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The Sphinx
The Sphinx

Chapter XXI

Chapter 21, section 1: The chief was as good as his word, and we were soon plentifully supplied with fresh provisions. We found the tortoises as fine as we had ever seen, and the ducks surpassed our best
Context Illustration Reading 1/16 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The chief was as good as his word, and we were soon plentifully supplied with fresh provisions.
We found the tortoises as fine as we had ever seen, and the ducks surpassed our best species of wild fowl, being exceedingly tender, juicy, and well-flavoured.
Besides these, the savages brought us, upon our making them comprehend our wishes, a vast quantity of brown celery and scurvy grass, with a canoe-load of fresh fish and some dried.
The celery was a treat indeed, and the scurvy grass proved of incalculable benefit in restoring those of our men who had shown symptoms of disease.
In a very short time we had not a single person on the sick-list.
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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.

The Sphinx

Chapter XXI

Reading 1/16 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The chief was as good as his word, and we were soon plentifully supplied with fresh provisions.
Line 2
We found the tortoises as fine as we had ever seen, and the ducks surpassed our best species of wild fowl, being exceedingly tender, juicy, and well-flavoured.
Line 3
Besides these, the savages brought us, upon our making them comprehend our wishes, a vast quantity of brown celery and scurvy grass, with a canoe-load of fresh fish and some dried.
Line 4
The celery was a treat indeed, and the scurvy grass proved of incalculable benefit in restoring those of our men who had shown symptoms of disease.
Line 5
In a very short time we had not a single person on the sick-list.

Learner Dictionary

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

Being auxiliary verb US /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading “We found the tortoises as fine as we had ever seen, and the ducks surpassed our best species of wild fowl, being exceedingly tender, juicy, and well-flavoured.”

Besides preposition US /bɪˈsaɪdz/

in addition to; as well as

From this reading “Besides these, the savages brought us, upon our making them comprehend our wishes, a vast quantity of brown celery and scurvy grass, with a canoe-load of fresh fish and some dried.”

Brought noun US /ˈbrought/

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

From this reading “Besides these, the savages brought us, upon our making them comprehend our wishes, a vast quantity of brown celery and scurvy grass, with a canoe-load of fresh fish and some dried.”

Ever noun US /ever/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “We found the tortoises as fine as we had ever seen, and the ducks surpassed our best species of wild fowl, being exceedingly tender, juicy, and well-flavoured.”

Fine noun US /fine/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “We found the tortoises as fine as we had ever seen, and the ducks surpassed our best species of wild fowl, being exceedingly tender, juicy, and well-flavoured.”

Found noun US /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “We found the tortoises as fine as we had ever seen, and the ducks surpassed our best species of wild fowl, being exceedingly tender, juicy, and well-flavoured.”

Good noun US /good/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The chief was as good as his word, and we were soon plentifully supplied with fresh provisions.”

Short adjective US /ʃɔrt/

brief or direct in expression

From this reading “In a very short time we had not a single person on the sick-list.”

Soon noun US /soon/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The chief was as good as his word, and we were soon plentifully supplied with fresh provisions.”

These determiner US /ðiːz/

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

From this reading “Besides these, the savages brought us, upon our making them comprehend our wishes, a vast quantity of brown celery and scurvy grass, with a canoe-load of fresh fish and some dried.”

Those determiner US /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading “The celery was a treat indeed, and the scurvy grass proved of incalculable benefit in restoring those of our men who had shown symptoms of disease.”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “In a very short time we had not a single person on the sick-list.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “Besides these, the savages brought us, upon our making them comprehend our wishes, a vast quantity of brown celery and scurvy grass, with a canoe-load of fresh fish and some dried.”

All words in this reading · 77

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 Besides these, the savages brought us, upon our making them comprehend our wishes, a vast quantity of brown celery and scurvy grass, with a canoe-load of fresh fish and some dried.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The chief was as good as his word, and we were soon plentifully supplied with fresh provisions.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading The chief was as good as his word, and we were soon plentifully supplied with fresh provisions.

beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading We found the tortoises as fine as we had ever seen, and the ducks surpassed our best species of wild fowl, being exceedingly tender, juicy, and well-flavoured.

benefit

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

From this reading The celery was a treat indeed, and the scurvy grass proved of incalculable benefit in restoring those of our men who had shown symptoms of disease.

