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The Seventh Man
The Seventh Man

Chapter XXV · The Test

Cover illustration for The Seventh Man
Context Illustration Reading 1/16 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The most that could be said of Rickett was that it had a courthouse and plenty of quiet so perfect that the minds of the office holders could turn and turn and hear no sound saving their own turning.
There were, of course, more buildings than the courthouse, but not so many that they could not be grouped conveniently along one street.
The hush which rested over Rickett was never broken except in the periods immediately after the spring and fall round-ups when the saloons and gaming tables were suddenly flooded with business.
Otherwise it was a rare event indeed which injected excitement into the village.
Such an event was the gathering of Sheriff Pete Glass' posse.
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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 Seventh Man

Chapter XXV · The Test

Reading 1/16 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The most that could be said of Rickett was that it had a courthouse and plenty of quiet so perfect that the minds of the office holders could turn and turn and hear no sound saving their own turning.
Line 2
There were, of course, more buildings than the courthouse, but not so many that they could not be grouped conveniently along one street.
Line 3
The hush which rested over Rickett was never broken except in the periods immediately after the spring and fall round-ups when the saloons and gaming tables were suddenly flooded with business.
Line 4
Otherwise it was a rare event indeed which injected excitement into the village.
Line 5
Such an event was the gathering of Sheriff Pete Glass' posse.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

After preposition US /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading “The hush which rested over Rickett was never broken except in the periods immediately after the spring and fall round-ups when the saloons and gaming tables were suddenly flooded with business.”

Along preposition US /əˈlɔːŋ/

following the length of something from one end toward the other

From this reading “There were, of course, more buildings than the courthouse, but not so many that they could not be grouped conveniently along one street.”

Broken noun US /broken/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The hush which rested over Rickett was never broken except in the periods immediately after the spring and fall round-ups when the saloons and gaming tables were suddenly flooded with business.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

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

From this reading “The most that could be said of Rickett was that it had a courthouse and plenty of quiet so perfect that the minds of the office holders could turn and turn and hear no sound saving their own turning.”

Course noun US /course/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “There were, of course, more buildings than the courthouse, but not so many that they could not be grouped conveniently along one street.”

Except preposition US /ɪkˈsept/

apart from; not including

From this reading “The hush which rested over Rickett was never broken except in the periods immediately after the spring and fall round-ups when the saloons and gaming tables were suddenly flooded with business.”

Hear noun US /hear/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The most that could be said of Rickett was that it had a courthouse and plenty of quiet so perfect that the minds of the office holders could turn and turn and hear no sound saving their own turning.”

Never noun US /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The hush which rested over Rickett was never broken except in the periods immediately after the spring and fall round-ups when the saloons and gaming tables were suddenly flooded with business.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “There were, of course, more buildings than the courthouse, but not so many that they could not be grouped conveniently along one street.”

Over preposition US /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading “The hush which rested over Rickett was never broken except in the periods immediately after the spring and fall round-ups when the saloons and gaming tables were suddenly flooded with business.”

Suddenly noun US /ˈsuddenly/

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

From this reading “The hush which rested over Rickett was never broken except in the periods immediately after the spring and fall round-ups when the saloons and gaming tables were suddenly flooded with business.”

All words in this reading · 81

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 most that could be said of Rickett was that it had a courthouse and plenty of quiet so perfect that the minds of the office holders could turn and turn and hear no sound saving their own turning.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading The hush which rested over Rickett was never broken except in the periods immediately after the spring and fall round-ups when the saloons and gaming tables were suddenly flooded with business.

alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/

following the length of something from one end toward the other

From this reading There were, of course, more buildings than the courthouse, but not so many that they could not be grouped conveniently along one street.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading Such an event was the gathering of Sheriff Pete Glass' posse.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The most that could be said of Rickett was that it had a courthouse and plenty of quiet so perfect that the minds of the office holders could turn and turn and hear no sound saving their own turning.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading The most that could be said of Rickett was that it had a courthouse and plenty of quiet so perfect that the minds of the office holders could turn and turn and hear no sound saving their own turning.

brokennounUS /broken/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The hush which rested over Rickett was never broken except in the periods immediately after the spring and fall round-ups when the saloons and gaming tables were suddenly flooded with business.

buildings

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

From this reading There were, of course, more buildings than the courthouse, but not so many that they could not be grouped conveniently along one street.

business

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

From this reading The hush which rested over Rickett was never broken except in the periods immediately after the spring and fall round-ups when the saloons and gaming tables were suddenly flooded with business.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading There were, of course, more buildings than the courthouse, but not so many that they could not be grouped conveniently along one street.

conveniently

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

From this reading There were, of course, more buildings than the courthouse, but not so many that they could not be grouped conveniently along one street.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading The most that could be said of Rickett was that it had a courthouse and plenty of quiet so perfect that the minds of the office holders could turn and turn and hear no sound saving their own turning.

