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Jack Tier
Jack Tier

Chapter XIV

Cover illustration for Jack Tier
Context Illustration Reading 1/51 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
She's in a scene of nature's war, The winds and waters are at strife; And both with her contending for The brittle thread of human life.
Miss Gould.
Spike was sleeping hard in his berth, quite early on the following morning, before the return of light, indeed, when he suddenly started up, rubbed his eyes, and sprang upon deck like a man alarmed.
He had heard, or fancied he had heard, a cry.
A voice once well known and listened to, seemed to call him in the very portals of his ear.
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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.

Jack Tier

Chapter XIV

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

Line 1
She's in a scene of nature's war, The winds and waters are at strife; And both with her contending for The brittle thread of human life.
Line 2
Miss Gould.
Line 3
Spike was sleeping hard in his berth, quite early on the following morning, before the return of light, indeed, when he suddenly started up, rubbed his eyes, and sprang upon deck like a man alarmed.
Line 4
He had heard, or fancied he had heard, a cry.
Line 5
A voice once well known and listened to, seemed to call him in the very portals of his ear.

Learner Dictionary

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

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “Spike was sleeping hard in his berth, quite early on the following morning, before the return of light, indeed, when he suddenly started up, rubbed his eyes, and sprang upon deck like a man alarmed.”

Berth noun US /bɜrθ/

a job or position on a ship

From this reading “Spike was sleeping hard in his berth, quite early on the following morning, before the return of light, indeed, when he suddenly started up, rubbed his eyes, and sprang upon deck like a man alarmed.”

Brittle adjective US /ˈbrɪtəl/

hard but easily broken

From this reading “She's in a scene of nature's war, The winds and waters are at strife; And both with her contending for The brittle thread of human life.”

Life noun US /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She's in a scene of nature's war, The winds and waters are at strife; And both with her contending for The brittle thread of human life.”

Morning noun US /morning/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Spike was sleeping hard in his berth, quite early on the following morning, before the return of light, indeed, when he suddenly started up, rubbed his eyes, and sprang upon deck like a man alarmed.”

Once noun US /once/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “A voice once well known and listened to, seemed to call him in the very portals of his ear.”

Quite noun US /quite/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Spike was sleeping hard in his berth, quite early on the following morning, before the return of light, indeed, when he suddenly started up, rubbed his eyes, and sprang upon deck like a man alarmed.”

Seemed noun US /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “A voice once well known and listened to, seemed to call him in the very portals of his ear.”

Suddenly noun US /ˈsuddenly/

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

From this reading “Spike was sleeping hard in his berth, quite early on the following morning, before the return of light, indeed, when he suddenly started up, rubbed his eyes, and sprang upon deck like a man alarmed.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “Spike was sleeping hard in his berth, quite early on the following morning, before the return of light, indeed, when he suddenly started up, rubbed his eyes, and sprang upon deck like a man alarmed.”

Well noun US /well/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “A voice once well known and listened to, seemed to call him in the very portals of his ear.”

All words in this reading · 70

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 She's in a scene of nature's war, The winds and waters are at strife; And both with her contending for The brittle thread of human life.

alarmed

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

From this reading Spike was sleeping hard in his berth, quite early on the following morning, before the return of light, indeed, when he suddenly started up, rubbed his eyes, and sprang upon deck like a man alarmed.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading She's in a scene of nature's war, The winds and waters are at strife; And both with her contending for The brittle thread of human life.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading She's in a scene of nature's war, The winds and waters are at strife; And both with her contending for The brittle thread of human life.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading She's in a scene of nature's war, The winds and waters are at strife; And both with her contending for The brittle thread of human life.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading Spike was sleeping hard in his berth, quite early on the following morning, before the return of light, indeed, when he suddenly started up, rubbed his eyes, and sprang upon deck like a man alarmed.

berthnounUS /bɜrθ/

a job or position on a ship

From this reading Spike was sleeping hard in his berth, quite early on the following morning, before the return of light, indeed, when he suddenly started up, rubbed his eyes, and sprang upon deck like a man alarmed.

bothdeterminerUS /boʊθ/

the two together, not just one

From this reading She's in a scene of nature's war, The winds and waters are at strife; And both with her contending for The brittle thread of human life.

