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1492
1492

Chapter XXI · Chapter 21

Chapter 21 of 1492 is here in full — 304 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/60 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
GUACANAGARI’S town was much perhaps as was Goth town, Frank town, Saxon town, Latin town, sufficient time ago.
As for clothed and unclothed, that may be to some degree a matter of cold or warm weather.
We had not seen that ever it was cold in this land.
Guacanagari feasted us with great dignity and earnestness, for he and his people held it a momentous thing our coming here, our being here.
Utias we had and iguana, fish, cassava bread, potato, many a delicious fruit, and that mild drink that they made.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

1492

Chapter XXI · Chapter 21

Chapter 21 of 1492 is here in full — 304 sentences across 61 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/60 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
GUACANAGARI’S town was much perhaps as was Goth town, Frank town, Saxon town, Latin town, sufficient time ago.
Line 2
As for clothed and unclothed, that may be to some degree a matter of cold or warm weather.
Line 3
We had not seen that ever it was cold in this land.
/wiː hæd nɑːt siːn ðæt ˈevər ɪt wɑːz koʊld ɪn ðɪs lænd/
Line 4
Guacanagari feasted us with great dignity and earnestness, for he and his people held it a momentous thing our coming here, our being here.
Line 5
Utias we had and iguana, fish, cassava bread, potato, many a delicious fruit, and that mild drink that they made.

Learner Dictionary

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.

clothed adjective US /kloʊðd/

wearing or provided with clothing; sometimes used in combination

From this reading “As for clothed and unclothed, that may be to some degree a matter of cold or warm weather.”

earnestness noun US /ˈɜːrnəstnəs/

an earnest and sincere feeling

From this reading “Guacanagari feasted us with great dignity and earnestness, for he and his people held it a momentous thing our coming here, our being here.”

feasted verb US /ˈfiːstɪd/

past form of “feast” — partake in a feast or banquet

From this reading “Guacanagari feasted us with great dignity and earnestness, for he and his people held it a momentous thing our coming here, our being here.”

Goth noun US /ɡɑːθ/

a crude uncouth ill-bred person lacking culture or refinement

From this reading “GUACANAGARI’S town was much perhaps as was Goth town, Frank town, Saxon town, Latin town, sufficient time ago.”

iguana noun US /aɪˈɡwɑːnə/

large herbivorous tropical American arboreal lizards with a spiny crest along the back; used as human food in Central America and South America

From this reading “Utias we had and iguana, fish, cassava bread, potato, many a delicious fruit, and that mild drink that they made.”

momentous adjective US /moʊˈmentəs/

of very great significance

From this reading “Guacanagari feasted us with great dignity and earnestness, for he and his people held it a momentous thing our coming here, our being here.”

potato noun US /pəˈteɪtoʊ/

an edible tuber native to South America; a staple food of Ireland

From this reading “Utias we had and iguana, fish, cassava bread, potato, many a delicious fruit, and that mild drink that they made.”

Saxon noun US /ˈsæksən/

a member of a Germanic people who conquered England and merged with the Angles and Jutes to become Anglo-Saxons; dominant in England until the Norman Conquest

From this reading “GUACANAGARI’S town was much perhaps as was Goth town, Frank town, Saxon town, Latin town, sufficient time ago.”

All words in this reading · 69

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading As for clothed and unclothed, that may be to some degree a matter of cold or warm weather.

agoadverbUS /əˈɡoʊ/

in the past

From this reading GUACANAGARI’S town was much perhaps as was Goth town, Frank town, Saxon town, Latin town, sufficient time ago.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading As for clothed and unclothed, that may be to some degree a matter of cold or warm weather.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading GUACANAGARI’S town was much perhaps as was Goth town, Frank town, Saxon town, Latin town, sufficient time ago.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading As for clothed and unclothed, that may be to some degree a matter of cold or warm weather.

beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading Guacanagari feasted us with great dignity and earnestness, for he and his people held it a momentous thing our coming here, our being here.

breadnounUS /bred/

food made from dough of flour or meal and usually raised with yeast or baking powder and then baked

From this reading Utias we had and iguana, fish, cassava bread, potato, many a delicious fruit, and that mild drink that they made.

cassavanoun

a starch made by leaching and drying the root of the cassava plant; the source of tapioca; a staple food in the tropics

From this reading Utias we had and iguana, fish, cassava bread, potato, many a delicious fruit, and that mild drink that they made.

clothedadjectiveUS /kloʊðd/

wearing or provided with clothing; sometimes used in combination

From this reading As for clothed and unclothed, that may be to some degree a matter of cold or warm weather.

coldadjectiveUS /koʊld/

having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration

From this reading As for clothed and unclothed, that may be to some degree a matter of cold or warm weather.

