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The Sign of the Four
The Sign of the Four

Chapter X · Chapter 10: Chapter XI

Chapter XI The Great Agra Treasure Our captive sat in the cabin opposite to the iron box which he had done so much and waited so long to gain.

Chapter 10: Chapter XI, section 1: The Great Agra Treasure Our captive sat in the cabin opposite to the iron box which he had done so much and waited so long to gain. He was a sunburned, reckless-eyed fellow, with a
Context Illustration Reading 1/31 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The Great Agra Treasure Our captive sat in the cabin opposite to the iron box which he had done so much and waited so long to gain.
He was a sunburned, reckless-eyed fellow, with a network of lines and wrinkles all over his mahogany features, which told of a hard, open-air life.
There was a singular prominence about his bearded chin which marked a man who was not to be easily turned from his purpose.
His age may have been fifty or thereabouts, for his black, curly hair was thickly shot with grey.
His face in repose was not an unpleasing one, though his heavy brows and aggressive chin gave him, as I had lately seen, a terrible expression when moved to anger.
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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.

The Sign of the Four

Chapter X · Chapter 10: Chapter XI

Reading 1/31 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The Great Agra Treasure Our captive sat in the cabin opposite to the iron box which he had done so much and waited so long to gain.
Line 2
He was a sunburned, reckless-eyed fellow, with a network of lines and wrinkles all over his mahogany features, which told of a hard, open-air life.
Line 3
There was a singular prominence about his bearded chin which marked a man who was not to be easily turned from his purpose.
Line 4
His age may have been fifty or thereabouts, for his black, curly hair was thickly shot with grey.
Line 5
His face in repose was not an unpleasing one, though his heavy brows and aggressive chin gave him, as I had lately seen, a terrible expression when moved to anger.

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 “There was a singular prominence about his bearded chin which marked a man who was not to be easily turned from his purpose.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “His age may have been fifty or thereabouts, for his black, curly hair was thickly shot with grey.”

Done noun US /done/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The Great Agra Treasure Our captive sat in the cabin opposite to the iron box which he had done so much and waited so long to gain.”

Great noun US /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The Great Agra Treasure Our captive sat in the cabin opposite to the iron box which he had done so much and waited so long to gain.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “His age may have been fifty or thereabouts, for his black, curly hair was thickly shot with grey.”

Life noun US /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He was a sunburned, reckless-eyed fellow, with a network of lines and wrinkles all over his mahogany features, which told of a hard, open-air life.”

Long noun US /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The Great Agra Treasure Our captive sat in the cabin opposite to the iron box which he had done so much and waited so long to gain.”

May modal verb US /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading “His age may have been fifty or thereabouts, for his black, curly hair was thickly shot with grey.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “His face in repose was not an unpleasing one, though his heavy brows and aggressive chin gave him, as I had lately seen, a terrible expression when moved to anger.”

Over preposition US /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading “He was a sunburned, reckless-eyed fellow, with a network of lines and wrinkles all over his mahogany features, which told of a hard, open-air life.”

Terrible noun US /ˈterrible/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “His face in repose was not an unpleasing one, though his heavy brows and aggressive chin gave him, as I had lately seen, a terrible expression when moved to anger.”

Though conjunction US /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading “His face in repose was not an unpleasing one, though his heavy brows and aggressive chin gave him, as I had lately seen, a terrible expression when moved to anger.”

Told noun US /told/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He was a sunburned, reckless-eyed fellow, with a network of lines and wrinkles all over his mahogany features, which told of a hard, open-air life.”

All words in this reading · 91

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 He was a sunburned, reckless-eyed fellow, with a network of lines and wrinkles all over his mahogany features, which told of a hard, open-air life.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading There was a singular prominence about his bearded chin which marked a man who was not to be easily turned from his purpose.

age

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

From this reading His age may have been fifty or thereabouts, for his black, curly hair was thickly shot with grey.

aggressive

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

From this reading His face in repose was not an unpleasing one, though his heavy brows and aggressive chin gave him, as I had lately seen, a terrible expression when moved to anger.

