Chapter VI
“Fighting?” He was incredulous. “I saw Arthur--I don’t know how long ago; it may have been an hour or two. I don’t know how long I’ve been sleeping.” It was daylight now; the clock over the mantelpiece showed it to be a quarter past five.
The Black Abbot
Chapter VI
English subtitles · tap any word to listen
1 / 5
“Fighting?”
He
was
incredulous.
“I
saw
Arthur--I
don’t
know
how
long
ago;
it
may
have
been
an
hour
or
two.
I
don’t
know
how
long
I’ve
been
sleeping.”
It
was
daylight
now;
the
clock
over
the
mantelpiece
showed
it
to
be
a
quarter
past
five.
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Line 1
“Fighting?”
Line 2
He
was
incredulous.
Line 3
“I
saw
Arthur--I
don’t
know
how
long
ago;
it
may
have
been
an
hour
or
two.
Line 4
I
don’t
know
how
long
I’ve
been
sleeping.”
Line 5
It
was
daylight
now;
the
clock
over
the
mantelpiece
showed
it
to
be
a
quarter
past
five.
Learner Dictionary
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.
Been
auxiliary verb
US /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading ““I saw Arthur--I don’t know how long ago; it may have been an hour or two.”
Have
auxiliary verb
US /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading ““I saw Arthur--I don’t know how long ago; it may have been an hour or two.”
Know
noun
US /know/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading ““I saw Arthur--I don’t know how long ago; it may have been an hour or two.”
Long
noun
US /long/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading ““I saw Arthur--I don’t know how long ago; it may have been an hour or two.”
May
modal verb
US /meɪ/
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading ““I saw Arthur--I don’t know how long ago; it may have been an hour or two.”
Over
preposition
US /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading “It was daylight now; the clock over the mantelpiece showed it to be a quarter past five.”
All words in this reading · 35
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 It was daylight now; the clock over the mantelpiece showed it to be a quarter past five.
ago
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I saw Arthur--I don’t know how long ago; it may have been an hour or two.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “I saw Arthur--I don’t know how long ago; it may have been an hour or two.
Arthur
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I saw Arthur--I don’t know how long ago; it may have been an hour or two.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It was daylight now; the clock over the mantelpiece showed it to be a quarter past five.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “I saw Arthur--I don’t know how long ago; it may have been an hour or two.
clock
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was daylight now; the clock over the mantelpiece showed it to be a quarter past five.
daylight
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was daylight now; the clock over the mantelpiece showed it to be a quarter past five.
don't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I saw Arthur--I don’t know how long ago; it may have been an hour or two.
Fighting
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Fighting?”
five
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was daylight now; the clock over the mantelpiece showed it to be a quarter past five.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “I saw Arthur--I don’t know how long ago; it may have been an hour or two.
HepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was incredulous.
hour
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I saw Arthur--I don’t know how long ago; it may have been an hour or two.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I saw Arthur--I don’t know how long ago; it may have been an hour or two.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I saw Arthur--I don’t know how long ago; it may have been an hour or two.
I've
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don’t know how long I’ve been sleeping.”
incredulous
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was incredulous.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “I saw Arthur--I don’t know how long ago; it may have been an hour or two.
knownounUS /know/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “I saw Arthur--I don’t know how long ago; it may have been an hour or two.
longnounUS /long/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “I saw Arthur--I don’t know how long ago; it may have been an hour or two.
mantelpiece
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was daylight now; the clock over the mantelpiece showed it to be a quarter past five.
maymodal verbUS /meɪ/
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading “I saw Arthur--I don’t know how long ago; it may have been an hour or two.
now
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was daylight now; the clock over the mantelpiece showed it to be a quarter past five.
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading “I saw Arthur--I don’t know how long ago; it may have been an hour or two.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading It was daylight now; the clock over the mantelpiece showed it to be a quarter past five.
past
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was daylight now; the clock over the mantelpiece showed it to be a quarter past five.
quarter
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was daylight now; the clock over the mantelpiece showed it to be a quarter past five.
saw
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I saw Arthur--I don’t know how long ago; it may have been an hour or two.
showed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was daylight now; the clock over the mantelpiece showed it to be a quarter past five.
sleeping
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don’t know how long I’ve been sleeping.”
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was daylight now; the clock over the mantelpiece showed it to be a quarter past five.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was daylight now; the clock over the mantelpiece showed it to be a quarter past five.
two
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I saw Arthur--I don’t know how long ago; it may have been an hour or two.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was incredulous.