Chapter XXVII
His companion pursed up his lips disdainfully. “May be so, may be not,” he retorted. “It’s impossible to understand a word of it. The only thing certain about it is that it was written by a woman.” “Ah!”
The Count's Millions
Chapter XXVII
English subtitles · tap any word to listen
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His
companion
pursed
up
his
lips
disdainfully.
“May
be
so,
may
be
not,”
he
retorted.
“It’s
impossible
to
understand
a
word
of
it.
The
only
thing
certain
about
it
is
that
it
was
written
by
a
woman.”
“Ah!”
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Line 1
His
companion
pursed
up
his
lips
disdainfully.
Line 2
“May
be
so,
may
be
not,”
he
retorted.
Line 3
“It’s
impossible
to
understand
a
word
of
it.
Line 4
The
only
thing
certain
about
it
is
that
it
was
written
by
a
woman.”
Line 5
“Ah!”
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 “The only thing certain about it is that it was written by a woman.””
May
modal verb
US /meɪ/
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading ““May be so, may be not,” he retorted.”
Thing
noun
US /thing/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “The only thing certain about it is that it was written by a woman.””
Understand
noun
US /understand/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading ““It’s impossible to understand a word of it.”
All words in this reading · 32
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’s impossible to understand a word of it.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading The only thing certain about it is that it was written by a woman.”
Ah
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Ah!”
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “May be so, may be not,” he retorted.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The only thing certain about it is that it was written by a woman.”
certain
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The only thing certain about it is that it was written by a woman.”
companion
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His companion pursed up his lips disdainfully.
disdainfully
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His companion pursed up his lips disdainfully.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “May be so, may be not,” he retorted.
HisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His companion pursed up his lips disdainfully.
impossible
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It’s impossible to understand a word of it.
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The only thing certain about it is that it was written by a woman.”
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “It’s impossible to understand a word of it.
It's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It’s impossible to understand a word of it.
lips
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His companion pursed up his lips disdainfully.
Maymodal verbUS /meɪ/
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading “May be so, may be not,” he retorted.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “May be so, may be not,” he retorted.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “It’s impossible to understand a word of it.
only
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The only thing certain about it is that it was written by a woman.”
pursed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His companion pursed up his lips disdainfully.
retorted
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “May be so, may be not,” he retorted.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “May be so, may be not,” he retorted.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The only thing certain about it is that it was written by a woman.”
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The only thing certain about it is that it was written by a woman.”
thingnounUS /thing/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading The only thing certain about it is that it was written by a woman.”
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “It’s impossible to understand a word of it.
understandnounUS /understand/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “It’s impossible to understand a word of it.
up
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His companion pursed up his lips disdainfully.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The only thing certain about it is that it was written by a woman.”
woman
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The only thing certain about it is that it was written by a woman.”
word
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It’s impossible to understand a word of it.
written
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The only thing certain about it is that it was written by a woman.”