Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The Island of Doctor Moreau
The Island of Doctor Moreau

Chapter VII

Chapter 7, section 1: I let his head fall gently upon the rough pillow I had made for him, and stood up. Before me was the glittering desolation of the sea, the awful solitude upon which I had already s
Context Illustration Reading 1/81 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
I let his head fall gently upon the rough pillow I had made for him, and stood up.
Before me was the glittering desolation of the sea, the awful solitude upon which I had already suffered so much; behind me the island, hushed under the dawn, its Beast People silent and unseen.
The enclosure, with all its provisions and ammunition, burnt noisily, with sudden gusts of flame, a fitful crackling, and now and then a crash.
The heavy smoke drove up the beach away from me, rolling low over the distant tree-tops towards the huts in the ravine.
Beside me were the charred vestiges of the boats and these five dead bodies.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
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 VII

Reading 1/81 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
I let his head fall gently upon the rough pillow I had made for him, and stood up.
Line 2
Before me was the glittering desolation of the sea, the awful solitude upon which I had already suffered so much; behind me the island, hushed under the dawn, its Beast People silent and unseen.
Line 3
The enclosure, with all its provisions and ammunition, burnt noisily, with sudden gusts of flame, a fitful crackling, and now and then a crash.
Line 4
The heavy smoke drove up the beach away from me, rolling low over the distant tree-tops towards the huts in the ravine.
Line 5
Beside me were the charred vestiges of the boats and these five dead bodies.

Learner Dictionary

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

head noun US /hed/

the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains

From this reading “I let his head fall gently upon the rough pillow I had made for him, and stood up.”

Collocations
I letA source-grounded phrase from this reading.
let hisA source-grounded phrase from this reading.
All words in this reading · 81

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 enclosure, with all its provisions and ammunition, burnt noisily, with sudden gusts of flame, a fitful crackling, and now and then a crash.

all

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

From this reading The enclosure, with all its provisions and ammunition, burnt noisily, with sudden gusts of flame, a fitful crackling, and now and then a crash.

alreadynounUS /already/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Before me was the glittering desolation of the sea, the awful solitude upon which I had already suffered so much; behind me the island, hushed under the dawn, its Beast People silent and unseen.

ammunition

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

From this reading The enclosure, with all its provisions and ammunition, burnt noisily, with sudden gusts of flame, a fitful crackling, and now and then a crash.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading I let his head fall gently upon the rough pillow I had made for him, and stood up.

away

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

From this reading The heavy smoke drove up the beach away from me, rolling low over the distant tree-tops towards the huts in the ravine.

awful

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

From this reading Before me was the glittering desolation of the sea, the awful solitude upon which I had already suffered so much; behind me the island, hushed under the dawn, its Beast People silent and unseen.

beach

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

From this reading The heavy smoke drove up the beach away from me, rolling low over the distant tree-tops towards the huts in the ravine.

Beast

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

From this reading Before me was the glittering desolation of the sea, the awful solitude upon which I had already suffered so much; behind me the island, hushed under the dawn, its Beast People silent and unseen.

BeforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading Before me was the glittering desolation of the sea, the awful solitude upon which I had already suffered so much; behind me the island, hushed under the dawn, its Beast People silent and unseen.

behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading Before me was the glittering desolation of the sea, the awful solitude upon which I had already suffered so much; behind me the island, hushed under the dawn, its Beast People silent and unseen.

BesideprepositionUS /bɪˈsaɪd/

next to; at the side of

From this reading Beside me were the charred vestiges of the boats and these five dead bodies.

boats

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

From this reading Beside me were the charred vestiges of the boats and these five dead bodies.

bodies

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

From this reading Beside me were the charred vestiges of the boats and these five dead bodies.

burnt

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

From this reading The enclosure, with all its provisions and ammunition, burnt noisily, with sudden gusts of flame, a fitful crackling, and now and then a crash.

charred

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

From this reading Beside me were the charred vestiges of the boats and these five dead bodies.

crackling

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

From this reading The enclosure, with all its provisions and ammunition, burnt noisily, with sudden gusts of flame, a fitful crackling, and now and then a crash.

crash

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

From this reading The enclosure, with all its provisions and ammunition, burnt noisily, with sudden gusts of flame, a fitful crackling, and now and then a crash.

