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The Hidden Places
The Hidden Places

Chapter I

Cover illustration for The Hidden Places
Context Illustration Reading 1/25 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Hollister stood in the middle of his room, staring at the door without seeing the door, without seeing the bulky shadow his body cast on the wall in the pale glow of a single droplight.
He was seeing everything and seeing nothing; acutely, quiveringly conscious and yet oblivious to his surroundings by reason of the poignancy of his thought.
A feeling not far short of terror had folded itself about him like a shrouding fog.
It had not seized him unaware.
For weeks he had seen it looming over him, and he had schooled himself to disregard a great deal which his perception was too acute to misunderstand.
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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 Hidden Places

Chapter I

Reading 1/25 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Hollister stood in the middle of his room, staring at the door without seeing the door, without seeing the bulky shadow his body cast on the wall in the pale glow of a single droplight.
Line 2
He was seeing everything and seeing nothing; acutely, quiveringly conscious and yet oblivious to his surroundings by reason of the poignancy of his thought.
Line 3
A feeling not far short of terror had folded itself about him like a shrouding fog.
Line 4
It had not seized him unaware.
Line 5
For weeks he had seen it looming over him, and he had schooled himself to disregard a great deal which his perception was too acute to misunderstand.

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 “A feeling not far short of terror had folded itself about him like a shrouding fog.”

Body noun US /body/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Hollister stood in the middle of his room, staring at the door without seeing the door, without seeing the bulky shadow his body cast on the wall in the pale glow of a single droplight.”

Everything pronoun US /ˈevriθɪŋ/

all things; all of a situation

From this reading “He was seeing everything and seeing nothing; acutely, quiveringly conscious and yet oblivious to his surroundings by reason of the poignancy of his thought.”

Feeling noun US /ˈfeeling/

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

From this reading “A feeling not far short of terror had folded itself about him like a shrouding fog.”

Great noun US /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “For weeks he had seen it looming over him, and he had schooled himself to disregard a great deal which his perception was too acute to misunderstand.”

Himself pronoun US /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading “For weeks he had seen it looming over him, and he had schooled himself to disregard a great deal which his perception was too acute to misunderstand.”

Itself pronoun US /ˌɪtˈself/

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading “A feeling not far short of terror had folded itself about him like a shrouding fog.”

Nothing pronoun US /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading “He was seeing everything and seeing nothing; acutely, quiveringly conscious and yet oblivious to his surroundings by reason of the poignancy of his thought.”

Over preposition US /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading “For weeks he had seen it looming over him, and he had schooled himself to disregard a great deal which his perception was too acute to misunderstand.”

Seeing noun US /seeing/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Hollister stood in the middle of his room, staring at the door without seeing the door, without seeing the bulky shadow his body cast on the wall in the pale glow of a single droplight.”

Shadow noun US /ˈʃæd.oʊ/

A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.

From this reading “Hollister stood in the middle of his room, staring at the door without seeing the door, without seeing the bulky shadow his body cast on the wall in the pale glow of a single droplight.”

Short adjective US /ʃɔrt/

brief or direct in expression

From this reading “A feeling not far short of terror had folded itself about him like a shrouding fog.”

Stood noun US /stood/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Hollister stood in the middle of his room, staring at the door without seeing the door, without seeing the bulky shadow his body cast on the wall in the pale glow of a single droplight.”

Thought noun US /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He was seeing everything and seeing nothing; acutely, quiveringly conscious and yet oblivious to his surroundings by reason of the poignancy of his thought.”

Without preposition US /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading “Hollister stood in the middle of his room, staring at the door without seeing the door, without seeing the bulky shadow his body cast on the wall in the pale glow of a single droplight.”

Yet conjunction US /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading “He was seeing everything and seeing nothing; acutely, quiveringly conscious and yet oblivious to his surroundings by reason of the poignancy of his thought.”

All words in this reading · 71

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 Hollister stood in the middle of his room, staring at the door without seeing the door, without seeing the bulky shadow his body cast on the wall in the pale glow of a single droplight.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading A feeling not far short of terror had folded itself about him like a shrouding fog.

acute

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

From this reading For weeks he had seen it looming over him, and he had schooled himself to disregard a great deal which his perception was too acute to misunderstand.

acutely

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

From this reading He was seeing everything and seeing nothing; acutely, quiveringly conscious and yet oblivious to his surroundings by reason of the poignancy of his thought.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading He was seeing everything and seeing nothing; acutely, quiveringly conscious and yet oblivious to his surroundings by reason of the poignancy of his thought.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Hollister stood in the middle of his room, staring at the door without seeing the door, without seeing the bulky shadow his body cast on the wall in the pale glow of a single droplight.

