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A Book of Discovery
A Book of Discovery

Chapter II

Cover illustration for A Book of Discovery
Context Illustration Reading 1/19 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
EARLY MARINERS The law of the universe is progress and expansion, and this little old world was soon discovered to be larger than men thought.
Now in Syria--the highway between Babylonia and Egypt--dwelt a tribe of dusky people known as Phoenicians.
Some have thought that they were related to our old friends in Somaliland, and that long years ago they had migrated north to the seacoast of that part of Syria known as Canaan.
Living on the seashore, washed by the tideless Mediterranean, they soon became skilful sailors.
They built ships and ventured forth on the deep; they made their way to the islands of Cyprus and Crete and thence to the islands of Greece, bringing back goods from other countries to barter with their less daring neighbours.
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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.

A Book of Discovery

Chapter II

Reading 1/19 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
EARLY MARINERS The law of the universe is progress and expansion, and this little old world was soon discovered to be larger than men thought.
Line 2
Now in Syria--the highway between Babylonia and Egypt--dwelt a tribe of dusky people known as Phoenicians.
Line 3
Some have thought that they were related to our old friends in Somaliland, and that long years ago they had migrated north to the seacoast of that part of Syria known as Canaan.
Line 4
Living on the seashore, washed by the tideless Mediterranean, they soon became skilful sailors.
Line 5
They built ships and ventured forth on the deep; they made their way to the islands of Cyprus and Crete and thence to the islands of Greece, bringing back goods from other countries to barter with their less daring neighbours.

Learner Dictionary

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

Between preposition US /bɪˈtwiːn/

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading “Now in Syria--the highway between Babylonia and Egypt--dwelt a tribe of dusky people known as Phoenicians.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “Some have thought that they were related to our old friends in Somaliland, and that long years ago they had migrated north to the seacoast of that part of Syria known as Canaan.”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “EARLY MARINERS The law of the universe is progress and expansion, and this little old world was soon discovered to be larger than men thought.”

Long noun US /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Some have thought that they were related to our old friends in Somaliland, and that long years ago they had migrated north to the seacoast of that part of Syria known as Canaan.”

Part noun US /part/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Some have thought that they were related to our old friends in Somaliland, and that long years ago they had migrated north to the seacoast of that part of Syria known as Canaan.”

Soon noun US /soon/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “EARLY MARINERS The law of the universe is progress and expansion, and this little old world was soon discovered to be larger than men thought.”

Thence adverb US /ðens/

from that place or that time

From this reading “They built ships and ventured forth on the deep; they made their way to the islands of Cyprus and Crete and thence to the islands of Greece, bringing back goods from other countries to barter with their less daring neighbours.”

Thought noun US /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “EARLY MARINERS The law of the universe is progress and expansion, and this little old world was soon discovered to be larger than men thought.”

All words in this reading · 90

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 Now in Syria--the highway between Babylonia and Egypt--dwelt a tribe of dusky people known as Phoenicians.

ago

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

From this reading Some have thought that they were related to our old friends in Somaliland, and that long years ago they had migrated north to the seacoast of that part of Syria known as Canaan.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading EARLY MARINERS The law of the universe is progress and expansion, and this little old world was soon discovered to be larger than men thought.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Now in Syria--the highway between Babylonia and Egypt--dwelt a tribe of dusky people known as Phoenicians.

Babylonia

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

From this reading Now in Syria--the highway between Babylonia and Egypt--dwelt a tribe of dusky people known as Phoenicians.

back

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

From this reading They built ships and ventured forth on the deep; they made their way to the islands of Cyprus and Crete and thence to the islands of Greece, bringing back goods from other countries to barter with their less daring neighbours.

barter

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

From this reading They built ships and ventured forth on the deep; they made their way to the islands of Cyprus and Crete and thence to the islands of Greece, bringing back goods from other countries to barter with their less daring neighbours.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading EARLY MARINERS The law of the universe is progress and expansion, and this little old world was soon discovered to be larger than men thought.

became

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

From this reading Living on the seashore, washed by the tideless Mediterranean, they soon became skilful sailors.

