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The Island of Doctor Moreau
The Island of Doctor Moreau

Chapter II

Chapter 2, section 1: “But, Montgomery,” I appealed. He distorted his lower lip, and nodded his head hopelessly at the grey-haired man beside him, to indicate his powerlessness to help me. “I’ll see to
Context Illustration Reading 1/83 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
“But, Montgomery,” I appealed.
He distorted his lower lip, and nodded his head hopelessly at the grey-haired man beside him, to indicate his powerlessness to help me.
“I’ll see to _you_, presently,” said the captain.
Then began a curious three-cornered altercation.
Alternately I appealed to one and another of the three men,—first to the grey-haired man to let me land, and then to the drunken captain to keep me aboard.
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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 Island of Doctor Moreau

Chapter II

Reading 1/83 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
“But, Montgomery,” I appealed.
Line 2
He distorted his lower lip, and nodded his head hopelessly at the grey-haired man beside him, to indicate his powerlessness to help me.
Line 3
“I’ll see to _you_, presently,” said the captain.
Line 4
Then began a curious three-cornered altercation.
Line 5
Alternately I appealed to one and another of the three men,—first to the grey-haired man to let me land, and then to the drunken captain to keep me aboard.

Learner Dictionary

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

montgomery noun US /mɑːntˈɡʌmri/

Canadian novelist (1874-1942)

From this reading ““But, Montgomery,” I appealed.”

Collocations
But MontgomeryA source-grounded phrase from this reading.
Montgomery IA source-grounded phrase from this reading.
All words in this reading · 48

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 Then began a curious three-cornered altercation.

aboard

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

From this reading Alternately I appealed to one and another of the three men,—first to the grey-haired man to let me land, and then to the drunken captain to keep me aboard.

altercation

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

From this reading Then began a curious three-cornered altercation.

Alternately

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

From this reading Alternately I appealed to one and another of the three men,—first to the grey-haired man to let me land, and then to the drunken captain to keep me aboard.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading He distorted his lower lip, and nodded his head hopelessly at the grey-haired man beside him, to indicate his powerlessness to help me.

anothernounUS /ˈanother/

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

From this reading Alternately I appealed to one and another of the three men,—first to the grey-haired man to let me land, and then to the drunken captain to keep me aboard.

appealed

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

From this reading “But, Montgomery,” I appealed.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading He distorted his lower lip, and nodded his head hopelessly at the grey-haired man beside him, to indicate his powerlessness to help me.

begannounUS /began/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Then began a curious three-cornered altercation.

besideprepositionUS /bɪˈsaɪd/

next to; at the side of

From this reading He distorted his lower lip, and nodded his head hopelessly at the grey-haired man beside him, to indicate his powerlessness to help me.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading “But, Montgomery,” I appealed.

captainnounUS /ˈcaptain/

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

From this reading “I’ll see to _you_, presently,” said the captain.

curious

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

From this reading Then began a curious three-cornered altercation.

distorted

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

From this reading He distorted his lower lip, and nodded his head hopelessly at the grey-haired man beside him, to indicate his powerlessness to help me.

drunken

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

From this reading Alternately I appealed to one and another of the three men,—first to the grey-haired man to let me land, and then to the drunken captain to keep me aboard.

firstnounUS /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Alternately I appealed to one and another of the three men,—first to the grey-haired man to let me land, and then to the drunken captain to keep me aboard.

grey-haired

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

From this reading He distorted his lower lip, and nodded his head hopelessly at the grey-haired man beside him, to indicate his powerlessness to help me.

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He distorted his lower lip, and nodded his head hopelessly at the grey-haired man beside him, to indicate his powerlessness to help me.

head

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

From this reading He distorted his lower lip, and nodded his head hopelessly at the grey-haired man beside him, to indicate his powerlessness to help me.

helpnounUS /help/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He distorted his lower lip, and nodded his head hopelessly at the grey-haired man beside him, to indicate his powerlessness to help me.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading He distorted his lower lip, and nodded his head hopelessly at the grey-haired man beside him, to indicate his powerlessness to help me.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading He distorted his lower lip, and nodded his head hopelessly at the grey-haired man beside him, to indicate his powerlessness to help me.

hopelessly

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

From this reading He distorted his lower lip, and nodded his head hopelessly at the grey-haired man beside him, to indicate his powerlessness to help me.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading “But, Montgomery,” I appealed.

I'll

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

From this reading “I’ll see to _you_, presently,” said the captain.

indicate

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

From this reading He distorted his lower lip, and nodded his head hopelessly at the grey-haired man beside him, to indicate his powerlessness to help me.

keep

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

From this reading Alternately I appealed to one and another of the three men,—first to the grey-haired man to let me land, and then to the drunken captain to keep me aboard.

land

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

From this reading Alternately I appealed to one and another of the three men,—first to the grey-haired man to let me land, and then to the drunken captain to keep me aboard.

letauxiliary verbUS /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading Alternately I appealed to one and another of the three men,—first to the grey-haired man to let me land, and then to the drunken captain to keep me aboard.

lip

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

From this reading He distorted his lower lip, and nodded his head hopelessly at the grey-haired man beside him, to indicate his powerlessness to help me.

lower

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

From this reading He distorted his lower lip, and nodded his head hopelessly at the grey-haired man beside him, to indicate his powerlessness to help me.

man

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

From this reading He distorted his lower lip, and nodded his head hopelessly at the grey-haired man beside him, to indicate his powerlessness to help me.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading He distorted his lower lip, and nodded his head hopelessly at the grey-haired man beside him, to indicate his powerlessness to help me.

men

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

From this reading Alternately I appealed to one and another of the three men,—first to the grey-haired man to let me land, and then to the drunken captain to keep me aboard.

MontgomerynounUS /mɑːntˈɡʌmri/

Canadian novelist (1874-1942)

From this reading “But, Montgomery,” I appealed.

noddednounUS /nodded/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He distorted his lower lip, and nodded his head hopelessly at the grey-haired man beside him, to indicate his powerlessness to help me.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Alternately I appealed to one and another of the three men,—first to the grey-haired man to let me land, and then to the drunken captain to keep me aboard.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Alternately I appealed to one and another of the three men,—first to the grey-haired man to let me land, and then to the drunken captain to keep me aboard.

powerlessness

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

From this reading He distorted his lower lip, and nodded his head hopelessly at the grey-haired man beside him, to indicate his powerlessness to help me.

presently

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

From this reading “I’ll see to _you_, presently,” said the captain.

said

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

From this reading “I’ll see to _you_, presently,” said the captain.

see

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

From this reading “I’ll see to _you_, presently,” said the captain.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading He distorted his lower lip, and nodded his head hopelessly at the grey-haired man beside him, to indicate his powerlessness to help me.

Then

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

From this reading Then began a curious three-cornered altercation.

three

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

From this reading Alternately I appealed to one and another of the three men,—first to the grey-haired man to let me land, and then to the drunken captain to keep me aboard.

three-cornered

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

From this reading Then began a curious three-cornered altercation.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading He distorted his lower lip, and nodded his head hopelessly at the grey-haired man beside him, to indicate his powerlessness to help me.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “I’ll see to _you_, presently,” said the captain.

Chapter Quiz

What is the central philosophical inquiry and narrative progression in 'Act 02: The Wisdom of The Island of Doctor Moreau — The Resolution & The Eternal Truth'?

How does the prose style reflect classical academic excellence?

What primary language acquisition value does this text offer advanced English scholars?