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Letters of Marque
Letters of Marque

Chapter II

Cover illustration for Letters of Marque
Context Illustration Reading 1/90 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The ponies coughed dolorously from time to time, but they could not lift the weight of a dead silence that seemed to be crushing the earth.
After an interval measurable by centuries, sowar, driver and Thakur’s tonga reappeared; the latter full to the brim and bubbling over with humanity and bedding.
“We will now,” said the driver, not deigning to notice the Englishman who had been on guard over the mails, “put the Sirkar’s dak into this tonga and go forward.”
Amiable heathen!
He was going, he said so, to leave the Englishman to wait in the Sahara, for certainly thirty hours and perhaps forty-eight.
0:00 / 0:00
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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.

Letters of Marque

Chapter II

Reading 1/90 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The ponies coughed dolorously from time to time, but they could not lift the weight of a dead silence that seemed to be crushing the earth.
Line 2
After an interval measurable by centuries, sowar, driver and Thakur’s tonga reappeared; the latter full to the brim and bubbling over with humanity and bedding.
Line 3
“We will now,” said the driver, not deigning to notice the Englishman who had been on guard over the mails, “put the Sirkar’s dak into this tonga and go forward.”
Line 4
Amiable heathen!
Line 5
He was going, he said so, to leave the Englishman to wait in the Sahara, for certainly thirty hours and perhaps forty-eight.

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 “After an interval measurable by centuries, sowar, driver and Thakur’s tonga reappeared; the latter full to the brim and bubbling over with humanity and bedding.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading ““We will now,” said the driver, not deigning to notice the Englishman who had been on guard over the mails, “put the Sirkar’s dak into this tonga and go forward.””

Bubbling noun US /ˈbubbling/

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

From this reading “After an interval measurable by centuries, sowar, driver and Thakur’s tonga reappeared; the latter full to the brim and bubbling over with humanity and bedding.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

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

From this reading “The ponies coughed dolorously from time to time, but they could not lift the weight of a dead silence that seemed to be crushing the earth.”

Dead noun US /dead/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The ponies coughed dolorously from time to time, but they could not lift the weight of a dead silence that seemed to be crushing the earth.”

Forward noun US /forward/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading ““We will now,” said the driver, not deigning to notice the Englishman who had been on guard over the mails, “put the Sirkar’s dak into this tonga and go forward.””

Over preposition US /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading “After an interval measurable by centuries, sowar, driver and Thakur’s tonga reappeared; the latter full to the brim and bubbling over with humanity and bedding.”

Perhaps noun US /perhaps/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He was going, he said so, to leave the Englishman to wait in the Sahara, for certainly thirty hours and perhaps forty-eight.”

Seemed noun US /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The ponies coughed dolorously from time to time, but they could not lift the weight of a dead silence that seemed to be crushing the earth.”

Silence noun US /ˈsaɪ.ləns/

Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.

From this reading “The ponies coughed dolorously from time to time, but they could not lift the weight of a dead silence that seemed to be crushing the earth.”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The ponies coughed dolorously from time to time, but they could not lift the weight of a dead silence that seemed to be crushing the earth.”

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 The ponies coughed dolorously from time to time, but they could not lift the weight of a dead silence that seemed to be crushing the earth.

AfterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading After an interval measurable by centuries, sowar, driver and Thakur’s tonga reappeared; the latter full to the brim and bubbling over with humanity and bedding.

Amiable

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

From this reading Amiable heathen!

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading After an interval measurable by centuries, sowar, driver and Thakur’s tonga reappeared; the latter full to the brim and bubbling over with humanity and bedding.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading After an interval measurable by centuries, sowar, driver and Thakur’s tonga reappeared; the latter full to the brim and bubbling over with humanity and bedding.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading The ponies coughed dolorously from time to time, but they could not lift the weight of a dead silence that seemed to be crushing the earth.

bedding

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

From this reading After an interval measurable by centuries, sowar, driver and Thakur’s tonga reappeared; the latter full to the brim and bubbling over with humanity and bedding.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “We will now,” said the driver, not deigning to notice the Englishman who had been on guard over the mails, “put the Sirkar’s dak into this tonga and go forward.”

brim

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

From this reading After an interval measurable by centuries, sowar, driver and Thakur’s tonga reappeared; the latter full to the brim and bubbling over with humanity and bedding.

bubblingnounUS /ˈbubbling/

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

From this reading After an interval measurable by centuries, sowar, driver and Thakur’s tonga reappeared; the latter full to the brim and bubbling over with humanity and bedding.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading The ponies coughed dolorously from time to time, but they could not lift the weight of a dead silence that seemed to be crushing the earth.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading After an interval measurable by centuries, sowar, driver and Thakur’s tonga reappeared; the latter full to the brim and bubbling over with humanity and bedding.