betweenprepositionUS /bɪˈtwiːn/

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading Now in Syria--the highway between Babylonia and Egypt--dwelt a tribe of dusky people known as Phoenicians.

bringing

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

From this reading They built ships and ventured forth on the deep; they made their way to the islands of Cyprus and Crete and thence to the islands of Greece, bringing back goods from other countries to barter with their less daring neighbours.

built

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

From this reading They built ships and ventured forth on the deep; they made their way to the islands of Cyprus and Crete and thence to the islands of Greece, bringing back goods from other countries to barter with their less daring neighbours.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Living on the seashore, washed by the tideless Mediterranean, they soon became skilful sailors.

Canaan

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

From this reading Some have thought that they were related to our old friends in Somaliland, and that long years ago they had migrated north to the seacoast of that part of Syria known as Canaan.

countries

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

From this reading They built ships and ventured forth on the deep; they made their way to the islands of Cyprus and Crete and thence to the islands of Greece, bringing back goods from other countries to barter with their less daring neighbours.

Crete

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

From this reading They built ships and ventured forth on the deep; they made their way to the islands of Cyprus and Crete and thence to the islands of Greece, bringing back goods from other countries to barter with their less daring neighbours.

Cyprus

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

From this reading They built ships and ventured forth on the deep; they made their way to the islands of Cyprus and Crete and thence to the islands of Greece, bringing back goods from other countries to barter with their less daring neighbours.

daring

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

From this reading They built ships and ventured forth on the deep; they made their way to the islands of Cyprus and Crete and thence to the islands of Greece, bringing back goods from other countries to barter with their less daring neighbours.

deep

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

From this reading They built ships and ventured forth on the deep; they made their way to the islands of Cyprus and Crete and thence to the islands of Greece, bringing back goods from other countries to barter with their less daring neighbours.

discovered

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

From this reading EARLY MARINERS The law of the universe is progress and expansion, and this little old world was soon discovered to be larger than men thought.

dusky

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

From this reading Now in Syria--the highway between Babylonia and Egypt--dwelt a tribe of dusky people known as Phoenicians.

dwelt

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

From this reading Now in Syria--the highway between Babylonia and Egypt--dwelt a tribe of dusky people known as Phoenicians.

EARLY

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

From this reading EARLY MARINERS The law of the universe is progress and expansion, and this little old world was soon discovered to be larger than men thought.

Egypt

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

From this reading Now in Syria--the highway between Babylonia and Egypt--dwelt a tribe of dusky people known as Phoenicians.

expansion

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

From this reading EARLY MARINERS The law of the universe is progress and expansion, and this little old world was soon discovered to be larger than men thought.

forth

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

From this reading They built ships and ventured forth on the deep; they made their way to the islands of Cyprus and Crete and thence to the islands of Greece, bringing back goods from other countries to barter with their less daring neighbours.

friends

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

From this reading Some have thought that they were related to our old friends in Somaliland, and that long years ago they had migrated north to the seacoast of that part of Syria known as Canaan.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading They built ships and ventured forth on the deep; they made their way to the islands of Cyprus and Crete and thence to the islands of Greece, bringing back goods from other countries to barter with their less daring neighbours.

goods

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

From this reading They built ships and ventured forth on the deep; they made their way to the islands of Cyprus and Crete and thence to the islands of Greece, bringing back goods from other countries to barter with their less daring neighbours.

Greece

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

From this reading They built ships and ventured forth on the deep; they made their way to the islands of Cyprus and Crete and thence to the islands of Greece, bringing back goods from other countries to barter with their less daring neighbours.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Some have thought that they were related to our old friends in Somaliland, and that long years ago they had migrated north to the seacoast of that part of Syria known as Canaan.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Some have thought that they were related to our old friends in Somaliland, and that long years ago they had migrated north to the seacoast of that part of Syria known as Canaan.

highway

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

From this reading Now in Syria--the highway between Babylonia and Egypt--dwelt a tribe of dusky people known as Phoenicians.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Now in Syria--the highway between Babylonia and Egypt--dwelt a tribe of dusky people known as Phoenicians.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading EARLY MARINERS The law of the universe is progress and expansion, and this little old world was soon discovered to be larger than men thought.

