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Star Born
Star Born

Chapter VIII

Cover illustration for Star Born
Context Illustration Reading 1/83 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Remembering far-off legends of earlier and more savage civilizations on his own world, Raf was now sure that the lone man below was about to fight for his life.
The question was, against what?
Another of the mouthlike openings around the edge of the arena opened, and one of the furry people shambled out, weaving weakly from side to side as he came, a spear in his scaled paws.
He halted a step or two into the open, his round head swinging from side to side, spittle drooling from his gaping mouth.
His body was covered with raw sores and bare patches from which the fur had been torn away, and it was apparent that he had long been the victim of ill-usage, if not torture.
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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.

Star Born

Chapter VIII

Reading 1/83 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Remembering far-off legends of earlier and more savage civilizations on his own world, Raf was now sure that the lone man below was about to fight for his life.
Line 2
The question was, against what?
/ðə ˈquestion wɑːz əˈɡenst wʌt/
Line 3
Another of the mouthlike openings around the edge of the arena opened, and one of the furry people shambled out, weaving weakly from side to side as he came, a spear in his scaled paws.
Line 4
He halted a step or two into the open, his round head swinging from side to side, spittle drooling from his gaping mouth.
Line 5
His body was covered with raw sores and bare patches from which the fur had been torn away, and it was apparent that he had long been the victim of ill-usage, if not torture.

Learner Dictionary

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

About preposition US /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading “Remembering far-off legends of earlier and more savage civilizations on his own world, Raf was now sure that the lone man below was about to fight for his life.”

Against preposition US /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading “The question was, against what?”

Another noun US /ˈanother/

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

From this reading “Another of the mouthlike openings around the edge of the arena opened, and one of the furry people shambled out, weaving weakly from side to side as he came, a spear in his scaled paws.”

Around preposition US /ərˈaʊnd/

surrounding, or on every side of, something

From this reading “Another of the mouthlike openings around the edge of the arena opened, and one of the furry people shambled out, weaving weakly from side to side as he came, a spear in his scaled paws.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “His body was covered with raw sores and bare patches from which the fur had been torn away, and it was apparent that he had long been the victim of ill-usage, if not torture.”

Below preposition US /bɪˈloʊ/

at or to a lower level than something

From this reading “Remembering far-off legends of earlier and more savage civilizations on his own world, Raf was now sure that the lone man below was about to fight for his life.”

Body noun US /body/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “His body was covered with raw sores and bare patches from which the fur had been torn away, and it was apparent that he had long been the victim of ill-usage, if not torture.”

Gaping adjective US /ˈɡeɪpɪŋ/

wide open

From this reading “He halted a step or two into the open, his round head swinging from side to side, spittle drooling from his gaping mouth.”

Life noun US /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Remembering far-off legends of earlier and more savage civilizations on his own world, Raf was now sure that the lone man below was about to fight for his life.”

Long noun US /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “His body was covered with raw sores and bare patches from which the fur had been torn away, and it was apparent that he had long been the victim of ill-usage, if not torture.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “Another of the mouthlike openings around the edge of the arena opened, and one of the furry people shambled out, weaving weakly from side to side as he came, a spear in his scaled paws.”

Open verb US /ˈoʊ.pən/

To move from a closed position.

From this reading “He halted a step or two into the open, his round head swinging from side to side, spittle drooling from his gaping mouth.”

Question noun US /ˈquestion/

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

From this reading “The question was, against what?”

Step noun US /step/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He halted a step or two into the open, his round head swinging from side to side, spittle drooling from his gaping mouth.”

Sure noun US /sure/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Remembering far-off legends of earlier and more savage civilizations on his own world, Raf was now sure that the lone man below was about to fight for his life.”

All words in this reading · 88

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 Another of the mouthlike openings around the edge of the arena opened, and one of the furry people shambled out, weaving weakly from side to side as he came, a spear in his scaled paws.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading Remembering far-off legends of earlier and more savage civilizations on his own world, Raf was now sure that the lone man below was about to fight for his life.

againstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading The question was, against what?

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Remembering far-off legends of earlier and more savage civilizations on his own world, Raf was now sure that the lone man below was about to fight for his life.

