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The Destroying Angel
The Destroying Angel

Chapter IX

Cover illustration for The Destroying Angel
Context Illustration Reading 1/81 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The end came just before dawn, with a swiftness that stunned the faculties--as though one saw the naked wrath of God leap like lightning from the sky.
They were precisely as they had been, within a certain distance of one another, toiling on and ever on like strange misshapen spirits doomed to run an endless race.
The harsh, shapeless light of imminent day alone manufactured a colour of difference: Whitaker now was able to see as two dark shapes the men in the body of the leading boat.
The woman was not visible, but the doors to the cabin were closed, confirming his surmise that she at least had been sheltered through the night.
One of the men was standing by the wheel, forward, staring ahead.
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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 Destroying Angel

Chapter IX

Reading 1/81 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The end came just before dawn, with a swiftness that stunned the faculties--as though one saw the naked wrath of God leap like lightning from the sky.
Line 2
They were precisely as they had been, within a certain distance of one another, toiling on and ever on like strange misshapen spirits doomed to run an endless race.
Line 3
The harsh, shapeless light of imminent day alone manufactured a colour of difference: Whitaker now was able to see as two dark shapes the men in the body of the leading boat.
Line 4
The woman was not visible, but the doors to the cabin were closed, confirming his surmise that she at least had been sheltered through the night.
Line 5
One of the men was standing by the wheel, forward, staring ahead.

Learner Dictionary

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

Alone noun US /alone/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The harsh, shapeless light of imminent day alone manufactured a colour of difference: Whitaker now was able to see as two dark shapes the men in the body of the leading boat.”

Another noun US /ˈanother/

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

From this reading “They were precisely as they had been, within a certain distance of one another, toiling on and ever on like strange misshapen spirits doomed to run an endless race.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “They were precisely as they had been, within a certain distance of one another, toiling on and ever on like strange misshapen spirits doomed to run an endless race.”

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “The end came just before dawn, with a swiftness that stunned the faculties--as though one saw the naked wrath of God leap like lightning from the sky.”

Body noun US /body/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The harsh, shapeless light of imminent day alone manufactured a colour of difference: Whitaker now was able to see as two dark shapes the men in the body of the leading boat.”

Ever noun US /ever/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “They were precisely as they had been, within a certain distance of one another, toiling on and ever on like strange misshapen spirits doomed to run an endless race.”

Forward noun US /forward/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “One of the men was standing by the wheel, forward, staring ahead.”

Least noun US /least/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The woman was not visible, but the doors to the cabin were closed, confirming his surmise that she at least had been sheltered through the night.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “The end came just before dawn, with a swiftness that stunned the faculties--as though one saw the naked wrath of God leap like lightning from the sky.”

Standing noun US /ˈstanding/

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

From this reading “One of the men was standing by the wheel, forward, staring ahead.”

Though conjunction US /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading “The end came just before dawn, with a swiftness that stunned the faculties--as though one saw the naked wrath of God leap like lightning from the sky.”

Through noun US /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading “The woman was not visible, but the doors to the cabin were closed, confirming his surmise that she at least had been sheltered through the night.”

Within preposition US /wɪˈðɪn/

inside; before a period of time has passed

From this reading “They were precisely as they had been, within a certain distance of one another, toiling on and ever on like strange misshapen spirits doomed to run an endless race.”

All words in this reading · 91

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 The end came just before dawn, with a swiftness that stunned the faculties--as though one saw the naked wrath of God leap like lightning from the sky.

able

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

From this reading The harsh, shapeless light of imminent day alone manufactured a colour of difference: Whitaker now was able to see as two dark shapes the men in the body of the leading boat.

ahead

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

From this reading One of the men was standing by the wheel, forward, staring ahead.

alonenounUS /alone/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The harsh, shapeless light of imminent day alone manufactured a colour of difference: Whitaker now was able to see as two dark shapes the men in the body of the leading boat.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading They were precisely as they had been, within a certain distance of one another, toiling on and ever on like strange misshapen spirits doomed to run an endless race.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading They were precisely as they had been, within a certain distance of one another, toiling on and ever on like strange misshapen spirits doomed to run an endless race.

