Chapter 18 of 1492 is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of 1492 is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
WE sailed for two days east by south. But the weather that had been perfection for long and long again from Palos, now was changed. Dead winds delayed us, the sea ridged, clouds blotted out the blue. We held on. There was a great cape which we called Cape Cuba.
Chapter 18 of 1492 is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
inflected form of “blot” — dry (ink) with blotting paper
From this reading “Dead winds delayed us, the sea ridged, clouds blotted out the blue.”
a strip of land projecting into a body of water
From this reading “There was a great cape which we called Cape Cuba.”
a communist state in the Caribbean on the island of Cuba
From this reading “There was a great cape which we called Cape Cuba.”
not as far along as normal in development
From this reading “Dead winds delayed us, the sea ridged, clouds blotted out the blue.”
the state of being without a flaw or defect
From this reading “But the weather that had been perfection for long and long again from Palos, now was changed.”
having a ridge or shaped like a ridge or suggesting the keel of a ship
From this reading “Dead winds delayed us, the sea ridged, clouds blotted out the blue.”
past form of “sail” — traverse or travel on (a body of water)
From this reading “WE sailed for two days east by south.”
plural of “wind” — air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading “Dead winds delayed us, the sea ridged, clouds blotted out the blue.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading There was a great cape which we called Cape Cuba.
anew
From this reading But the weather that had been perfection for long and long again from Palos, now was changed.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading But the weather that had been perfection for long and long again from Palos, now was changed.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading But the weather that had been perfection for long and long again from Palos, now was changed.
inflected form of “blot” — dry (ink) with blotting paper
From this reading Dead winds delayed us, the sea ridged, clouds blotted out the blue.
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading Dead winds delayed us, the sea ridged, clouds blotted out the blue.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But the weather that had been perfection for long and long again from Palos, now was changed.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading WE sailed for two days east by south.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading There was a great cape which we called Cape Cuba.
a strip of land projecting into a body of water
From this reading There was a great cape which we called Cape Cuba.
made or become different in nature or form
From this reading But the weather that had been perfection for long and long again from Palos, now was changed.
plural of “cloud” — any collection of particles (e.g., smoke or dust) or gases that is visible
From this reading Dead winds delayed us, the sea ridged, clouds blotted out the blue.
a communist state in the Caribbean on the island of Cuba
From this reading There was a great cape which we called Cape Cuba.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading WE sailed for two days east by south.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading Dead winds delayed us, the sea ridged, clouds blotted out the blue.
not as far along as normal in development
From this reading Dead winds delayed us, the sea ridged, clouds blotted out the blue.
the cardinal compass point that is at 90 degrees
From this reading WE sailed for two days east by south.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading WE sailed for two days east by south.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading But the weather that had been perfection for long and long again from Palos, now was changed.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading There was a great cape which we called Cape Cuba.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading But the weather that had been perfection for long and long again from Palos, now was changed.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading We held on.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading But the weather that had been perfection for long and long again from Palos, now was changed.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading But the weather that had been perfection for long and long again from Palos, now was changed.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading We held on.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Dead winds delayed us, the sea ridged, clouds blotted out the blue.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But the weather that had been perfection for long and long again from Palos, now was changed.
the state of being without a flaw or defect
From this reading But the weather that had been perfection for long and long again from Palos, now was changed.
having a ridge or shaped like a ridge or suggesting the keel of a ship
From this reading Dead winds delayed us, the sea ridged, clouds blotted out the blue.
past form of “sail” — traverse or travel on (a body of water)
From this reading WE sailed for two days east by south.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading Dead winds delayed us, the sea ridged, clouds blotted out the blue.
the region of the United States lying to the south of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading WE sailed for two days east by south.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading But the weather that had been perfection for long and long again from Palos, now was changed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But the weather that had been perfection for long and long again from Palos, now was changed.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a great cape which we called Cape Cuba.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading WE sailed for two days east by south.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Dead winds delayed us, the sea ridged, clouds blotted out the blue.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But the weather that had been perfection for long and long again from Palos, now was changed.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading WE sailed for two days east by south.
the atmospheric conditions that comprise the state of the atmosphere in terms of temperature and wind and clouds and precipitation
From this reading But the weather that had been perfection for long and long again from Palos, now was changed.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading There was a great cape which we called Cape Cuba.
plural of “wind” — air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading Dead winds delayed us, the sea ridged, clouds blotted out the blue.
Chapter 18 of 1492 by Mary Johnston holds 147 sentences, grouped into 30 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 18 holds 147 sentences of 1492, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of 1492 by Mary Johnston exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 147 sentences, grouped into 30 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 18 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading 1492 by Mary Johnston on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7464 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1692 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1692, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1493 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through 1492 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of 1492 to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in 1492, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
