Chapter CXX
The Deck Towards The End Of The First Night Watch
Ahab standing by the helm. Starbuck approaching him. “We must send down the main-top-sail yard, sir. The band is working loose, and the lee lift is half-stranded. Shall I strike it, sir?”
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale
Chapter CXX · The Deck Towards The End Of The First Night Watch
English subtitles · tap any word to listen
1 / 5
Ahab
standing
by
the
helm.
Starbuck
approaching
him.
“We
must
send
down
the
main-top-sail
yard,
sir.
The
band
is
working
loose,
and
the
lee
lift
is
half-stranded.
Shall
I
strike
it,
sir?”
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale
Chapter CXX · The Deck Towards The End Of The First Night Watch
Reading 1/5 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
Line 1
Ahab
standing
by
the
helm.
Line 2
Starbuck
approaching
him.
Line 3
“We
must
send
down
the
main-top-sail
yard,
sir.
Line 4
The
band
is
working
loose,
and
the
lee
lift
is
half-stranded.
Line 5
Shall
I
strike
it,
sir?”
Learner Dictionary
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.
ahab
noun
US /ˈeɪhæb/
according to the Old Testament he was a pagan king of Israel and husband of Jezebel (9th century BC)
From this reading “Ahab standing by the helm.”
Collocations
Ahab standingA source-grounded phrase from this reading.
standing byA source-grounded phrase from this reading.
All words in this reading · 27
Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
AhabnounUS /ˈeɪhæb/
according to the Old Testament he was a pagan king of Israel and husband of Jezebel (9th century BC)
From this reading Ahab standing by the helm.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The band is working loose, and the lee lift is half-stranded.
approaching
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Starbuck approaching him.
band
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The band is working loose, and the lee lift is half-stranded.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Ahab standing by the helm.
down
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “We must send down the main-top-sail yard, sir.
half-stranded
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The band is working loose, and the lee lift is half-stranded.
helm
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ahab standing by the helm.
himpronounUS /hɪm/
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Starbuck approaching him.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Shall I strike it, sir?”
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The band is working loose, and the lee lift is half-stranded.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Shall I strike it, sir?”
lee
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The band is working loose, and the lee lift is half-stranded.
lift
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The band is working loose, and the lee lift is half-stranded.
loose
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The band is working loose, and the lee lift is half-stranded.
main-top-sail
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “We must send down the main-top-sail yard, sir.
mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “We must send down the main-top-sail yard, sir.
send
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “We must send down the main-top-sail yard, sir.
Shallmodal verbUS /ʃæl/
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading Shall I strike it, sir?”
sir
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “We must send down the main-top-sail yard, sir.
standingnounUS /ˈstanding/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading Ahab standing by the helm.
Starbuck
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Starbuck approaching him.
strike
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Shall I strike it, sir?”
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Ahab standing by the helm.
WepronounUS /wiː/
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “We must send down the main-top-sail yard, sir.
working
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The band is working loose, and the lee lift is half-stranded.
yard
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “We must send down the main-top-sail yard, sir.