AnothernounUS /ˈanother/

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

From this reading Another of the mouthlike openings around the edge of the arena opened, and one of the furry people shambled out, weaving weakly from side to side as he came, a spear in his scaled paws.

apparent

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

From this reading His body was covered with raw sores and bare patches from which the fur had been torn away, and it was apparent that he had long been the victim of ill-usage, if not torture.

arena

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

From this reading Another of the mouthlike openings around the edge of the arena opened, and one of the furry people shambled out, weaving weakly from side to side as he came, a spear in his scaled paws.

aroundprepositionUS /ərˈaʊnd/

surrounding, or on every side of, something

From this reading Another of the mouthlike openings around the edge of the arena opened, and one of the furry people shambled out, weaving weakly from side to side as he came, a spear in his scaled paws.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Another of the mouthlike openings around the edge of the arena opened, and one of the furry people shambled out, weaving weakly from side to side as he came, a spear in his scaled paws.

away

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

From this reading His body was covered with raw sores and bare patches from which the fur had been torn away, and it was apparent that he had long been the victim of ill-usage, if not torture.

bare

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

From this reading His body was covered with raw sores and bare patches from which the fur had been torn away, and it was apparent that he had long been the victim of ill-usage, if not torture.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading His body was covered with raw sores and bare patches from which the fur had been torn away, and it was apparent that he had long been the victim of ill-usage, if not torture.

belowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/

at or to a lower level than something

From this reading Remembering far-off legends of earlier and more savage civilizations on his own world, Raf was now sure that the lone man below was about to fight for his life.

bodynounUS /body/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading His body was covered with raw sores and bare patches from which the fur had been torn away, and it was apparent that he had long been the victim of ill-usage, if not torture.

came

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

From this reading Another of the mouthlike openings around the edge of the arena opened, and one of the furry people shambled out, weaving weakly from side to side as he came, a spear in his scaled paws.

civilizations

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

From this reading Remembering far-off legends of earlier and more savage civilizations on his own world, Raf was now sure that the lone man below was about to fight for his life.

covered

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

From this reading His body was covered with raw sores and bare patches from which the fur had been torn away, and it was apparent that he had long been the victim of ill-usage, if not torture.

drooling

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

From this reading He halted a step or two into the open, his round head swinging from side to side, spittle drooling from his gaping mouth.

earlier

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

From this reading Remembering far-off legends of earlier and more savage civilizations on his own world, Raf was now sure that the lone man below was about to fight for his life.

edge

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

From this reading Another of the mouthlike openings around the edge of the arena opened, and one of the furry people shambled out, weaving weakly from side to side as he came, a spear in his scaled paws.

far-off

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

From this reading Remembering far-off legends of earlier and more savage civilizations on his own world, Raf was now sure that the lone man below was about to fight for his life.

fight

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

From this reading Remembering far-off legends of earlier and more savage civilizations on his own world, Raf was now sure that the lone man below was about to fight for his life.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Remembering far-off legends of earlier and more savage civilizations on his own world, Raf was now sure that the lone man below was about to fight for his life.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Another of the mouthlike openings around the edge of the arena opened, and one of the furry people shambled out, weaving weakly from side to side as he came, a spear in his scaled paws.

fur

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

From this reading His body was covered with raw sores and bare patches from which the fur had been torn away, and it was apparent that he had long been the victim of ill-usage, if not torture.

furry

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

From this reading Another of the mouthlike openings around the edge of the arena opened, and one of the furry people shambled out, weaving weakly from side to side as he came, a spear in his scaled paws.

gapingadjectiveUS /ˈɡeɪpɪŋ/

wide open

From this reading He halted a step or two into the open, his round head swinging from side to side, spittle drooling from his gaping mouth.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading His body was covered with raw sores and bare patches from which the fur had been torn away, and it was apparent that he had long been the victim of ill-usage, if not torture.

halted

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

From this reading He halted a step or two into the open, his round head swinging from side to side, spittle drooling from his gaping mouth.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading Another of the mouthlike openings around the edge of the arena opened, and one of the furry people shambled out, weaving weakly from side to side as he came, a spear in his scaled paws.

