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Forbidden Cargoes
Forbidden Cargoes

Chapter III · A Strange Dark Room

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Context Illustration Reading 1/33 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Not knowing what else to do as he stood before the canoe, Pant laughed.
The laugh did not ring quite true, but it served the purpose for which it was intended.
It broke the spell.
“Come on,” he said.
“Let’s see.”
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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.

Forbidden Cargoes

Chapter III · A Strange Dark Room

Reading 1/33 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Not knowing what else to do as he stood before the canoe, Pant laughed.
Line 2
The laugh did not ring quite true, but it served the purpose for which it was intended.
Line 3
It broke the spell.
Line 4
“Come on,” he said.
Line 5
“Let’s see.”

Learner Dictionary

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

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “Not knowing what else to do as he stood before the canoe, Pant laughed.”

Come noun US /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading ““Come on,” he said.”

Quite noun US /quite/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The laugh did not ring quite true, but it served the purpose for which it was intended.”

Stood noun US /stood/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Not knowing what else to do as he stood before the canoe, Pant laughed.”

All words in this reading · 34

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Not knowing what else to do as he stood before the canoe, Pant laughed.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading Not knowing what else to do as he stood before the canoe, Pant laughed.

broke

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

From this reading It broke the spell.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading The laugh did not ring quite true, but it served the purpose for which it was intended.

canoe

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

From this reading Not knowing what else to do as he stood before the canoe, Pant laughed.

ComenounUS /come/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Come on,” he said.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading The laugh did not ring quite true, but it served the purpose for which it was intended.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading Not knowing what else to do as he stood before the canoe, Pant laughed.

else

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

From this reading Not knowing what else to do as he stood before the canoe, Pant laughed.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading The laugh did not ring quite true, but it served the purpose for which it was intended.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading Not knowing what else to do as he stood before the canoe, Pant laughed.

intended

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

From this reading The laugh did not ring quite true, but it served the purpose for which it was intended.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading The laugh did not ring quite true, but it served the purpose for which it was intended.

knowing

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

From this reading Not knowing what else to do as he stood before the canoe, Pant laughed.

laugh

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

From this reading The laugh did not ring quite true, but it served the purpose for which it was intended.

laughed

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

From this reading Not knowing what else to do as he stood before the canoe, Pant laughed.

Let's

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

From this reading “Let’s see.”

NotadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Not knowing what else to do as he stood before the canoe, Pant laughed.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading “Come on,” he said.

Pant

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

From this reading Not knowing what else to do as he stood before the canoe, Pant laughed.

purpose

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

From this reading The laugh did not ring quite true, but it served the purpose for which it was intended.

quitenounUS /quite/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The laugh did not ring quite true, but it served the purpose for which it was intended.

ring

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

From this reading The laugh did not ring quite true, but it served the purpose for which it was intended.

said

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

From this reading “Come on,” he said.

see

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

From this reading “Let’s see.”

served

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

From this reading The laugh did not ring quite true, but it served the purpose for which it was intended.

spell

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

From this reading It broke the spell.

stoodnounUS /stood/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Not knowing what else to do as he stood before the canoe, Pant laughed.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Not knowing what else to do as he stood before the canoe, Pant laughed.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Not knowing what else to do as he stood before the canoe, Pant laughed.

true

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

From this reading The laugh did not ring quite true, but it served the purpose for which it was intended.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The laugh did not ring quite true, but it served the purpose for which it was intended.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading Not knowing what else to do as he stood before the canoe, Pant laughed.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading The laugh did not ring quite true, but it served the purpose for which it was intended.