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The Jungle
The Jungle

Chapter XV

Cover illustration for The Jungle
Context Illustration Reading 1/74 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The beginning of these perplexing things was in the summer; and each time Ona would promise him with terror in her voice that it would not happen again—but in vain.
Each crisis would leave Jurgis more and more frightened, more disposed to distrust Elzbieta’s consolations, and to believe that there was some terrible thing about all this that he was not allowed to know.
Once or twice in these outbreaks he caught Ona’s eye, and it seemed to him like the eye of a hunted animal; there were broken phrases of anguish and despair now and then, amid her frantic weeping.
It was only because he was so numb and beaten himself that Jurgis did not worry more about this.
But he never thought of it, except when he was dragged to it—he lived like a dumb beast of burden, knowing only the moment in which he was.
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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 Jungle

Chapter XV

Reading 1/74 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The beginning of these perplexing things was in the summer; and each time Ona would promise him with terror in her voice that it would not happen again—but in vain.
Line 2
Each crisis would leave Jurgis more and more frightened, more disposed to distrust Elzbieta’s consolations, and to believe that there was some terrible thing about all this that he was not allowed to know.
Line 3
Once or twice in these outbreaks he caught Ona’s eye, and it seemed to him like the eye of a hunted animal; there were broken phrases of anguish and despair now and then, amid her frantic weeping.
Line 4
It was only because he was so numb and beaten himself that Jurgis did not worry more about this.
Line 5
But he never thought of it, except when he was dragged to it—he lived like a dumb beast of burden, knowing only the moment in which he was.

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 “Each crisis would leave Jurgis more and more frightened, more disposed to distrust Elzbieta’s consolations, and to believe that there was some terrible thing about all this that he was not allowed to know.”

Again noun US /again/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The beginning of these perplexing things was in the summer; and each time Ona would promise him with terror in her voice that it would not happen again—but in vain.”

Amid preposition US /əˈmɪd/

in the middle of; surrounded by

From this reading “Once or twice in these outbreaks he caught Ona’s eye, and it seemed to him like the eye of a hunted animal; there were broken phrases of anguish and despair now and then, amid her frantic weeping.”

Because conjunction US /bɪˈkɔːz/

for the reason that

From this reading “It was only because he was so numb and beaten himself that Jurgis did not worry more about this.”

Beginning noun US /ˈbeginning/

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

From this reading “The beginning of these perplexing things was in the summer; and each time Ona would promise him with terror in her voice that it would not happen again—but in vain.”

Believe noun US /ˈbelieve/

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

From this reading “Each crisis would leave Jurgis more and more frightened, more disposed to distrust Elzbieta’s consolations, and to believe that there was some terrible thing about all this that he was not allowed to know.”

Broken noun US /broken/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Once or twice in these outbreaks he caught Ona’s eye, and it seemed to him like the eye of a hunted animal; there were broken phrases of anguish and despair now and then, amid her frantic weeping.”

Disposed noun US /ˈdisposed/

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

From this reading “Each crisis would leave Jurgis more and more frightened, more disposed to distrust Elzbieta’s consolations, and to believe that there was some terrible thing about all this that he was not allowed to know.”

Except preposition US /ɪkˈsept/

apart from; not including

From this reading “But he never thought of it, except when he was dragged to it—he lived like a dumb beast of burden, knowing only the moment in which he was.”

Himself pronoun US /hɪmˈself/

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

From this reading “It was only because he was so numb and beaten himself that Jurgis did not worry more about this.”

Know noun US /know/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Each crisis would leave Jurgis more and more frightened, more disposed to distrust Elzbieta’s consolations, and to believe that there was some terrible thing about all this that he was not allowed to know.”

Never noun US /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “But he never thought of it, except when he was dragged to it—he lived like a dumb beast of burden, knowing only the moment in which he was.”

Once noun US /once/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Once or twice in these outbreaks he caught Ona’s eye, and it seemed to him like the eye of a hunted animal; there were broken phrases of anguish and despair now and then, amid her frantic weeping.”

Seemed noun US /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Once or twice in these outbreaks he caught Ona’s eye, and it seemed to him like the eye of a hunted animal; there were broken phrases of anguish and despair now and then, amid her frantic weeping.”

Terrible noun US /ˈterrible/

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

From this reading “Each crisis would leave Jurgis more and more frightened, more disposed to distrust Elzbieta’s consolations, and to believe that there was some terrible thing about all this that he was not allowed to know.”

These determiner US /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading “The beginning of these perplexing things was in the summer; and each time Ona would promise him with terror in her voice that it would not happen again—but in vain.”

Thing noun US /thing/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Each crisis would leave Jurgis more and more frightened, more disposed to distrust Elzbieta’s consolations, and to believe that there was some terrible thing about all this that he was not allowed to know.”

Thought noun US /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “But he never thought of it, except when he was dragged to it—he lived like a dumb beast of burden, knowing only the moment in which he was.”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The beginning of these perplexing things was in the summer; and each time Ona would promise him with terror in her voice that it would not happen again—but in vain.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading “The beginning of these perplexing things was in the summer; and each time Ona would promise him with terror in her voice that it would not happen again—but in vain.”

All words in this reading · 90

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 Once or twice in these outbreaks he caught Ona’s eye, and it seemed to him like the eye of a hunted animal; there were broken phrases of anguish and despair now and then, amid her frantic weeping.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading Each crisis would leave Jurgis more and more frightened, more disposed to distrust Elzbieta’s consolations, and to believe that there was some terrible thing about all this that he was not allowed to know.

againnounUS /again/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The beginning of these perplexing things was in the summer; and each time Ona would promise him with terror in her voice that it would not happen again—but in vain.

all

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

From this reading Each crisis would leave Jurgis more and more frightened, more disposed to distrust Elzbieta’s consolations, and to believe that there was some terrible thing about all this that he was not allowed to know.

allowed

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

From this reading Each crisis would leave Jurgis more and more frightened, more disposed to distrust Elzbieta’s consolations, and to believe that there was some terrible thing about all this that he was not allowed to know.

amidprepositionUS /əˈmɪd/

in the middle of; surrounded by

From this reading Once or twice in these outbreaks he caught Ona’s eye, and it seemed to him like the eye of a hunted animal; there were broken phrases of anguish and despair now and then, amid her frantic weeping.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The beginning of these perplexing things was in the summer; and each time Ona would promise him with terror in her voice that it would not happen again—but in vain.

anguish

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

From this reading Once or twice in these outbreaks he caught Ona’s eye, and it seemed to him like the eye of a hunted animal; there were broken phrases of anguish and despair now and then, amid her frantic weeping.

animal

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

From this reading Once or twice in these outbreaks he caught Ona’s eye, and it seemed to him like the eye of a hunted animal; there were broken phrases of anguish and despair now and then, amid her frantic weeping.

beast

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

From this reading But he never thought of it, except when he was dragged to it—he lived like a dumb beast of burden, knowing only the moment in which he was.

beaten

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

From this reading It was only because he was so numb and beaten himself that Jurgis did not worry more about this.

becauseconjunctionUS /bɪˈkɔːz/

for the reason that

From this reading It was only because he was so numb and beaten himself that Jurgis did not worry more about this.

beginningnounUS /ˈbeginning/

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

From this reading The beginning of these perplexing things was in the summer; and each time Ona would promise him with terror in her voice that it would not happen again—but in vain.

believenounUS /ˈbelieve/

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

From this reading Each crisis would leave Jurgis more and more frightened, more disposed to distrust Elzbieta’s consolations, and to believe that there was some terrible thing about all this that he was not allowed to know.

brokennounUS /broken/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Once or twice in these outbreaks he caught Ona’s eye, and it seemed to him like the eye of a hunted animal; there were broken phrases of anguish and despair now and then, amid her frantic weeping.