comingnounUS /ˈkʌmɪŋ/

the act of drawing spatially closer to something

From this reading Guacanagari feasted us with great dignity and earnestness, for he and his people held it a momentous thing our coming here, our being here.

degreenounUS /dɪˈɡriː/

a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality

From this reading As for clothed and unclothed, that may be to some degree a matter of cold or warm weather.

deliciousadjectiveUS /dɪˈlɪʃəs/

greatly pleasing or entertaining

From this reading Utias we had and iguana, fish, cassava bread, potato, many a delicious fruit, and that mild drink that they made.

dignitynounUS /ˈdɪɡnəti/

the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect

From this reading Guacanagari feasted us with great dignity and earnestness, for he and his people held it a momentous thing our coming here, our being here.

drinkverbUS /drɪŋk/

take in liquids

From this reading Utias we had and iguana, fish, cassava bread, potato, many a delicious fruit, and that mild drink that they made.

earnestnessnounUS /ˈɜːrnəstnəs/

an earnest and sincere feeling

From this reading Guacanagari feasted us with great dignity and earnestness, for he and his people held it a momentous thing our coming here, our being here.

everadverbUS /ˈevər/

at any time

From this reading We had not seen that ever it was cold in this land.

feastedverbUS /ˈfiːstɪd/

past form of “feast” — partake in a feast or banquet

From this reading Guacanagari feasted us with great dignity and earnestness, for he and his people held it a momentous thing our coming here, our being here.

fishnounUS /fɪʃ/

any of various mostly cold-blooded aquatic vertebrates usually having scales and breathing through gills

From this reading Utias we had and iguana, fish, cassava bread, potato, many a delicious fruit, and that mild drink that they made.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading As for clothed and unclothed, that may be to some degree a matter of cold or warm weather.

FrankadjectiveUS /fræŋk/

characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion

From this reading GUACANAGARI’S town was much perhaps as was Goth town, Frank town, Saxon town, Latin town, sufficient time ago.

fruitnounUS /fruːt/

the ripened reproductive body of a seed plant

From this reading Utias we had and iguana, fish, cassava bread, potato, many a delicious fruit, and that mild drink that they made.

GothnounUS /ɡɑːθ/

a crude uncouth ill-bred person lacking culture or refinement

From this reading GUACANAGARI’S town was much perhaps as was Goth town, Frank town, Saxon town, Latin town, sufficient time ago.

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading Guacanagari feasted us with great dignity and earnestness, for he and his people held it a momentous thing our coming here, our being here.

Guacanagari

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

From this reading Guacanagari feasted us with great dignity and earnestness, for he and his people held it a momentous thing our coming here, our being here.

GUACANAGARI'S

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

From this reading GUACANAGARI’S town was much perhaps as was Goth town, Frank town, Saxon town, Latin town, sufficient time ago.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading We had not seen that ever it was cold in this land.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading Guacanagari feasted us with great dignity and earnestness, for he and his people held it a momentous thing our coming here, our being here.

heldadjectiveUS /held/

occupied or in the control of; often used in combination

From this reading Guacanagari feasted us with great dignity and earnestness, for he and his people held it a momentous thing our coming here, our being here.

hereadverbUS /hiːr/

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading Guacanagari feasted us with great dignity and earnestness, for he and his people held it a momentous thing our coming here, our being here.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Guacanagari feasted us with great dignity and earnestness, for he and his people held it a momentous thing our coming here, our being here.

iguananounUS /aɪˈɡwɑːnə/

large herbivorous tropical American arboreal lizards with a spiny crest along the back; used as human food in Central America and South America

From this reading Utias we had and iguana, fish, cassava bread, potato, many a delicious fruit, and that mild drink that they made.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading We had not seen that ever it was cold in this land.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading We had not seen that ever it was cold in this land.

landnounUS /lænd/

the land on which real estate is located

From this reading We had not seen that ever it was cold in this land.

LatinadjectiveUS /ˈlætən/

of or relating to the ancient Latins or the Latin language

From this reading GUACANAGARI’S town was much perhaps as was Goth town, Frank town, Saxon town, Latin town, sufficient time ago.

madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading Utias we had and iguana, fish, cassava bread, potato, many a delicious fruit, and that mild drink that they made.

manyadjectiveUS /ˈmeni/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number

From this reading Utias we had and iguana, fish, cassava bread, potato, many a delicious fruit, and that mild drink that they made.

matternounUS /ˈmætər/

a vaguely specified concern

From this reading As for clothed and unclothed, that may be to some degree a matter of cold or warm weather.

