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The Highflyers
The Highflyers

Chapter XIV

Cover illustration for The Highflyers
Context Illustration Reading 1/26 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
It had been with Potter as if he had stood upon a lofty height surveying wonders and had fallen with incredible swiftness through darkness to strike the ground with frightful impetus.
He felt the shock of that impact as if his physical body had been in collision instead of his soul....
_Defiled!_ The word was stamped in letters that burnt across his consciousness; his brain groped and fumbled about it as if it were some strange, monstrous thing no intelligence could grasp.
Every other created thing was obliterated.
That word stood isolated in the middle of his universe, and his thoughts, mothlike, fluttered about it, singeing their wings in its flame.
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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 Highflyers

Chapter XIV

Reading 1/26 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
It had been with Potter as if he had stood upon a lofty height surveying wonders and had fallen with incredible swiftness through darkness to strike the ground with frightful impetus.
Line 2
He felt the shock of that impact as if his physical body had been in collision instead of his soul....
Line 3
_Defiled!_ The word was stamped in letters that burnt across his consciousness; his brain groped and fumbled about it as if it were some strange, monstrous thing no intelligence could grasp.
Line 4
Every other created thing was obliterated.
Line 5
That word stood isolated in the middle of his universe, and his thoughts, mothlike, fluttered about it, singeing their wings in its flame.

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 “_Defiled!_ The word was stamped in letters that burnt across his consciousness; his brain groped and fumbled about it as if it were some strange, monstrous thing no intelligence could grasp.”

Across preposition US /əˈkrɔːs/

from one side of something to the other

From this reading “_Defiled!_ The word was stamped in letters that burnt across his consciousness; his brain groped and fumbled about it as if it were some strange, monstrous thing no intelligence could grasp.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “It had been with Potter as if he had stood upon a lofty height surveying wonders and had fallen with incredible swiftness through darkness to strike the ground with frightful impetus.”

Body noun US /body/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He felt the shock of that impact as if his physical body had been in collision instead of his soul....”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading “_Defiled!_ The word was stamped in letters that burnt across his consciousness; his brain groped and fumbled about it as if it were some strange, monstrous thing no intelligence could grasp.”

Every determiner US /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading “Every other created thing was obliterated.”

Flame noun US /fleɪm/

A hot glowing body of ignited gas produced by fire.

From this reading “That word stood isolated in the middle of his universe, and his thoughts, mothlike, fluttered about it, singeing their wings in its flame.”

Grasp noun US /ɡræsp/

a firm hold in a specific situation in this story

From this reading “_Defiled!_ The word was stamped in letters that burnt across his consciousness; his brain groped and fumbled about it as if it were some strange, monstrous thing no intelligence could grasp.”

Stood noun US /stood/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It had been with Potter as if he had stood upon a lofty height surveying wonders and had fallen with incredible swiftness through darkness to strike the ground with frightful impetus.”

Thing noun US /thing/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “_Defiled!_ The word was stamped in letters that burnt across his consciousness; his brain groped and fumbled about it as if it were some strange, monstrous thing no intelligence could grasp.”

Through noun US /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading “It had been with Potter as if he had stood upon a lofty height surveying wonders and had fallen with incredible swiftness through darkness to strike the ground with frightful impetus.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “It had been with Potter as if he had stood upon a lofty height surveying wonders and had fallen with incredible swiftness through darkness to strike the ground with frightful impetus.”

All words in this reading · 75

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 had been with Potter as if he had stood upon a lofty height surveying wonders and had fallen with incredible swiftness through darkness to strike the ground with frightful impetus.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading _Defiled!_ The word was stamped in letters that burnt across his consciousness; his brain groped and fumbled about it as if it were some strange, monstrous thing no intelligence could grasp.

acrossprepositionUS /əˈkrɔːs/

from one side of something to the other

From this reading _Defiled!_ The word was stamped in letters that burnt across his consciousness; his brain groped and fumbled about it as if it were some strange, monstrous thing no intelligence could grasp.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading It had been with Potter as if he had stood upon a lofty height surveying wonders and had fallen with incredible swiftness through darkness to strike the ground with frightful impetus.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading It had been with Potter as if he had stood upon a lofty height surveying wonders and had fallen with incredible swiftness through darkness to strike the ground with frightful impetus.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading It had been with Potter as if he had stood upon a lofty height surveying wonders and had fallen with incredible swiftness through darkness to strike the ground with frightful impetus.

bodynounUS /body/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He felt the shock of that impact as if his physical body had been in collision instead of his soul....

brain

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

From this reading _Defiled!_ The word was stamped in letters that burnt across his consciousness; his brain groped and fumbled about it as if it were some strange, monstrous thing no intelligence could grasp.

burnt

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

From this reading _Defiled!_ The word was stamped in letters that burnt across his consciousness; his brain groped and fumbled about it as if it were some strange, monstrous thing no intelligence could grasp.

collision

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

From this reading He felt the shock of that impact as if his physical body had been in collision instead of his soul....

consciousness

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

From this reading _Defiled!_ The word was stamped in letters that burnt across his consciousness; his brain groped and fumbled about it as if it were some strange, monstrous thing no intelligence could grasp.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading _Defiled!_ The word was stamped in letters that burnt across his consciousness; his brain groped and fumbled about it as if it were some strange, monstrous thing no intelligence could grasp.

created

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

From this reading Every other created thing was obliterated.

darkness

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

From this reading It had been with Potter as if he had stood upon a lofty height surveying wonders and had fallen with incredible swiftness through darkness to strike the ground with frightful impetus.

Defiled

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

From this reading _Defiled!_ The word was stamped in letters that burnt across his consciousness; his brain groped and fumbled about it as if it were some strange, monstrous thing no intelligence could grasp.

EverydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading Every other created thing was obliterated.

fallen

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

From this reading It had been with Potter as if he had stood upon a lofty height surveying wonders and had fallen with incredible swiftness through darkness to strike the ground with frightful impetus.

felt

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

From this reading He felt the shock of that impact as if his physical body had been in collision instead of his soul....

flamenounUS /fleɪm/

A hot glowing body of ignited gas produced by fire.

From this reading That word stood isolated in the middle of his universe, and his thoughts, mothlike, fluttered about it, singeing their wings in its flame.

fluttered

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

From this reading That word stood isolated in the middle of his universe, and his thoughts, mothlike, fluttered about it, singeing their wings in its flame.

frightful

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

From this reading It had been with Potter as if he had stood upon a lofty height surveying wonders and had fallen with incredible swiftness through darkness to strike the ground with frightful impetus.

fumbled

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

From this reading _Defiled!_ The word was stamped in letters that burnt across his consciousness; his brain groped and fumbled about it as if it were some strange, monstrous thing no intelligence could grasp.

graspnounUS /ɡræsp/

a firm hold in a specific situation in this story

From this reading _Defiled!_ The word was stamped in letters that burnt across his consciousness; his brain groped and fumbled about it as if it were some strange, monstrous thing no intelligence could grasp.

groped

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

From this reading _Defiled!_ The word was stamped in letters that burnt across his consciousness; his brain groped and fumbled about it as if it were some strange, monstrous thing no intelligence could grasp.

ground

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

From this reading It had been with Potter as if he had stood upon a lofty height surveying wonders and had fallen with incredible swiftness through darkness to strike the ground with frightful impetus.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading It had been with Potter as if he had stood upon a lofty height surveying wonders and had fallen with incredible swiftness through darkness to strike the ground with frightful impetus.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading It had been with Potter as if he had stood upon a lofty height surveying wonders and had fallen with incredible swiftness through darkness to strike the ground with frightful impetus.

height

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

From this reading It had been with Potter as if he had stood upon a lofty height surveying wonders and had fallen with incredible swiftness through darkness to strike the ground with frightful impetus.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading He felt the shock of that impact as if his physical body had been in collision instead of his soul....

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading It had been with Potter as if he had stood upon a lofty height surveying wonders and had fallen with incredible swiftness through darkness to strike the ground with frightful impetus.

impact

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

From this reading He felt the shock of that impact as if his physical body had been in collision instead of his soul....

impetus

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

From this reading It had been with Potter as if he had stood upon a lofty height surveying wonders and had fallen with incredible swiftness through darkness to strike the ground with frightful impetus.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading He felt the shock of that impact as if his physical body had been in collision instead of his soul....

incredible

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

From this reading It had been with Potter as if he had stood upon a lofty height surveying wonders and had fallen with incredible swiftness through darkness to strike the ground with frightful impetus.

instead

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

From this reading He felt the shock of that impact as if his physical body had been in collision instead of his soul....

intelligence

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

From this reading _Defiled!_ The word was stamped in letters that burnt across his consciousness; his brain groped and fumbled about it as if it were some strange, monstrous thing no intelligence could grasp.

isolated

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

From this reading That word stood isolated in the middle of his universe, and his thoughts, mothlike, fluttered about it, singeing their wings in its flame.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It had been with Potter as if he had stood upon a lofty height surveying wonders and had fallen with incredible swiftness through darkness to strike the ground with frightful impetus.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading That word stood isolated in the middle of his universe, and his thoughts, mothlike, fluttered about it, singeing their wings in its flame.

letters

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

From this reading _Defiled!_ The word was stamped in letters that burnt across his consciousness; his brain groped and fumbled about it as if it were some strange, monstrous thing no intelligence could grasp.

lofty

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

From this reading It had been with Potter as if he had stood upon a lofty height surveying wonders and had fallen with incredible swiftness through darkness to strike the ground with frightful impetus.

middle

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

From this reading That word stood isolated in the middle of his universe, and his thoughts, mothlike, fluttered about it, singeing their wings in its flame.

monstrous

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

From this reading _Defiled!_ The word was stamped in letters that burnt across his consciousness; his brain groped and fumbled about it as if it were some strange, monstrous thing no intelligence could grasp.

mothlike

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

From this reading That word stood isolated in the middle of his universe, and his thoughts, mothlike, fluttered about it, singeing their wings in its flame.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading _Defiled!_ The word was stamped in letters that burnt across his consciousness; his brain groped and fumbled about it as if it were some strange, monstrous thing no intelligence could grasp.

obliterated

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

From this reading Every other created thing was obliterated.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading He felt the shock of that impact as if his physical body had been in collision instead of his soul....

other

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

From this reading Every other created thing was obliterated.

physical

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

From this reading He felt the shock of that impact as if his physical body had been in collision instead of his soul....

Potter

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

From this reading It had been with Potter as if he had stood upon a lofty height surveying wonders and had fallen with incredible swiftness through darkness to strike the ground with frightful impetus.

shock

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

From this reading He felt the shock of that impact as if his physical body had been in collision instead of his soul....

singeing

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

From this reading That word stood isolated in the middle of his universe, and his thoughts, mothlike, fluttered about it, singeing their wings in its flame.

some

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

From this reading _Defiled!_ The word was stamped in letters that burnt across his consciousness; his brain groped and fumbled about it as if it were some strange, monstrous thing no intelligence could grasp.

soul

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

From this reading He felt the shock of that impact as if his physical body had been in collision instead of his soul....

stamped

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

From this reading _Defiled!_ The word was stamped in letters that burnt across his consciousness; his brain groped and fumbled about it as if it were some strange, monstrous thing no intelligence could grasp.

stoodnounUS /stood/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It had been with Potter as if he had stood upon a lofty height surveying wonders and had fallen with incredible swiftness through darkness to strike the ground with frightful impetus.

strange

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

From this reading _Defiled!_ The word was stamped in letters that burnt across his consciousness; his brain groped and fumbled about it as if it were some strange, monstrous thing no intelligence could grasp.

strike

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

From this reading It had been with Potter as if he had stood upon a lofty height surveying wonders and had fallen with incredible swiftness through darkness to strike the ground with frightful impetus.

surveying

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

From this reading It had been with Potter as if he had stood upon a lofty height surveying wonders and had fallen with incredible swiftness through darkness to strike the ground with frightful impetus.

swiftness

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

From this reading It had been with Potter as if he had stood upon a lofty height surveying wonders and had fallen with incredible swiftness through darkness to strike the ground with frightful impetus.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading He felt the shock of that impact as if his physical body had been in collision instead of his soul....

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading It had been with Potter as if he had stood upon a lofty height surveying wonders and had fallen with incredible swiftness through darkness to strike the ground with frightful impetus.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading That word stood isolated in the middle of his universe, and his thoughts, mothlike, fluttered about it, singeing their wings in its flame.

thingnounUS /thing/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading _Defiled!_ The word was stamped in letters that burnt across his consciousness; his brain groped and fumbled about it as if it were some strange, monstrous thing no intelligence could grasp.

thoughts

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

From this reading That word stood isolated in the middle of his universe, and his thoughts, mothlike, fluttered about it, singeing their wings in its flame.

throughnounUS /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading It had been with Potter as if he had stood upon a lofty height surveying wonders and had fallen with incredible swiftness through darkness to strike the ground with frightful impetus.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading It had been with Potter as if he had stood upon a lofty height surveying wonders and had fallen with incredible swiftness through darkness to strike the ground with frightful impetus.

universe

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

From this reading That word stood isolated in the middle of his universe, and his thoughts, mothlike, fluttered about it, singeing their wings in its flame.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading It had been with Potter as if he had stood upon a lofty height surveying wonders and had fallen with incredible swiftness through darkness to strike the ground with frightful impetus.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading _Defiled!_ The word was stamped in letters that burnt across his consciousness; his brain groped and fumbled about it as if it were some strange, monstrous thing no intelligence could grasp.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading _Defiled!_ The word was stamped in letters that burnt across his consciousness; his brain groped and fumbled about it as if it were some strange, monstrous thing no intelligence could grasp.

wings

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

From this reading That word stood isolated in the middle of his universe, and his thoughts, mothlike, fluttered about it, singeing their wings in its flame.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading It had been with Potter as if he had stood upon a lofty height surveying wonders and had fallen with incredible swiftness through darkness to strike the ground with frightful impetus.

wonders

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

From this reading It had been with Potter as if he had stood upon a lofty height surveying wonders and had fallen with incredible swiftness through darkness to strike the ground with frightful impetus.

word

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

From this reading _Defiled!_ The word was stamped in letters that burnt across his consciousness; his brain groped and fumbled about it as if it were some strange, monstrous thing no intelligence could grasp.