centuries

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

From this reading After an interval measurable by centuries, sowar, driver and Thakur’s tonga reappeared; the latter full to the brim and bubbling over with humanity and bedding.

certainly

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

From this reading He was going, he said so, to leave the Englishman to wait in the Sahara, for certainly thirty hours and perhaps forty-eight.

coughed

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

From this reading The ponies coughed dolorously from time to time, but they could not lift the weight of a dead silence that seemed to be crushing the earth.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading The ponies coughed dolorously from time to time, but they could not lift the weight of a dead silence that seemed to be crushing the earth.

crushing

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

From this reading The ponies coughed dolorously from time to time, but they could not lift the weight of a dead silence that seemed to be crushing the earth.

dak

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

From this reading “We will now,” said the driver, not deigning to notice the Englishman who had been on guard over the mails, “put the Sirkar’s dak into this tonga and go forward.”

deadnounUS /dead/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The ponies coughed dolorously from time to time, but they could not lift the weight of a dead silence that seemed to be crushing the earth.

deigning

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

From this reading “We will now,” said the driver, not deigning to notice the Englishman who had been on guard over the mails, “put the Sirkar’s dak into this tonga and go forward.”

dolorously

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

From this reading The ponies coughed dolorously from time to time, but they could not lift the weight of a dead silence that seemed to be crushing the earth.

driver

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

From this reading After an interval measurable by centuries, sowar, driver and Thakur’s tonga reappeared; the latter full to the brim and bubbling over with humanity and bedding.

earth

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

From this reading The ponies coughed dolorously from time to time, but they could not lift the weight of a dead silence that seemed to be crushing the earth.

Englishman

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

From this reading “We will now,” said the driver, not deigning to notice the Englishman who had been on guard over the mails, “put the Sirkar’s dak into this tonga and go forward.”

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading He was going, he said so, to leave the Englishman to wait in the Sahara, for certainly thirty hours and perhaps forty-eight.

forty-eight

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

From this reading He was going, he said so, to leave the Englishman to wait in the Sahara, for certainly thirty hours and perhaps forty-eight.

forwardnounUS /forward/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “We will now,” said the driver, not deigning to notice the Englishman who had been on guard over the mails, “put the Sirkar’s dak into this tonga and go forward.”

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The ponies coughed dolorously from time to time, but they could not lift the weight of a dead silence that seemed to be crushing the earth.

full

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

From this reading After an interval measurable by centuries, sowar, driver and Thakur’s tonga reappeared; the latter full to the brim and bubbling over with humanity and bedding.

go

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

From this reading “We will now,” said the driver, not deigning to notice the Englishman who had been on guard over the mails, “put the Sirkar’s dak into this tonga and go forward.”

going

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

From this reading He was going, he said so, to leave the Englishman to wait in the Sahara, for certainly thirty hours and perhaps forty-eight.

guard

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

From this reading “We will now,” said the driver, not deigning to notice the Englishman who had been on guard over the mails, “put the Sirkar’s dak into this tonga and go forward.”

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading “We will now,” said the driver, not deigning to notice the Englishman who had been on guard over the mails, “put the Sirkar’s dak into this tonga and go forward.”

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He was going, he said so, to leave the Englishman to wait in the Sahara, for certainly thirty hours and perhaps forty-eight.

heathen

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

From this reading Amiable heathen!

hours

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

From this reading He was going, he said so, to leave the Englishman to wait in the Sahara, for certainly thirty hours and perhaps forty-eight.

humanity

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

From this reading After an interval measurable by centuries, sowar, driver and Thakur’s tonga reappeared; the latter full to the brim and bubbling over with humanity and bedding.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading He was going, he said so, to leave the Englishman to wait in the Sahara, for certainly thirty hours and perhaps forty-eight.

interval

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

From this reading After an interval measurable by centuries, sowar, driver and Thakur’s tonga reappeared; the latter full to the brim and bubbling over with humanity and bedding.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading “We will now,” said the driver, not deigning to notice the Englishman who had been on guard over the mails, “put the Sirkar’s dak into this tonga and go forward.”

latter

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

From this reading After an interval measurable by centuries, sowar, driver and Thakur’s tonga reappeared; the latter full to the brim and bubbling over with humanity and bedding.

leave

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

From this reading He was going, he said so, to leave the Englishman to wait in the Sahara, for certainly thirty hours and perhaps forty-eight.

lift

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

From this reading The ponies coughed dolorously from time to time, but they could not lift the weight of a dead silence that seemed to be crushing the earth.

mails

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

From this reading “We will now,” said the driver, not deigning to notice the Englishman who had been on guard over the mails, “put the Sirkar’s dak into this tonga and go forward.”

measurable

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

From this reading After an interval measurable by centuries, sowar, driver and Thakur’s tonga reappeared; the latter full to the brim and bubbling over with humanity and bedding.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading The ponies coughed dolorously from time to time, but they could not lift the weight of a dead silence that seemed to be crushing the earth.

notice

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

From this reading “We will now,” said the driver, not deigning to notice the Englishman who had been on guard over the mails, “put the Sirkar’s dak into this tonga and go forward.”

now

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

From this reading “We will now,” said the driver, not deigning to notice the Englishman who had been on guard over the mails, “put the Sirkar’s dak into this tonga and go forward.”