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading As for clothed and unclothed, that may be to some degree a matter of cold or warm weather.

mildadjectiveUS /maɪld/

moderate in type or degree or effect or force; far from extreme

From this reading Utias we had and iguana, fish, cassava bread, potato, many a delicious fruit, and that mild drink that they made.

momentousadjectiveUS /moʊˈmentəs/

of very great significance

From this reading Guacanagari feasted us with great dignity and earnestness, for he and his people held it a momentous thing our coming here, our being here.

muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

From this reading GUACANAGARI’S town was much perhaps as was Goth town, Frank town, Saxon town, Latin town, sufficient time ago.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading We had not seen that ever it was cold in this land.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading As for clothed and unclothed, that may be to some degree a matter of cold or warm weather.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading As for clothed and unclothed, that may be to some degree a matter of cold or warm weather.

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading Guacanagari feasted us with great dignity and earnestness, for he and his people held it a momentous thing our coming here, our being here.

peoplenounUS /ˈpiːpəl/

(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively

From this reading Guacanagari feasted us with great dignity and earnestness, for he and his people held it a momentous thing our coming here, our being here.

perhapsadverbUS /pərˈhæps/

by chance

From this reading GUACANAGARI’S town was much perhaps as was Goth town, Frank town, Saxon town, Latin town, sufficient time ago.

potatonounUS /pəˈteɪtoʊ/

an edible tuber native to South America; a staple food of Ireland

From this reading Utias we had and iguana, fish, cassava bread, potato, many a delicious fruit, and that mild drink that they made.

SaxonnounUS /ˈsæksən/

a member of a Germanic people who conquered England and merged with the Angles and Jutes to become Anglo-Saxons; dominant in England until the Norman Conquest

From this reading GUACANAGARI’S town was much perhaps as was Goth town, Frank town, Saxon town, Latin town, sufficient time ago.

seenverbUS /siːn/

inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading We had not seen that ever it was cold in this land.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading As for clothed and unclothed, that may be to some degree a matter of cold or warm weather.

sufficientadjectiveUS /səˈfɪʃənt/

of a quantity that can fulfill a need or requirement but without being abundant

From this reading GUACANAGARI’S town was much perhaps as was Goth town, Frank town, Saxon town, Latin town, sufficient time ago.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading As for clothed and unclothed, that may be to some degree a matter of cold or warm weather.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading Utias we had and iguana, fish, cassava bread, potato, many a delicious fruit, and that mild drink that they made.

thingnounUS /θɪŋ/

a special situation

From this reading Guacanagari feasted us with great dignity and earnestness, for he and his people held it a momentous thing our coming here, our being here.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading We had not seen that ever it was cold in this land.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading GUACANAGARI’S town was much perhaps as was Goth town, Frank town, Saxon town, Latin town, sufficient time ago.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading As for clothed and unclothed, that may be to some degree a matter of cold or warm weather.

townnounUS /taʊn/

an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city

From this reading GUACANAGARI’S town was much perhaps as was Goth town, Frank town, Saxon town, Latin town, sufficient time ago.

unclothedadjective

not wearing clothing

From this reading As for clothed and unclothed, that may be to some degree a matter of cold or warm weather.

uspronounUS /ʌs/

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

From this reading Guacanagari feasted us with great dignity and earnestness, for he and his people held it a momentous thing our coming here, our being here.

Utias

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

From this reading Utias we had and iguana, fish, cassava bread, potato, many a delicious fruit, and that mild drink that they made.

warmadjectiveUS /wɔːrm/

having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat or imparting or maintaining heat

From this reading As for clothed and unclothed, that may be to some degree a matter of cold or warm weather.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading GUACANAGARI’S town was much perhaps as was Goth town, Frank town, Saxon town, Latin town, sufficient time ago.

WepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading We had not seen that ever it was cold in this land.

weathernounUS /ˈweðər/

the atmospheric conditions that comprise the state of the atmosphere in terms of temperature and wind and clouds and precipitation

From this reading As for clothed and unclothed, that may be to some degree a matter of cold or warm weather.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Guacanagari feasted us with great dignity and earnestness, for he and his people held it a momentous thing our coming here, our being here.

Chapter 21 of 1492 by Mary Johnston holds 304 sentences, grouped into 61 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.

What does chapter 21 of 1492 contain?

Chapter 21 holds 304 sentences of 1492, unabridged, divided into 61 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 21 of 1492 by Mary Johnston exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 304 sentences, grouped into 61 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.

How do I study chapter 21 of 1492?

Work through the 61 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 61 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.

Can chapter 21 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 21 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.

Questions about reading 1492

Common questions about reading 1492 by Mary Johnston on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of 1492?

Yes. All 7464 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1692 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of 1492 is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #1692, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does 1492 take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1493 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read 1492 section by section

How to work through 1492 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 40 chapters of 1492 to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in 1492

Words and structures a reader meets early in 1492, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Morning
A word that appears in the opening chapter of 1492; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Palos
A word that appears in the opening chapter of 1492; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Jayme
A word that appears in the opening chapter of 1492; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Marchena
A word that appears in the opening chapter of 1492; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.