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The Soldier Boy
The Soldier Boy

Chapter XXIV

Cover illustration for The Soldier Boy
Context Illustration Reading 1/28 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
IN THE HOSPITAL.
The night was very dark, so that the rebels in the boat could not distinguish the uniform of those who had applied for a passage on the schooner.
Perhaps Tom Somers's experience in the Blue Ridge and on the Shenandoah had improved his strategic ability, so that his words and his manner seemed plausible.
But as strategy and cunning always owe their success to the comparative stupidity of the victims, Tom and his companions gained the half-deck of the schooner more by the palpable blundering of her crew than through the brilliancy of their own scheme.
Tom did not stop, in the midst of the exciting enterprise, to determine the particular reason of his success, as we, his humble biographer, have done.
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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 Soldier Boy

Chapter XXIV

Reading 1/28 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
IN THE HOSPITAL.
Line 2
The night was very dark, so that the rebels in the boat could not distinguish the uniform of those who had applied for a passage on the schooner.
Line 3
Perhaps Tom Somers's experience in the Blue Ridge and on the Shenandoah had improved his strategic ability, so that his words and his manner seemed plausible.
Line 4
But as strategy and cunning always owe their success to the comparative stupidity of the victims, Tom and his companions gained the half-deck of the schooner more by the palpable blundering of her crew than through the brilliancy of their own scheme.
Line 5
Tom did not stop, in the midst of the exciting enterprise, to determine the particular reason of his success, as we, his humble biographer, have done.

Learner Dictionary

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

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

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

From this reading “The night was very dark, so that the rebels in the boat could not distinguish the uniform of those who had applied for a passage on the schooner.”

Crew noun US /crew/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “But as strategy and cunning always owe their success to the comparative stupidity of the victims, Tom and his companions gained the half-deck of the schooner more by the palpable blundering of her crew than through the brilliancy of their own scheme.”

Done noun US /done/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Tom did not stop, in the midst of the exciting enterprise, to determine the particular reason of his success, as we, his humble biographer, have done.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “Tom did not stop, in the midst of the exciting enterprise, to determine the particular reason of his success, as we, his humble biographer, have done.”

Passage noun US /ˈpassage/

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

From this reading “The night was very dark, so that the rebels in the boat could not distinguish the uniform of those who had applied for a passage on the schooner.”

Perhaps noun US /perhaps/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Perhaps Tom Somers's experience in the Blue Ridge and on the Shenandoah had improved his strategic ability, so that his words and his manner seemed plausible.”

Schooner noun US /ˈskuːnər/

a sailing ship with two or more masts

From this reading “The night was very dark, so that the rebels in the boat could not distinguish the uniform of those who had applied for a passage on the schooner.”

Seemed noun US /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Perhaps Tom Somers's experience in the Blue Ridge and on the Shenandoah had improved his strategic ability, so that his words and his manner seemed plausible.”

Those determiner US /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading “The night was very dark, so that the rebels in the boat could not distinguish the uniform of those who had applied for a passage on the schooner.”

Through noun US /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading “But as strategy and cunning always owe their success to the comparative stupidity of the victims, Tom and his companions gained the half-deck of the schooner more by the palpable blundering of her crew than through the brilliancy of their own scheme.”

All words in this reading · 80

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 night was very dark, so that the rebels in the boat could not distinguish the uniform of those who had applied for a passage on the schooner.

ability

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

From this reading Perhaps Tom Somers's experience in the Blue Ridge and on the Shenandoah had improved his strategic ability, so that his words and his manner seemed plausible.

always

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

From this reading But as strategy and cunning always owe their success to the comparative stupidity of the victims, Tom and his companions gained the half-deck of the schooner more by the palpable blundering of her crew than through the brilliancy of their own scheme.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Perhaps Tom Somers's experience in the Blue Ridge and on the Shenandoah had improved his strategic ability, so that his words and his manner seemed plausible.

applied

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

From this reading The night was very dark, so that the rebels in the boat could not distinguish the uniform of those who had applied for a passage on the schooner.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading But as strategy and cunning always owe their success to the comparative stupidity of the victims, Tom and his companions gained the half-deck of the schooner more by the palpable blundering of her crew than through the brilliancy of their own scheme.

biographer

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

From this reading Tom did not stop, in the midst of the exciting enterprise, to determine the particular reason of his success, as we, his humble biographer, have done.