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The ponies coughed dolorously from time to time, but they could not lift the weight of a dead silence that seemed to be crushing the earth.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading “We will now,” said the driver, not deigning to notice the Englishman who had been on guard over the mails, “put the Sirkar’s dak into this tonga and go forward.”

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading After an interval measurable by centuries, sowar, driver and Thakur’s tonga reappeared; the latter full to the brim and bubbling over with humanity and bedding.

perhaps

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

From this reading He was going, he said so, to leave the Englishman to wait in the Sahara, for certainly thirty hours and perhaps forty-eight.

ponies

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

From this reading The ponies coughed dolorously from time to time, but they could not lift the weight of a dead silence that seemed to be crushing the earth.

put

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

From this reading “We will now,” said the driver, not deigning to notice the Englishman who had been on guard over the mails, “put the Sirkar’s dak into this tonga and go forward.”

reappeared

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

From this reading After an interval measurable by centuries, sowar, driver and Thakur’s tonga reappeared; the latter full to the brim and bubbling over with humanity and bedding.

Sahara

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

From this reading He was going, he said so, to leave the Englishman to wait in the Sahara, for certainly thirty hours and perhaps forty-eight.

said

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

From this reading “We will now,” said the driver, not deigning to notice the Englishman who had been on guard over the mails, “put the Sirkar’s dak into this tonga and go forward.”

seemednounUS /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The ponies coughed dolorously from time to time, but they could not lift the weight of a dead silence that seemed to be crushing the earth.

silencenounUS /ˈsaɪ.ləns/

Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.

From this reading The ponies coughed dolorously from time to time, but they could not lift the weight of a dead silence that seemed to be crushing the earth.

Sirkar's

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

From this reading “We will now,” said the driver, not deigning to notice the Englishman who had been on guard over the mails, “put the Sirkar’s dak into this tonga and go forward.”

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading He was going, he said so, to leave the Englishman to wait in the Sahara, for certainly thirty hours and perhaps forty-eight.

sowar

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

From this reading After an interval measurable by centuries, sowar, driver and Thakur’s tonga reappeared; the latter full to the brim and bubbling over with humanity and bedding.

Thakur's

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

From this reading After an interval measurable by centuries, sowar, driver and Thakur’s tonga reappeared; the latter full to the brim and bubbling over with humanity and bedding.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The ponies coughed dolorously from time to time, but they could not lift the weight of a dead silence that seemed to be crushing the earth.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The ponies coughed dolorously from time to time, but they could not lift the weight of a dead silence that seemed to be crushing the earth.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading The ponies coughed dolorously from time to time, but they could not lift the weight of a dead silence that seemed to be crushing the earth.

thirty

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

From this reading He was going, he said so, to leave the Englishman to wait in the Sahara, for certainly thirty hours and perhaps forty-eight.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading “We will now,” said the driver, not deigning to notice the Englishman who had been on guard over the mails, “put the Sirkar’s dak into this tonga and go forward.”

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The ponies coughed dolorously from time to time, but they could not lift the weight of a dead silence that seemed to be crushing the earth.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The ponies coughed dolorously from time to time, but they could not lift the weight of a dead silence that seemed to be crushing the earth.

tonga

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

From this reading After an interval measurable by centuries, sowar, driver and Thakur’s tonga reappeared; the latter full to the brim and bubbling over with humanity and bedding.

wait

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

From this reading He was going, he said so, to leave the Englishman to wait in the Sahara, for certainly thirty hours and perhaps forty-eight.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading He was going, he said so, to leave the Englishman to wait in the Sahara, for certainly thirty hours and perhaps forty-eight.

WepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading “We will now,” said the driver, not deigning to notice the Englishman who had been on guard over the mails, “put the Sirkar’s dak into this tonga and go forward.”

weight

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

From this reading The ponies coughed dolorously from time to time, but they could not lift the weight of a dead silence that seemed to be crushing the earth.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading “We will now,” said the driver, not deigning to notice the Englishman who had been on guard over the mails, “put the Sirkar’s dak into this tonga and go forward.”

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading “We will now,” said the driver, not deigning to notice the Englishman who had been on guard over the mails, “put the Sirkar’s dak into this tonga and go forward.”

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading After an interval measurable by centuries, sowar, driver and Thakur’s tonga reappeared; the latter full to the brim and bubbling over with humanity and bedding.