He began to speak as soon as he saw me.
soon
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “He began to speak as soon as he saw me.
speak
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “He began to speak as soon as he saw me.
startnounUS /start/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Had to start without me.
stations
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The up-river stations had to be relieved.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I had been very long on the road.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “He began to speak as soon as he saw me.
up-river
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The up-river stations had to be relieved.
very
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I had been very long on the road.
wait
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He could not wait.
withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Had to start without me.