dawn

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

From this reading Before me was the glittering desolation of the sea, the awful solitude upon which I had already suffered so much; behind me the island, hushed under the dawn, its Beast People silent and unseen.

deadnounUS /dead/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Beside me were the charred vestiges of the boats and these five dead bodies.

desolation

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

From this reading Before me was the glittering desolation of the sea, the awful solitude upon which I had already suffered so much; behind me the island, hushed under the dawn, its Beast People silent and unseen.

distantadjectiveUS /ˈdɪstənt/

not friendly or close

From this reading The heavy smoke drove up the beach away from me, rolling low over the distant tree-tops towards the huts in the ravine.

drove

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

From this reading The heavy smoke drove up the beach away from me, rolling low over the distant tree-tops towards the huts in the ravine.

enclosurenounUS /ˈenclosure/

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

From this reading The enclosure, with all its provisions and ammunition, burnt noisily, with sudden gusts of flame, a fitful crackling, and now and then a crash.

fall

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

From this reading I let his head fall gently upon the rough pillow I had made for him, and stood up.

fitful

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

From this reading The enclosure, with all its provisions and ammunition, burnt noisily, with sudden gusts of flame, a fitful crackling, and now and then a crash.

five

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

From this reading Beside me were the charred vestiges of the boats and these five dead bodies.

flamenounUS /fleɪm/

A hot glowing body of ignited gas produced by fire.

From this reading The enclosure, with all its provisions and ammunition, burnt noisily, with sudden gusts of flame, a fitful crackling, and now and then a crash.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading I let his head fall gently upon the rough pillow I had made for him, and stood up.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The heavy smoke drove up the beach away from me, rolling low over the distant tree-tops towards the huts in the ravine.

gently

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

From this reading I let his head fall gently upon the rough pillow I had made for him, and stood up.

glittering

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

From this reading Before me was the glittering desolation of the sea, the awful solitude upon which I had already suffered so much; behind me the island, hushed under the dawn, its Beast People silent and unseen.

gusts

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

From this reading The enclosure, with all its provisions and ammunition, burnt noisily, with sudden gusts of flame, a fitful crackling, and now and then a crash.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading I let his head fall gently upon the rough pillow I had made for him, and stood up.

headnounUS /hed/

the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains

From this reading I let his head fall gently upon the rough pillow I had made for him, and stood up.

heavy

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

From this reading The heavy smoke drove up the beach away from me, rolling low over the distant tree-tops towards the huts in the ravine.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading I let his head fall gently upon the rough pillow I had made for him, and stood up.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading I let his head fall gently upon the rough pillow I had made for him, and stood up.

hushed

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

From this reading Before me was the glittering desolation of the sea, the awful solitude upon which I had already suffered so much; behind me the island, hushed under the dawn, its Beast People silent and unseen.

huts

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

From this reading The heavy smoke drove up the beach away from me, rolling low over the distant tree-tops towards the huts in the ravine.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading I let his head fall gently upon the rough pillow I had made for him, and stood up.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The heavy smoke drove up the beach away from me, rolling low over the distant tree-tops towards the huts in the ravine.

island

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

From this reading Before me was the glittering desolation of the sea, the awful solitude upon which I had already suffered so much; behind me the island, hushed under the dawn, its Beast People silent and unseen.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading Before me was the glittering desolation of the sea, the awful solitude upon which I had already suffered so much; behind me the island, hushed under the dawn, its Beast People silent and unseen.

letauxiliary verbUS /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading I let his head fall gently upon the rough pillow I had made for him, and stood up.

low

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

From this reading The heavy smoke drove up the beach away from me, rolling low over the distant tree-tops towards the huts in the ravine.

made

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

From this reading I let his head fall gently upon the rough pillow I had made for him, and stood up.

mepronounUS /miː/

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

From this reading Before me was the glittering desolation of the sea, the awful solitude upon which I had already suffered so much; behind me the island, hushed under the dawn, its Beast People silent and unseen.

much

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

From this reading Before me was the glittering desolation of the sea, the awful solitude upon which I had already suffered so much; behind me the island, hushed under the dawn, its Beast People silent and unseen.

noisily

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

From this reading The enclosure, with all its provisions and ammunition, burnt noisily, with sudden gusts of flame, a fitful crackling, and now and then a crash.

now

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

From this reading The enclosure, with all its provisions and ammunition, burnt noisily, with sudden gusts of flame, a fitful crackling, and now and then a crash.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Before me was the glittering desolation of the sea, the awful solitude upon which I had already suffered so much; behind me the island, hushed under the dawn, its Beast People silent and unseen.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading The heavy smoke drove up the beach away from me, rolling low over the distant tree-tops towards the huts in the ravine.

