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Dick Rodney
Dick Rodney

Chapter IX

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Context Illustration Reading 1/7 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
DANGEROUS COMPANY.
Behind us stood eight fellows, five of whom had muskets, and three heavy bludgeons.
They were apparently Spanish seafaring men; but whether contrabandistas of the lowest class, a portion of a slaver's crew, or merely drunken brawlers, we could not at first determine.
However, they soon made us aware that robbery was their object, and that they were no way averse to a little homicide also, if we interfered with their plans in the least.
Some had their coarse, but glossy and intensely black hair, confined by nets or cauls; others had only Barcelona handkerchiefs round their heads.
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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.

Dick Rodney

Chapter IX

Reading 1/7 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
DANGEROUS COMPANY.
Line 2
Behind us stood eight fellows, five of whom had muskets, and three heavy bludgeons.
Line 3
They were apparently Spanish seafaring men; but whether contrabandistas of the lowest class, a portion of a slaver's crew, or merely drunken brawlers, we could not at first determine.
Line 4
However, they soon made us aware that robbery was their object, and that they were no way averse to a little homicide also, if we interfered with their plans in the least.
Line 5
Some had their coarse, but glossy and intensely black hair, confined by nets or cauls; others had only Barcelona handkerchiefs round their heads.

Learner Dictionary

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

Behind preposition US /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading “Behind us stood eight fellows, five of whom had muskets, and three heavy bludgeons.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

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

From this reading “They were apparently Spanish seafaring men; but whether contrabandistas of the lowest class, a portion of a slaver's crew, or merely drunken brawlers, we could not at first determine.”

Crew noun US /crew/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “They were apparently Spanish seafaring men; but whether contrabandistas of the lowest class, a portion of a slaver's crew, or merely drunken brawlers, we could not at first determine.”

First noun US /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “They were apparently Spanish seafaring men; but whether contrabandistas of the lowest class, a portion of a slaver's crew, or merely drunken brawlers, we could not at first determine.”

However adverb US /ˌhaʊˈevər/

used to add a contrasting statement

From this reading “However, they soon made us aware that robbery was their object, and that they were no way averse to a little homicide also, if we interfered with their plans in the least.”

Least noun US /least/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “However, they soon made us aware that robbery was their object, and that they were no way averse to a little homicide also, if we interfered with their plans in the least.”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “However, they soon made us aware that robbery was their object, and that they were no way averse to a little homicide also, if we interfered with their plans in the least.”

Muskets noun US /ˈmuskets/

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

From this reading “Behind us stood eight fellows, five of whom had muskets, and three heavy bludgeons.”

Seafaring adjective US /ˈsiːferɪŋ/

connected with travelling or working at sea

From this reading “They were apparently Spanish seafaring men; but whether contrabandistas of the lowest class, a portion of a slaver's crew, or merely drunken brawlers, we could not at first determine.”

Soon noun US /soon/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “However, they soon made us aware that robbery was their object, and that they were no way averse to a little homicide also, if we interfered with their plans in the least.”

Stood noun US /stood/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Behind us stood eight fellows, five of whom had muskets, and three heavy bludgeons.”

Whether conjunction US /ˈweðər/

used to introduce two or more possibilities

From this reading “They were apparently Spanish seafaring men; but whether contrabandistas of the lowest class, a portion of a slaver's crew, or merely drunken brawlers, we could not at first determine.”

All words in this reading · 80

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 They were apparently Spanish seafaring men; but whether contrabandistas of the lowest class, a portion of a slaver's crew, or merely drunken brawlers, we could not at first determine.

also

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

From this reading However, they soon made us aware that robbery was their object, and that they were no way averse to a little homicide also, if we interfered with their plans in the least.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Behind us stood eight fellows, five of whom had muskets, and three heavy bludgeons.

apparently

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

From this reading They were apparently Spanish seafaring men; but whether contrabandistas of the lowest class, a portion of a slaver's crew, or merely drunken brawlers, we could not at first determine.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading They were apparently Spanish seafaring men; but whether contrabandistas of the lowest class, a portion of a slaver's crew, or merely drunken brawlers, we could not at first determine.

averse

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

From this reading However, they soon made us aware that robbery was their object, and that they were no way averse to a little homicide also, if we interfered with their plans in the least.

aware

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

From this reading However, they soon made us aware that robbery was their object, and that they were no way averse to a little homicide also, if we interfered with their plans in the least.

Barcelona

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

From this reading Some had their coarse, but glossy and intensely black hair, confined by nets or cauls; others had only Barcelona handkerchiefs round their heads.

BehindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading Behind us stood eight fellows, five of whom had muskets, and three heavy bludgeons.

black

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

From this reading Some had their coarse, but glossy and intensely black hair, confined by nets or cauls; others had only Barcelona handkerchiefs round their heads.

bludgeons

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

From this reading Behind us stood eight fellows, five of whom had muskets, and three heavy bludgeons.

brawlers

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

From this reading They were apparently Spanish seafaring men; but whether contrabandistas of the lowest class, a portion of a slaver's crew, or merely drunken brawlers, we could not at first determine.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading They were apparently Spanish seafaring men; but whether contrabandistas of the lowest class, a portion of a slaver's crew, or merely drunken brawlers, we could not at first determine.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Some had their coarse, but glossy and intensely black hair, confined by nets or cauls; others had only Barcelona handkerchiefs round their heads.

cauls

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

From this reading Some had their coarse, but glossy and intensely black hair, confined by nets or cauls; others had only Barcelona handkerchiefs round their heads.

class

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

From this reading They were apparently Spanish seafaring men; but whether contrabandistas of the lowest class, a portion of a slaver's crew, or merely drunken brawlers, we could not at first determine.

coarse

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

From this reading Some had their coarse, but glossy and intensely black hair, confined by nets or cauls; others had only Barcelona handkerchiefs round their heads.

COMPANY

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

From this reading DANGEROUS COMPANY.

confined

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

From this reading Some had their coarse, but glossy and intensely black hair, confined by nets or cauls; others had only Barcelona handkerchiefs round their heads.

contrabandistas

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

From this reading They were apparently Spanish seafaring men; but whether contrabandistas of the lowest class, a portion of a slaver's crew, or merely drunken brawlers, we could not at first determine.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading They were apparently Spanish seafaring men; but whether contrabandistas of the lowest class, a portion of a slaver's crew, or merely drunken brawlers, we could not at first determine.

crewnounUS /crew/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading They were apparently Spanish seafaring men; but whether contrabandistas of the lowest class, a portion of a slaver's crew, or merely drunken brawlers, we could not at first determine.

DANGEROUS

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

From this reading DANGEROUS COMPANY.

determine

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

From this reading They were apparently Spanish seafaring men; but whether contrabandistas of the lowest class, a portion of a slaver's crew, or merely drunken brawlers, we could not at first determine.

drunken

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

From this reading They were apparently Spanish seafaring men; but whether contrabandistas of the lowest class, a portion of a slaver's crew, or merely drunken brawlers, we could not at first determine.

eight

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

From this reading Behind us stood eight fellows, five of whom had muskets, and three heavy bludgeons.

fellows

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

From this reading Behind us stood eight fellows, five of whom had muskets, and three heavy bludgeons.

firstnounUS /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading They were apparently Spanish seafaring men; but whether contrabandistas of the lowest class, a portion of a slaver's crew, or merely drunken brawlers, we could not at first determine.

five

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

From this reading Behind us stood eight fellows, five of whom had muskets, and three heavy bludgeons.

glossy

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

From this reading Some had their coarse, but glossy and intensely black hair, confined by nets or cauls; others had only Barcelona handkerchiefs round their heads.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Behind us stood eight fellows, five of whom had muskets, and three heavy bludgeons.

hair

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

From this reading Some had their coarse, but glossy and intensely black hair, confined by nets or cauls; others had only Barcelona handkerchiefs round their heads.

handkerchiefs

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

From this reading Some had their coarse, but glossy and intensely black hair, confined by nets or cauls; others had only Barcelona handkerchiefs round their heads.

heads

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

From this reading Some had their coarse, but glossy and intensely black hair, confined by nets or cauls; others had only Barcelona handkerchiefs round their heads.

heavy

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

From this reading Behind us stood eight fellows, five of whom had muskets, and three heavy bludgeons.

homicide

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

From this reading However, they soon made us aware that robbery was their object, and that they were no way averse to a little homicide also, if we interfered with their plans in the least.

HoweveradverbUS /ˌhaʊˈevər/

used to add a contrasting statement

From this reading However, they soon made us aware that robbery was their object, and that they were no way averse to a little homicide also, if we interfered with their plans in the least.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading However, they soon made us aware that robbery was their object, and that they were no way averse to a little homicide also, if we interfered with their plans in the least.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading However, they soon made us aware that robbery was their object, and that they were no way averse to a little homicide also, if we interfered with their plans in the least.

intensely

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

From this reading Some had their coarse, but glossy and intensely black hair, confined by nets or cauls; others had only Barcelona handkerchiefs round their heads.

interfered

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

From this reading However, they soon made us aware that robbery was their object, and that they were no way averse to a little homicide also, if we interfered with their plans in the least.

leastnounUS /least/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading However, they soon made us aware that robbery was their object, and that they were no way averse to a little homicide also, if we interfered with their plans in the least.

