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Joshua Marvel
Joshua Marvel

Chapter XXXVIII · Joshua and the Old Wizard

Cover illustration for Joshua Marvel
Context Illustration Reading 1/32 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
For two weeks the natives mourned for Minnie.
Their grief was sincere, notwithstanding that it was expressed in barbarous fashion--such as painting their bodies white with pipeclay, and inflicting painful gashes upon their breasts and arms with shells and stones.
They observed Joshua gathering wild flowers to place upon her grave, and every day after that, the women and children collected the prettiest and rarest flowers they could find, and decorated Minnie's grave with them.
During this time a terrible feeling of desolation came upon Joshua.
If Opara failed to keep the promise he had given Minnie, what would become of him?
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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.

Joshua Marvel

Chapter XXXVIII · Joshua and the Old Wizard

Reading 1/32 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
For two weeks the natives mourned for Minnie.
Line 2
Their grief was sincere, notwithstanding that it was expressed in barbarous fashion--such as painting their bodies white with pipeclay, and inflicting painful gashes upon their breasts and arms with shells and stones.
Line 3
They observed Joshua gathering wild flowers to place upon her grave, and every day after that, the women and children collected the prettiest and rarest flowers they could find, and decorated Minnie's grave with them.
Line 4
During this time a terrible feeling of desolation came upon Joshua.
Line 5
If Opara failed to keep the promise he had given Minnie, what would become of him?

Learner Dictionary

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

After preposition US /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading “They observed Joshua gathering wild flowers to place upon her grave, and every day after that, the women and children collected the prettiest and rarest flowers they could find, and decorated Minnie's grave with them.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

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

From this reading “They observed Joshua gathering wild flowers to place upon her grave, and every day after that, the women and children collected the prettiest and rarest flowers they could find, and decorated Minnie's grave with them.”

During preposition US /ˈdʊrɪŋ/

all through a period, or at some point within it

From this reading “During this time a terrible feeling of desolation came upon Joshua.”

Every determiner US /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading “They observed Joshua gathering wild flowers to place upon her grave, and every day after that, the women and children collected the prettiest and rarest flowers they could find, and decorated Minnie's grave with them.”

Feeling noun US /ˈfeeling/

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

From this reading “During this time a terrible feeling of desolation came upon Joshua.”

Terrible noun US /ˈterrible/

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

From this reading “During this time a terrible feeling of desolation came upon Joshua.”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “During this time a terrible feeling of desolation came upon Joshua.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “Their grief was sincere, notwithstanding that it was expressed in barbarous fashion--such as painting their bodies white with pipeclay, and inflicting painful gashes upon their breasts and arms with shells and stones.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading “If Opara failed to keep the promise he had given Minnie, what would become of him?”

All words in this reading · 78

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 During this time a terrible feeling of desolation came upon Joshua.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading They observed Joshua gathering wild flowers to place upon her grave, and every day after that, the women and children collected the prettiest and rarest flowers they could find, and decorated Minnie's grave with them.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Their grief was sincere, notwithstanding that it was expressed in barbarous fashion--such as painting their bodies white with pipeclay, and inflicting painful gashes upon their breasts and arms with shells and stones.

arms

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

From this reading Their grief was sincere, notwithstanding that it was expressed in barbarous fashion--such as painting their bodies white with pipeclay, and inflicting painful gashes upon their breasts and arms with shells and stones.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading Their grief was sincere, notwithstanding that it was expressed in barbarous fashion--such as painting their bodies white with pipeclay, and inflicting painful gashes upon their breasts and arms with shells and stones.

barbarous

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

From this reading Their grief was sincere, notwithstanding that it was expressed in barbarous fashion--such as painting their bodies white with pipeclay, and inflicting painful gashes upon their breasts and arms with shells and stones.

become

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

From this reading If Opara failed to keep the promise he had given Minnie, what would become of him?

bodies

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

From this reading Their grief was sincere, notwithstanding that it was expressed in barbarous fashion--such as painting their bodies white with pipeclay, and inflicting painful gashes upon their breasts and arms with shells and stones.

breasts

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

From this reading Their grief was sincere, notwithstanding that it was expressed in barbarous fashion--such as painting their bodies white with pipeclay, and inflicting painful gashes upon their breasts and arms with shells and stones.

came

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

From this reading During this time a terrible feeling of desolation came upon Joshua.

children

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

From this reading They observed Joshua gathering wild flowers to place upon her grave, and every day after that, the women and children collected the prettiest and rarest flowers they could find, and decorated Minnie's grave with them.

collected

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

From this reading They observed Joshua gathering wild flowers to place upon her grave, and every day after that, the women and children collected the prettiest and rarest flowers they could find, and decorated Minnie's grave with them.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading They observed Joshua gathering wild flowers to place upon her grave, and every day after that, the women and children collected the prettiest and rarest flowers they could find, and decorated Minnie's grave with them.

day

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

From this reading They observed Joshua gathering wild flowers to place upon her grave, and every day after that, the women and children collected the prettiest and rarest flowers they could find, and decorated Minnie's grave with them.

decorated

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

From this reading They observed Joshua gathering wild flowers to place upon her grave, and every day after that, the women and children collected the prettiest and rarest flowers they could find, and decorated Minnie's grave with them.

desolation

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

From this reading During this time a terrible feeling of desolation came upon Joshua.