bodynounUS /body/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Hollister stood in the middle of his room, staring at the door without seeing the door, without seeing the bulky shadow his body cast on the wall in the pale glow of a single droplight.

bulky

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

From this reading Hollister stood in the middle of his room, staring at the door without seeing the door, without seeing the bulky shadow his body cast on the wall in the pale glow of a single droplight.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading He was seeing everything and seeing nothing; acutely, quiveringly conscious and yet oblivious to his surroundings by reason of the poignancy of his thought.

cast

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

From this reading Hollister stood in the middle of his room, staring at the door without seeing the door, without seeing the bulky shadow his body cast on the wall in the pale glow of a single droplight.

conscious

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

From this reading He was seeing everything and seeing nothing; acutely, quiveringly conscious and yet oblivious to his surroundings by reason of the poignancy of his thought.

deal

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

From this reading For weeks he had seen it looming over him, and he had schooled himself to disregard a great deal which his perception was too acute to misunderstand.

disregard

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

From this reading For weeks he had seen it looming over him, and he had schooled himself to disregard a great deal which his perception was too acute to misunderstand.

door

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

From this reading Hollister stood in the middle of his room, staring at the door without seeing the door, without seeing the bulky shadow his body cast on the wall in the pale glow of a single droplight.

droplight

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

From this reading Hollister stood in the middle of his room, staring at the door without seeing the door, without seeing the bulky shadow his body cast on the wall in the pale glow of a single droplight.

everythingpronounUS /ˈevriθɪŋ/

all things; all of a situation

From this reading He was seeing everything and seeing nothing; acutely, quiveringly conscious and yet oblivious to his surroundings by reason of the poignancy of his thought.

far

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

From this reading A feeling not far short of terror had folded itself about him like a shrouding fog.

feelingnounUS /ˈfeeling/

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

From this reading A feeling not far short of terror had folded itself about him like a shrouding fog.

fog

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

From this reading A feeling not far short of terror had folded itself about him like a shrouding fog.

folded

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

From this reading A feeling not far short of terror had folded itself about him like a shrouding fog.

ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading For weeks he had seen it looming over him, and he had schooled himself to disregard a great deal which his perception was too acute to misunderstand.

glow

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

From this reading Hollister stood in the middle of his room, staring at the door without seeing the door, without seeing the bulky shadow his body cast on the wall in the pale glow of a single droplight.

greatnounUS /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading For weeks he had seen it looming over him, and he had schooled himself to disregard a great deal which his perception was too acute to misunderstand.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading A feeling not far short of terror had folded itself about him like a shrouding fog.

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He was seeing everything and seeing nothing; acutely, quiveringly conscious and yet oblivious to his surroundings by reason of the poignancy of his thought.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading A feeling not far short of terror had folded itself about him like a shrouding fog.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading For weeks he had seen it looming over him, and he had schooled himself to disregard a great deal which his perception was too acute to misunderstand.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Hollister stood in the middle of his room, staring at the door without seeing the door, without seeing the bulky shadow his body cast on the wall in the pale glow of a single droplight.

Hollister

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

From this reading Hollister stood in the middle of his room, staring at the door without seeing the door, without seeing the bulky shadow his body cast on the wall in the pale glow of a single droplight.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Hollister stood in the middle of his room, staring at the door without seeing the door, without seeing the bulky shadow his body cast on the wall in the pale glow of a single droplight.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It had not seized him unaware.

itselfpronounUS /ˌɪtˈself/

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading A feeling not far short of terror had folded itself about him like a shrouding fog.

like

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

From this reading A feeling not far short of terror had folded itself about him like a shrouding fog.

looming

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

From this reading For weeks he had seen it looming over him, and he had schooled himself to disregard a great deal which his perception was too acute to misunderstand.

middle

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

From this reading Hollister stood in the middle of his room, staring at the door without seeing the door, without seeing the bulky shadow his body cast on the wall in the pale glow of a single droplight.

misunderstand

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

From this reading For weeks he had seen it looming over him, and he had schooled himself to disregard a great deal which his perception was too acute to misunderstand.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading A feeling not far short of terror had folded itself about him like a shrouding fog.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading He was seeing everything and seeing nothing; acutely, quiveringly conscious and yet oblivious to his surroundings by reason of the poignancy of his thought.

