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Harrigan
Harrigan

Chapter II

Cover illustration for Harrigan
Context Illustration Reading 1/21 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Masters looked at Harrigan, started to laugh, looked again, and then silently held the door open.
Harrigan stepped through it and followed to the forecastle, a dingy retreat in the high bow of the ship.
He had to bend low to pass through the door, and inside he found that he could not stand erect.
It was his first experience of working aboard a ship, and he expected to find a scrupulous neatness, and hammocks in place of beds.
Instead he looked on a double row of bunks heaped with swarthy quilts, and the boatswain with a silent gesture indicated that one of these belonged to Harrigan.
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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.

Harrigan

Chapter II

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

Line 1
Masters looked at Harrigan, started to laugh, looked again, and then silently held the door open.
Line 2
Harrigan stepped through it and followed to the forecastle, a dingy retreat in the high bow of the ship.
Line 3
He had to bend low to pass through the door, and inside he found that he could not stand erect.
Line 4
It was his first experience of working aboard a ship, and he expected to find a scrupulous neatness, and hammocks in place of beds.
Line 5
Instead he looked on a double row of bunks heaped with swarthy quilts, and the boatswain with a silent gesture indicated that one of these belonged to Harrigan.

Learner Dictionary

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

Again noun US /again/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Masters looked at Harrigan, started to laugh, looked again, and then silently held the door open.”

Boatswain noun US /ˈboʊsən/

an officer responsible for deck crew and equipment

From this reading “Instead he looked on a double row of bunks heaped with swarthy quilts, and the boatswain with a silent gesture indicated that one of these belonged to Harrigan.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

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

From this reading “He had to bend low to pass through the door, and inside he found that he could not stand erect.”

Double noun US /double/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Instead he looked on a double row of bunks heaped with swarthy quilts, and the boatswain with a silent gesture indicated that one of these belonged to Harrigan.”

First noun US /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It was his first experience of working aboard a ship, and he expected to find a scrupulous neatness, and hammocks in place of beds.”

Forecastle noun US /ˈforecastle/

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

From this reading “Harrigan stepped through it and followed to the forecastle, a dingy retreat in the high bow of the ship.”

Found noun US /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He had to bend low to pass through the door, and inside he found that he could not stand erect.”

Looked noun US /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Masters looked at Harrigan, started to laugh, looked again, and then silently held the door open.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “Instead he looked on a double row of bunks heaped with swarthy quilts, and the boatswain with a silent gesture indicated that one of these belonged to Harrigan.”

Open verb US /ˈoʊ.pən/

To move from a closed position.

From this reading “Masters looked at Harrigan, started to laugh, looked again, and then silently held the door open.”

Ship noun US /ship/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Harrigan stepped through it and followed to the forecastle, a dingy retreat in the high bow of the ship.”

Stand noun US /stand/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He had to bend low to pass through the door, and inside he found that he could not stand erect.”

These determiner US /ðiːz/

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

From this reading “Instead he looked on a double row of bunks heaped with swarthy quilts, and the boatswain with a silent gesture indicated that one of these belonged to Harrigan.”

Through noun US /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading “Harrigan stepped through it and followed to the forecastle, a dingy retreat in the high bow of the ship.”

All words in this reading · 69

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 Harrigan stepped through it and followed to the forecastle, a dingy retreat in the high bow of the ship.

aboard

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

From this reading It was his first experience of working aboard a ship, and he expected to find a scrupulous neatness, and hammocks in place of beds.

againnounUS /again/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Masters looked at Harrigan, started to laugh, looked again, and then silently held the door open.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Masters looked at Harrigan, started to laugh, looked again, and then silently held the door open.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Masters looked at Harrigan, started to laugh, looked again, and then silently held the door open.

beds

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

From this reading It was his first experience of working aboard a ship, and he expected to find a scrupulous neatness, and hammocks in place of beds.

