Chapter 18 of Captured by the Arabs is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of Captured by the Arabs is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Savage Tribesmen For a moment the youths were taken completely aback in surprise. That they would see anything like this away out on the Sahara was not in the least expected. They stood for some time in sheer amazement and not a little fear. "An army coming at us!" muttered Bob, staring at the distant spectacle. "An army, yes.
Chapter 18 of Captured by the Arabs is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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.
having the wind against the forward side of the sails
From this reading “Savage Tribesmen For a moment the youths were taken completely aback in surprise.”
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading “They stood for some time in sheer amazement and not a little fear.”
the world's largest desert (3,500,000 square miles) in northern Africa
From this reading “That they would see anything like this away out on the Sahara was not in the least expected.”
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading “Savage Tribesmen For a moment the youths were taken completely aback in surprise.”
complete and without restriction or qualification; sometimes used informally as intensifiers
From this reading “They stood for some time in sheer amazement and not a little fear.”
something or someone seen (especially a notable or unusual sight)
From this reading “"An army coming at us!" muttered Bob, staring at the distant spectacle.”
plural of “tribesman” — someone who lives in a tribe
From this reading “Savage Tribesmen For a moment the youths were taken completely aback in surprise.”
plural of “youth” — a young person (especially a young man or boy)
From this reading “Savage Tribesmen For a moment the youths were taken completely aback in surprise.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “They stood for some time in sheer amazement and not a little fear.”
In this reading “They stood for some time in sheer amazement and not a little fear.”
temporarily
In this reading “Savage Tribesmen For a moment the youths were taken completely aback in surprise.”
In this reading “Savage Tribesmen For a moment the youths were taken completely aback in surprise.”
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 Savage Tribesmen For a moment the youths were taken completely aback in surprise.
having the wind against the forward side of the sails
From this reading Savage Tribesmen For a moment the youths were taken completely aback in surprise.
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading They stood for some time in sheer amazement and not a little fear.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "An army coming at us!" muttered Bob, staring at the distant spectacle.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They stood for some time in sheer amazement and not a little fear.
any thing at all
From this reading That they would see anything like this away out on the Sahara was not in the least expected.
a permanent organization of the military land forces of a nation or state
From this reading "An army coming at us!" muttered Bob, staring at the distant spectacle.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "An army coming at us!" muttered Bob, staring at the distant spectacle.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading That they would see anything like this away out on the Sahara was not in the least expected.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading "An army coming at us!" muttered Bob, staring at the distant spectacle.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading "An army coming at us!" muttered Bob, staring at the distant spectacle.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading Savage Tribesmen For a moment the youths were taken completely aback in surprise.
separated in space or coming from or going to a distance
From this reading "An army coming at us!" muttered Bob, staring at the distant spectacle.
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading That they would see anything like this away out on the Sahara was not in the least expected.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading They stood for some time in sheer amazement and not a little fear.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Savage Tribesmen For a moment the youths were taken completely aback in surprise.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Savage Tribesmen For a moment the youths were taken completely aback in surprise.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading That they would see anything like this away out on the Sahara was not in the least expected.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading That they would see anything like this away out on the Sahara was not in the least expected.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading They stood for some time in sheer amazement and not a little fear.
a particular point in time
From this reading Savage Tribesmen For a moment the youths were taken completely aback in surprise.
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading "An army coming at us!" muttered Bob, staring at the distant spectacle.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading That they would see anything like this away out on the Sahara was not in the least expected.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading That they would see anything like this away out on the Sahara was not in the least expected.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading That they would see anything like this away out on the Sahara was not in the least expected.
the world's largest desert (3,500,000 square miles) in northern Africa
From this reading That they would see anything like this away out on the Sahara was not in the least expected.
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading Savage Tribesmen For a moment the youths were taken completely aback in surprise.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading That they would see anything like this away out on the Sahara was not in the least expected.
complete and without restriction or qualification; sometimes used informally as intensifiers
From this reading They stood for some time in sheer amazement and not a little fear.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading They stood for some time in sheer amazement and not a little fear.
something or someone seen (especially a notable or unusual sight)
From this reading "An army coming at us!" muttered Bob, staring at the distant spectacle.
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading "An army coming at us!" muttered Bob, staring at the distant spectacle.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading They stood for some time in sheer amazement and not a little fear.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading Savage Tribesmen For a moment the youths were taken completely aback in surprise.
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading Savage Tribesmen For a moment the youths were taken completely aback in surprise.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That they would see anything like this away out on the Sahara was not in the least expected.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Savage Tribesmen For a moment the youths were taken completely aback in surprise.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading That they would see anything like this away out on the Sahara was not in the least expected.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading That they would see anything like this away out on the Sahara was not in the least expected.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading They stood for some time in sheer amazement and not a little fear.
plural of “tribesman” — someone who lives in a tribe
From this reading Savage Tribesmen For a moment the youths were taken completely aback in surprise.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "An army coming at us!" muttered Bob, staring at the distant spectacle.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading That they would see anything like this away out on the Sahara was not in the least expected.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Savage Tribesmen For a moment the youths were taken completely aback in surprise.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading That they would see anything like this away out on the Sahara was not in the least expected.
an affirmative
From this reading "An army, yes.
plural of “youth” — a young person (especially a young man or boy)
From this reading Savage Tribesmen For a moment the youths were taken completely aback in surprise.
Chapter 18 of Captured by the Arabs by James H. Foster holds 166 sentences, grouped into 34 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, 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 166 sentences of Captured by the Arabs, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of Captured by the Arabs by James H. Foster exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 166 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 Captured by the Arabs by James H. Foster on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3660 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43267 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43267, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 305 minutes of reading across 732 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Captured by the Arabs section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of Captured by the Arabs 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 Captured by the Arabs, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