islands

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

From this reading They built ships and ventured forth on the deep; they made their way to the islands of Cyprus and Crete and thence to the islands of Greece, bringing back goods from other countries to barter with their less daring neighbours.

known

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

From this reading Now in Syria--the highway between Babylonia and Egypt--dwelt a tribe of dusky people known as Phoenicians.

larger

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

From this reading EARLY MARINERS The law of the universe is progress and expansion, and this little old world was soon discovered to be larger than men thought.

law

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

From this reading EARLY MARINERS The law of the universe is progress and expansion, and this little old world was soon discovered to be larger than men thought.

less

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

From this reading They built ships and ventured forth on the deep; they made their way to the islands of Cyprus and Crete and thence to the islands of Greece, bringing back goods from other countries to barter with their less daring neighbours.

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading EARLY MARINERS The law of the universe is progress and expansion, and this little old world was soon discovered to be larger than men thought.

Living

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

From this reading Living on the seashore, washed by the tideless Mediterranean, they soon became skilful sailors.

longnounUS /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Some have thought that they were related to our old friends in Somaliland, and that long years ago they had migrated north to the seacoast of that part of Syria known as Canaan.

made

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

From this reading They built ships and ventured forth on the deep; they made their way to the islands of Cyprus and Crete and thence to the islands of Greece, bringing back goods from other countries to barter with their less daring neighbours.

MARINERS

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

From this reading EARLY MARINERS The law of the universe is progress and expansion, and this little old world was soon discovered to be larger than men thought.

Mediterranean

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

From this reading Living on the seashore, washed by the tideless Mediterranean, they soon became skilful sailors.

men

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

From this reading EARLY MARINERS The law of the universe is progress and expansion, and this little old world was soon discovered to be larger than men thought.

migrated

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

From this reading Some have thought that they were related to our old friends in Somaliland, and that long years ago they had migrated north to the seacoast of that part of Syria known as Canaan.

neighbours

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

From this reading They built ships and ventured forth on the deep; they made their way to the islands of Cyprus and Crete and thence to the islands of Greece, bringing back goods from other countries to barter with their less daring neighbours.

north

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

From this reading Some have thought that they were related to our old friends in Somaliland, and that long years ago they had migrated north to the seacoast of that part of Syria known as Canaan.

Now

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

From this reading Now in Syria--the highway between Babylonia and Egypt--dwelt a tribe of dusky people known as Phoenicians.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading EARLY MARINERS The law of the universe is progress and expansion, and this little old world was soon discovered to be larger than men thought.

old

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

From this reading EARLY MARINERS The law of the universe is progress and expansion, and this little old world was soon discovered to be larger than men thought.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Living on the seashore, washed by the tideless Mediterranean, they soon became skilful sailors.

other

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

From this reading They built ships and ventured forth on the deep; they made their way to the islands of Cyprus and Crete and thence to the islands of Greece, bringing back goods from other countries to barter with their less daring neighbours.

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading Some have thought that they were related to our old friends in Somaliland, and that long years ago they had migrated north to the seacoast of that part of Syria known as Canaan.

partnounUS /part/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Some have thought that they were related to our old friends in Somaliland, and that long years ago they had migrated north to the seacoast of that part of Syria known as Canaan.

people

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

From this reading Now in Syria--the highway between Babylonia and Egypt--dwelt a tribe of dusky people known as Phoenicians.