belonged

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

From this reading Instead he looked on a double row of bunks heaped with swarthy quilts, and the boatswain with a silent gesture indicated that one of these belonged to Harrigan.

bend

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

From this reading He had to bend low to pass through the door, and inside he found that he could not stand erect.

boatswainnounUS /ˈboʊsən/

an officer responsible for deck crew and equipment

From this reading Instead he looked on a double row of bunks heaped with swarthy quilts, and the boatswain with a silent gesture indicated that one of these belonged to Harrigan.

bow

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

From this reading Harrigan stepped through it and followed to the forecastle, a dingy retreat in the high bow of the ship.

bunks

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

From this reading Instead he looked on a double row of bunks heaped with swarthy quilts, and the boatswain with a silent gesture indicated that one of these belonged to Harrigan.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading He had to bend low to pass through the door, and inside he found that he could not stand erect.

dingy

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

From this reading Harrigan stepped through it and followed to the forecastle, a dingy retreat in the high bow of the ship.

door

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

From this reading Masters looked at Harrigan, started to laugh, looked again, and then silently held the door open.

double

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

From this reading Instead he looked on a double row of bunks heaped with swarthy quilts, and the boatswain with a silent gesture indicated that one of these belonged to Harrigan.

erect

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

From this reading He had to bend low to pass through the door, and inside he found that he could not stand erect.

expected

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

From this reading It was his first experience of working aboard a ship, and he expected to find a scrupulous neatness, and hammocks in place of beds.

experience

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

From this reading It was his first experience of working aboard a ship, and he expected to find a scrupulous neatness, and hammocks in place of beds.

find

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

From this reading It was his first experience of working aboard a ship, and he expected to find a scrupulous neatness, and hammocks in place of beds.

firstnounUS /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It was his first experience of working aboard a ship, and he expected to find a scrupulous neatness, and hammocks in place of beds.

followed

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

From this reading Harrigan stepped through it and followed to the forecastle, a dingy retreat in the high bow of the ship.

forecastlenounUS /ˈforecastle/

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

From this reading Harrigan stepped through it and followed to the forecastle, a dingy retreat in the high bow of the ship.

foundnounUS /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He had to bend low to pass through the door, and inside he found that he could not stand erect.

gesture

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

From this reading Instead he looked on a double row of bunks heaped with swarthy quilts, and the boatswain with a silent gesture indicated that one of these belonged to Harrigan.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading He had to bend low to pass through the door, and inside he found that he could not stand erect.

hammocks

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

From this reading It was his first experience of working aboard a ship, and he expected to find a scrupulous neatness, and hammocks in place of beds.

Harrigan

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

From this reading Masters looked at Harrigan, started to laugh, looked again, and then silently held the door open.

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He had to bend low to pass through the door, and inside he found that he could not stand erect.

heaped

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

From this reading Instead he looked on a double row of bunks heaped with swarthy quilts, and the boatswain with a silent gesture indicated that one of these belonged to Harrigan.

held

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

From this reading Masters looked at Harrigan, started to laugh, looked again, and then silently held the door open.

high

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

From this reading Harrigan stepped through it and followed to the forecastle, a dingy retreat in the high bow of the ship.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading It was his first experience of working aboard a ship, and he expected to find a scrupulous neatness, and hammocks in place of beds.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Harrigan stepped through it and followed to the forecastle, a dingy retreat in the high bow of the ship.

indicated

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

From this reading Instead he looked on a double row of bunks heaped with swarthy quilts, and the boatswain with a silent gesture indicated that one of these belonged to Harrigan.

inside

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

From this reading He had to bend low to pass through the door, and inside he found that he could not stand erect.