Agra

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

From this reading The Great Agra Treasure Our captive sat in the cabin opposite to the iron box which he had done so much and waited so long to gain.

all

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

From this reading He was a sunburned, reckless-eyed fellow, with a network of lines and wrinkles all over his mahogany features, which told of a hard, open-air life.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading His face in repose was not an unpleasing one, though his heavy brows and aggressive chin gave him, as I had lately seen, a terrible expression when moved to anger.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The Great Agra Treasure Our captive sat in the cabin opposite to the iron box which he had done so much and waited so long to gain.

anger

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

From this reading His face in repose was not an unpleasing one, though his heavy brows and aggressive chin gave him, as I had lately seen, a terrible expression when moved to anger.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading His face in repose was not an unpleasing one, though his heavy brows and aggressive chin gave him, as I had lately seen, a terrible expression when moved to anger.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading There was a singular prominence about his bearded chin which marked a man who was not to be easily turned from his purpose.

bearded

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

From this reading There was a singular prominence about his bearded chin which marked a man who was not to be easily turned from his purpose.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading His age may have been fifty or thereabouts, for his black, curly hair was thickly shot with grey.

black

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

From this reading His age may have been fifty or thereabouts, for his black, curly hair was thickly shot with grey.

box

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

From this reading The Great Agra Treasure Our captive sat in the cabin opposite to the iron box which he had done so much and waited so long to gain.

brows

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

From this reading His face in repose was not an unpleasing one, though his heavy brows and aggressive chin gave him, as I had lately seen, a terrible expression when moved to anger.

cabin

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

From this reading The Great Agra Treasure Our captive sat in the cabin opposite to the iron box which he had done so much and waited so long to gain.

captive

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

From this reading The Great Agra Treasure Our captive sat in the cabin opposite to the iron box which he had done so much and waited so long to gain.

chin

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

From this reading There was a singular prominence about his bearded chin which marked a man who was not to be easily turned from his purpose.

curly

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

From this reading His age may have been fifty or thereabouts, for his black, curly hair was thickly shot with grey.

donenounUS /done/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The Great Agra Treasure Our captive sat in the cabin opposite to the iron box which he had done so much and waited so long to gain.

easily

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

From this reading There was a singular prominence about his bearded chin which marked a man who was not to be easily turned from his purpose.

expression

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

From this reading His face in repose was not an unpleasing one, though his heavy brows and aggressive chin gave him, as I had lately seen, a terrible expression when moved to anger.

face

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

From this reading His face in repose was not an unpleasing one, though his heavy brows and aggressive chin gave him, as I had lately seen, a terrible expression when moved to anger.

features

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

From this reading He was a sunburned, reckless-eyed fellow, with a network of lines and wrinkles all over his mahogany features, which told of a hard, open-air life.

fellow

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

From this reading He was a sunburned, reckless-eyed fellow, with a network of lines and wrinkles all over his mahogany features, which told of a hard, open-air life.

fifty

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

From this reading His age may have been fifty or thereabouts, for his black, curly hair was thickly shot with grey.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading His age may have been fifty or thereabouts, for his black, curly hair was thickly shot with grey.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading There was a singular prominence about his bearded chin which marked a man who was not to be easily turned from his purpose.

gain

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

From this reading The Great Agra Treasure Our captive sat in the cabin opposite to the iron box which he had done so much and waited so long to gain.

gave

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

From this reading His face in repose was not an unpleasing one, though his heavy brows and aggressive chin gave him, as I had lately seen, a terrible expression when moved to anger.

GreatnounUS /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The Great Agra Treasure Our captive sat in the cabin opposite to the iron box which he had done so much and waited so long to gain.

grey

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

From this reading His age may have been fifty or thereabouts, for his black, curly hair was thickly shot with grey.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The Great Agra Treasure Our captive sat in the cabin opposite to the iron box which he had done so much and waited so long to gain.

hair

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

From this reading His age may have been fifty or thereabouts, for his black, curly hair was thickly shot with grey.

hard

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

From this reading He was a sunburned, reckless-eyed fellow, with a network of lines and wrinkles all over his mahogany features, which told of a hard, open-air life.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading His age may have been fifty or thereabouts, for his black, curly hair was thickly shot with grey.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading The Great Agra Treasure Our captive sat in the cabin opposite to the iron box which he had done so much and waited so long to gain.

heavy

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

From this reading His face in repose was not an unpleasing one, though his heavy brows and aggressive chin gave him, as I had lately seen, a terrible expression when moved to anger.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading His face in repose was not an unpleasing one, though his heavy brows and aggressive chin gave him, as I had lately seen, a terrible expression when moved to anger.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading He was a sunburned, reckless-eyed fellow, with a network of lines and wrinkles all over his mahogany features, which told of a hard, open-air life.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading His face in repose was not an unpleasing one, though his heavy brows and aggressive chin gave him, as I had lately seen, a terrible expression when moved to anger.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The Great Agra Treasure Our captive sat in the cabin opposite to the iron box which he had done so much and waited so long to gain.

iron

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

From this reading The Great Agra Treasure Our captive sat in the cabin opposite to the iron box which he had done so much and waited so long to gain.

lately

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

From this reading His face in repose was not an unpleasing one, though his heavy brows and aggressive chin gave him, as I had lately seen, a terrible expression when moved to anger.

lifenounUS /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He was a sunburned, reckless-eyed fellow, with a network of lines and wrinkles all over his mahogany features, which told of a hard, open-air life.

lines

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

From this reading He was a sunburned, reckless-eyed fellow, with a network of lines and wrinkles all over his mahogany features, which told of a hard, open-air life.

longnounUS /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The Great Agra Treasure Our captive sat in the cabin opposite to the iron box which he had done so much and waited so long to gain.

mahogany

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

From this reading He was a sunburned, reckless-eyed fellow, with a network of lines and wrinkles all over his mahogany features, which told of a hard, open-air life.

man

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

From this reading There was a singular prominence about his bearded chin which marked a man who was not to be easily turned from his purpose.

marked

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

From this reading There was a singular prominence about his bearded chin which marked a man who was not to be easily turned from his purpose.

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading His age may have been fifty or thereabouts, for his black, curly hair was thickly shot with grey.

moved

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

From this reading His face in repose was not an unpleasing one, though his heavy brows and aggressive chin gave him, as I had lately seen, a terrible expression when moved to anger.

much

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

From this reading The Great Agra Treasure Our captive sat in the cabin opposite to the iron box which he had done so much and waited so long to gain.

network

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

From this reading He was a sunburned, reckless-eyed fellow, with a network of lines and wrinkles all over his mahogany features, which told of a hard, open-air life.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading There was a singular prominence about his bearded chin which marked a man who was not to be easily turned from his purpose.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading He was a sunburned, reckless-eyed fellow, with a network of lines and wrinkles all over his mahogany features, which told of a hard, open-air life.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading His face in repose was not an unpleasing one, though his heavy brows and aggressive chin gave him, as I had lately seen, a terrible expression when moved to anger.

open-air

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

From this reading He was a sunburned, reckless-eyed fellow, with a network of lines and wrinkles all over his mahogany features, which told of a hard, open-air life.

opposite

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

From this reading The Great Agra Treasure Our captive sat in the cabin opposite to the iron box which he had done so much and waited so long to gain.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading His age may have been fifty or thereabouts, for his black, curly hair was thickly shot with grey.

OurdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading The Great Agra Treasure Our captive sat in the cabin opposite to the iron box which he had done so much and waited so long to gain.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading He was a sunburned, reckless-eyed fellow, with a network of lines and wrinkles all over his mahogany features, which told of a hard, open-air life.

prominence

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

From this reading There was a singular prominence about his bearded chin which marked a man who was not to be easily turned from his purpose.

purpose

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

From this reading There was a singular prominence about his bearded chin which marked a man who was not to be easily turned from his purpose.

reckless-eyed

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

From this reading He was a sunburned, reckless-eyed fellow, with a network of lines and wrinkles all over his mahogany features, which told of a hard, open-air life.

repose

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

From this reading His face in repose was not an unpleasing one, though his heavy brows and aggressive chin gave him, as I had lately seen, a terrible expression when moved to anger.

sat

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

From this reading The Great Agra Treasure Our captive sat in the cabin opposite to the iron box which he had done so much and waited so long to gain.

seen

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

From this reading His face in repose was not an unpleasing one, though his heavy brows and aggressive chin gave him, as I had lately seen, a terrible expression when moved to anger.

shot

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

From this reading His age may have been fifty or thereabouts, for his black, curly hair was thickly shot with grey.

singular

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

From this reading There was a singular prominence about his bearded chin which marked a man who was not to be easily turned from his purpose.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading The Great Agra Treasure Our captive sat in the cabin opposite to the iron box which he had done so much and waited so long to gain.

sunburned

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

From this reading He was a sunburned, reckless-eyed fellow, with a network of lines and wrinkles all over his mahogany features, which told of a hard, open-air life.

terriblenounUS /ˈterrible/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading His face in repose was not an unpleasing one, though his heavy brows and aggressive chin gave him, as I had lately seen, a terrible expression when moved to anger.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The Great Agra Treasure Our captive sat in the cabin opposite to the iron box which he had done so much and waited so long to gain.

There

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

From this reading There was a singular prominence about his bearded chin which marked a man who was not to be easily turned from his purpose.

thereabouts

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

From this reading His age may have been fifty or thereabouts, for his black, curly hair was thickly shot with grey.

thickly

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

From this reading His age may have been fifty or thereabouts, for his black, curly hair was thickly shot with grey.

thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading His face in repose was not an unpleasing one, though his heavy brows and aggressive chin gave him, as I had lately seen, a terrible expression when moved to anger.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The Great Agra Treasure Our captive sat in the cabin opposite to the iron box which he had done so much and waited so long to gain.

toldnounUS /told/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He was a sunburned, reckless-eyed fellow, with a network of lines and wrinkles all over his mahogany features, which told of a hard, open-air life.

Treasure

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

From this reading The Great Agra Treasure Our captive sat in the cabin opposite to the iron box which he had done so much and waited so long to gain.

turned

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

From this reading There was a singular prominence about his bearded chin which marked a man who was not to be easily turned from his purpose.

unpleasing

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

From this reading His face in repose was not an unpleasing one, though his heavy brows and aggressive chin gave him, as I had lately seen, a terrible expression when moved to anger.

waited

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

From this reading The Great Agra Treasure Our captive sat in the cabin opposite to the iron box which he had done so much and waited so long to gain.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading He was a sunburned, reckless-eyed fellow, with a network of lines and wrinkles all over his mahogany features, which told of a hard, open-air life.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading His face in repose was not an unpleasing one, though his heavy brows and aggressive chin gave him, as I had lately seen, a terrible expression when moved to anger.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading The Great Agra Treasure Our captive sat in the cabin opposite to the iron box which he had done so much and waited so long to gain.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading There was a singular prominence about his bearded chin which marked a man who was not to be easily turned from his purpose.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading He was a sunburned, reckless-eyed fellow, with a network of lines and wrinkles all over his mahogany features, which told of a hard, open-air life.

wrinkles

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

From this reading He was a sunburned, reckless-eyed fellow, with a network of lines and wrinkles all over his mahogany features, which told of a hard, open-air life.

Chapter Quiz

What is the central narrative or theme conveyed in this section of Chapter 10: Chapter XI?

Which core linguistic virtue or character attribute is emphasized in this passage?

According to the text: "Chapter XI...", what tone does the author establish?

Shadowing Practice

Narrator: Chapter XI
Narrator: you to be careful.