Chapter V
"Why the devil shouldn’t they be?" he said harshly. "They never met a better woman!" "Jacob, dear, don’t speak that way." "Well, then—don’t be so eternally surprised if people are nice to you, mother. They’d better be!"
Japonette
Chapter V
English subtitles · tap any word to listen
1 / 5
"Why
the
devil
shouldn’t
they
be?"
he
said
harshly.
"They
never
met
a
better
woman!"
"Jacob,
dear,
don’t
speak
that
way."
"Well,
then—don’t
be
so
eternally
surprised
if
people
are
nice
to
you,
mother.
They’d
better
be!"
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Line 1
"Why
the
devil
shouldn’t
they
be?"
he
said
harshly.
Line 2
"They
never
met
a
better
woman!"
Line 3
"Jacob,
dear,
don’t
speak
that
way."
Line 4
"Well,
then—don’t
be
so
eternally
surprised
if
people
are
nice
to
you,
mother.
Line 5
They’d
better
be!"
Learner Dictionary
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.
Never
noun
US /never/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “"They never met a better woman!"”
Speak
noun
US /speak/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “"Jacob, dear, don’t speak that way."”
Surprised
noun
US /surprised/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “"Well, then—don’t be so eternally surprised if people are nice to you, mother.”
Well
noun
US /well/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “"Well, then—don’t be so eternally surprised if people are nice to you, mother.”
All words in this reading · 33
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 "They never met a better woman!"
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Well, then—don’t be so eternally surprised if people are nice to you, mother.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Why the devil shouldn’t they be?" he said harshly.
better
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "They never met a better woman!"
dear
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Jacob, dear, don’t speak that way."
devil
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why the devil shouldn’t they be?" he said harshly.
don't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Jacob, dear, don’t speak that way."
eternally
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, then—don’t be so eternally surprised if people are nice to you, mother.
harshly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why the devil shouldn’t they be?" he said harshly.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Why the devil shouldn’t they be?" he said harshly.
ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Well, then—don’t be so eternally surprised if people are nice to you, mother.
Jacob
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Jacob, dear, don’t speak that way."
met
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "They never met a better woman!"
mother
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, then—don’t be so eternally surprised if people are nice to you, mother.
nevernounUS /never/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading "They never met a better woman!"
nice
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, then—don’t be so eternally surprised if people are nice to you, mother.
people
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, then—don’t be so eternally surprised if people are nice to you, mother.
said
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why the devil shouldn’t they be?" he said harshly.
shouldn't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why the devil shouldn’t they be?" he said harshly.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Well, then—don’t be so eternally surprised if people are nice to you, mother.
speak
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Jacob, dear, don’t speak that way."
surprisednounUS /surprised/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading "Well, then—don’t be so eternally surprised if people are nice to you, mother.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Jacob, dear, don’t speak that way."
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Why the devil shouldn’t they be?" he said harshly.
then
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, then—don’t be so eternally surprised if people are nice to you, mother.
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Why the devil shouldn’t they be?" he said harshly.
They'd
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They’d better be!"
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Well, then—don’t be so eternally surprised if people are nice to you, mother.
way
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Jacob, dear, don’t speak that way."
Well
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, then—don’t be so eternally surprised if people are nice to you, mother.
Why
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why the devil shouldn’t they be?" he said harshly.
woman
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "They never met a better woman!"
youpronounUS /juː/
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Well, then—don’t be so eternally surprised if people are nice to you, mother.