anothernounUS /ˈanother/

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

From this reading They were precisely as they had been, within a certain distance of one another, toiling on and ever on like strange misshapen spirits doomed to run an endless race.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading The end came just before dawn, with a swiftness that stunned the faculties--as though one saw the naked wrath of God leap like lightning from the sky.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading The woman was not visible, but the doors to the cabin were closed, confirming his surmise that she at least had been sheltered through the night.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading They were precisely as they had been, within a certain distance of one another, toiling on and ever on like strange misshapen spirits doomed to run an endless race.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading The end came just before dawn, with a swiftness that stunned the faculties--as though one saw the naked wrath of God leap like lightning from the sky.

boat

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

From this reading The harsh, shapeless light of imminent day alone manufactured a colour of difference: Whitaker now was able to see as two dark shapes the men in the body of the leading boat.

bodynounUS /body/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The harsh, shapeless light of imminent day alone manufactured a colour of difference: Whitaker now was able to see as two dark shapes the men in the body of the leading boat.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading The woman was not visible, but the doors to the cabin were closed, confirming his surmise that she at least had been sheltered through the night.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading One of the men was standing by the wheel, forward, staring ahead.

cabin

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

From this reading The woman was not visible, but the doors to the cabin were closed, confirming his surmise that she at least had been sheltered through the night.

came

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

From this reading The end came just before dawn, with a swiftness that stunned the faculties--as though one saw the naked wrath of God leap like lightning from the sky.

certain

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

From this reading They were precisely as they had been, within a certain distance of one another, toiling on and ever on like strange misshapen spirits doomed to run an endless race.

closed

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

From this reading The woman was not visible, but the doors to the cabin were closed, confirming his surmise that she at least had been sheltered through the night.

colour

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

From this reading The harsh, shapeless light of imminent day alone manufactured a colour of difference: Whitaker now was able to see as two dark shapes the men in the body of the leading boat.

confirming

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

From this reading The woman was not visible, but the doors to the cabin were closed, confirming his surmise that she at least had been sheltered through the night.

dark

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

From this reading The harsh, shapeless light of imminent day alone manufactured a colour of difference: Whitaker now was able to see as two dark shapes the men in the body of the leading boat.

dawn

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

From this reading The end came just before dawn, with a swiftness that stunned the faculties--as though one saw the naked wrath of God leap like lightning from the sky.

day

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

From this reading The harsh, shapeless light of imminent day alone manufactured a colour of difference: Whitaker now was able to see as two dark shapes the men in the body of the leading boat.

difference

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

From this reading The harsh, shapeless light of imminent day alone manufactured a colour of difference: Whitaker now was able to see as two dark shapes the men in the body of the leading boat.

distance

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

From this reading They were precisely as they had been, within a certain distance of one another, toiling on and ever on like strange misshapen spirits doomed to run an endless race.

doomed

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

From this reading They were precisely as they had been, within a certain distance of one another, toiling on and ever on like strange misshapen spirits doomed to run an endless race.

doors

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

From this reading The woman was not visible, but the doors to the cabin were closed, confirming his surmise that she at least had been sheltered through the night.

end

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

From this reading The end came just before dawn, with a swiftness that stunned the faculties--as though one saw the naked wrath of God leap like lightning from the sky.

endless

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

From this reading They were precisely as they had been, within a certain distance of one another, toiling on and ever on like strange misshapen spirits doomed to run an endless race.

evernounUS /ever/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading They were precisely as they had been, within a certain distance of one another, toiling on and ever on like strange misshapen spirits doomed to run an endless race.

faculties

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

From this reading The end came just before dawn, with a swiftness that stunned the faculties--as though one saw the naked wrath of God leap like lightning from the sky.

forwardnounUS /forward/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading One of the men was standing by the wheel, forward, staring ahead.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The end came just before dawn, with a swiftness that stunned the faculties--as though one saw the naked wrath of God leap like lightning from the sky.