Blue

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

From this reading Perhaps Tom Somers's experience in the Blue Ridge and on the Shenandoah had improved his strategic ability, so that his words and his manner seemed plausible.

blundering

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

From this reading But as strategy and cunning always owe their success to the comparative stupidity of the victims, Tom and his companions gained the half-deck of the schooner more by the palpable blundering of her crew than through the brilliancy of their own scheme.

boat

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

From this reading The night was very dark, so that the rebels in the boat could not distinguish the uniform of those who had applied for a passage on the schooner.

brilliancy

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

From this reading But as strategy and cunning always owe their success to the comparative stupidity of the victims, Tom and his companions gained the half-deck of the schooner more by the palpable blundering of her crew than through the brilliancy of their own scheme.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But as strategy and cunning always owe their success to the comparative stupidity of the victims, Tom and his companions gained the half-deck of the schooner more by the palpable blundering of her crew than through the brilliancy of their own scheme.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading But as strategy and cunning always owe their success to the comparative stupidity of the victims, Tom and his companions gained the half-deck of the schooner more by the palpable blundering of her crew than through the brilliancy of their own scheme.

companions

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

From this reading But as strategy and cunning always owe their success to the comparative stupidity of the victims, Tom and his companions gained the half-deck of the schooner more by the palpable blundering of her crew than through the brilliancy of their own scheme.

comparative

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

From this reading But as strategy and cunning always owe their success to the comparative stupidity of the victims, Tom and his companions gained the half-deck of the schooner more by the palpable blundering of her crew than through the brilliancy of their own scheme.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading The night was very dark, so that the rebels in the boat could not distinguish the uniform of those who had applied for a passage on the schooner.

crewnounUS /crew/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading But as strategy and cunning always owe their success to the comparative stupidity of the victims, Tom and his companions gained the half-deck of the schooner more by the palpable blundering of her crew than through the brilliancy of their own scheme.

cunning

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

From this reading But as strategy and cunning always owe their success to the comparative stupidity of the victims, Tom and his companions gained the half-deck of the schooner more by the palpable blundering of her crew than through the brilliancy of their own scheme.

dark

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

From this reading The night was very dark, so that the rebels in the boat could not distinguish the uniform of those who had applied for a passage on the schooner.

determine

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

From this reading Tom did not stop, in the midst of the exciting enterprise, to determine the particular reason of his success, as we, his humble biographer, have done.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

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

From this reading Tom did not stop, in the midst of the exciting enterprise, to determine the particular reason of his success, as we, his humble biographer, have done.

distinguish

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

From this reading The night was very dark, so that the rebels in the boat could not distinguish the uniform of those who had applied for a passage on the schooner.

donenounUS /done/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Tom did not stop, in the midst of the exciting enterprise, to determine the particular reason of his success, as we, his humble biographer, have done.

enterprise

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

From this reading Tom did not stop, in the midst of the exciting enterprise, to determine the particular reason of his success, as we, his humble biographer, have done.

exciting

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

From this reading Tom did not stop, in the midst of the exciting enterprise, to determine the particular reason of his success, as we, his humble biographer, have done.

experience

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

From this reading Perhaps Tom Somers's experience in the Blue Ridge and on the Shenandoah had improved his strategic ability, so that his words and his manner seemed plausible.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading The night was very dark, so that the rebels in the boat could not distinguish the uniform of those who had applied for a passage on the schooner.

gained

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

From this reading But as strategy and cunning always owe their success to the comparative stupidity of the victims, Tom and his companions gained the half-deck of the schooner more by the palpable blundering of her crew than through the brilliancy of their own scheme.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The night was very dark, so that the rebels in the boat could not distinguish the uniform of those who had applied for a passage on the schooner.

