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Across the Andes
Across the Andes

Chapter XVIII · By Pack Mule Through the Jungle

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Context Illustration Reading 1/21 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
It was useless to attempt to battle with the river further.
Above, before Mapiri could be reached, were narrower cañons where there were only handholds and often not that, where the cañons were often nothing more than a polished flume of rock.
It had taken the Leccos two failures and over a month of the most gruelling work when they finally reached us before in that village, and then they had been living on berries and roots and palm-nuts for the last two days.
So we decided on the overland trail to Mapiri.
There we could get our saddles and outfit for the trail over the high passes.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Across the Andes

Chapter XVIII · By Pack Mule Through the Jungle

Reading 1/21 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
It was useless to attempt to battle with the river further.
Line 2
Above, before Mapiri could be reached, were narrower cañons where there were only handholds and often not that, where the cañons were often nothing more than a polished flume of rock.
Line 3
It had taken the Leccos two failures and over a month of the most gruelling work when they finally reached us before in that village, and then they had been living on berries and roots and palm-nuts for the last two days.
Line 4
So we decided on the overland trail to Mapiri.
Line 5
There we could get our saddles and outfit for the trail over the high passes.

Learner Dictionary

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

Above preposition US /əˈbʌv/

higher than, or over, something

From this reading “Above, before Mapiri could be reached, were narrower cañons where there were only handholds and often not that, where the cañons were often nothing more than a polished flume of rock.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “It had taken the Leccos two failures and over a month of the most gruelling work when they finally reached us before in that village, and then they had been living on berries and roots and palm-nuts for the last two days.”

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “Above, before Mapiri could be reached, were narrower cañons where there were only handholds and often not that, where the cañons were often nothing more than a polished flume of rock.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

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

From this reading “Above, before Mapiri could be reached, were narrower cañons where there were only handholds and often not that, where the cañons were often nothing more than a polished flume of rock.”

Last noun US /last/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It had taken the Leccos two failures and over a month of the most gruelling work when they finally reached us before in that village, and then they had been living on berries and roots and palm-nuts for the last two days.”

Nothing pronoun US /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading “Above, before Mapiri could be reached, were narrower cañons where there were only handholds and often not that, where the cañons were often nothing more than a polished flume of rock.”

Over preposition US /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading “It had taken the Leccos two failures and over a month of the most gruelling work when they finally reached us before in that village, and then they had been living on berries and roots and palm-nuts for the last two days.”

All words in this reading · 72

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 Above, before Mapiri could be reached, were narrower cañons where there were only handholds and often not that, where the cañons were often nothing more than a polished flume of rock.

AboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/

higher than, or over, something

From this reading Above, before Mapiri could be reached, were narrower cañons where there were only handholds and often not that, where the cañons were often nothing more than a polished flume of rock.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Above, before Mapiri could be reached, were narrower cañons where there were only handholds and often not that, where the cañons were often nothing more than a polished flume of rock.

attempt

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

From this reading It was useless to attempt to battle with the river further.

battle

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

From this reading It was useless to attempt to battle with the river further.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading Above, before Mapiri could be reached, were narrower cañons where there were only handholds and often not that, where the cañons were often nothing more than a polished flume of rock.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading It had taken the Leccos two failures and over a month of the most gruelling work when they finally reached us before in that village, and then they had been living on berries and roots and palm-nuts for the last two days.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading Above, before Mapiri could be reached, were narrower cañons where there were only handholds and often not that, where the cañons were often nothing more than a polished flume of rock.

berries

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

From this reading It had taken the Leccos two failures and over a month of the most gruelling work when they finally reached us before in that village, and then they had been living on berries and roots and palm-nuts for the last two days.

cañons

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

From this reading Above, before Mapiri could be reached, were narrower cañons where there were only handholds and often not that, where the cañons were often nothing more than a polished flume of rock.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading Above, before Mapiri could be reached, were narrower cañons where there were only handholds and often not that, where the cañons were often nothing more than a polished flume of rock.