People

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

From this reading Before me was the glittering desolation of the sea, the awful solitude upon which I had already suffered so much; behind me the island, hushed under the dawn, its Beast People silent and unseen.

pillow

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

From this reading I let his head fall gently upon the rough pillow I had made for him, and stood up.

provisions

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

From this reading The enclosure, with all its provisions and ammunition, burnt noisily, with sudden gusts of flame, a fitful crackling, and now and then a crash.

ravine

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

From this reading The heavy smoke drove up the beach away from me, rolling low over the distant tree-tops towards the huts in the ravine.

rolling

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

From this reading The heavy smoke drove up the beach away from me, rolling low over the distant tree-tops towards the huts in the ravine.

rough

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

From this reading I let his head fall gently upon the rough pillow I had made for him, and stood up.

sea

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

From this reading Before me was the glittering desolation of the sea, the awful solitude upon which I had already suffered so much; behind me the island, hushed under the dawn, its Beast People silent and unseen.

silent

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

From this reading Before me was the glittering desolation of the sea, the awful solitude upon which I had already suffered so much; behind me the island, hushed under the dawn, its Beast People silent and unseen.

smoke

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

From this reading The heavy smoke drove up the beach away from me, rolling low over the distant tree-tops towards the huts in the ravine.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Before me was the glittering desolation of the sea, the awful solitude upon which I had already suffered so much; behind me the island, hushed under the dawn, its Beast People silent and unseen.

solitude

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

From this reading Before me was the glittering desolation of the sea, the awful solitude upon which I had already suffered so much; behind me the island, hushed under the dawn, its Beast People silent and unseen.

stoodnounUS /stood/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading I let his head fall gently upon the rough pillow I had made for him, and stood up.

suddennounUS /sudden/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The enclosure, with all its provisions and ammunition, burnt noisily, with sudden gusts of flame, a fitful crackling, and now and then a crash.

suffered

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

From this reading Before me was the glittering desolation of the sea, the awful solitude upon which I had already suffered so much; behind me the island, hushed under the dawn, its Beast People silent and unseen.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading I let his head fall gently upon the rough pillow I had made for him, and stood up.

then

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

From this reading The enclosure, with all its provisions and ammunition, burnt noisily, with sudden gusts of flame, a fitful crackling, and now and then a crash.

thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading Beside me were the charred vestiges of the boats and these five dead bodies.

towardsprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrdz/

in the direction of

From this reading The heavy smoke drove up the beach away from me, rolling low over the distant tree-tops towards the huts in the ravine.

tree-tops

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

From this reading The heavy smoke drove up the beach away from me, rolling low over the distant tree-tops towards the huts in the ravine.

underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading Before me was the glittering desolation of the sea, the awful solitude upon which I had already suffered so much; behind me the island, hushed under the dawn, its Beast People silent and unseen.

unseen

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

From this reading Before me was the glittering desolation of the sea, the awful solitude upon which I had already suffered so much; behind me the island, hushed under the dawn, its Beast People silent and unseen.

up

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

From this reading I let his head fall gently upon the rough pillow I had made for him, and stood up.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading I let his head fall gently upon the rough pillow I had made for him, and stood up.

vestiges

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

From this reading Beside me were the charred vestiges of the boats and these five dead bodies.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Before me was the glittering desolation of the sea, the awful solitude upon which I had already suffered so much; behind me the island, hushed under the dawn, its Beast People silent and unseen.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading Beside me were the charred vestiges of the boats and these five dead bodies.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading Before me was the glittering desolation of the sea, the awful solitude upon which I had already suffered so much; behind me the island, hushed under the dawn, its Beast People silent and unseen.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading The enclosure, with all its provisions and ammunition, burnt noisily, with sudden gusts of flame, a fitful crackling, and now and then a crash.