brittleadjectiveUS /ˈbrɪtəl/

hard but easily broken

From this reading She's in a scene of nature's war, The winds and waters are at strife; And both with her contending for The brittle thread of human life.

call

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

From this reading A voice once well known and listened to, seemed to call him in the very portals of his ear.

contending

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

From this reading She's in a scene of nature's war, The winds and waters are at strife; And both with her contending for The brittle thread of human life.

cry

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

From this reading He had heard, or fancied he had heard, a cry.

deck

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

From this reading Spike was sleeping hard in his berth, quite early on the following morning, before the return of light, indeed, when he suddenly started up, rubbed his eyes, and sprang upon deck like a man alarmed.

ear

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

From this reading A voice once well known and listened to, seemed to call him in the very portals of his ear.

early

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

From this reading Spike was sleeping hard in his berth, quite early on the following morning, before the return of light, indeed, when he suddenly started up, rubbed his eyes, and sprang upon deck like a man alarmed.

eyes

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

From this reading Spike was sleeping hard in his berth, quite early on the following morning, before the return of light, indeed, when he suddenly started up, rubbed his eyes, and sprang upon deck like a man alarmed.

fancied

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

From this reading He had heard, or fancied he had heard, a cry.

following

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

From this reading Spike was sleeping hard in his berth, quite early on the following morning, before the return of light, indeed, when he suddenly started up, rubbed his eyes, and sprang upon deck like a man alarmed.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading She's in a scene of nature's war, The winds and waters are at strife; And both with her contending for The brittle thread of human life.

Gould

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

From this reading Miss Gould.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading He had heard, or fancied he had heard, a cry.

hard

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

From this reading Spike was sleeping hard in his berth, quite early on the following morning, before the return of light, indeed, when he suddenly started up, rubbed his eyes, and sprang upon deck like a man alarmed.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading Spike was sleeping hard in his berth, quite early on the following morning, before the return of light, indeed, when he suddenly started up, rubbed his eyes, and sprang upon deck like a man alarmed.

heard

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

From this reading He had heard, or fancied he had heard, a cry.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading She's in a scene of nature's war, The winds and waters are at strife; And both with her contending for The brittle thread of human life.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading A voice once well known and listened to, seemed to call him in the very portals of his ear.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Spike was sleeping hard in his berth, quite early on the following morning, before the return of light, indeed, when he suddenly started up, rubbed his eyes, and sprang upon deck like a man alarmed.

human

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

From this reading She's in a scene of nature's war, The winds and waters are at strife; And both with her contending for The brittle thread of human life.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading She's in a scene of nature's war, The winds and waters are at strife; And both with her contending for The brittle thread of human life.

indeed

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

From this reading Spike was sleeping hard in his berth, quite early on the following morning, before the return of light, indeed, when he suddenly started up, rubbed his eyes, and sprang upon deck like a man alarmed.

known

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

From this reading A voice once well known and listened to, seemed to call him in the very portals of his ear.

lifenounUS /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading She's in a scene of nature's war, The winds and waters are at strife; And both with her contending for The brittle thread of human life.

light

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

From this reading Spike was sleeping hard in his berth, quite early on the following morning, before the return of light, indeed, when he suddenly started up, rubbed his eyes, and sprang upon deck like a man alarmed.

like

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

From this reading Spike was sleeping hard in his berth, quite early on the following morning, before the return of light, indeed, when he suddenly started up, rubbed his eyes, and sprang upon deck like a man alarmed.

listened

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

From this reading A voice once well known and listened to, seemed to call him in the very portals of his ear.

man

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

From this reading Spike was sleeping hard in his berth, quite early on the following morning, before the return of light, indeed, when he suddenly started up, rubbed his eyes, and sprang upon deck like a man alarmed.