BesidesprepositionUS /bɪˈsaɪdz/

in addition to; as well as

From this reading Besides these, the savages brought us, upon our making them comprehend our wishes, a vast quantity of brown celery and scurvy grass, with a canoe-load of fresh fish and some dried.

best

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

From this reading We found the tortoises as fine as we had ever seen, and the ducks surpassed our best species of wild fowl, being exceedingly tender, juicy, and well-flavoured.

broughtnounUS /ˈbrought/

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

From this reading Besides these, the savages brought us, upon our making them comprehend our wishes, a vast quantity of brown celery and scurvy grass, with a canoe-load of fresh fish and some dried.

brown

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

From this reading Besides these, the savages brought us, upon our making them comprehend our wishes, a vast quantity of brown celery and scurvy grass, with a canoe-load of fresh fish and some dried.

canoe-load

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

From this reading Besides these, the savages brought us, upon our making them comprehend our wishes, a vast quantity of brown celery and scurvy grass, with a canoe-load of fresh fish and some dried.

celery

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

From this reading Besides these, the savages brought us, upon our making them comprehend our wishes, a vast quantity of brown celery and scurvy grass, with a canoe-load of fresh fish and some dried.

chief

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

From this reading The chief was as good as his word, and we were soon plentifully supplied with fresh provisions.

comprehend

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

From this reading Besides these, the savages brought us, upon our making them comprehend our wishes, a vast quantity of brown celery and scurvy grass, with a canoe-load of fresh fish and some dried.

disease

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

From this reading The celery was a treat indeed, and the scurvy grass proved of incalculable benefit in restoring those of our men who had shown symptoms of disease.

dried

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

From this reading Besides these, the savages brought us, upon our making them comprehend our wishes, a vast quantity of brown celery and scurvy grass, with a canoe-load of fresh fish and some dried.

ducks

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

From this reading We found the tortoises as fine as we had ever seen, and the ducks surpassed our best species of wild fowl, being exceedingly tender, juicy, and well-flavoured.

evernounUS /ever/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading We found the tortoises as fine as we had ever seen, and the ducks surpassed our best species of wild fowl, being exceedingly tender, juicy, and well-flavoured.

exceedingly

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

From this reading We found the tortoises as fine as we had ever seen, and the ducks surpassed our best species of wild fowl, being exceedingly tender, juicy, and well-flavoured.

finenounUS /fine/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading We found the tortoises as fine as we had ever seen, and the ducks surpassed our best species of wild fowl, being exceedingly tender, juicy, and well-flavoured.

fish

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

From this reading Besides these, the savages brought us, upon our making them comprehend our wishes, a vast quantity of brown celery and scurvy grass, with a canoe-load of fresh fish and some dried.

foundnounUS /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading We found the tortoises as fine as we had ever seen, and the ducks surpassed our best species of wild fowl, being exceedingly tender, juicy, and well-flavoured.

fowl

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

From this reading We found the tortoises as fine as we had ever seen, and the ducks surpassed our best species of wild fowl, being exceedingly tender, juicy, and well-flavoured.

fresh

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

From this reading The chief was as good as his word, and we were soon plentifully supplied with fresh provisions.

goodnounUS /good/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The chief was as good as his word, and we were soon plentifully supplied with fresh provisions.

grass

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

From this reading Besides these, the savages brought us, upon our making them comprehend our wishes, a vast quantity of brown celery and scurvy grass, with a canoe-load of fresh fish and some dried.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading We found the tortoises as fine as we had ever seen, and the ducks surpassed our best species of wild fowl, being exceedingly tender, juicy, and well-flavoured.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading The chief was as good as his word, and we were soon plentifully supplied with fresh provisions.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The celery was a treat indeed, and the scurvy grass proved of incalculable benefit in restoring those of our men who had shown symptoms of disease.

incalculable

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

From this reading The celery was a treat indeed, and the scurvy grass proved of incalculable benefit in restoring those of our men who had shown symptoms of disease.

indeed

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

From this reading The celery was a treat indeed, and the scurvy grass proved of incalculable benefit in restoring those of our men who had shown symptoms of disease.

juicy

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

From this reading We found the tortoises as fine as we had ever seen, and the ducks surpassed our best species of wild fowl, being exceedingly tender, juicy, and well-flavoured.

making

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

From this reading Besides these, the savages brought us, upon our making them comprehend our wishes, a vast quantity of brown celery and scurvy grass, with a canoe-load of fresh fish and some dried.

men

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

From this reading The celery was a treat indeed, and the scurvy grass proved of incalculable benefit in restoring those of our men who had shown symptoms of disease.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading In a very short time we had not a single person on the sick-list.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading We found the tortoises as fine as we had ever seen, and the ducks surpassed our best species of wild fowl, being exceedingly tender, juicy, and well-flavoured.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading In a very short time we had not a single person on the sick-list.