DuringprepositionUS /ˈdʊrɪŋ/

all through a period, or at some point within it

From this reading During this time a terrible feeling of desolation came upon Joshua.

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading They observed Joshua gathering wild flowers to place upon her grave, and every day after that, the women and children collected the prettiest and rarest flowers they could find, and decorated Minnie's grave with them.

expressed

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

From this reading Their grief was sincere, notwithstanding that it was expressed in barbarous fashion--such as painting their bodies white with pipeclay, and inflicting painful gashes upon their breasts and arms with shells and stones.

failed

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

From this reading If Opara failed to keep the promise he had given Minnie, what would become of him?

fashion

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

From this reading Their grief was sincere, notwithstanding that it was expressed in barbarous fashion--such as painting their bodies white with pipeclay, and inflicting painful gashes upon their breasts and arms with shells and stones.

feelingnounUS /ˈfeeling/

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

From this reading During this time a terrible feeling of desolation came upon Joshua.

find

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

From this reading They observed Joshua gathering wild flowers to place upon her grave, and every day after that, the women and children collected the prettiest and rarest flowers they could find, and decorated Minnie's grave with them.

flowers

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

From this reading They observed Joshua gathering wild flowers to place upon her grave, and every day after that, the women and children collected the prettiest and rarest flowers they could find, and decorated Minnie's grave with them.

ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading For two weeks the natives mourned for Minnie.

gashes

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

From this reading Their grief was sincere, notwithstanding that it was expressed in barbarous fashion--such as painting their bodies white with pipeclay, and inflicting painful gashes upon their breasts and arms with shells and stones.

gathering

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

From this reading They observed Joshua gathering wild flowers to place upon her grave, and every day after that, the women and children collected the prettiest and rarest flowers they could find, and decorated Minnie's grave with them.

given

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

From this reading If Opara failed to keep the promise he had given Minnie, what would become of him?

grave

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

From this reading They observed Joshua gathering wild flowers to place upon her grave, and every day after that, the women and children collected the prettiest and rarest flowers they could find, and decorated Minnie's grave with them.

grief

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

From this reading Their grief was sincere, notwithstanding that it was expressed in barbarous fashion--such as painting their bodies white with pipeclay, and inflicting painful gashes upon their breasts and arms with shells and stones.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading If Opara failed to keep the promise he had given Minnie, what would become of him?

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading If Opara failed to keep the promise he had given Minnie, what would become of him?

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading They observed Joshua gathering wild flowers to place upon her grave, and every day after that, the women and children collected the prettiest and rarest flowers they could find, and decorated Minnie's grave with them.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading If Opara failed to keep the promise he had given Minnie, what would become of him?

IfconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading If Opara failed to keep the promise he had given Minnie, what would become of him?

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Their grief was sincere, notwithstanding that it was expressed in barbarous fashion--such as painting their bodies white with pipeclay, and inflicting painful gashes upon their breasts and arms with shells and stones.

inflicting

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

From this reading Their grief was sincere, notwithstanding that it was expressed in barbarous fashion--such as painting their bodies white with pipeclay, and inflicting painful gashes upon their breasts and arms with shells and stones.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Their grief was sincere, notwithstanding that it was expressed in barbarous fashion--such as painting their bodies white with pipeclay, and inflicting painful gashes upon their breasts and arms with shells and stones.

Joshua

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

From this reading They observed Joshua gathering wild flowers to place upon her grave, and every day after that, the women and children collected the prettiest and rarest flowers they could find, and decorated Minnie's grave with them.

keep

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

From this reading If Opara failed to keep the promise he had given Minnie, what would become of him?

Minnie

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

From this reading For two weeks the natives mourned for Minnie.

Minnie's

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

From this reading They observed Joshua gathering wild flowers to place upon her grave, and every day after that, the women and children collected the prettiest and rarest flowers they could find, and decorated Minnie's grave with them.

mourned

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

From this reading For two weeks the natives mourned for Minnie.

natives

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

From this reading For two weeks the natives mourned for Minnie.

notwithstanding

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

From this reading Their grief was sincere, notwithstanding that it was expressed in barbarous fashion--such as painting their bodies white with pipeclay, and inflicting painful gashes upon their breasts and arms with shells and stones.

observed

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

From this reading They observed Joshua gathering wild flowers to place upon her grave, and every day after that, the women and children collected the prettiest and rarest flowers they could find, and decorated Minnie's grave with them.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading During this time a terrible feeling of desolation came upon Joshua.

