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The Coming Wave
The Coming Wave

Chapter X

Cover illustration for The Coming Wave
Context Illustration Reading 1/40 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
DOUBTS AND DEBTS.
Leopold was terribly startled when he heard the voice of Stumpy.
He was the possessor of a mighty secret, and he felt that he had been very imprudent in exposing it to discovery.
It would have been better to dig up the hidden treasure in the daytime, when the light would have enabled him to observe the approach of an intruder.
But he was glad it was Stumpy, rather than any other person, who had detected him in his strange and unseasonable labor.
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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.

The Coming Wave

Chapter X

Reading 1/40 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
DOUBTS AND DEBTS.
Line 2
Leopold was terribly startled when he heard the voice of Stumpy.
Line 3
He was the possessor of a mighty secret, and he felt that he had been very imprudent in exposing it to discovery.
Line 4
It would have been better to dig up the hidden treasure in the daytime, when the light would have enabled him to observe the approach of an intruder.
Line 5
But he was glad it was Stumpy, rather than any other person, who had detected him in his strange and unseasonable labor.

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 “He was the possessor of a mighty secret, and he felt that he had been very imprudent in exposing it to discovery.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “It would have been better to dig up the hidden treasure in the daytime, when the light would have enabled him to observe the approach of an intruder.”

Secret noun US /ˈsiː.krət/

Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.

From this reading “He was the possessor of a mighty secret, and he felt that he had been very imprudent in exposing it to discovery.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading “It would have been better to dig up the hidden treasure in the daytime, when the light would have enabled him to observe the approach of an intruder.”

All words in this reading · 57

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 was the possessor of a mighty secret, and he felt that he had been very imprudent in exposing it to discovery.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading It would have been better to dig up the hidden treasure in the daytime, when the light would have enabled him to observe the approach of an intruder.

ANDconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading DOUBTS AND DEBTS.

any

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

From this reading But he was glad it was Stumpy, rather than any other person, who had detected him in his strange and unseasonable labor.

approach

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

From this reading It would have been better to dig up the hidden treasure in the daytime, when the light would have enabled him to observe the approach of an intruder.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading He was the possessor of a mighty secret, and he felt that he had been very imprudent in exposing it to discovery.

better

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

From this reading It would have been better to dig up the hidden treasure in the daytime, when the light would have enabled him to observe the approach of an intruder.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But he was glad it was Stumpy, rather than any other person, who had detected him in his strange and unseasonable labor.

daytime

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

From this reading It would have been better to dig up the hidden treasure in the daytime, when the light would have enabled him to observe the approach of an intruder.

DEBTS

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

From this reading DOUBTS AND DEBTS.

detected

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

From this reading But he was glad it was Stumpy, rather than any other person, who had detected him in his strange and unseasonable labor.

dig

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

From this reading It would have been better to dig up the hidden treasure in the daytime, when the light would have enabled him to observe the approach of an intruder.

discovery

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

From this reading He was the possessor of a mighty secret, and he felt that he had been very imprudent in exposing it to discovery.

DOUBTS

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

From this reading DOUBTS AND DEBTS.

enabled

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

From this reading It would have been better to dig up the hidden treasure in the daytime, when the light would have enabled him to observe the approach of an intruder.

exposing

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

From this reading He was the possessor of a mighty secret, and he felt that he had been very imprudent in exposing it to discovery.

felt

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

From this reading He was the possessor of a mighty secret, and he felt that he had been very imprudent in exposing it to discovery.

glad

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

From this reading But he was glad it was Stumpy, rather than any other person, who had detected him in his strange and unseasonable labor.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading He was the possessor of a mighty secret, and he felt that he had been very imprudent in exposing it to discovery.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading It would have been better to dig up the hidden treasure in the daytime, when the light would have enabled him to observe the approach of an intruder.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading Leopold was terribly startled when he heard the voice of Stumpy.