God

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

From this reading The end came just before dawn, with a swiftness that stunned the faculties--as though one saw the naked wrath of God leap like lightning from the sky.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading They were precisely as they had been, within a certain distance of one another, toiling on and ever on like strange misshapen spirits doomed to run an endless race.

harsh

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

From this reading The harsh, shapeless light of imminent day alone manufactured a colour of difference: Whitaker now was able to see as two dark shapes the men in the body of the leading boat.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading The woman was not visible, but the doors to the cabin were closed, confirming his surmise that she at least had been sheltered through the night.

imminent

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

From this reading The harsh, shapeless light of imminent day alone manufactured a colour of difference: Whitaker now was able to see as two dark shapes the men in the body of the leading boat.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The harsh, shapeless light of imminent day alone manufactured a colour of difference: Whitaker now was able to see as two dark shapes the men in the body of the leading boat.

just

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

From this reading The end came just before dawn, with a swiftness that stunned the faculties--as though one saw the naked wrath of God leap like lightning from the sky.

leading

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

From this reading The harsh, shapeless light of imminent day alone manufactured a colour of difference: Whitaker now was able to see as two dark shapes the men in the body of the leading boat.

leap

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

From this reading The end came just before dawn, with a swiftness that stunned the faculties--as though one saw the naked wrath of God leap like lightning from the sky.

leastnounUS /least/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The woman was not visible, but the doors to the cabin were closed, confirming his surmise that she at least had been sheltered through the night.

light

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

From this reading The harsh, shapeless light of imminent day alone manufactured a colour of difference: Whitaker now was able to see as two dark shapes the men in the body of the leading boat.

lightning

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

From this reading The end came just before dawn, with a swiftness that stunned the faculties--as though one saw the naked wrath of God leap like lightning from the sky.

like

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

From this reading The end came just before dawn, with a swiftness that stunned the faculties--as though one saw the naked wrath of God leap like lightning from the sky.

manufactured

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

From this reading The harsh, shapeless light of imminent day alone manufactured a colour of difference: Whitaker now was able to see as two dark shapes the men in the body of the leading boat.

men

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

From this reading The harsh, shapeless light of imminent day alone manufactured a colour of difference: Whitaker now was able to see as two dark shapes the men in the body of the leading boat.

misshapen

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

From this reading They were precisely as they had been, within a certain distance of one another, toiling on and ever on like strange misshapen spirits doomed to run an endless race.

naked

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

From this reading The end came just before dawn, with a swiftness that stunned the faculties--as though one saw the naked wrath of God leap like lightning from the sky.

night

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

From this reading The woman was not visible, but the doors to the cabin were closed, confirming his surmise that she at least had been sheltered through the night.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading The woman was not visible, but the doors to the cabin were closed, confirming his surmise that she at least had been sheltered through the night.

now

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

From this reading The harsh, shapeless light of imminent day alone manufactured a colour of difference: Whitaker now was able to see as two dark shapes the men in the body of the leading boat.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The end came just before dawn, with a swiftness that stunned the faculties--as though one saw the naked wrath of God leap like lightning from the sky.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading They were precisely as they had been, within a certain distance of one another, toiling on and ever on like strange misshapen spirits doomed to run an endless race.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading The end came just before dawn, with a swiftness that stunned the faculties--as though one saw the naked wrath of God leap like lightning from the sky.

precisely

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

From this reading They were precisely as they had been, within a certain distance of one another, toiling on and ever on like strange misshapen spirits doomed to run an endless race.

race

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

From this reading They were precisely as they had been, within a certain distance of one another, toiling on and ever on like strange misshapen spirits doomed to run an endless race.

run

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

From this reading They were precisely as they had been, within a certain distance of one another, toiling on and ever on like strange misshapen spirits doomed to run an endless race.

saw

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

From this reading The end came just before dawn, with a swiftness that stunned the faculties--as though one saw the naked wrath of God leap like lightning from the sky.

see

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

From this reading The harsh, shapeless light of imminent day alone manufactured a colour of difference: Whitaker now was able to see as two dark shapes the men in the body of the leading boat.