half-deck

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

From this reading But as strategy and cunning always owe their success to the comparative stupidity of the victims, Tom and his companions gained the half-deck of the schooner more by the palpable blundering of her crew than through the brilliancy of their own scheme.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Tom did not stop, in the midst of the exciting enterprise, to determine the particular reason of his success, as we, his humble biographer, have done.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading But as strategy and cunning always owe their success to the comparative stupidity of the victims, Tom and his companions gained the half-deck of the schooner more by the palpable blundering of her crew than through the brilliancy of their own scheme.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Perhaps Tom Somers's experience in the Blue Ridge and on the Shenandoah had improved his strategic ability, so that his words and his manner seemed plausible.

HOSPITAL

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

From this reading IN THE HOSPITAL.

humble

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

From this reading Tom did not stop, in the midst of the exciting enterprise, to determine the particular reason of his success, as we, his humble biographer, have done.

improved

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

From this reading Perhaps Tom Somers's experience in the Blue Ridge and on the Shenandoah had improved his strategic ability, so that his words and his manner seemed plausible.

INprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading IN THE HOSPITAL.

manner

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

From this reading Perhaps Tom Somers's experience in the Blue Ridge and on the Shenandoah had improved his strategic ability, so that his words and his manner seemed plausible.

midst

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

From this reading Tom did not stop, in the midst of the exciting enterprise, to determine the particular reason of his success, as we, his humble biographer, have done.

more

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

From this reading But as strategy and cunning always owe their success to the comparative stupidity of the victims, Tom and his companions gained the half-deck of the schooner more by the palpable blundering of her crew than through the brilliancy of their own scheme.

night

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

From this reading The night was very dark, so that the rebels in the boat could not distinguish the uniform of those who had applied for a passage on the schooner.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading The night was very dark, so that the rebels in the boat could not distinguish the uniform of those who had applied for a passage on the schooner.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The night was very dark, so that the rebels in the boat could not distinguish the uniform of those who had applied for a passage on the schooner.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The night was very dark, so that the rebels in the boat could not distinguish the uniform of those who had applied for a passage on the schooner.

owe

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

From this reading But as strategy and cunning always owe their success to the comparative stupidity of the victims, Tom and his companions gained the half-deck of the schooner more by the palpable blundering of her crew than through the brilliancy of their own scheme.

own

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

From this reading But as strategy and cunning always owe their success to the comparative stupidity of the victims, Tom and his companions gained the half-deck of the schooner more by the palpable blundering of her crew than through the brilliancy of their own scheme.

palpable

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

From this reading But as strategy and cunning always owe their success to the comparative stupidity of the victims, Tom and his companions gained the half-deck of the schooner more by the palpable blundering of her crew than through the brilliancy of their own scheme.

particular

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

From this reading Tom did not stop, in the midst of the exciting enterprise, to determine the particular reason of his success, as we, his humble biographer, have done.

passagenounUS /ˈpassage/

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

From this reading The night was very dark, so that the rebels in the boat could not distinguish the uniform of those who had applied for a passage on the schooner.

Perhaps

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

From this reading Perhaps Tom Somers's experience in the Blue Ridge and on the Shenandoah had improved his strategic ability, so that his words and his manner seemed plausible.

plausible

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

From this reading Perhaps Tom Somers's experience in the Blue Ridge and on the Shenandoah had improved his strategic ability, so that his words and his manner seemed plausible.

reason

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

From this reading Tom did not stop, in the midst of the exciting enterprise, to determine the particular reason of his success, as we, his humble biographer, have done.

rebels

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

From this reading The night was very dark, so that the rebels in the boat could not distinguish the uniform of those who had applied for a passage on the schooner.

