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No Defense, Complete
No Defense, Complete

Chapter II · The Coming of a Messenger

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Context Illustration Reading 1/29 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
When Dyck entered the library of Playmore, the first words he heard were these:
"Howe has downed the French at Brest.
He's smashed the French fleet and dealt a sharp blow to the revolution.
Hurrah!"
The words were used by Miles Calhoun, Dyck's father, as a greeting to him on his return from the day's sport.
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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.

No Defense, Complete

Chapter II · The Coming of a Messenger

Reading 1/29 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
When Dyck entered the library of Playmore, the first words he heard were these:
Line 2
"Howe has downed the French at Brest.
Line 3
He's smashed the French fleet and dealt a sharp blow to the revolution.
Line 4
Hurrah!"
Line 5
The words were used by Miles Calhoun, Dyck's father, as a greeting to him on his return from the day's sport.

Learner Dictionary

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

First noun US /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “When Dyck entered the library of Playmore, the first words he heard were these:”

Has auxiliary verb US /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading “"Howe has downed the French at Brest.”

These determiner US /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading “When Dyck entered the library of Playmore, the first words he heard were these:”

All words in this reading · 45

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 He's smashed the French fleet and dealt a sharp blow to the revolution.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading He's smashed the French fleet and dealt a sharp blow to the revolution.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading The words were used by Miles Calhoun, Dyck's father, as a greeting to him on his return from the day's sport.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading "Howe has downed the French at Brest.

blow

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

From this reading He's smashed the French fleet and dealt a sharp blow to the revolution.

Brest

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

From this reading "Howe has downed the French at Brest.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading The words were used by Miles Calhoun, Dyck's father, as a greeting to him on his return from the day's sport.

Calhoun

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

From this reading The words were used by Miles Calhoun, Dyck's father, as a greeting to him on his return from the day's sport.

day's

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

From this reading The words were used by Miles Calhoun, Dyck's father, as a greeting to him on his return from the day's sport.

dealt

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

From this reading He's smashed the French fleet and dealt a sharp blow to the revolution.

downed

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

From this reading "Howe has downed the French at Brest.

Dyck

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

From this reading When Dyck entered the library of Playmore, the first words he heard were these:

Dyck's

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

From this reading The words were used by Miles Calhoun, Dyck's father, as a greeting to him on his return from the day's sport.

entered

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

From this reading When Dyck entered the library of Playmore, the first words he heard were these:

father

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

From this reading The words were used by Miles Calhoun, Dyck's father, as a greeting to him on his return from the day's sport.

firstnounUS /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading When Dyck entered the library of Playmore, the first words he heard were these:

fleet

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

From this reading He's smashed the French fleet and dealt a sharp blow to the revolution.

French

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

From this reading "Howe has downed the French at Brest.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The words were used by Miles Calhoun, Dyck's father, as a greeting to him on his return from the day's sport.

greeting

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

From this reading The words were used by Miles Calhoun, Dyck's father, as a greeting to him on his return from the day's sport.

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "Howe has downed the French at Brest.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading When Dyck entered the library of Playmore, the first words he heard were these:

He's

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

From this reading He's smashed the French fleet and dealt a sharp blow to the revolution.

heard

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

From this reading When Dyck entered the library of Playmore, the first words he heard were these:

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading The words were used by Miles Calhoun, Dyck's father, as a greeting to him on his return from the day's sport.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading The words were used by Miles Calhoun, Dyck's father, as a greeting to him on his return from the day's sport.

Howe

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

From this reading "Howe has downed the French at Brest.

Hurrah

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

From this reading Hurrah!"

library

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

From this reading When Dyck entered the library of Playmore, the first words he heard were these:

Miles

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

From this reading The words were used by Miles Calhoun, Dyck's father, as a greeting to him on his return from the day's sport.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading When Dyck entered the library of Playmore, the first words he heard were these:

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The words were used by Miles Calhoun, Dyck's father, as a greeting to him on his return from the day's sport.

Playmore

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

From this reading When Dyck entered the library of Playmore, the first words he heard were these:

return

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

From this reading The words were used by Miles Calhoun, Dyck's father, as a greeting to him on his return from the day's sport.

revolution

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

From this reading He's smashed the French fleet and dealt a sharp blow to the revolution.

sharp

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

From this reading He's smashed the French fleet and dealt a sharp blow to the revolution.

smashed

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

From this reading He's smashed the French fleet and dealt a sharp blow to the revolution.

sport

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

From this reading The words were used by Miles Calhoun, Dyck's father, as a greeting to him on his return from the day's sport.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading When Dyck entered the library of Playmore, the first words he heard were these:

thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading When Dyck entered the library of Playmore, the first words he heard were these:

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading He's smashed the French fleet and dealt a sharp blow to the revolution.

used

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

From this reading The words were used by Miles Calhoun, Dyck's father, as a greeting to him on his return from the day's sport.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading When Dyck entered the library of Playmore, the first words he heard were these:

WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading When Dyck entered the library of Playmore, the first words he heard were these:

words

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

From this reading When Dyck entered the library of Playmore, the first words he heard were these: