Chapter XVII
Suddenly, explosively, she found her tongue: "How's ma?" Thursby jerked a thumb in the direction of the bedrooms. "She died an hour ago," he said slowly, "just after Ed went to find you. Edna's in there." Joan made a gesture of horror.
Joan Thursday: A Novel
Chapter XVII
English subtitles · tap any word to listen
1 / 5
Suddenly,
explosively,
she
found
her
tongue:
"How's
ma?"
Thursby
jerked
a
thumb
in
the
direction
of
the
bedrooms.
"She
died
an
hour
ago,"
he
said
slowly,
"just
after
Ed
went
to
find
you.
Edna's
in
there."
Joan
made
a
gesture
of
horror.
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Line 1
Suddenly,
explosively,
she
found
her
tongue:
"How's
ma?"
Line 2
Thursby
jerked
a
thumb
in
the
direction
of
the
bedrooms.
Line 3
"She
died
an
hour
ago,"
he
said
slowly,
"just
after
Ed
went
to
find
you.
Line 4
Edna's
in
there."
Line 5
Joan
made
a
gesture
of
horror.
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 “"She died an hour ago," he said slowly, "just after Ed went to find you.”
Found
noun
US /found/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “Suddenly, explosively, she found her tongue: "How's ma?"”
Suddenly
noun
US /ˈsuddenly/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading “Suddenly, explosively, she found her tongue: "How's ma?"”
Tongue
noun
US /tongue/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “Suddenly, explosively, she found her tongue: "How's ma?"”
Went
noun
US /went/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “"She died an hour ago," he said slowly, "just after Ed went to find you.”
All words in this reading · 37
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 Thursby jerked a thumb in the direction of the bedrooms.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading "She died an hour ago," he said slowly, "just after Ed went to find you.
ago
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "She died an hour ago," he said slowly, "just after Ed went to find you.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "She died an hour ago," he said slowly, "just after Ed went to find you.
bedrooms
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thursby jerked a thumb in the direction of the bedrooms.
died
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "She died an hour ago," he said slowly, "just after Ed went to find you.
direction
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thursby jerked a thumb in the direction of the bedrooms.
Ed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "She died an hour ago," he said slowly, "just after Ed went to find you.
Edna's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Edna's in there."
explosively
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Suddenly, explosively, she found her tongue: "How's ma?"
find
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "She died an hour ago," he said slowly, "just after Ed went to find you.
foundnounUS /found/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Suddenly, explosively, she found her tongue: "How's ma?"
gesture
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Joan made a gesture of horror.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "She died an hour ago," he said slowly, "just after Ed went to find you.
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Suddenly, explosively, she found her tongue: "How's ma?"
horror
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Joan made a gesture of horror.
hour
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "She died an hour ago," he said slowly, "just after Ed went to find you.
How's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Suddenly, explosively, she found her tongue: "How's ma?"
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Thursby jerked a thumb in the direction of the bedrooms.
jerked
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thursby jerked a thumb in the direction of the bedrooms.
Joan
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Joan made a gesture of horror.
just
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "She died an hour ago," he said slowly, "just after Ed went to find you.
ma
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Suddenly, explosively, she found her tongue: "How's ma?"
made
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Joan made a gesture of horror.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Thursby jerked a thumb in the direction of the bedrooms.
said
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "She died an hour ago," he said slowly, "just after Ed went to find you.
shepronounUS /ʃiː/
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Suddenly, explosively, she found her tongue: "How's ma?"
slowly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "She died an hour ago," he said slowly, "just after Ed went to find you.
SuddenlynounUS /ˈsuddenly/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading Suddenly, explosively, she found her tongue: "How's ma?"
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Thursby jerked a thumb in the direction of the bedrooms.
there
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Edna's in there."
thumb
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thursby jerked a thumb in the direction of the bedrooms.
Thursby
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thursby jerked a thumb in the direction of the bedrooms.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "She died an hour ago," he said slowly, "just after Ed went to find you.
tonguenounUS /tongue/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Suddenly, explosively, she found her tongue: "How's ma?"
wentnounUS /went/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading "She died an hour ago," he said slowly, "just after Ed went to find you.
youpronounUS /juː/
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "She died an hour ago," he said slowly, "just after Ed went to find you.