Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
An Ocean Tragedy
An Ocean Tragedy

Chapter XIX

Cover illustration for An Ocean Tragedy
Context Illustration Reading 1/52 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
A MYSTERIOUS VOICE.
This was an incident to give one a deal to think and talk about.
Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.
I should have been glad to ask the Dutchman about his craft, yet it was a matter of no moment whatever.
The thing had happened, it was passing strange, and there was an end.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

An Ocean Tragedy

Chapter XIX

Reading 1/52 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
A MYSTERIOUS VOICE.
Line 2
This was an incident to give one a deal to think and talk about.
Line 3
Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.
Line 4
I should have been glad to ask the Dutchman about his craft, yet it was a matter of no moment whatever.
Line 5
The thing had happened, it was passing strange, and there was an end.

Learner Dictionary

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

About preposition US /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading “This was an incident to give one a deal to think and talk about.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “I should have been glad to ask the Dutchman about his craft, yet it was a matter of no moment whatever.”

Being auxiliary verb US /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading “Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading “Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.”

Craft noun US /kræft/

a boat or ship in this chapter’s sailing situation

From this reading “I should have been glad to ask the Dutchman about his craft, yet it was a matter of no moment whatever.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “I should have been glad to ask the Dutchman about his craft, yet it was a matter of no moment whatever.”

Know noun US /know/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.”

MYSTERIOUS adjective US /mɪˈstɪriəs/

difficult to explain or understand

From this reading “A MYSTERIOUS VOICE.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “This was an incident to give one a deal to think and talk about.”

Schooner noun US /ˈskuːnər/

a sailing ship with two or more masts

From this reading “Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.”

Thing noun US /thing/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The thing had happened, it was passing strange, and there was an end.”

Think noun US /think/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “This was an incident to give one a deal to think and talk about.”

Well noun US /well/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.”

Whatever determiner US /ˌwʌˈtevər/

any or all of a kind, it does not matter which

From this reading “I should have been glad to ask the Dutchman about his craft, yet it was a matter of no moment whatever.”

Yet conjunction US /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading “I should have been glad to ask the Dutchman about his craft, yet it was a matter of no moment whatever.”

All words in this reading · 71

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 A MYSTERIOUS VOICE.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading This was an incident to give one a deal to think and talk about.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading This was an incident to give one a deal to think and talk about.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading This was an incident to give one a deal to think and talk about.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.

ask

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

From this reading I should have been glad to ask the Dutchman about his craft, yet it was a matter of no moment whatever.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading I should have been glad to ask the Dutchman about his craft, yet it was a matter of no moment whatever.

beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.

Certainly

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

From this reading Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.

chase

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

From this reading Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.

craftnounUS /kræft/

a boat or ship in this chapter’s sailing situation

From this reading I should have been glad to ask the Dutchman about his craft, yet it was a matter of no moment whatever.

deal

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

From this reading This was an incident to give one a deal to think and talk about.

deceive

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

From this reading Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.

Dutchman

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

From this reading I should have been glad to ask the Dutchman about his craft, yet it was a matter of no moment whatever.

end

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

From this reading The thing had happened, it was passing strange, and there was an end.

fall

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

From this reading Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.

fore-and-aft

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

From this reading Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.

give

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

From this reading This was an incident to give one a deal to think and talk about.

glad

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

From this reading I should have been glad to ask the Dutchman about his craft, yet it was a matter of no moment whatever.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The thing had happened, it was passing strange, and there was an end.

happened

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

From this reading The thing had happened, it was passing strange, and there was an end.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading I should have been glad to ask the Dutchman about his craft, yet it was a matter of no moment whatever.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading I should have been glad to ask the Dutchman about his craft, yet it was a matter of no moment whatever.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading I should have been glad to ask the Dutchman about his craft, yet it was a matter of no moment whatever.

imaginable

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

From this reading Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.

incident

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

From this reading This was an incident to give one a deal to think and talk about.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading I should have been glad to ask the Dutchman about his craft, yet it was a matter of no moment whatever.

knownounUS /know/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.

matter

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

From this reading I should have been glad to ask the Dutchman about his craft, yet it was a matter of no moment whatever.

men

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

From this reading Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.

moment

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

From this reading I should have been glad to ask the Dutchman about his craft, yet it was a matter of no moment whatever.

MYSTERIOUSadjectiveUS /mɪˈstɪriəs/

difficult to explain or understand

From this reading A MYSTERIOUS VOICE.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading I should have been glad to ask the Dutchman about his craft, yet it was a matter of no moment whatever.

object

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

From this reading Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading This was an incident to give one a deal to think and talk about.

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.

passing

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

From this reading The thing had happened, it was passing strange, and there was an end.

professed

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

From this reading Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.

pursuit

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

From this reading Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.

resembling

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

From this reading Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.

schoonernounUS /ˈskuːnər/

a sailing ship with two or more masts

From this reading Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.

Shark

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

From this reading Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.

sight

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

From this reading Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.

strange

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

From this reading The thing had happened, it was passing strange, and there was an end.

stranger

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

From this reading Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.

talk

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

From this reading This was an incident to give one a deal to think and talk about.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.

there

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

From this reading The thing had happened, it was passing strange, and there was an end.

thingnounUS /thing/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The thing had happened, it was passing strange, and there was an end.

thinknounUS /think/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading This was an incident to give one a deal to think and talk about.

ThisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading This was an incident to give one a deal to think and talk about.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading This was an incident to give one a deal to think and talk about.

vessel

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

From this reading Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.

VOICE

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

From this reading A MYSTERIOUS VOICE.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading This was an incident to give one a deal to think and talk about.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.

well

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

From this reading Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.

whateverdeterminerUS /ˌwʌˈtevər/

any or all of a kind, it does not matter which

From this reading I should have been glad to ask the Dutchman about his craft, yet it was a matter of no moment whatever.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.

yacht

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

From this reading Certainly little imaginable could be stranger than that we, being in chase of a fore-and-aft schooner yacht, should fall in with a vessel so resembling the object of our pursuit as to deceive the sight of men who professed to know the ‘Shark’ well.

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading I should have been glad to ask the Dutchman about his craft, yet it was a matter of no moment whatever.