Phoenicians

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

From this reading Now in Syria--the highway between Babylonia and Egypt--dwelt a tribe of dusky people known as Phoenicians.

progress

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

From this reading EARLY MARINERS The law of the universe is progress and expansion, and this little old world was soon discovered to be larger than men thought.

related

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

From this reading Some have thought that they were related to our old friends in Somaliland, and that long years ago they had migrated north to the seacoast of that part of Syria known as Canaan.

sailors

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

From this reading Living on the seashore, washed by the tideless Mediterranean, they soon became skilful sailors.

seacoast

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

From this reading Some have thought that they were related to our old friends in Somaliland, and that long years ago they had migrated north to the seacoast of that part of Syria known as Canaan.

seashore

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

From this reading Living on the seashore, washed by the tideless Mediterranean, they soon became skilful sailors.

ships

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

From this reading They built ships and ventured forth on the deep; they made their way to the islands of Cyprus and Crete and thence to the islands of Greece, bringing back goods from other countries to barter with their less daring neighbours.

skilful

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

From this reading Living on the seashore, washed by the tideless Mediterranean, they soon became skilful sailors.

Somaliland

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

From this reading Some have thought that they were related to our old friends in Somaliland, and that long years ago they had migrated north to the seacoast of that part of Syria known as Canaan.

Some

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

From this reading Some have thought that they were related to our old friends in Somaliland, and that long years ago they had migrated north to the seacoast of that part of Syria known as Canaan.

soon

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

From this reading EARLY MARINERS The law of the universe is progress and expansion, and this little old world was soon discovered to be larger than men thought.

Syria

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

From this reading Now in Syria--the highway between Babylonia and Egypt--dwelt a tribe of dusky people known as Phoenicians.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading EARLY MARINERS The law of the universe is progress and expansion, and this little old world was soon discovered to be larger than men thought.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Some have thought that they were related to our old friends in Somaliland, and that long years ago they had migrated north to the seacoast of that part of Syria known as Canaan.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading EARLY MARINERS The law of the universe is progress and expansion, and this little old world was soon discovered to be larger than men thought.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading They built ships and ventured forth on the deep; they made their way to the islands of Cyprus and Crete and thence to the islands of Greece, bringing back goods from other countries to barter with their less daring neighbours.

thenceadverbUS /ðens/

from that place or that time

From this reading They built ships and ventured forth on the deep; they made their way to the islands of Cyprus and Crete and thence to the islands of Greece, bringing back goods from other countries to barter with their less daring neighbours.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading Some have thought that they were related to our old friends in Somaliland, and that long years ago they had migrated north to the seacoast of that part of Syria known as Canaan.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading EARLY MARINERS The law of the universe is progress and expansion, and this little old world was soon discovered to be larger than men thought.

thoughtnounUS /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading EARLY MARINERS The law of the universe is progress and expansion, and this little old world was soon discovered to be larger than men thought.

tideless

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

From this reading Living on the seashore, washed by the tideless Mediterranean, they soon became skilful sailors.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading EARLY MARINERS The law of the universe is progress and expansion, and this little old world was soon discovered to be larger than men thought.

tribe

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

From this reading Now in Syria--the highway between Babylonia and Egypt--dwelt a tribe of dusky people known as Phoenicians.

universe

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

From this reading EARLY MARINERS The law of the universe is progress and expansion, and this little old world was soon discovered to be larger than men thought.

ventured

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

From this reading They built ships and ventured forth on the deep; they made their way to the islands of Cyprus and Crete and thence to the islands of Greece, bringing back goods from other countries to barter with their less daring neighbours.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading EARLY MARINERS The law of the universe is progress and expansion, and this little old world was soon discovered to be larger than men thought.

washed

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

From this reading Living on the seashore, washed by the tideless Mediterranean, they soon became skilful sailors.

way

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

From this reading They built ships and ventured forth on the deep; they made their way to the islands of Cyprus and Crete and thence to the islands of Greece, bringing back goods from other countries to barter with their less daring neighbours.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading Some have thought that they were related to our old friends in Somaliland, and that long years ago they had migrated north to the seacoast of that part of Syria known as Canaan.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading They built ships and ventured forth on the deep; they made their way to the islands of Cyprus and Crete and thence to the islands of Greece, bringing back goods from other countries to barter with their less daring neighbours.

world

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

From this reading EARLY MARINERS The law of the universe is progress and expansion, and this little old world was soon discovered to be larger than men thought.

years

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

From this reading Some have thought that they were related to our old friends in Somaliland, and that long years ago they had migrated north to the seacoast of that part of Syria known as Canaan.