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Original Short Stories — Volume 01
Original Short Stories — Volume 01

Chapter VIII

Cover illustration for Original Short Stories — Volume 01
Context Illustration Reading 1/38 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The old mother had resumed her spinning, casting from time to time a furtive and uneasy glance at the soldiers.
Nothing was to be heard save the humming of the wheel, the crackling of the fire, and the singing of the water in the pot.
But suddenly a strange noise--a sound like the harsh breathing of some wild animal sniffing under the door-startled the occupants of the room.
The German officer sprang toward the rifles.
Berthine stopped him with a gesture, and said, smilingly:
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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.

Original Short Stories — Volume 01

Chapter VIII

Reading 1/38 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The old mother had resumed her spinning, casting from time to time a furtive and uneasy glance at the soldiers.
Line 2
Nothing was to be heard save the humming of the wheel, the crackling of the fire, and the singing of the water in the pot.
Line 3
But suddenly a strange noise--a sound like the harsh breathing of some wild animal sniffing under the door-startled the occupants of the room.
Line 4
The German officer sprang toward the rifles.
Line 5
Berthine stopped him with a gesture, and said, smilingly:

Learner Dictionary

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

Nothing pronoun US /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading “Nothing was to be heard save the humming of the wheel, the crackling of the fire, and the singing of the water in the pot.”

Resumed noun US /ˈresumed/

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

From this reading “The old mother had resumed her spinning, casting from time to time a furtive and uneasy glance at the soldiers.”

Save preposition US /seɪv/

except for; apart from

From this reading “Nothing was to be heard save the humming of the wheel, the crackling of the fire, and the singing of the water in the pot.”

Spinning noun US /ˈspɪnɪŋ/

the act of making thread from fibers

From this reading “The old mother had resumed her spinning, casting from time to time a furtive and uneasy glance at the soldiers.”

Stopped noun US /stopped/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Berthine stopped him with a gesture, and said, smilingly:”

Suddenly noun US /ˈsuddenly/

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

From this reading “But suddenly a strange noise--a sound like the harsh breathing of some wild animal sniffing under the door-startled the occupants of the room.”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The old mother had resumed her spinning, casting from time to time a furtive and uneasy glance at the soldiers.”

Toward preposition US /təˈwɔːrd/

in the direction of

From this reading “The German officer sprang toward the rifles.”

Under preposition US /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading “But suddenly a strange noise--a sound like the harsh breathing of some wild animal sniffing under the door-startled the occupants of the room.”

All words in this reading · 60

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 The old mother had resumed her spinning, casting from time to time a furtive and uneasy glance at the soldiers.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The old mother had resumed her spinning, casting from time to time a furtive and uneasy glance at the soldiers.

animal

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

From this reading But suddenly a strange noise--a sound like the harsh breathing of some wild animal sniffing under the door-startled the occupants of the room.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading The old mother had resumed her spinning, casting from time to time a furtive and uneasy glance at the soldiers.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Nothing was to be heard save the humming of the wheel, the crackling of the fire, and the singing of the water in the pot.

Berthine

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

From this reading Berthine stopped him with a gesture, and said, smilingly:

breathing

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

From this reading But suddenly a strange noise--a sound like the harsh breathing of some wild animal sniffing under the door-startled the occupants of the room.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But suddenly a strange noise--a sound like the harsh breathing of some wild animal sniffing under the door-startled the occupants of the room.

casting

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

From this reading The old mother had resumed her spinning, casting from time to time a furtive and uneasy glance at the soldiers.

crackling

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

From this reading Nothing was to be heard save the humming of the wheel, the crackling of the fire, and the singing of the water in the pot.

door-startled

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

From this reading But suddenly a strange noise--a sound like the harsh breathing of some wild animal sniffing under the door-startled the occupants of the room.

fire

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

From this reading Nothing was to be heard save the humming of the wheel, the crackling of the fire, and the singing of the water in the pot.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The old mother had resumed her spinning, casting from time to time a furtive and uneasy glance at the soldiers.

furtive

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

From this reading The old mother had resumed her spinning, casting from time to time a furtive and uneasy glance at the soldiers.

