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The Downfall
The Downfall

Chapter XII

Cover illustration for The Downfall
Context Illustration Reading 1/83 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
“Will you have some, Jean?”
The corporal was watching him with hungry eyes and a stupid expression on his face; his stomach was also twinging him.
“Yes, I don’t care if I do; this suffering is more than I can stand.”
They divided the loaf between them and each devoured his portion gluttonously, unmindful of what was going on about them so long as a crumb remained.
And it was at that time that they saw their colonel for the last time, sitting his big horse, with his blood-stained boot.
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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 Downfall

Chapter XII

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

Line 1
“Will you have some, Jean?”
Line 2
The corporal was watching him with hungry eyes and a stupid expression on his face; his stomach was also twinging him.
Line 3
“Yes, I don’t care if I do; this suffering is more than I can stand.”
Line 4
They divided the loaf between them and each devoured his portion gluttonously, unmindful of what was going on about them so long as a crumb remained.
Line 5
And it was at that time that they saw their colonel for the last time, sitting his big horse, with his blood-stained boot.

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 “They divided the loaf between them and each devoured his portion gluttonously, unmindful of what was going on about them so long as a crumb remained.”

Between preposition US /bɪˈtwiːn/

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading “They divided the loaf between them and each devoured his portion gluttonously, unmindful of what was going on about them so long as a crumb remained.”

Divided noun US /ˈdivided/

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

From this reading “They divided the loaf between them and each devoured his portion gluttonously, unmindful of what was going on about them so long as a crumb remained.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading ““Will you have some, Jean?””

Last noun US /last/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “And it was at that time that they saw their colonel for the last time, sitting his big horse, with his blood-stained boot.”

Long noun US /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “They divided the loaf between them and each devoured his portion gluttonously, unmindful of what was going on about them so long as a crumb remained.”

Remained noun US /ˈremained/

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

From this reading “They divided the loaf between them and each devoured his portion gluttonously, unmindful of what was going on about them so long as a crumb remained.”

Stand noun US /stand/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading ““Yes, I don’t care if I do; this suffering is more than I can stand.””

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “And it was at that time that they saw their colonel for the last time, sitting his big horse, with his blood-stained boot.”

All words in this reading · 69

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 corporal was watching him with hungry eyes and a stupid expression on his face; his stomach was also twinging him.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading They divided the loaf between them and each devoured his portion gluttonously, unmindful of what was going on about them so long as a crumb remained.

also

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

From this reading The corporal was watching him with hungry eyes and a stupid expression on his face; his stomach was also twinging him.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The corporal was watching him with hungry eyes and a stupid expression on his face; his stomach was also twinging him.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading They divided the loaf between them and each devoured his portion gluttonously, unmindful of what was going on about them so long as a crumb remained.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading And it was at that time that they saw their colonel for the last time, sitting his big horse, with his blood-stained boot.

betweenprepositionUS /bɪˈtwiːn/

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading They divided the loaf between them and each devoured his portion gluttonously, unmindful of what was going on about them so long as a crumb remained.

big

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

From this reading And it was at that time that they saw their colonel for the last time, sitting his big horse, with his blood-stained boot.

blood-stained

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

From this reading And it was at that time that they saw their colonel for the last time, sitting his big horse, with his blood-stained boot.

boot

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

From this reading And it was at that time that they saw their colonel for the last time, sitting his big horse, with his blood-stained boot.

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading “Yes, I don’t care if I do; this suffering is more than I can stand.”

care

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

From this reading “Yes, I don’t care if I do; this suffering is more than I can stand.”

colonel

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

From this reading And it was at that time that they saw their colonel for the last time, sitting his big horse, with his blood-stained boot.

corporal

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

From this reading The corporal was watching him with hungry eyes and a stupid expression on his face; his stomach was also twinging him.

crumb

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

From this reading They divided the loaf between them and each devoured his portion gluttonously, unmindful of what was going on about them so long as a crumb remained.

devoured

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

From this reading They divided the loaf between them and each devoured his portion gluttonously, unmindful of what was going on about them so long as a crumb remained.

dividednounUS /ˈdivided/

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

From this reading They divided the loaf between them and each devoured his portion gluttonously, unmindful of what was going on about them so long as a crumb remained.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading “Yes, I don’t care if I do; this suffering is more than I can stand.”

don't

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

From this reading “Yes, I don’t care if I do; this suffering is more than I can stand.”

eachdeterminerUS /iːtʃ/

every one of two or more people or things, taken separately

From this reading They divided the loaf between them and each devoured his portion gluttonously, unmindful of what was going on about them so long as a crumb remained.

expression

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

From this reading The corporal was watching him with hungry eyes and a stupid expression on his face; his stomach was also twinging him.

eyes

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

From this reading The corporal was watching him with hungry eyes and a stupid expression on his face; his stomach was also twinging him.

face

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

From this reading The corporal was watching him with hungry eyes and a stupid expression on his face; his stomach was also twinging him.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading And it was at that time that they saw their colonel for the last time, sitting his big horse, with his blood-stained boot.

gluttonously

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

From this reading They divided the loaf between them and each devoured his portion gluttonously, unmindful of what was going on about them so long as a crumb remained.

going

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

From this reading They divided the loaf between them and each devoured his portion gluttonously, unmindful of what was going on about them so long as a crumb remained.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “Will you have some, Jean?”