burden

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

From this reading But he never thought of it, except when he was dragged to it—he lived like a dumb beast of burden, knowing only the moment in which he was.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading The beginning of these perplexing things was in the summer; and each time Ona would promise him with terror in her voice that it would not happen again—but in vain.

caught

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

From this reading Once or twice in these outbreaks he caught Ona’s eye, and it seemed to him like the eye of a hunted animal; there were broken phrases of anguish and despair now and then, amid her frantic weeping.

consolations

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

From this reading Each crisis would leave Jurgis more and more frightened, more disposed to distrust Elzbieta’s consolations, and to believe that there was some terrible thing about all this that he was not allowed to know.

crisis

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

From this reading Each crisis would leave Jurgis more and more frightened, more disposed to distrust Elzbieta’s consolations, and to believe that there was some terrible thing about all this that he was not allowed to know.

despair

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

From this reading Once or twice in these outbreaks he caught Ona’s eye, and it seemed to him like the eye of a hunted animal; there were broken phrases of anguish and despair now and then, amid her frantic weeping.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading It was only because he was so numb and beaten himself that Jurgis did not worry more about this.

disposednounUS /ˈdisposed/

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

From this reading Each crisis would leave Jurgis more and more frightened, more disposed to distrust Elzbieta’s consolations, and to believe that there was some terrible thing about all this that he was not allowed to know.

distrust

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

From this reading Each crisis would leave Jurgis more and more frightened, more disposed to distrust Elzbieta’s consolations, and to believe that there was some terrible thing about all this that he was not allowed to know.

dragged

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

From this reading But he never thought of it, except when he was dragged to it—he lived like a dumb beast of burden, knowing only the moment in which he was.

dumb

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

From this reading But he never thought of it, except when he was dragged to it—he lived like a dumb beast of burden, knowing only the moment in which he was.

eachdeterminerUS /iːtʃ/

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

From this reading The beginning of these perplexing things was in the summer; and each time Ona would promise him with terror in her voice that it would not happen again—but in vain.

Elzbieta's

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

From this reading Each crisis would leave Jurgis more and more frightened, more disposed to distrust Elzbieta’s consolations, and to believe that there was some terrible thing about all this that he was not allowed to know.

exceptprepositionUS /ɪkˈsept/

apart from; not including

From this reading But he never thought of it, except when he was dragged to it—he lived like a dumb beast of burden, knowing only the moment in which he was.

eye

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

From this reading Once or twice in these outbreaks he caught Ona’s eye, and it seemed to him like the eye of a hunted animal; there were broken phrases of anguish and despair now and then, amid her frantic weeping.

frantic

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

From this reading Once or twice in these outbreaks he caught Ona’s eye, and it seemed to him like the eye of a hunted animal; there were broken phrases of anguish and despair now and then, amid her frantic weeping.

frightened

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

From this reading Each crisis would leave Jurgis more and more frightened, more disposed to distrust Elzbieta’s consolations, and to believe that there was some terrible thing about all this that he was not allowed to know.

happen

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

From this reading The beginning of these perplexing things was in the summer; and each time Ona would promise him with terror in her voice that it would not happen again—but in vain.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading Each crisis would leave Jurgis more and more frightened, more disposed to distrust Elzbieta’s consolations, and to believe that there was some terrible thing about all this that he was not allowed to know.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading The beginning of these perplexing things was in the summer; and each time Ona would promise him with terror in her voice that it would not happen again—but in vain.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading The beginning of these perplexing things was in the summer; and each time Ona would promise him with terror in her voice that it would not happen again—but in vain.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

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

From this reading It was only because he was so numb and beaten himself that Jurgis did not worry more about this.

hunted

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

From this reading Once or twice in these outbreaks he caught Ona’s eye, and it seemed to him like the eye of a hunted animal; there were broken phrases of anguish and despair now and then, amid her frantic weeping.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The beginning of these perplexing things was in the summer; and each time Ona would promise him with terror in her voice that it would not happen again—but in vain.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading The beginning of these perplexing things was in the summer; and each time Ona would promise him with terror in her voice that it would not happen again—but in vain.

Jurgis

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

From this reading Each crisis would leave Jurgis more and more frightened, more disposed to distrust Elzbieta’s consolations, and to believe that there was some terrible thing about all this that he was not allowed to know.

knownounUS /know/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Each crisis would leave Jurgis more and more frightened, more disposed to distrust Elzbieta’s consolations, and to believe that there was some terrible thing about all this that he was not allowed to know.

knowing

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

From this reading But he never thought of it, except when he was dragged to it—he lived like a dumb beast of burden, knowing only the moment in which he was.

leave

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

From this reading Each crisis would leave Jurgis more and more frightened, more disposed to distrust Elzbieta’s consolations, and to believe that there was some terrible thing about all this that he was not allowed to know.

like

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

From this reading Once or twice in these outbreaks he caught Ona’s eye, and it seemed to him like the eye of a hunted animal; there were broken phrases of anguish and despair now and then, amid her frantic weeping.

lived

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

From this reading But he never thought of it, except when he was dragged to it—he lived like a dumb beast of burden, knowing only the moment in which he was.

moment

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

From this reading But he never thought of it, except when he was dragged to it—he lived like a dumb beast of burden, knowing only the moment in which he was.

more

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

From this reading Each crisis would leave Jurgis more and more frightened, more disposed to distrust Elzbieta’s consolations, and to believe that there was some terrible thing about all this that he was not allowed to know.

nevernounUS /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading But he never thought of it, except when he was dragged to it—he lived like a dumb beast of burden, knowing only the moment in which he was.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading The beginning of these perplexing things was in the summer; and each time Ona would promise him with terror in her voice that it would not happen again—but in vain.

now

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

From this reading Once or twice in these outbreaks he caught Ona’s eye, and it seemed to him like the eye of a hunted animal; there were broken phrases of anguish and despair now and then, amid her frantic weeping.

numb

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

From this reading It was only because he was so numb and beaten himself that Jurgis did not worry more about this.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The beginning of these perplexing things was in the summer; and each time Ona would promise him with terror in her voice that it would not happen again—but in vain.

Ona

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

From this reading The beginning of these perplexing things was in the summer; and each time Ona would promise him with terror in her voice that it would not happen again—but in vain.

Ona's

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

From this reading Once or twice in these outbreaks he caught Ona’s eye, and it seemed to him like the eye of a hunted animal; there were broken phrases of anguish and despair now and then, amid her frantic weeping.

Once

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

From this reading Once or twice in these outbreaks he caught Ona’s eye, and it seemed to him like the eye of a hunted animal; there were broken phrases of anguish and despair now and then, amid her frantic weeping.

only

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

From this reading It was only because he was so numb and beaten himself that Jurgis did not worry more about this.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Once or twice in these outbreaks he caught Ona’s eye, and it seemed to him like the eye of a hunted animal; there were broken phrases of anguish and despair now and then, amid her frantic weeping.

outbreaks

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

From this reading Once or twice in these outbreaks he caught Ona’s eye, and it seemed to him like the eye of a hunted animal; there were broken phrases of anguish and despair now and then, amid her frantic weeping.

perplexing

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

From this reading The beginning of these perplexing things was in the summer; and each time Ona would promise him with terror in her voice that it would not happen again—but in vain.

phrases

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

From this reading Once or twice in these outbreaks he caught Ona’s eye, and it seemed to him like the eye of a hunted animal; there were broken phrases of anguish and despair now and then, amid her frantic weeping.

promise

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

From this reading The beginning of these perplexing things was in the summer; and each time Ona would promise him with terror in her voice that it would not happen again—but in vain.

seemednounUS /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Once or twice in these outbreaks he caught Ona’s eye, and it seemed to him like the eye of a hunted animal; there were broken phrases of anguish and despair now and then, amid her frantic weeping.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading It was only because he was so numb and beaten himself that Jurgis did not worry more about this.

some

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

From this reading Each crisis would leave Jurgis more and more frightened, more disposed to distrust Elzbieta’s consolations, and to believe that there was some terrible thing about all this that he was not allowed to know.

summer

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

From this reading The beginning of these perplexing things was in the summer; and each time Ona would promise him with terror in her voice that it would not happen again—but in vain.

terriblenounUS /ˈterrible/

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

From this reading Each crisis would leave Jurgis more and more frightened, more disposed to distrust Elzbieta’s consolations, and to believe that there was some terrible thing about all this that he was not allowed to know.

terror

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

From this reading The beginning of these perplexing things was in the summer; and each time Ona would promise him with terror in her voice that it would not happen again—but in vain.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The beginning of these perplexing things was in the summer; and each time Ona would promise him with terror in her voice that it would not happen again—but in vain.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The beginning of these perplexing things was in the summer; and each time Ona would promise him with terror in her voice that it would not happen again—but in vain.

then

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

From this reading Once or twice in these outbreaks he caught Ona’s eye, and it seemed to him like the eye of a hunted animal; there were broken phrases of anguish and despair now and then, amid her frantic weeping.

there

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

From this reading Each crisis would leave Jurgis more and more frightened, more disposed to distrust Elzbieta’s consolations, and to believe that there was some terrible thing about all this that he was not allowed to know.

thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading The beginning of these perplexing things was in the summer; and each time Ona would promise him with terror in her voice that it would not happen again—but in vain.

thingnounUS /thing/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Each crisis would leave Jurgis more and more frightened, more disposed to distrust Elzbieta’s consolations, and to believe that there was some terrible thing about all this that he was not allowed to know.

things

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

From this reading The beginning of these perplexing things was in the summer; and each time Ona would promise him with terror in her voice that it would not happen again—but in vain.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading Each crisis would leave Jurgis more and more frightened, more disposed to distrust Elzbieta’s consolations, and to believe that there was some terrible thing about all this that he was not allowed to know.

thoughtnounUS /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading But he never thought of it, except when he was dragged to it—he lived like a dumb beast of burden, knowing only the moment in which he was.

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The beginning of these perplexing things was in the summer; and each time Ona would promise him with terror in her voice that it would not happen again—but in vain.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Each crisis would leave Jurgis more and more frightened, more disposed to distrust Elzbieta’s consolations, and to believe that there was some terrible thing about all this that he was not allowed to know.

twice

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

From this reading Once or twice in these outbreaks he caught Ona’s eye, and it seemed to him like the eye of a hunted animal; there were broken phrases of anguish and despair now and then, amid her frantic weeping.

vain

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

From this reading The beginning of these perplexing things was in the summer; and each time Ona would promise him with terror in her voice that it would not happen again—but in vain.

voice

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

From this reading The beginning of these perplexing things was in the summer; and each time Ona would promise him with terror in her voice that it would not happen again—but in vain.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The beginning of these perplexing things was in the summer; and each time Ona would promise him with terror in her voice that it would not happen again—but in vain.

weeping

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

From this reading Once or twice in these outbreaks he caught Ona’s eye, and it seemed to him like the eye of a hunted animal; there were broken phrases of anguish and despair now and then, amid her frantic weeping.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading Once or twice in these outbreaks he caught Ona’s eye, and it seemed to him like the eye of a hunted animal; there were broken phrases of anguish and despair now and then, amid her frantic weeping.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading But he never thought of it, except when he was dragged to it—he lived like a dumb beast of burden, knowing only the moment in which he was.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading But he never thought of it, except when he was dragged to it—he lived like a dumb beast of burden, knowing only the moment in which he was.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading The beginning of these perplexing things was in the summer; and each time Ona would promise him with terror in her voice that it would not happen again—but in vain.

worry

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

From this reading It was only because he was so numb and beaten himself that Jurgis did not worry more about this.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading The beginning of these perplexing things was in the summer; and each time Ona would promise him with terror in her voice that it would not happen again—but in vain.