German

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

From this reading The German officer sprang toward the rifles.

gesture

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

From this reading Berthine stopped him with a gesture, and said, smilingly:

glance

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

From this reading The old mother had resumed her spinning, casting from time to time a furtive and uneasy glance at the soldiers.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The old mother had resumed her spinning, casting from time to time a furtive and uneasy glance at the soldiers.

harsh

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

From this reading But suddenly a strange noise--a sound like the harsh breathing of some wild animal sniffing under the door-startled the occupants of the room.

heard

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

From this reading Nothing was to be heard save the humming of the wheel, the crackling of the fire, and the singing of the water in the pot.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading The old mother had resumed her spinning, casting from time to time a furtive and uneasy glance at the soldiers.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading Berthine stopped him with a gesture, and said, smilingly:

humming

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

From this reading Nothing was to be heard save the humming of the wheel, the crackling of the fire, and the singing of the water in the pot.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Nothing was to be heard save the humming of the wheel, the crackling of the fire, and the singing of the water in the pot.

like

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

From this reading But suddenly a strange noise--a sound like the harsh breathing of some wild animal sniffing under the door-startled the occupants of the room.

mother

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

From this reading The old mother had resumed her spinning, casting from time to time a furtive and uneasy glance at the soldiers.

noise

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

From this reading But suddenly a strange noise--a sound like the harsh breathing of some wild animal sniffing under the door-startled the occupants of the room.

NothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading Nothing was to be heard save the humming of the wheel, the crackling of the fire, and the singing of the water in the pot.

occupants

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

From this reading But suddenly a strange noise--a sound like the harsh breathing of some wild animal sniffing under the door-startled the occupants of the room.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Nothing was to be heard save the humming of the wheel, the crackling of the fire, and the singing of the water in the pot.

officer

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

From this reading The German officer sprang toward the rifles.

old

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

From this reading The old mother had resumed her spinning, casting from time to time a furtive and uneasy glance at the soldiers.

pot

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

From this reading Nothing was to be heard save the humming of the wheel, the crackling of the fire, and the singing of the water in the pot.

resumednounUS /ˈresumed/

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

From this reading The old mother had resumed her spinning, casting from time to time a furtive and uneasy glance at the soldiers.

rifles

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

From this reading The German officer sprang toward the rifles.

room

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

From this reading But suddenly a strange noise--a sound like the harsh breathing of some wild animal sniffing under the door-startled the occupants of the room.

said

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

From this reading Berthine stopped him with a gesture, and said, smilingly:

saveprepositionUS /seɪv/

except for; apart from

From this reading Nothing was to be heard save the humming of the wheel, the crackling of the fire, and the singing of the water in the pot.

singing

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

From this reading Nothing was to be heard save the humming of the wheel, the crackling of the fire, and the singing of the water in the pot.

smilingly

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

From this reading Berthine stopped him with a gesture, and said, smilingly:

sniffing

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

From this reading But suddenly a strange noise--a sound like the harsh breathing of some wild animal sniffing under the door-startled the occupants of the room.

soldiers

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

From this reading The old mother had resumed her spinning, casting from time to time a furtive and uneasy glance at the soldiers.

some

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

From this reading But suddenly a strange noise--a sound like the harsh breathing of some wild animal sniffing under the door-startled the occupants of the room.

sound

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

From this reading But suddenly a strange noise--a sound like the harsh breathing of some wild animal sniffing under the door-startled the occupants of the room.

spinningnounUS /ˈspɪnɪŋ/

the act of making thread from fibers

From this reading The old mother had resumed her spinning, casting from time to time a furtive and uneasy glance at the soldiers.

sprang

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

From this reading The German officer sprang toward the rifles.

stoppednounUS /stopped/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Berthine stopped him with a gesture, and said, smilingly:

strange

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

From this reading But suddenly a strange noise--a sound like the harsh breathing of some wild animal sniffing under the door-startled the occupants of the room.

suddenlynounUS /ˈsuddenly/

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

From this reading But suddenly a strange noise--a sound like the harsh breathing of some wild animal sniffing under the door-startled the occupants of the room.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The old mother had resumed her spinning, casting from time to time a furtive and uneasy glance at the soldiers.

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The old mother had resumed her spinning, casting from time to time a furtive and uneasy glance at the soldiers.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The old mother had resumed her spinning, casting from time to time a furtive and uneasy glance at the soldiers.

towardprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrd/

in the direction of

From this reading The German officer sprang toward the rifles.

underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading But suddenly a strange noise--a sound like the harsh breathing of some wild animal sniffing under the door-startled the occupants of the room.

uneasy

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

From this reading The old mother had resumed her spinning, casting from time to time a furtive and uneasy glance at the soldiers.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Nothing was to be heard save the humming of the wheel, the crackling of the fire, and the singing of the water in the pot.

water

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

From this reading Nothing was to be heard save the humming of the wheel, the crackling of the fire, and the singing of the water in the pot.

wheel

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

From this reading Nothing was to be heard save the humming of the wheel, the crackling of the fire, and the singing of the water in the pot.

wild

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

From this reading But suddenly a strange noise--a sound like the harsh breathing of some wild animal sniffing under the door-startled the occupants of the room.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Berthine stopped him with a gesture, and said, smilingly: