Chapter III
"Siege batteries, General--on the march." His mutilated mouth relaxed into a grin. "They seem to be allfired sure of us. What are they saying down below?" "They talk of being in Washington by the fifteenth, sir."
Special Messenger
Chapter III
English subtitles · tap any word to listen
1 / 5
"Siege
batteries,
General--on
the
march."
His
mutilated
mouth
relaxed
into
a
grin.
"They
seem
to
be
allfired
sure
of
us.
What
are
they
saying
down
below?"
"They
talk
of
being
in
Washington
by
the
fifteenth,
sir."
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Line 1
"Siege
batteries,
General--on
the
march."
Line 2
His
mutilated
mouth
relaxed
into
a
grin.
Line 3
"They
seem
to
be
allfired
sure
of
us.
Line 4
What
are
they
saying
down
below?"
Line 5
"They
talk
of
being
in
Washington
by
the
fifteenth,
sir."
Learner Dictionary
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.
Being
auxiliary verb
US /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading “"They talk of being in Washington by the fifteenth, sir."”
Below
preposition
US /bɪˈloʊ/
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading “What are they saying down below?"”
Mutilated
adjective
US /ˈmjuːtəleɪtɪd/
badly damaged or missing part of the body
From this reading “His mutilated mouth relaxed into a grin.”
Sure
noun
US /sure/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “"They seem to be allfired sure of us.”
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 His mutilated mouth relaxed into a grin.
allfired
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "They seem to be allfired sure of us.
areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading What are they saying down below?"
batteries
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Siege batteries, General--on the march."
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "They seem to be allfired sure of us.
beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading "They talk of being in Washington by the fifteenth, sir."
belowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading What are they saying down below?"
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "They talk of being in Washington by the fifteenth, sir."
down
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What are they saying down below?"
fifteenth
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "They talk of being in Washington by the fifteenth, sir."
General
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Siege batteries, General--on the march."
grin
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His mutilated mouth relaxed into a grin.
HisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His mutilated mouth relaxed into a grin.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "They talk of being in Washington by the fifteenth, sir."
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/
moving to the inside of something
From this reading His mutilated mouth relaxed into a grin.
march
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Siege batteries, General--on the march."
mouth
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His mutilated mouth relaxed into a grin.
mutilatedadjectiveUS /ˈmjuːtəleɪtɪd/
badly damaged or missing part of the body
From this reading His mutilated mouth relaxed into a grin.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "They seem to be allfired sure of us.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Siege batteries, General--on the march."
relaxed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His mutilated mouth relaxed into a grin.
saying
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What are they saying down below?"
seem
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "They seem to be allfired sure of us.
Siege
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Siege batteries, General--on the march."
sir
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "They talk of being in Washington by the fifteenth, sir."
surenounUS /sure/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading "They seem to be allfired sure of us.
talk
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "They talk of being in Washington by the fifteenth, sir."
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Siege batteries, General--on the march."
TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "They seem to be allfired sure of us.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "They seem to be allfired sure of us.
uspronounUS /ʌs/
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "They seem to be allfired sure of us.
Washington
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "They talk of being in Washington by the fifteenth, sir."
WhatpronounUS /wʌt/
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What are they saying down below?"