oblivious

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

From this reading He was seeing everything and seeing nothing; acutely, quiveringly conscious and yet oblivious to his surroundings by reason of the poignancy of his thought.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Hollister stood in the middle of his room, staring at the door without seeing the door, without seeing the bulky shadow his body cast on the wall in the pale glow of a single droplight.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Hollister stood in the middle of his room, staring at the door without seeing the door, without seeing the bulky shadow his body cast on the wall in the pale glow of a single droplight.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading For weeks he had seen it looming over him, and he had schooled himself to disregard a great deal which his perception was too acute to misunderstand.

pale

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

From this reading Hollister stood in the middle of his room, staring at the door without seeing the door, without seeing the bulky shadow his body cast on the wall in the pale glow of a single droplight.

perception

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

From this reading For weeks he had seen it looming over him, and he had schooled himself to disregard a great deal which his perception was too acute to misunderstand.

poignancy

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

From this reading He was seeing everything and seeing nothing; acutely, quiveringly conscious and yet oblivious to his surroundings by reason of the poignancy of his thought.

quiveringly

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

From this reading He was seeing everything and seeing nothing; acutely, quiveringly conscious and yet oblivious to his surroundings by reason of the poignancy of his thought.

reason

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

From this reading He was seeing everything and seeing nothing; acutely, quiveringly conscious and yet oblivious to his surroundings by reason of the poignancy of his thought.

room

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

From this reading Hollister stood in the middle of his room, staring at the door without seeing the door, without seeing the bulky shadow his body cast on the wall in the pale glow of a single droplight.

schooled

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

From this reading For weeks he had seen it looming over him, and he had schooled himself to disregard a great deal which his perception was too acute to misunderstand.

seeing

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

From this reading Hollister stood in the middle of his room, staring at the door without seeing the door, without seeing the bulky shadow his body cast on the wall in the pale glow of a single droplight.

seen

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

From this reading For weeks he had seen it looming over him, and he had schooled himself to disregard a great deal which his perception was too acute to misunderstand.

seized

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

From this reading It had not seized him unaware.

shadownounUS /ˈʃæd.oʊ/

A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.

From this reading Hollister stood in the middle of his room, staring at the door without seeing the door, without seeing the bulky shadow his body cast on the wall in the pale glow of a single droplight.

shortadjectiveUS /ʃɔrt/

brief or direct in expression

From this reading A feeling not far short of terror had folded itself about him like a shrouding fog.

shrouding

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

From this reading A feeling not far short of terror had folded itself about him like a shrouding fog.

single

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

From this reading Hollister stood in the middle of his room, staring at the door without seeing the door, without seeing the bulky shadow his body cast on the wall in the pale glow of a single droplight.

staring

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

From this reading Hollister stood in the middle of his room, staring at the door without seeing the door, without seeing the bulky shadow his body cast on the wall in the pale glow of a single droplight.

stoodnounUS /stood/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Hollister stood in the middle of his room, staring at the door without seeing the door, without seeing the bulky shadow his body cast on the wall in the pale glow of a single droplight.

surroundings

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

From this reading He was seeing everything and seeing nothing; acutely, quiveringly conscious and yet oblivious to his surroundings by reason of the poignancy of his thought.

terror

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

From this reading A feeling not far short of terror had folded itself about him like a shrouding fog.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Hollister stood in the middle of his room, staring at the door without seeing the door, without seeing the bulky shadow his body cast on the wall in the pale glow of a single droplight.

thoughtnounUS /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He was seeing everything and seeing nothing; acutely, quiveringly conscious and yet oblivious to his surroundings by reason of the poignancy of his thought.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading He was seeing everything and seeing nothing; acutely, quiveringly conscious and yet oblivious to his surroundings by reason of the poignancy of his thought.

too

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

From this reading For weeks he had seen it looming over him, and he had schooled himself to disregard a great deal which his perception was too acute to misunderstand.

unaware

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

From this reading It had not seized him unaware.

wall

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

From this reading Hollister stood in the middle of his room, staring at the door without seeing the door, without seeing the bulky shadow his body cast on the wall in the pale glow of a single droplight.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading He was seeing everything and seeing nothing; acutely, quiveringly conscious and yet oblivious to his surroundings by reason of the poignancy of his thought.

weeks

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

From this reading For weeks he had seen it looming over him, and he had schooled himself to disregard a great deal which his perception was too acute to misunderstand.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading For weeks he had seen it looming over him, and he had schooled himself to disregard a great deal which his perception was too acute to misunderstand.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading Hollister stood in the middle of his room, staring at the door without seeing the door, without seeing the bulky shadow his body cast on the wall in the pale glow of a single droplight.

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading He was seeing everything and seeing nothing; acutely, quiveringly conscious and yet oblivious to his surroundings by reason of the poignancy of his thought.