days

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

From this reading It had taken the Leccos two failures and over a month of the most gruelling work when they finally reached us before in that village, and then they had been living on berries and roots and palm-nuts for the last two days.

decided

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

From this reading So we decided on the overland trail to Mapiri.

failures

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

From this reading It had taken the Leccos two failures and over a month of the most gruelling work when they finally reached us before in that village, and then they had been living on berries and roots and palm-nuts for the last two days.

finally

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

From this reading It had taken the Leccos two failures and over a month of the most gruelling work when they finally reached us before in that village, and then they had been living on berries and roots and palm-nuts for the last two days.

flume

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

From this reading Above, before Mapiri could be reached, were narrower cañons where there were only handholds and often not that, where the cañons were often nothing more than a polished flume of rock.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading It had taken the Leccos two failures and over a month of the most gruelling work when they finally reached us before in that village, and then they had been living on berries and roots and palm-nuts for the last two days.

further

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

From this reading It was useless to attempt to battle with the river further.

get

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

From this reading There we could get our saddles and outfit for the trail over the high passes.

gruelling

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

From this reading It had taken the Leccos two failures and over a month of the most gruelling work when they finally reached us before in that village, and then they had been living on berries and roots and palm-nuts for the last two days.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading It had taken the Leccos two failures and over a month of the most gruelling work when they finally reached us before in that village, and then they had been living on berries and roots and palm-nuts for the last two days.

handholds

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

From this reading Above, before Mapiri could be reached, were narrower cañons where there were only handholds and often not that, where the cañons were often nothing more than a polished flume of rock.

high

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

From this reading There we could get our saddles and outfit for the trail over the high passes.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading It had taken the Leccos two failures and over a month of the most gruelling work when they finally reached us before in that village, and then they had been living on berries and roots and palm-nuts for the last two days.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was useless to attempt to battle with the river further.

lastnounUS /last/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It had taken the Leccos two failures and over a month of the most gruelling work when they finally reached us before in that village, and then they had been living on berries and roots and palm-nuts for the last two days.

Leccos

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

From this reading It had taken the Leccos two failures and over a month of the most gruelling work when they finally reached us before in that village, and then they had been living on berries and roots and palm-nuts for the last two days.

living

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

From this reading It had taken the Leccos two failures and over a month of the most gruelling work when they finally reached us before in that village, and then they had been living on berries and roots and palm-nuts for the last two days.

Mapiri

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

From this reading Above, before Mapiri could be reached, were narrower cañons where there were only handholds and often not that, where the cañons were often nothing more than a polished flume of rock.

month

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

From this reading It had taken the Leccos two failures and over a month of the most gruelling work when they finally reached us before in that village, and then they had been living on berries and roots and palm-nuts for the last two days.

more

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

From this reading Above, before Mapiri could be reached, were narrower cañons where there were only handholds and often not that, where the cañons were often nothing more than a polished flume of rock.

most

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

From this reading It had taken the Leccos two failures and over a month of the most gruelling work when they finally reached us before in that village, and then they had been living on berries and roots and palm-nuts for the last two days.

narrower

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

From this reading Above, before Mapiri could be reached, were narrower cañons where there were only handholds and often not that, where the cañons were often nothing more than a polished flume of rock.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Above, before Mapiri could be reached, were narrower cañons where there were only handholds and often not that, where the cañons were often nothing more than a polished flume of rock.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading Above, before Mapiri could be reached, were narrower cañons where there were only handholds and often not that, where the cañons were often nothing more than a polished flume of rock.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Above, before Mapiri could be reached, were narrower cañons where there were only handholds and often not that, where the cañons were often nothing more than a polished flume of rock.

often

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

From this reading Above, before Mapiri could be reached, were narrower cañons where there were only handholds and often not that, where the cañons were often nothing more than a polished flume of rock.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading It had taken the Leccos two failures and over a month of the most gruelling work when they finally reached us before in that village, and then they had been living on berries and roots and palm-nuts for the last two days.

only

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

From this reading Above, before Mapiri could be reached, were narrower cañons where there were only handholds and often not that, where the cañons were often nothing more than a polished flume of rock.