Miss

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

From this reading Miss Gould.

morningnounUS /morning/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Spike was sleeping hard in his berth, quite early on the following morning, before the return of light, indeed, when he suddenly started up, rubbed his eyes, and sprang upon deck like a man alarmed.

nature's

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

From this reading She's in a scene of nature's war, The winds and waters are at strife; And both with her contending for The brittle thread of human life.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading She's in a scene of nature's war, The winds and waters are at strife; And both with her contending for The brittle thread of human life.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Spike was sleeping hard in his berth, quite early on the following morning, before the return of light, indeed, when he suddenly started up, rubbed his eyes, and sprang upon deck like a man alarmed.

once

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

From this reading A voice once well known and listened to, seemed to call him in the very portals of his ear.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading He had heard, or fancied he had heard, a cry.

portals

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

From this reading A voice once well known and listened to, seemed to call him in the very portals of his ear.

quitenounUS /quite/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Spike was sleeping hard in his berth, quite early on the following morning, before the return of light, indeed, when he suddenly started up, rubbed his eyes, and sprang upon deck like a man alarmed.

return

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

From this reading Spike was sleeping hard in his berth, quite early on the following morning, before the return of light, indeed, when he suddenly started up, rubbed his eyes, and sprang upon deck like a man alarmed.

rubbed

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

From this reading Spike was sleeping hard in his berth, quite early on the following morning, before the return of light, indeed, when he suddenly started up, rubbed his eyes, and sprang upon deck like a man alarmed.

scene

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

From this reading She's in a scene of nature's war, The winds and waters are at strife; And both with her contending for The brittle thread of human life.

seemednounUS /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading A voice once well known and listened to, seemed to call him in the very portals of his ear.

She's

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

From this reading She's in a scene of nature's war, The winds and waters are at strife; And both with her contending for The brittle thread of human life.

sleeping

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

From this reading Spike was sleeping hard in his berth, quite early on the following morning, before the return of light, indeed, when he suddenly started up, rubbed his eyes, and sprang upon deck like a man alarmed.

Spike

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

From this reading Spike was sleeping hard in his berth, quite early on the following morning, before the return of light, indeed, when he suddenly started up, rubbed his eyes, and sprang upon deck like a man alarmed.

sprang

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

From this reading Spike was sleeping hard in his berth, quite early on the following morning, before the return of light, indeed, when he suddenly started up, rubbed his eyes, and sprang upon deck like a man alarmed.

started

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

From this reading Spike was sleeping hard in his berth, quite early on the following morning, before the return of light, indeed, when he suddenly started up, rubbed his eyes, and sprang upon deck like a man alarmed.

strife

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

From this reading She's in a scene of nature's war, The winds and waters are at strife; And both with her contending for The brittle thread of human life.

suddenlynounUS /ˈsuddenly/

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

From this reading Spike was sleeping hard in his berth, quite early on the following morning, before the return of light, indeed, when he suddenly started up, rubbed his eyes, and sprang upon deck like a man alarmed.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading She's in a scene of nature's war, The winds and waters are at strife; And both with her contending for The brittle thread of human life.

thread

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

From this reading She's in a scene of nature's war, The winds and waters are at strife; And both with her contending for The brittle thread of human life.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading A voice once well known and listened to, seemed to call him in the very portals of his ear.

up

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

From this reading Spike was sleeping hard in his berth, quite early on the following morning, before the return of light, indeed, when he suddenly started up, rubbed his eyes, and sprang upon deck like a man alarmed.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading Spike was sleeping hard in his berth, quite early on the following morning, before the return of light, indeed, when he suddenly started up, rubbed his eyes, and sprang upon deck like a man alarmed.

very

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

From this reading A voice once well known and listened to, seemed to call him in the very portals of his ear.

voice

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

From this reading A voice once well known and listened to, seemed to call him in the very portals of his ear.

war

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

From this reading She's in a scene of nature's war, The winds and waters are at strife; And both with her contending for The brittle thread of human life.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Spike was sleeping hard in his berth, quite early on the following morning, before the return of light, indeed, when he suddenly started up, rubbed his eyes, and sprang upon deck like a man alarmed.

waters

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

From this reading She's in a scene of nature's war, The winds and waters are at strife; And both with her contending for The brittle thread of human life.

well

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

From this reading A voice once well known and listened to, seemed to call him in the very portals of his ear.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading Spike was sleeping hard in his berth, quite early on the following morning, before the return of light, indeed, when he suddenly started up, rubbed his eyes, and sprang upon deck like a man alarmed.

winds

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

From this reading She's in a scene of nature's war, The winds and waters are at strife; And both with her contending for The brittle thread of human life.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading She's in a scene of nature's war, The winds and waters are at strife; And both with her contending for The brittle thread of human life.