Chapter XXXIX
He stopped dead short when he saw her so white and fragile looking. Then he exclaimed, "Zara--you have been ill!" "Yes," she faltered. "Why did they not tell me?" he said hurriedly, and then recollected himself. How could they?
The Reason Why
Chapter XXXIX
English subtitles · tap any word to listen
1 / 5
He
stopped
dead
short
when
he
saw
her
so
white
and
fragile
looking.
Then
he
exclaimed,
"Zara--you
have
been
ill!"
"Yes,"
she
faltered.
"Why
did
they
not
tell
me?"
he
said
hurriedly,
and
then
recollected
himself.
How
could
they?
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Line 1
He
stopped
dead
short
when
he
saw
her
so
white
and
fragile
looking.
Line 2
Then
he
exclaimed,
"Zara--you
have
been
ill!"
Line 3
"Yes,"
she
faltered.
Line 4
"Why
did
they
not
tell
me?"
he
said
hurriedly,
and
then
recollected
himself.
Line 5
How
could
they?
Learner Dictionary
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.
Been
auxiliary verb
US /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “Then he exclaimed, "Zara--you have been ill!"”
Could
modal verb
US /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading “How could they?”
Dead
noun
US /dead/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “He stopped dead short when he saw her so white and fragile looking.”
Have
auxiliary verb
US /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “Then he exclaimed, "Zara--you have been ill!"”
Himself
pronoun
US /hɪmˈself/
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading “"Why did they not tell me?" he said hurriedly, and then recollected himself.”
Short
adjective
US /ʃɔrt/
brief or direct in expression
From this reading “He stopped dead short when he saw her so white and fragile looking.”
Stopped
noun
US /stopped/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “He stopped dead short when he saw her so white and fragile looking.”
Tell
noun
US /tell/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “"Why did they not tell me?" he said hurriedly, and then recollected himself.”
All words in this reading · 34
Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He stopped dead short when he saw her so white and fragile looking.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Then he exclaimed, "Zara--you have been ill!"
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading How could they?
deadnounUS /dead/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He stopped dead short when he saw her so white and fragile looking.
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "Why did they not tell me?" he said hurriedly, and then recollected himself.
exclaimed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then he exclaimed, "Zara--you have been ill!"
faltered
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes," she faltered.
fragile
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He stopped dead short when he saw her so white and fragile looking.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Then he exclaimed, "Zara--you have been ill!"
HepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He stopped dead short when he saw her so white and fragile looking.
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He stopped dead short when he saw her so white and fragile looking.
himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading "Why did they not tell me?" he said hurriedly, and then recollected himself.
How
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How could they?
hurriedly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why did they not tell me?" he said hurriedly, and then recollected himself.
ill
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then he exclaimed, "Zara--you have been ill!"
looking
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He stopped dead short when he saw her so white and fragile looking.
mepronounUS /miː/
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Why did they not tell me?" he said hurriedly, and then recollected himself.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Why did they not tell me?" he said hurriedly, and then recollected himself.
recollected
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why did they not tell me?" he said hurriedly, and then recollected himself.
said
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why did they not tell me?" he said hurriedly, and then recollected himself.
saw
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He stopped dead short when he saw her so white and fragile looking.
shepronounUS /ʃiː/
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Yes," she faltered.
shortadjectiveUS /ʃɔrt/
brief or direct in expression
From this reading He stopped dead short when he saw her so white and fragile looking.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading He stopped dead short when he saw her so white and fragile looking.
stoppednounUS /stopped/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading He stopped dead short when he saw her so white and fragile looking.
tellnounUS /tell/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading "Why did they not tell me?" he said hurriedly, and then recollected himself.
Then
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then he exclaimed, "Zara--you have been ill!"
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Why did they not tell me?" he said hurriedly, and then recollected himself.
whenconjunctionUS /wen/
at the time that
From this reading He stopped dead short when he saw her so white and fragile looking.
white
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He stopped dead short when he saw her so white and fragile looking.
Why
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why did they not tell me?" he said hurriedly, and then recollected himself.
Yes
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes," she faltered.
youpronounUS /juː/
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Then he exclaimed, "Zara--you have been ill!"
Zara
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then he exclaimed, "Zara--you have been ill!"