Ridge

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

From this reading Perhaps Tom Somers's experience in the Blue Ridge and on the Shenandoah had improved his strategic ability, so that his words and his manner seemed plausible.

scheme

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

From this reading But as strategy and cunning always owe their success to the comparative stupidity of the victims, Tom and his companions gained the half-deck of the schooner more by the palpable blundering of her crew than through the brilliancy of their own scheme.

schoonernounUS /ˈskuːnər/

a sailing ship with two or more masts

From this reading The night was very dark, so that the rebels in the boat could not distinguish the uniform of those who had applied for a passage on the schooner.

seemednounUS /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Perhaps Tom Somers's experience in the Blue Ridge and on the Shenandoah had improved his strategic ability, so that his words and his manner seemed plausible.

Shenandoah

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

From this reading Perhaps Tom Somers's experience in the Blue Ridge and on the Shenandoah had improved his strategic ability, so that his words and his manner seemed plausible.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading The night was very dark, so that the rebels in the boat could not distinguish the uniform of those who had applied for a passage on the schooner.

Somers's

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

From this reading Perhaps Tom Somers's experience in the Blue Ridge and on the Shenandoah had improved his strategic ability, so that his words and his manner seemed plausible.

stop

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

From this reading Tom did not stop, in the midst of the exciting enterprise, to determine the particular reason of his success, as we, his humble biographer, have done.

strategic

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

From this reading Perhaps Tom Somers's experience in the Blue Ridge and on the Shenandoah had improved his strategic ability, so that his words and his manner seemed plausible.

strategy

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

From this reading But as strategy and cunning always owe their success to the comparative stupidity of the victims, Tom and his companions gained the half-deck of the schooner more by the palpable blundering of her crew than through the brilliancy of their own scheme.

stupidity

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

From this reading But as strategy and cunning always owe their success to the comparative stupidity of the victims, Tom and his companions gained the half-deck of the schooner more by the palpable blundering of her crew than through the brilliancy of their own scheme.

success

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

From this reading But as strategy and cunning always owe their success to the comparative stupidity of the victims, Tom and his companions gained the half-deck of the schooner more by the palpable blundering of her crew than through the brilliancy of their own scheme.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading But as strategy and cunning always owe their success to the comparative stupidity of the victims, Tom and his companions gained the half-deck of the schooner more by the palpable blundering of her crew than through the brilliancy of their own scheme.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The night was very dark, so that the rebels in the boat could not distinguish the uniform of those who had applied for a passage on the schooner.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading IN THE HOSPITAL.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading But as strategy and cunning always owe their success to the comparative stupidity of the victims, Tom and his companions gained the half-deck of the schooner more by the palpable blundering of her crew than through the brilliancy of their own scheme.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading The night was very dark, so that the rebels in the boat could not distinguish the uniform of those who had applied for a passage on the schooner.

throughnounUS /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading But as strategy and cunning always owe their success to the comparative stupidity of the victims, Tom and his companions gained the half-deck of the schooner more by the palpable blundering of her crew than through the brilliancy of their own scheme.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading But as strategy and cunning always owe their success to the comparative stupidity of the victims, Tom and his companions gained the half-deck of the schooner more by the palpable blundering of her crew than through the brilliancy of their own scheme.

Tom

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

From this reading Perhaps Tom Somers's experience in the Blue Ridge and on the Shenandoah had improved his strategic ability, so that his words and his manner seemed plausible.

uniform

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

From this reading The night was very dark, so that the rebels in the boat could not distinguish the uniform of those who had applied for a passage on the schooner.

very

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

From this reading The night was very dark, so that the rebels in the boat could not distinguish the uniform of those who had applied for a passage on the schooner.

victims

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

From this reading But as strategy and cunning always owe their success to the comparative stupidity of the victims, Tom and his companions gained the half-deck of the schooner more by the palpable blundering of her crew than through the brilliancy of their own scheme.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The night was very dark, so that the rebels in the boat could not distinguish the uniform of those who had applied for a passage on the schooner.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading Tom did not stop, in the midst of the exciting enterprise, to determine the particular reason of his success, as we, his humble biographer, have done.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading The night was very dark, so that the rebels in the boat could not distinguish the uniform of those who had applied for a passage on the schooner.

words

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

From this reading Perhaps Tom Somers's experience in the Blue Ridge and on the Shenandoah had improved his strategic ability, so that his words and his manner seemed plausible.