Chapter XIII
“You don’t know how to go about it, sir. How could you? All this whispering and tiptoeing is no good. You can’t hope to slink past a cunning, wide-awake, evil brute like he was. You never heard him talk.
The Shadow Line: A Confession
Chapter XIII
English subtitles · tap any word to listen
1 / 5
“You
don’t
know
how
to
go
about
it,
sir.
How
could
you?
All
this
whispering
and
tiptoeing
is
no
good.
You
can’t
hope
to
slink
past
a
cunning,
wide-awake,
evil
brute
like
he
was.
You
never
heard
him
talk.
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Line 1
“You
don’t
know
how
to
go
about
it,
sir.
Line 2
How
could
you?
Line 3
All
this
whispering
and
tiptoeing
is
no
good.
Line 4
You
can’t
hope
to
slink
past
a
cunning,
wide-awake,
evil
brute
like
he
was.
Line 5
You
never
heard
him
talk.
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 ““You don’t know how to go about it, sir.”
Could
modal verb
US /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading “How could you?”
Good
noun
US /good/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “All this whispering and tiptoeing is no good.”
Know
noun
US /know/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading ““You don’t know how to go about it, sir.”
Never
noun
US /never/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “You never heard him talk.”
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.
adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading You can’t hope to slink past a cunning, wide-awake, evil brute like he was.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “You don’t know how to go about it, sir.
All
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading All this whispering and tiptoeing is no good.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading All this whispering and tiptoeing is no good.
brute
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You can’t hope to slink past a cunning, wide-awake, evil brute like he was.
can't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You can’t hope to slink past a cunning, wide-awake, evil brute like he was.
couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading How could you?
cunning
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You can’t hope to slink past a cunning, wide-awake, evil brute like he was.
don't
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You don’t know how to go about it, sir.
evil
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You can’t hope to slink past a cunning, wide-awake, evil brute like he was.
go
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You don’t know how to go about it, sir.
goodnounUS /good/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading All this whispering and tiptoeing is no good.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading You can’t hope to slink past a cunning, wide-awake, evil brute like he was.
heard
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You never heard him talk.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading You never heard him talk.
hope
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You can’t hope to slink past a cunning, wide-awake, evil brute like he was.
how
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You don’t know how to go about it, sir.
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading All this whispering and tiptoeing is no good.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “You don’t know how to go about it, sir.
knownounUS /know/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “You don’t know how to go about it, sir.
like
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You can’t hope to slink past a cunning, wide-awake, evil brute like he was.
nevernounUS /never/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading You never heard him talk.
nodeterminerUS /noʊ/
not any; not one
From this reading All this whispering and tiptoeing is no good.
past
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You can’t hope to slink past a cunning, wide-awake, evil brute like he was.
sir
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You don’t know how to go about it, sir.
slink
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You can’t hope to slink past a cunning, wide-awake, evil brute like he was.
talk
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You never heard him talk.
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading All this whispering and tiptoeing is no good.
tiptoeing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading All this whispering and tiptoeing is no good.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “You don’t know how to go about it, sir.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading You can’t hope to slink past a cunning, wide-awake, evil brute like he was.
whispering
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading All this whispering and tiptoeing is no good.
wide-awake
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You can’t hope to slink past a cunning, wide-awake, evil brute like he was.
YoupronounUS /juː/
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You don’t know how to go about it, sir.