Instead

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

From this reading Instead he looked on a double row of bunks heaped with swarthy quilts, and the boatswain with a silent gesture indicated that one of these belonged to Harrigan.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Harrigan stepped through it and followed to the forecastle, a dingy retreat in the high bow of the ship.

laugh

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

From this reading Masters looked at Harrigan, started to laugh, looked again, and then silently held the door open.

lookednounUS /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Masters looked at Harrigan, started to laugh, looked again, and then silently held the door open.

low

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

From this reading He had to bend low to pass through the door, and inside he found that he could not stand erect.

Masters

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

From this reading Masters looked at Harrigan, started to laugh, looked again, and then silently held the door open.

neatness

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

From this reading It was his first experience of working aboard a ship, and he expected to find a scrupulous neatness, and hammocks in place of beds.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading He had to bend low to pass through the door, and inside he found that he could not stand erect.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Harrigan stepped through it and followed to the forecastle, a dingy retreat in the high bow of the ship.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Instead he looked on a double row of bunks heaped with swarthy quilts, and the boatswain with a silent gesture indicated that one of these belonged to Harrigan.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Instead he looked on a double row of bunks heaped with swarthy quilts, and the boatswain with a silent gesture indicated that one of these belonged to Harrigan.

openverbUS /ˈoʊ.pən/

To move from a closed position.

From this reading Masters looked at Harrigan, started to laugh, looked again, and then silently held the door open.

pass

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

From this reading He had to bend low to pass through the door, and inside he found that he could not stand erect.

place

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

From this reading It was his first experience of working aboard a ship, and he expected to find a scrupulous neatness, and hammocks in place of beds.

quilts

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

From this reading Instead he looked on a double row of bunks heaped with swarthy quilts, and the boatswain with a silent gesture indicated that one of these belonged to Harrigan.

retreat

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

From this reading Harrigan stepped through it and followed to the forecastle, a dingy retreat in the high bow of the ship.

row

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

From this reading Instead he looked on a double row of bunks heaped with swarthy quilts, and the boatswain with a silent gesture indicated that one of these belonged to Harrigan.

scrupulous

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

From this reading It was his first experience of working aboard a ship, and he expected to find a scrupulous neatness, and hammocks in place of beds.

shipnounUS /ship/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Harrigan stepped through it and followed to the forecastle, a dingy retreat in the high bow of the ship.

silent

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

From this reading Instead he looked on a double row of bunks heaped with swarthy quilts, and the boatswain with a silent gesture indicated that one of these belonged to Harrigan.

silently

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

From this reading Masters looked at Harrigan, started to laugh, looked again, and then silently held the door open.

stand

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

From this reading He had to bend low to pass through the door, and inside he found that he could not stand erect.

started

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

From this reading Masters looked at Harrigan, started to laugh, looked again, and then silently held the door open.

stepped

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

From this reading Harrigan stepped through it and followed to the forecastle, a dingy retreat in the high bow of the ship.

swarthy

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

From this reading Instead he looked on a double row of bunks heaped with swarthy quilts, and the boatswain with a silent gesture indicated that one of these belonged to Harrigan.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading He had to bend low to pass through the door, and inside he found that he could not stand erect.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Masters looked at Harrigan, started to laugh, looked again, and then silently held the door open.

then

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

From this reading Masters looked at Harrigan, started to laugh, looked again, and then silently held the door open.

thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

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

From this reading Instead he looked on a double row of bunks heaped with swarthy quilts, and the boatswain with a silent gesture indicated that one of these belonged to Harrigan.

throughnounUS /ˈthrough/

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

From this reading Harrigan stepped through it and followed to the forecastle, a dingy retreat in the high bow of the ship.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Masters looked at Harrigan, started to laugh, looked again, and then silently held the door open.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading It was his first experience of working aboard a ship, and he expected to find a scrupulous neatness, and hammocks in place of beds.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Instead he looked on a double row of bunks heaped with swarthy quilts, and the boatswain with a silent gesture indicated that one of these belonged to Harrigan.

working

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

From this reading It was his first experience of working aboard a ship, and he expected to find a scrupulous neatness, and hammocks in place of beds.