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading The corporal was watching him with hungry eyes and a stupid expression on his face; his stomach was also twinging him.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading The corporal was watching him with hungry eyes and a stupid expression on his face; his stomach was also twinging him.

horse

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

From this reading And it was at that time that they saw their colonel for the last time, sitting his big horse, with his blood-stained boot.

hungry

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

From this reading The corporal was watching him with hungry eyes and a stupid expression on his face; his stomach was also twinging him.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading “Yes, I don’t care if I do; this suffering is more than I can stand.”

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading “Yes, I don’t care if I do; this suffering is more than I can stand.”

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading “Yes, I don’t care if I do; this suffering is more than I can stand.”

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading And it was at that time that they saw their colonel for the last time, sitting his big horse, with his blood-stained boot.

Jean

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

From this reading “Will you have some, Jean?”

lastnounUS /last/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading And it was at that time that they saw their colonel for the last time, sitting his big horse, with his blood-stained boot.

loaf

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

From this reading They divided the loaf between them and each devoured his portion gluttonously, unmindful of what was going on about them so long as a crumb remained.

longnounUS /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading They divided the loaf between them and each devoured his portion gluttonously, unmindful of what was going on about them so long as a crumb remained.

more

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

From this reading “Yes, I don’t care if I do; this suffering is more than I can stand.”

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading They divided the loaf between them and each devoured his portion gluttonously, unmindful of what was going on about them so long as a crumb remained.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The corporal was watching him with hungry eyes and a stupid expression on his face; his stomach was also twinging him.

portion

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

From this reading They divided the loaf between them and each devoured his portion gluttonously, unmindful of what was going on about them so long as a crumb remained.

remainednounUS /ˈremained/

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

From this reading They divided the loaf between them and each devoured his portion gluttonously, unmindful of what was going on about them so long as a crumb remained.

saw

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

From this reading And it was at that time that they saw their colonel for the last time, sitting his big horse, with his blood-stained boot.

sitting

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

From this reading And it was at that time that they saw their colonel for the last time, sitting his big horse, with his blood-stained boot.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading They divided the loaf between them and each devoured his portion gluttonously, unmindful of what was going on about them so long as a crumb remained.

some

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

From this reading “Will you have some, Jean?”

stand

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

From this reading “Yes, I don’t care if I do; this suffering is more than I can stand.”

stomach

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

From this reading The corporal was watching him with hungry eyes and a stupid expression on his face; his stomach was also twinging him.

stupid

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

From this reading The corporal was watching him with hungry eyes and a stupid expression on his face; his stomach was also twinging him.

suffering

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

From this reading “Yes, I don’t care if I do; this suffering is more than I can stand.”

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading “Yes, I don’t care if I do; this suffering is more than I can stand.”

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading And it was at that time that they saw their colonel for the last time, sitting his big horse, with his blood-stained boot.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The corporal was watching him with hungry eyes and a stupid expression on his face; his stomach was also twinging him.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading And it was at that time that they saw their colonel for the last time, sitting his big horse, with his blood-stained boot.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading They divided the loaf between them and each devoured his portion gluttonously, unmindful of what was going on about them so long as a crumb remained.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading They divided the loaf between them and each devoured his portion gluttonously, unmindful of what was going on about them so long as a crumb remained.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading “Yes, I don’t care if I do; this suffering is more than I can stand.”

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading And it was at that time that they saw their colonel for the last time, sitting his big horse, with his blood-stained boot.

twinging

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

From this reading The corporal was watching him with hungry eyes and a stupid expression on his face; his stomach was also twinging him.

unmindful

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

From this reading They divided the loaf between them and each devoured his portion gluttonously, unmindful of what was going on about them so long as a crumb remained.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The corporal was watching him with hungry eyes and a stupid expression on his face; his stomach was also twinging him.

watching

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

From this reading The corporal was watching him with hungry eyes and a stupid expression on his face; his stomach was also twinging him.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading They divided the loaf between them and each devoured his portion gluttonously, unmindful of what was going on about them so long as a crumb remained.

Willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading “Will you have some, Jean?”

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading The corporal was watching him with hungry eyes and a stupid expression on his face; his stomach was also twinging him.

Yes

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

From this reading “Yes, I don’t care if I do; this suffering is more than I can stand.”

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “Will you have some, Jean?”