head

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

From this reading He halted a step or two into the open, his round head swinging from side to side, spittle drooling from his gaping mouth.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Remembering far-off legends of earlier and more savage civilizations on his own world, Raf was now sure that the lone man below was about to fight for his life.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading His body was covered with raw sores and bare patches from which the fur had been torn away, and it was apparent that he had long been the victim of ill-usage, if not torture.

ill-usage

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

From this reading His body was covered with raw sores and bare patches from which the fur had been torn away, and it was apparent that he had long been the victim of ill-usage, if not torture.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Another of the mouthlike openings around the edge of the arena opened, and one of the furry people shambled out, weaving weakly from side to side as he came, a spear in his scaled paws.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading He halted a step or two into the open, his round head swinging from side to side, spittle drooling from his gaping mouth.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading His body was covered with raw sores and bare patches from which the fur had been torn away, and it was apparent that he had long been the victim of ill-usage, if not torture.

legends

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

From this reading Remembering far-off legends of earlier and more savage civilizations on his own world, Raf was now sure that the lone man below was about to fight for his life.

lifenounUS /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Remembering far-off legends of earlier and more savage civilizations on his own world, Raf was now sure that the lone man below was about to fight for his life.

lone

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

From this reading Remembering far-off legends of earlier and more savage civilizations on his own world, Raf was now sure that the lone man below was about to fight for his life.

longnounUS /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading His body was covered with raw sores and bare patches from which the fur had been torn away, and it was apparent that he had long been the victim of ill-usage, if not torture.

man

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

From this reading Remembering far-off legends of earlier and more savage civilizations on his own world, Raf was now sure that the lone man below was about to fight for his life.

more

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

From this reading Remembering far-off legends of earlier and more savage civilizations on his own world, Raf was now sure that the lone man below was about to fight for his life.

mouth

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

From this reading He halted a step or two into the open, his round head swinging from side to side, spittle drooling from his gaping mouth.

mouthlike

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

From this reading Another of the mouthlike openings around the edge of the arena opened, and one of the furry people shambled out, weaving weakly from side to side as he came, a spear in his scaled paws.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading His body was covered with raw sores and bare patches from which the fur had been torn away, and it was apparent that he had long been the victim of ill-usage, if not torture.

now

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

From this reading Remembering far-off legends of earlier and more savage civilizations on his own world, Raf was now sure that the lone man below was about to fight for his life.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Remembering far-off legends of earlier and more savage civilizations on his own world, Raf was now sure that the lone man below was about to fight for his life.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Remembering far-off legends of earlier and more savage civilizations on his own world, Raf was now sure that the lone man below was about to fight for his life.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Another of the mouthlike openings around the edge of the arena opened, and one of the furry people shambled out, weaving weakly from side to side as he came, a spear in his scaled paws.

openverbUS /ˈoʊ.pən/

To move from a closed position.

From this reading He halted a step or two into the open, his round head swinging from side to side, spittle drooling from his gaping mouth.

opened

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

From this reading Another of the mouthlike openings around the edge of the arena opened, and one of the furry people shambled out, weaving weakly from side to side as he came, a spear in his scaled paws.

openings

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

From this reading Another of the mouthlike openings around the edge of the arena opened, and one of the furry people shambled out, weaving weakly from side to side as he came, a spear in his scaled paws.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading He halted a step or two into the open, his round head swinging from side to side, spittle drooling from his gaping mouth.

out

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

From this reading Another of the mouthlike openings around the edge of the arena opened, and one of the furry people shambled out, weaving weakly from side to side as he came, a spear in his scaled paws.

own

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

From this reading Remembering far-off legends of earlier and more savage civilizations on his own world, Raf was now sure that the lone man below was about to fight for his life.

patches

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

From this reading His body was covered with raw sores and bare patches from which the fur had been torn away, and it was apparent that he had long been the victim of ill-usage, if not torture.

paws

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

From this reading Another of the mouthlike openings around the edge of the arena opened, and one of the furry people shambled out, weaving weakly from side to side as he came, a spear in his scaled paws.

people

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

From this reading Another of the mouthlike openings around the edge of the arena opened, and one of the furry people shambled out, weaving weakly from side to side as he came, a spear in his scaled paws.

questionnounUS /ˈquestion/

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

From this reading The question was, against what?