Opara

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

From this reading If Opara failed to keep the promise he had given Minnie, what would become of him?

painful

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

From this reading Their grief was sincere, notwithstanding that it was expressed in barbarous fashion--such as painting their bodies white with pipeclay, and inflicting painful gashes upon their breasts and arms with shells and stones.

painting

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

From this reading Their grief was sincere, notwithstanding that it was expressed in barbarous fashion--such as painting their bodies white with pipeclay, and inflicting painful gashes upon their breasts and arms with shells and stones.

pipeclay

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

From this reading Their grief was sincere, notwithstanding that it was expressed in barbarous fashion--such as painting their bodies white with pipeclay, and inflicting painful gashes upon their breasts and arms with shells and stones.

place

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

From this reading They observed Joshua gathering wild flowers to place upon her grave, and every day after that, the women and children collected the prettiest and rarest flowers they could find, and decorated Minnie's grave with them.

prettiest

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

From this reading They observed Joshua gathering wild flowers to place upon her grave, and every day after that, the women and children collected the prettiest and rarest flowers they could find, and decorated Minnie's grave with them.

promise

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

From this reading If Opara failed to keep the promise he had given Minnie, what would become of him?

rarest

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

From this reading They observed Joshua gathering wild flowers to place upon her grave, and every day after that, the women and children collected the prettiest and rarest flowers they could find, and decorated Minnie's grave with them.

shells

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

From this reading Their grief was sincere, notwithstanding that it was expressed in barbarous fashion--such as painting their bodies white with pipeclay, and inflicting painful gashes upon their breasts and arms with shells and stones.

sincere

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

From this reading Their grief was sincere, notwithstanding that it was expressed in barbarous fashion--such as painting their bodies white with pipeclay, and inflicting painful gashes upon their breasts and arms with shells and stones.

stones

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

From this reading Their grief was sincere, notwithstanding that it was expressed in barbarous fashion--such as painting their bodies white with pipeclay, and inflicting painful gashes upon their breasts and arms with shells and stones.

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading Their grief was sincere, notwithstanding that it was expressed in barbarous fashion--such as painting their bodies white with pipeclay, and inflicting painful gashes upon their breasts and arms with shells and stones.

terriblenounUS /ˈterrible/

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

From this reading During this time a terrible feeling of desolation came upon Joshua.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Their grief was sincere, notwithstanding that it was expressed in barbarous fashion--such as painting their bodies white with pipeclay, and inflicting painful gashes upon their breasts and arms with shells and stones.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading For two weeks the natives mourned for Minnie.

TheirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Their grief was sincere, notwithstanding that it was expressed in barbarous fashion--such as painting their bodies white with pipeclay, and inflicting painful gashes upon their breasts and arms with shells and stones.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading They observed Joshua gathering wild flowers to place upon her grave, and every day after that, the women and children collected the prettiest and rarest flowers they could find, and decorated Minnie's grave with them.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading They observed Joshua gathering wild flowers to place upon her grave, and every day after that, the women and children collected the prettiest and rarest flowers they could find, and decorated Minnie's grave with them.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading During this time a terrible feeling of desolation came upon Joshua.

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading During this time a terrible feeling of desolation came upon Joshua.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading They observed Joshua gathering wild flowers to place upon her grave, and every day after that, the women and children collected the prettiest and rarest flowers they could find, and decorated Minnie's grave with them.

two

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

From this reading For two weeks the natives mourned for Minnie.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading Their grief was sincere, notwithstanding that it was expressed in barbarous fashion--such as painting their bodies white with pipeclay, and inflicting painful gashes upon their breasts and arms with shells and stones.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Their grief was sincere, notwithstanding that it was expressed in barbarous fashion--such as painting their bodies white with pipeclay, and inflicting painful gashes upon their breasts and arms with shells and stones.

weeks

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

From this reading For two weeks the natives mourned for Minnie.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading If Opara failed to keep the promise he had given Minnie, what would become of him?

white

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

From this reading Their grief was sincere, notwithstanding that it was expressed in barbarous fashion--such as painting their bodies white with pipeclay, and inflicting painful gashes upon their breasts and arms with shells and stones.

wild

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

From this reading They observed Joshua gathering wild flowers to place upon her grave, and every day after that, the women and children collected the prettiest and rarest flowers they could find, and decorated Minnie's grave with them.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Their grief was sincere, notwithstanding that it was expressed in barbarous fashion--such as painting their bodies white with pipeclay, and inflicting painful gashes upon their breasts and arms with shells and stones.

women

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

From this reading They observed Joshua gathering wild flowers to place upon her grave, and every day after that, the women and children collected the prettiest and rarest flowers they could find, and decorated Minnie's grave with them.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading If Opara failed to keep the promise he had given Minnie, what would become of him?