heard

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

From this reading Leopold was terribly startled when he heard the voice of Stumpy.

hidden

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

From this reading It would have been better to dig up the hidden treasure in the daytime, when the light would have enabled him to observe the approach of an intruder.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading It would have been better to dig up the hidden treasure in the daytime, when the light would have enabled him to observe the approach of an intruder.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading But he was glad it was Stumpy, rather than any other person, who had detected him in his strange and unseasonable labor.

imprudent

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

From this reading He was the possessor of a mighty secret, and he felt that he had been very imprudent in exposing it to discovery.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading He was the possessor of a mighty secret, and he felt that he had been very imprudent in exposing it to discovery.

intruder

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

From this reading It would have been better to dig up the hidden treasure in the daytime, when the light would have enabled him to observe the approach of an intruder.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading He was the possessor of a mighty secret, and he felt that he had been very imprudent in exposing it to discovery.

labor

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

From this reading But he was glad it was Stumpy, rather than any other person, who had detected him in his strange and unseasonable labor.

Leopold

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

From this reading Leopold was terribly startled when he heard the voice of Stumpy.

light

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

From this reading It would have been better to dig up the hidden treasure in the daytime, when the light would have enabled him to observe the approach of an intruder.

mighty

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

From this reading He was the possessor of a mighty secret, and he felt that he had been very imprudent in exposing it to discovery.

observe

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

From this reading It would have been better to dig up the hidden treasure in the daytime, when the light would have enabled him to observe the approach of an intruder.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Leopold was terribly startled when he heard the voice of Stumpy.

other

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

From this reading But he was glad it was Stumpy, rather than any other person, who had detected him in his strange and unseasonable labor.

person

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

From this reading But he was glad it was Stumpy, rather than any other person, who had detected him in his strange and unseasonable labor.

possessor

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

From this reading He was the possessor of a mighty secret, and he felt that he had been very imprudent in exposing it to discovery.

rather

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

From this reading But he was glad it was Stumpy, rather than any other person, who had detected him in his strange and unseasonable labor.

secretnounUS /ˈsiː.krət/

Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.

From this reading He was the possessor of a mighty secret, and he felt that he had been very imprudent in exposing it to discovery.

startled

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

From this reading Leopold was terribly startled when he heard the voice of Stumpy.

strange

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

From this reading But he was glad it was Stumpy, rather than any other person, who had detected him in his strange and unseasonable labor.

Stumpy

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

From this reading Leopold was terribly startled when he heard the voice of Stumpy.

terribly

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

From this reading Leopold was terribly startled when he heard the voice of Stumpy.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading But he was glad it was Stumpy, rather than any other person, who had detected him in his strange and unseasonable labor.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading He was the possessor of a mighty secret, and he felt that he had been very imprudent in exposing it to discovery.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Leopold was terribly startled when he heard the voice of Stumpy.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading He was the possessor of a mighty secret, and he felt that he had been very imprudent in exposing it to discovery.

treasure

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

From this reading It would have been better to dig up the hidden treasure in the daytime, when the light would have enabled him to observe the approach of an intruder.

unseasonable

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

From this reading But he was glad it was Stumpy, rather than any other person, who had detected him in his strange and unseasonable labor.

up

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

From this reading It would have been better to dig up the hidden treasure in the daytime, when the light would have enabled him to observe the approach of an intruder.

very

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

From this reading He was the possessor of a mighty secret, and he felt that he had been very imprudent in exposing it to discovery.

voice

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

From this reading Leopold was terribly startled when he heard the voice of Stumpy.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Leopold was terribly startled when he heard the voice of Stumpy.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading Leopold was terribly startled when he heard the voice of Stumpy.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading But he was glad it was Stumpy, rather than any other person, who had detected him in his strange and unseasonable labor.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading It would have been better to dig up the hidden treasure in the daytime, when the light would have enabled him to observe the approach of an intruder.