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading However, they soon made us aware that robbery was their object, and that they were no way averse to a little homicide also, if we interfered with their plans in the least.

lowest

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

From this reading They were apparently Spanish seafaring men; but whether contrabandistas of the lowest class, a portion of a slaver's crew, or merely drunken brawlers, we could not at first determine.

made

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

From this reading However, they soon made us aware that robbery was their object, and that they were no way averse to a little homicide also, if we interfered with their plans in the least.

men

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

From this reading They were apparently Spanish seafaring men; but whether contrabandistas of the lowest class, a portion of a slaver's crew, or merely drunken brawlers, we could not at first determine.

merely

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

From this reading They were apparently Spanish seafaring men; but whether contrabandistas of the lowest class, a portion of a slaver's crew, or merely drunken brawlers, we could not at first determine.

musketsnounUS /ˈmuskets/

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

From this reading Behind us stood eight fellows, five of whom had muskets, and three heavy bludgeons.

nets

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

From this reading Some had their coarse, but glossy and intensely black hair, confined by nets or cauls; others had only Barcelona handkerchiefs round their heads.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading However, they soon made us aware that robbery was their object, and that they were no way averse to a little homicide also, if we interfered with their plans in the least.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading They were apparently Spanish seafaring men; but whether contrabandistas of the lowest class, a portion of a slaver's crew, or merely drunken brawlers, we could not at first determine.

object

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

From this reading However, they soon made us aware that robbery was their object, and that they were no way averse to a little homicide also, if we interfered with their plans in the least.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Behind us stood eight fellows, five of whom had muskets, and three heavy bludgeons.

only

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

From this reading Some had their coarse, but glossy and intensely black hair, confined by nets or cauls; others had only Barcelona handkerchiefs round their heads.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading They were apparently Spanish seafaring men; but whether contrabandistas of the lowest class, a portion of a slaver's crew, or merely drunken brawlers, we could not at first determine.

others

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

From this reading Some had their coarse, but glossy and intensely black hair, confined by nets or cauls; others had only Barcelona handkerchiefs round their heads.

plans

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

From this reading However, they soon made us aware that robbery was their object, and that they were no way averse to a little homicide also, if we interfered with their plans in the least.

portion

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

From this reading They were apparently Spanish seafaring men; but whether contrabandistas of the lowest class, a portion of a slaver's crew, or merely drunken brawlers, we could not at first determine.

robbery

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

From this reading However, they soon made us aware that robbery was their object, and that they were no way averse to a little homicide also, if we interfered with their plans in the least.

round

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

From this reading Some had their coarse, but glossy and intensely black hair, confined by nets or cauls; others had only Barcelona handkerchiefs round their heads.

seafaringadjectiveUS /ˈsiːferɪŋ/

connected with travelling or working at sea

From this reading They were apparently Spanish seafaring men; but whether contrabandistas of the lowest class, a portion of a slaver's crew, or merely drunken brawlers, we could not at first determine.

slaver's

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

From this reading They were apparently Spanish seafaring men; but whether contrabandistas of the lowest class, a portion of a slaver's crew, or merely drunken brawlers, we could not at first determine.

Some

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

From this reading Some had their coarse, but glossy and intensely black hair, confined by nets or cauls; others had only Barcelona handkerchiefs round their heads.

soon

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

From this reading However, they soon made us aware that robbery was their object, and that they were no way averse to a little homicide also, if we interfered with their plans in the least.

Spanish

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

From this reading They were apparently Spanish seafaring men; but whether contrabandistas of the lowest class, a portion of a slaver's crew, or merely drunken brawlers, we could not at first determine.

stoodnounUS /stood/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Behind us stood eight fellows, five of whom had muskets, and three heavy bludgeons.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading However, they soon made us aware that robbery was their object, and that they were no way averse to a little homicide also, if we interfered with their plans in the least.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading They were apparently Spanish seafaring men; but whether contrabandistas of the lowest class, a portion of a slaver's crew, or merely drunken brawlers, we could not at first determine.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading However, they soon made us aware that robbery was their object, and that they were no way averse to a little homicide also, if we interfered with their plans in the least.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading They were apparently Spanish seafaring men; but whether contrabandistas of the lowest class, a portion of a slaver's crew, or merely drunken brawlers, we could not at first determine.

three

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

From this reading Behind us stood eight fellows, five of whom had muskets, and three heavy bludgeons.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading However, they soon made us aware that robbery was their object, and that they were no way averse to a little homicide also, if we interfered with their plans in the least.

uspronounUS /ʌs/

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

From this reading Behind us stood eight fellows, five of whom had muskets, and three heavy bludgeons.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading However, they soon made us aware that robbery was their object, and that they were no way averse to a little homicide also, if we interfered with their plans in the least.

way

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

From this reading However, they soon made us aware that robbery was their object, and that they were no way averse to a little homicide also, if we interfered with their plans in the least.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading They were apparently Spanish seafaring men; but whether contrabandistas of the lowest class, a portion of a slaver's crew, or merely drunken brawlers, we could not at first determine.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading They were apparently Spanish seafaring men; but whether contrabandistas of the lowest class, a portion of a slaver's crew, or merely drunken brawlers, we could not at first determine.

whetherconjunctionUS /ˈweðər/

used to introduce two or more possibilities

From this reading They were apparently Spanish seafaring men; but whether contrabandistas of the lowest class, a portion of a slaver's crew, or merely drunken brawlers, we could not at first determine.

whompronounUS /huːm/

the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Behind us stood eight fellows, five of whom had muskets, and three heavy bludgeons.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading However, they soon made us aware that robbery was their object, and that they were no way averse to a little homicide also, if we interfered with their plans in the least.