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading There we could get our saddles and outfit for the trail over the high passes.

outfit

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

From this reading There we could get our saddles and outfit for the trail over the high passes.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading It had taken the Leccos two failures and over a month of the most gruelling work when they finally reached us before in that village, and then they had been living on berries and roots and palm-nuts for the last two days.

overland

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

From this reading So we decided on the overland trail to Mapiri.

palm-nuts

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

From this reading It had taken the Leccos two failures and over a month of the most gruelling work when they finally reached us before in that village, and then they had been living on berries and roots and palm-nuts for the last two days.

passes

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

From this reading There we could get our saddles and outfit for the trail over the high passes.

polished

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

From this reading Above, before Mapiri could be reached, were narrower cañons where there were only handholds and often not that, where the cañons were often nothing more than a polished flume of rock.

reached

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

From this reading Above, before Mapiri could be reached, were narrower cañons where there were only handholds and often not that, where the cañons were often nothing more than a polished flume of rock.

river

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

From this reading It was useless to attempt to battle with the river further.

rock

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

From this reading Above, before Mapiri could be reached, were narrower cañons where there were only handholds and often not that, where the cañons were often nothing more than a polished flume of rock.

roots

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

From this reading It had taken the Leccos two failures and over a month of the most gruelling work when they finally reached us before in that village, and then they had been living on berries and roots and palm-nuts for the last two days.

saddles

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

From this reading There we could get our saddles and outfit for the trail over the high passes.

SoconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading So we decided on the overland trail to Mapiri.

taken

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

From this reading It had taken the Leccos two failures and over a month of the most gruelling work when they finally reached us before in that village, and then they had been living on berries and roots and palm-nuts for the last two days.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading Above, before Mapiri could be reached, were narrower cañons where there were only handholds and often not that, where the cañons were often nothing more than a polished flume of rock.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Above, before Mapiri could be reached, were narrower cañons where there were only handholds and often not that, where the cañons were often nothing more than a polished flume of rock.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading It was useless to attempt to battle with the river further.

then

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

From this reading It had taken the Leccos two failures and over a month of the most gruelling work when they finally reached us before in that village, and then they had been living on berries and roots and palm-nuts for the last two days.

there

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

From this reading Above, before Mapiri could be reached, were narrower cañons where there were only handholds and often not that, where the cañons were often nothing more than a polished flume of rock.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading It had taken the Leccos two failures and over a month of the most gruelling work when they finally reached us before in that village, and then they had been living on berries and roots and palm-nuts for the last two days.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading It was useless to attempt to battle with the river further.

trail

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

From this reading So we decided on the overland trail to Mapiri.

two

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

From this reading It had taken the Leccos two failures and over a month of the most gruelling work when they finally reached us before in that village, and then they had been living on berries and roots and palm-nuts for the last two days.

uspronounUS /ʌs/

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading It had taken the Leccos two failures and over a month of the most gruelling work when they finally reached us before in that village, and then they had been living on berries and roots and palm-nuts for the last two days.

useless

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

From this reading It was useless to attempt to battle with the river further.

village

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

From this reading It had taken the Leccos two failures and over a month of the most gruelling work when they finally reached us before in that village, and then they had been living on berries and roots and palm-nuts for the last two days.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading It was useless to attempt to battle with the river further.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading So we decided on the overland trail to Mapiri.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading Above, before Mapiri could be reached, were narrower cañons where there were only handholds and often not that, where the cañons were often nothing more than a polished flume of rock.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading It had taken the Leccos two failures and over a month of the most gruelling work when they finally reached us before in that village, and then they had been living on berries and roots and palm-nuts for the last two days.

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading Above, before Mapiri could be reached, were narrower cañons where there were only handholds and often not that, where the cañons were often nothing more than a polished flume of rock.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading It was useless to attempt to battle with the river further.

work

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

From this reading It had taken the Leccos two failures and over a month of the most gruelling work when they finally reached us before in that village, and then they had been living on berries and roots and palm-nuts for the last two days.