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading We found the tortoises as fine as we had ever seen, and the ducks surpassed our best species of wild fowl, being exceedingly tender, juicy, and well-flavoured.

person

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

From this reading In a very short time we had not a single person on the sick-list.

plentifully

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

From this reading The chief was as good as his word, and we were soon plentifully supplied with fresh provisions.

proved

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

From this reading The celery was a treat indeed, and the scurvy grass proved of incalculable benefit in restoring those of our men who had shown symptoms of disease.

provisions

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

From this reading The chief was as good as his word, and we were soon plentifully supplied with fresh provisions.

quantity

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

From this reading Besides these, the savages brought us, upon our making them comprehend our wishes, a vast quantity of brown celery and scurvy grass, with a canoe-load of fresh fish and some dried.

restoring

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

From this reading The celery was a treat indeed, and the scurvy grass proved of incalculable benefit in restoring those of our men who had shown symptoms of disease.

savages

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

From this reading Besides these, the savages brought us, upon our making them comprehend our wishes, a vast quantity of brown celery and scurvy grass, with a canoe-load of fresh fish and some dried.

scurvy

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

From this reading Besides these, the savages brought us, upon our making them comprehend our wishes, a vast quantity of brown celery and scurvy grass, with a canoe-load of fresh fish and some dried.

seen

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

From this reading We found the tortoises as fine as we had ever seen, and the ducks surpassed our best species of wild fowl, being exceedingly tender, juicy, and well-flavoured.

shortadjectiveUS /ʃɔrt/

brief or direct in expression

From this reading In a very short time we had not a single person on the sick-list.

shown

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

From this reading The celery was a treat indeed, and the scurvy grass proved of incalculable benefit in restoring those of our men who had shown symptoms of disease.

sick-list

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

From this reading In a very short time we had not a single person on the sick-list.

single

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

From this reading In a very short time we had not a single person on the sick-list.

some

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

From this reading Besides these, the savages brought us, upon our making them comprehend our wishes, a vast quantity of brown celery and scurvy grass, with a canoe-load of fresh fish and some dried.

soon

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

From this reading The chief was as good as his word, and we were soon plentifully supplied with fresh provisions.

species

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

From this reading We found the tortoises as fine as we had ever seen, and the ducks surpassed our best species of wild fowl, being exceedingly tender, juicy, and well-flavoured.

supplied

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

From this reading The chief was as good as his word, and we were soon plentifully supplied with fresh provisions.

surpassed

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

From this reading We found the tortoises as fine as we had ever seen, and the ducks surpassed our best species of wild fowl, being exceedingly tender, juicy, and well-flavoured.

symptoms

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

From this reading The celery was a treat indeed, and the scurvy grass proved of incalculable benefit in restoring those of our men who had shown symptoms of disease.

tender

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

From this reading We found the tortoises as fine as we had ever seen, and the ducks surpassed our best species of wild fowl, being exceedingly tender, juicy, and well-flavoured.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The chief was as good as his word, and we were soon plentifully supplied with fresh provisions.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Besides these, the savages brought us, upon our making them comprehend our wishes, a vast quantity of brown celery and scurvy grass, with a canoe-load of fresh fish and some dried.

thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

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

From this reading Besides these, the savages brought us, upon our making them comprehend our wishes, a vast quantity of brown celery and scurvy grass, with a canoe-load of fresh fish and some dried.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading The celery was a treat indeed, and the scurvy grass proved of incalculable benefit in restoring those of our men who had shown symptoms of disease.

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading In a very short time we had not a single person on the sick-list.

tortoises

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

From this reading We found the tortoises as fine as we had ever seen, and the ducks surpassed our best species of wild fowl, being exceedingly tender, juicy, and well-flavoured.

treat

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

From this reading The celery was a treat indeed, and the scurvy grass proved of incalculable benefit in restoring those of our men who had shown symptoms of disease.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading Besides these, the savages brought us, upon our making them comprehend our wishes, a vast quantity of brown celery and scurvy grass, with a canoe-load of fresh fish and some dried.

uspronounUS /ʌs/

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Besides these, the savages brought us, upon our making them comprehend our wishes, a vast quantity of brown celery and scurvy grass, with a canoe-load of fresh fish and some dried.

vast

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

From this reading Besides these, the savages brought us, upon our making them comprehend our wishes, a vast quantity of brown celery and scurvy grass, with a canoe-load of fresh fish and some dried.

very

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

From this reading In a very short time we had not a single person on the sick-list.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The chief was as good as his word, and we were soon plentifully supplied with fresh provisions.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading The chief was as good as his word, and we were soon plentifully supplied with fresh provisions.

well-flavoured

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

From this reading We found the tortoises as fine as we had ever seen, and the ducks surpassed our best species of wild fowl, being exceedingly tender, juicy, and well-flavoured.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading The chief was as good as his word, and we were soon plentifully supplied with fresh provisions.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading The celery was a treat indeed, and the scurvy grass proved of incalculable benefit in restoring those of our men who had shown symptoms of disease.

wild

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

From this reading We found the tortoises as fine as we had ever seen, and the ducks surpassed our best species of wild fowl, being exceedingly tender, juicy, and well-flavoured.

wishes

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

From this reading Besides these, the savages brought us, upon our making them comprehend our wishes, a vast quantity of brown celery and scurvy grass, with a canoe-load of fresh fish and some dried.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading The chief was as good as his word, and we were soon plentifully supplied with fresh provisions.

word

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

From this reading The chief was as good as his word, and we were soon plentifully supplied with fresh provisions.