coursenounUS /course/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading There were, of course, more buildings than the courthouse, but not so many that they could not be grouped conveniently along one street.

courthouse

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

From this reading The most that could be said of Rickett was that it had a courthouse and plenty of quiet so perfect that the minds of the office holders could turn and turn and hear no sound saving their own turning.

event

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

From this reading Otherwise it was a rare event indeed which injected excitement into the village.

exceptprepositionUS /ɪkˈsept/

apart from; not including

From this reading The hush which rested over Rickett was never broken except in the periods immediately after the spring and fall round-ups when the saloons and gaming tables were suddenly flooded with business.

excitement

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

From this reading Otherwise it was a rare event indeed which injected excitement into the village.

fall

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

From this reading The hush which rested over Rickett was never broken except in the periods immediately after the spring and fall round-ups when the saloons and gaming tables were suddenly flooded with business.

flooded

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

From this reading The hush which rested over Rickett was never broken except in the periods immediately after the spring and fall round-ups when the saloons and gaming tables were suddenly flooded with business.

gaming

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

From this reading The hush which rested over Rickett was never broken except in the periods immediately after the spring and fall round-ups when the saloons and gaming tables were suddenly flooded with business.

gathering

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

From this reading Such an event was the gathering of Sheriff Pete Glass' posse.

Glass

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

From this reading Such an event was the gathering of Sheriff Pete Glass' posse.

grouped

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

From this reading There were, of course, more buildings than the courthouse, but not so many that they could not be grouped conveniently along one street.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The most that could be said of Rickett was that it had a courthouse and plenty of quiet so perfect that the minds of the office holders could turn and turn and hear no sound saving their own turning.

hearnounUS /hear/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The most that could be said of Rickett was that it had a courthouse and plenty of quiet so perfect that the minds of the office holders could turn and turn and hear no sound saving their own turning.

holders

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

From this reading The most that could be said of Rickett was that it had a courthouse and plenty of quiet so perfect that the minds of the office holders could turn and turn and hear no sound saving their own turning.

hush

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

From this reading The hush which rested over Rickett was never broken except in the periods immediately after the spring and fall round-ups when the saloons and gaming tables were suddenly flooded with business.

immediately

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

From this reading The hush which rested over Rickett was never broken except in the periods immediately after the spring and fall round-ups when the saloons and gaming tables were suddenly flooded with business.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The hush which rested over Rickett was never broken except in the periods immediately after the spring and fall round-ups when the saloons and gaming tables were suddenly flooded with business.

indeed

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

From this reading Otherwise it was a rare event indeed which injected excitement into the village.

injected

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

From this reading Otherwise it was a rare event indeed which injected excitement into the village.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading Otherwise it was a rare event indeed which injected excitement into the village.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading The most that could be said of Rickett was that it had a courthouse and plenty of quiet so perfect that the minds of the office holders could turn and turn and hear no sound saving their own turning.

many

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

From this reading There were, of course, more buildings than the courthouse, but not so many that they could not be grouped conveniently along one street.

minds

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

From this reading The most that could be said of Rickett was that it had a courthouse and plenty of quiet so perfect that the minds of the office holders could turn and turn and hear no sound saving their own turning.

more

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

From this reading There were, of course, more buildings than the courthouse, but not so many that they could not be grouped conveniently along one street.

most

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

From this reading The most that could be said of Rickett was that it had a courthouse and plenty of quiet so perfect that the minds of the office holders could turn and turn and hear no sound saving their own turning.

nevernounUS /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The hush which rested over Rickett was never broken except in the periods immediately after the spring and fall round-ups when the saloons and gaming tables were suddenly flooded with business.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading The most that could be said of Rickett was that it had a courthouse and plenty of quiet so perfect that the minds of the office holders could turn and turn and hear no sound saving their own turning.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading There were, of course, more buildings than the courthouse, but not so many that they could not be grouped conveniently along one street.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The most that could be said of Rickett was that it had a courthouse and plenty of quiet so perfect that the minds of the office holders could turn and turn and hear no sound saving their own turning.

office

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

From this reading The most that could be said of Rickett was that it had a courthouse and plenty of quiet so perfect that the minds of the office holders could turn and turn and hear no sound saving their own turning.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading There were, of course, more buildings than the courthouse, but not so many that they could not be grouped conveniently along one street.

Otherwise

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

From this reading Otherwise it was a rare event indeed which injected excitement into the village.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading The hush which rested over Rickett was never broken except in the periods immediately after the spring and fall round-ups when the saloons and gaming tables were suddenly flooded with business.

own

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

From this reading The most that could be said of Rickett was that it had a courthouse and plenty of quiet so perfect that the minds of the office holders could turn and turn and hear no sound saving their own turning.

perfect

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

From this reading The most that could be said of Rickett was that it had a courthouse and plenty of quiet so perfect that the minds of the office holders could turn and turn and hear no sound saving their own turning.

periods

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

From this reading The hush which rested over Rickett was never broken except in the periods immediately after the spring and fall round-ups when the saloons and gaming tables were suddenly flooded with business.