shapeless

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

From this reading The harsh, shapeless light of imminent day alone manufactured a colour of difference: Whitaker now was able to see as two dark shapes the men in the body of the leading boat.

shapes

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

From this reading The harsh, shapeless light of imminent day alone manufactured a colour of difference: Whitaker now was able to see as two dark shapes the men in the body of the leading boat.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading The woman was not visible, but the doors to the cabin were closed, confirming his surmise that she at least had been sheltered through the night.

sheltered

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

From this reading The woman was not visible, but the doors to the cabin were closed, confirming his surmise that she at least had been sheltered through the night.

sky

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

From this reading The end came just before dawn, with a swiftness that stunned the faculties--as though one saw the naked wrath of God leap like lightning from the sky.

spirits

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

From this reading They were precisely as they had been, within a certain distance of one another, toiling on and ever on like strange misshapen spirits doomed to run an endless race.

standingnounUS /ˈstanding/

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

From this reading One of the men was standing by the wheel, forward, staring ahead.

staring

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

From this reading One of the men was standing by the wheel, forward, staring ahead.

strange

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

From this reading They were precisely as they had been, within a certain distance of one another, toiling on and ever on like strange misshapen spirits doomed to run an endless race.

stunned

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

From this reading The end came just before dawn, with a swiftness that stunned the faculties--as though one saw the naked wrath of God leap like lightning from the sky.

surmise

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

From this reading The woman was not visible, but the doors to the cabin were closed, confirming his surmise that she at least had been sheltered through the night.

swiftness

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

From this reading The end came just before dawn, with a swiftness that stunned the faculties--as though one saw the naked wrath of God leap like lightning from the sky.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The end came just before dawn, with a swiftness that stunned the faculties--as though one saw the naked wrath of God leap like lightning from the sky.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The end came just before dawn, with a swiftness that stunned the faculties--as though one saw the naked wrath of God leap like lightning from the sky.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading They were precisely as they had been, within a certain distance of one another, toiling on and ever on like strange misshapen spirits doomed to run an endless race.

thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading The end came just before dawn, with a swiftness that stunned the faculties--as though one saw the naked wrath of God leap like lightning from the sky.

throughnounUS /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading The woman was not visible, but the doors to the cabin were closed, confirming his surmise that she at least had been sheltered through the night.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading They were precisely as they had been, within a certain distance of one another, toiling on and ever on like strange misshapen spirits doomed to run an endless race.

toiling

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

From this reading They were precisely as they had been, within a certain distance of one another, toiling on and ever on like strange misshapen spirits doomed to run an endless race.

two

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

From this reading The harsh, shapeless light of imminent day alone manufactured a colour of difference: Whitaker now was able to see as two dark shapes the men in the body of the leading boat.

visible

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

From this reading The woman was not visible, but the doors to the cabin were closed, confirming his surmise that she at least had been sheltered through the night.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The harsh, shapeless light of imminent day alone manufactured a colour of difference: Whitaker now was able to see as two dark shapes the men in the body of the leading boat.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading They were precisely as they had been, within a certain distance of one another, toiling on and ever on like strange misshapen spirits doomed to run an endless race.

wheel

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

From this reading One of the men was standing by the wheel, forward, staring ahead.

Whitaker

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

From this reading The harsh, shapeless light of imminent day alone manufactured a colour of difference: Whitaker now was able to see as two dark shapes the men in the body of the leading boat.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading The end came just before dawn, with a swiftness that stunned the faculties--as though one saw the naked wrath of God leap like lightning from the sky.

withinprepositionUS /wɪˈðɪn/

inside; before a period of time has passed

From this reading They were precisely as they had been, within a certain distance of one another, toiling on and ever on like strange misshapen spirits doomed to run an endless race.

woman

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

From this reading The woman was not visible, but the doors to the cabin were closed, confirming his surmise that she at least had been sheltered through the night.

wrath

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

From this reading The end came just before dawn, with a swiftness that stunned the faculties--as though one saw the naked wrath of God leap like lightning from the sky.