Chapter I
Breaking the News. "Mamma, what was that I heard papa saying to you this morning about his lawsuit?" "I cannot tell you just now. Ellen, pick up that shawl and spread it over me." "Mamma!
The Wide, Wide World
Chapter I
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1 / 5
Breaking
the
News.
"Mamma,
what
was
that
I
heard
papa
saying
to
you
this
morning
about
his
lawsuit?"
"I
cannot
tell
you
just
now.
Ellen,
pick
up
that
shawl
and
spread
it
over
me."
"Mamma!
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Line 1
Breaking
the
News.
Line 2
"Mamma,
what
was
that
I
heard
papa
saying
to
you
this
morning
about
his
lawsuit?"
Line 3
"I
cannot
tell
you
just
now.
Line 4
Ellen,
pick
up
that
shawl
and
spread
it
over
me."
Line 5
"Mamma!
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 “"Mamma, what was that I heard papa saying to you this morning about his lawsuit?"”
Morning
noun
US /morning/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “"Mamma, what was that I heard papa saying to you this morning about his lawsuit?"”
Over
preposition
US /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading “Ellen, pick up that shawl and spread it over me."”
Tell
noun
US /tell/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading “"I cannot tell you just now.”
All words in this reading · 31
Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "Mamma, what was that I heard papa saying to you this morning about his lawsuit?"
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Ellen, pick up that shawl and spread it over me."
Breaking
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Breaking the News.
cannot
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I cannot tell you just now.
Ellen
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ellen, pick up that shawl and spread it over me."
heard
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Mamma, what was that I heard papa saying to you this morning about his lawsuit?"
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Mamma, what was that I heard papa saying to you this morning about his lawsuit?"
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Mamma, what was that I heard papa saying to you this morning about his lawsuit?"
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Ellen, pick up that shawl and spread it over me."
just
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I cannot tell you just now.
lawsuit
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Mamma, what was that I heard papa saying to you this morning about his lawsuit?"
Mamma
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Mamma, what was that I heard papa saying to you this morning about his lawsuit?"
mepronounUS /miː/
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Ellen, pick up that shawl and spread it over me."
morningnounUS /morning/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading "Mamma, what was that I heard papa saying to you this morning about his lawsuit?"
News
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Breaking the News.
now
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I cannot tell you just now.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading Ellen, pick up that shawl and spread it over me."
papa
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Mamma, what was that I heard papa saying to you this morning about his lawsuit?"
pick
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ellen, pick up that shawl and spread it over me."
saying
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Mamma, what was that I heard papa saying to you this morning about his lawsuit?"
shawl
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ellen, pick up that shawl and spread it over me."
spread
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ellen, pick up that shawl and spread it over me."
tellnounUS /tell/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading "I cannot tell you just now.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Mamma, what was that I heard papa saying to you this morning about his lawsuit?"
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Breaking the News.
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Mamma, what was that I heard papa saying to you this morning about his lawsuit?"
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Mamma, what was that I heard papa saying to you this morning about his lawsuit?"
up
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ellen, pick up that shawl and spread it over me."
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Mamma, what was that I heard papa saying to you this morning about his lawsuit?"
whatpronounUS /wʌt/
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Mamma, what was that I heard papa saying to you this morning about his lawsuit?"
youpronounUS /juː/
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Mamma, what was that I heard papa saying to you this morning about his lawsuit?"