Raf

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

From this reading Remembering far-off legends of earlier and more savage civilizations on his own world, Raf was now sure that the lone man below was about to fight for his life.

raw

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

From this reading His body was covered with raw sores and bare patches from which the fur had been torn away, and it was apparent that he had long been the victim of ill-usage, if not torture.

Remembering

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

From this reading Remembering far-off legends of earlier and more savage civilizations on his own world, Raf was now sure that the lone man below was about to fight for his life.

round

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

From this reading He halted a step or two into the open, his round head swinging from side to side, spittle drooling from his gaping mouth.

savage

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

From this reading Remembering far-off legends of earlier and more savage civilizations on his own world, Raf was now sure that the lone man below was about to fight for his life.

scaled

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

From this reading Another of the mouthlike openings around the edge of the arena opened, and one of the furry people shambled out, weaving weakly from side to side as he came, a spear in his scaled paws.

shambled

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

From this reading Another of the mouthlike openings around the edge of the arena opened, and one of the furry people shambled out, weaving weakly from side to side as he came, a spear in his scaled paws.

side

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

From this reading Another of the mouthlike openings around the edge of the arena opened, and one of the furry people shambled out, weaving weakly from side to side as he came, a spear in his scaled paws.

sores

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

From this reading His body was covered with raw sores and bare patches from which the fur had been torn away, and it was apparent that he had long been the victim of ill-usage, if not torture.

spear

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

From this reading Another of the mouthlike openings around the edge of the arena opened, and one of the furry people shambled out, weaving weakly from side to side as he came, a spear in his scaled paws.

spittle

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

From this reading He halted a step or two into the open, his round head swinging from side to side, spittle drooling from his gaping mouth.

stepnounUS /step/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He halted a step or two into the open, his round head swinging from side to side, spittle drooling from his gaping mouth.

surenounUS /sure/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Remembering far-off legends of earlier and more savage civilizations on his own world, Raf was now sure that the lone man below was about to fight for his life.

swinging

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

From this reading He halted a step or two into the open, his round head swinging from side to side, spittle drooling from his gaping mouth.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Remembering far-off legends of earlier and more savage civilizations on his own world, Raf was now sure that the lone man below was about to fight for his life.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Remembering far-off legends of earlier and more savage civilizations on his own world, Raf was now sure that the lone man below was about to fight for his life.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Remembering far-off legends of earlier and more savage civilizations on his own world, Raf was now sure that the lone man below was about to fight for his life.

torn

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

From this reading His body was covered with raw sores and bare patches from which the fur had been torn away, and it was apparent that he had long been the victim of ill-usage, if not torture.

torture

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

From this reading His body was covered with raw sores and bare patches from which the fur had been torn away, and it was apparent that he had long been the victim of ill-usage, if not torture.

two

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

From this reading He halted a step or two into the open, his round head swinging from side to side, spittle drooling from his gaping mouth.

victim

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

From this reading His body was covered with raw sores and bare patches from which the fur had been torn away, and it was apparent that he had long been the victim of ill-usage, if not torture.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Remembering far-off legends of earlier and more savage civilizations on his own world, Raf was now sure that the lone man below was about to fight for his life.

weakly

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

From this reading Another of the mouthlike openings around the edge of the arena opened, and one of the furry people shambled out, weaving weakly from side to side as he came, a spear in his scaled paws.

weaving

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

From this reading Another of the mouthlike openings around the edge of the arena opened, and one of the furry people shambled out, weaving weakly from side to side as he came, a spear in his scaled paws.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading The question was, against what?

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading His body was covered with raw sores and bare patches from which the fur had been torn away, and it was apparent that he had long been the victim of ill-usage, if not torture.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading His body was covered with raw sores and bare patches from which the fur had been torn away, and it was apparent that he had long been the victim of ill-usage, if not torture.

world

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

From this reading Remembering far-off legends of earlier and more savage civilizations on his own world, Raf was now sure that the lone man below was about to fight for his life.