Pete

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

From this reading Such an event was the gathering of Sheriff Pete Glass' posse.

plenty

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

From this reading The most that could be said of Rickett was that it had a courthouse and plenty of quiet so perfect that the minds of the office holders could turn and turn and hear no sound saving their own turning.

posse

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

From this reading Such an event was the gathering of Sheriff Pete Glass' posse.

quiet

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

From this reading The most that could be said of Rickett was that it had a courthouse and plenty of quiet so perfect that the minds of the office holders could turn and turn and hear no sound saving their own turning.

rare

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

From this reading Otherwise it was a rare event indeed which injected excitement into the village.

rested

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

From this reading The hush which rested over Rickett was never broken except in the periods immediately after the spring and fall round-ups when the saloons and gaming tables were suddenly flooded with business.

Rickett

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

From this reading The most that could be said of Rickett was that it had a courthouse and plenty of quiet so perfect that the minds of the office holders could turn and turn and hear no sound saving their own turning.

round-ups

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

From this reading The hush which rested over Rickett was never broken except in the periods immediately after the spring and fall round-ups when the saloons and gaming tables were suddenly flooded with business.

said

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

From this reading The most that could be said of Rickett was that it had a courthouse and plenty of quiet so perfect that the minds of the office holders could turn and turn and hear no sound saving their own turning.

saloons

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

From this reading The hush which rested over Rickett was never broken except in the periods immediately after the spring and fall round-ups when the saloons and gaming tables were suddenly flooded with business.

saving

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

From this reading The most that could be said of Rickett was that it had a courthouse and plenty of quiet so perfect that the minds of the office holders could turn and turn and hear no sound saving their own turning.

Sheriff

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

From this reading Such an event was the gathering of Sheriff Pete Glass' posse.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading The most that could be said of Rickett was that it had a courthouse and plenty of quiet so perfect that the minds of the office holders could turn and turn and hear no sound saving their own turning.

sound

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

From this reading The most that could be said of Rickett was that it had a courthouse and plenty of quiet so perfect that the minds of the office holders could turn and turn and hear no sound saving their own turning.

spring

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

From this reading The hush which rested over Rickett was never broken except in the periods immediately after the spring and fall round-ups when the saloons and gaming tables were suddenly flooded with business.

street

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

From this reading There were, of course, more buildings than the courthouse, but not so many that they could not be grouped conveniently along one street.

SuchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading Such an event was the gathering of Sheriff Pete Glass' posse.

suddenlynounUS /ˈsuddenly/

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

From this reading The hush which rested over Rickett was never broken except in the periods immediately after the spring and fall round-ups when the saloons and gaming tables were suddenly flooded with business.

tables

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

From this reading The hush which rested over Rickett was never broken except in the periods immediately after the spring and fall round-ups when the saloons and gaming tables were suddenly flooded with business.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading There were, of course, more buildings than the courthouse, but not so many that they could not be grouped conveniently along one street.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The most that could be said of Rickett was that it had a courthouse and plenty of quiet so perfect that the minds of the office holders could turn and turn and hear no sound saving their own turning.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The most that could be said of Rickett was that it had a courthouse and plenty of quiet so perfect that the minds of the office holders could turn and turn and hear no sound saving their own turning.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading The most that could be said of Rickett was that it had a courthouse and plenty of quiet so perfect that the minds of the office holders could turn and turn and hear no sound saving their own turning.

There

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

From this reading There were, of course, more buildings than the courthouse, but not so many that they could not be grouped conveniently along one street.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading There were, of course, more buildings than the courthouse, but not so many that they could not be grouped conveniently along one street.

turn

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

From this reading The most that could be said of Rickett was that it had a courthouse and plenty of quiet so perfect that the minds of the office holders could turn and turn and hear no sound saving their own turning.

turning

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

From this reading The most that could be said of Rickett was that it had a courthouse and plenty of quiet so perfect that the minds of the office holders could turn and turn and hear no sound saving their own turning.

village

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

From this reading Otherwise it was a rare event indeed which injected excitement into the village.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The most that could be said of Rickett was that it had a courthouse and plenty of quiet so perfect that the minds of the office holders could turn and turn and hear no sound saving their own turning.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading There were, of course, more buildings than the courthouse, but not so many that they could not be grouped conveniently along one street.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading The hush which rested over Rickett was never broken except in the periods immediately after the spring and fall round-ups when the saloons and gaming tables were suddenly flooded with business.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading The hush which rested over Rickett was never broken except in the periods immediately after the spring and fall round-ups when the saloons and gaming tables were suddenly flooded with business.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading The hush which rested over Rickett was never broken except in the periods immediately after the spring and fall round-ups when the saloons and gaming tables were suddenly flooded with business.