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Homeward Bound
Homeward Bound

Chapter XIV

Cover illustration for Homeward Bound
Context Illustration Reading 1/42 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Good boatswain, have care.
TEMPEST.
At sunset, the speck presented by the reefed top-sail of the corvette had sunk beneath the horizon, in the southern board, and that ship was seen no longer.
Several islands had been passed, looking tranquil and smiling amid the fury of the tempest; but it was impossible to haul up for any one among them.
The most that could be done was to keep the ship dead before it, to prevent her broaching-to, and to have a care that she kept clear of those rocks and of that bottom, for which Nanny Sidley had so much pined.
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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.

Homeward Bound

Chapter XIV

Reading 1/42 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Good boatswain, have care.
Line 2
TEMPEST.
Line 3
At sunset, the speck presented by the reefed top-sail of the corvette had sunk beneath the horizon, in the southern board, and that ship was seen no longer.
Line 4
Several islands had been passed, looking tranquil and smiling amid the fury of the tempest; but it was impossible to haul up for any one among them.
Line 5
The most that could be done was to keep the ship dead before it, to prevent her broaching-to, and to have a care that she kept clear of those rocks and of that bottom, for which Nanny Sidley had so much pined.

Learner Dictionary

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

Amid preposition US /əˈmɪd/

in the middle of; surrounded by

From this reading “Several islands had been passed, looking tranquil and smiling amid the fury of the tempest; but it was impossible to haul up for any one among them.”

Among preposition US /əˈmʌŋ/

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading “Several islands had been passed, looking tranquil and smiling amid the fury of the tempest; but it was impossible to haul up for any one among them.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “Several islands had been passed, looking tranquil and smiling amid the fury of the tempest; but it was impossible to haul up for any one among them.”

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “The most that could be done was to keep the ship dead before it, to prevent her broaching-to, and to have a care that she kept clear of those rocks and of that bottom, for which Nanny Sidley had so much pined.”

Beneath preposition US /bɪˈniːθ/

Directly under; in or to a lower position than.

From this reading “At sunset, the speck presented by the reefed top-sail of the corvette had sunk beneath the horizon, in the southern board, and that ship was seen no longer.”

Boatswain noun US /ˈboʊsən/

an officer responsible for deck crew and equipment

From this reading “Good boatswain, have care.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

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

From this reading “The most that could be done was to keep the ship dead before it, to prevent her broaching-to, and to have a care that she kept clear of those rocks and of that bottom, for which Nanny Sidley had so much pined.”

Dead noun US /dead/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The most that could be done was to keep the ship dead before it, to prevent her broaching-to, and to have a care that she kept clear of those rocks and of that bottom, for which Nanny Sidley had so much pined.”

Done noun US /done/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The most that could be done was to keep the ship dead before it, to prevent her broaching-to, and to have a care that she kept clear of those rocks and of that bottom, for which Nanny Sidley had so much pined.”

Good noun US /good/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Good boatswain, have care.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “Good boatswain, have care.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “Several islands had been passed, looking tranquil and smiling amid the fury of the tempest; but it was impossible to haul up for any one among them.”

Passed noun US /passed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Several islands had been passed, looking tranquil and smiling amid the fury of the tempest; but it was impossible to haul up for any one among them.”

Several noun US /ˈseveral/

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

From this reading “Several islands had been passed, looking tranquil and smiling amid the fury of the tempest; but it was impossible to haul up for any one among them.”

Ship noun US /ship/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “At sunset, the speck presented by the reefed top-sail of the corvette had sunk beneath the horizon, in the southern board, and that ship was seen no longer.”

Those determiner US /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading “The most that could be done was to keep the ship dead before it, to prevent her broaching-to, and to have a care that she kept clear of those rocks and of that bottom, for which Nanny Sidley had so much pined.”

All words in this reading · 72

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 The most that could be done was to keep the ship dead before it, to prevent her broaching-to, and to have a care that she kept clear of those rocks and of that bottom, for which Nanny Sidley had so much pined.

amidprepositionUS /əˈmɪd/

in the middle of; surrounded by

From this reading Several islands had been passed, looking tranquil and smiling amid the fury of the tempest; but it was impossible to haul up for any one among them.

amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading Several islands had been passed, looking tranquil and smiling amid the fury of the tempest; but it was impossible to haul up for any one among them.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading At sunset, the speck presented by the reefed top-sail of the corvette had sunk beneath the horizon, in the southern board, and that ship was seen no longer.

any

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

From this reading Several islands had been passed, looking tranquil and smiling amid the fury of the tempest; but it was impossible to haul up for any one among them.

AtprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading At sunset, the speck presented by the reefed top-sail of the corvette had sunk beneath the horizon, in the southern board, and that ship was seen no longer.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading The most that could be done was to keep the ship dead before it, to prevent her broaching-to, and to have a care that she kept clear of those rocks and of that bottom, for which Nanny Sidley had so much pined.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Several islands had been passed, looking tranquil and smiling amid the fury of the tempest; but it was impossible to haul up for any one among them.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading The most that could be done was to keep the ship dead before it, to prevent her broaching-to, and to have a care that she kept clear of those rocks and of that bottom, for which Nanny Sidley had so much pined.

beneathprepositionUS /bɪˈniːθ/

Directly under; in or to a lower position than.

From this reading At sunset, the speck presented by the reefed top-sail of the corvette had sunk beneath the horizon, in the southern board, and that ship was seen no longer.

board

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

From this reading At sunset, the speck presented by the reefed top-sail of the corvette had sunk beneath the horizon, in the southern board, and that ship was seen no longer.

boatswainnounUS /ˈboʊsən/

an officer responsible for deck crew and equipment

From this reading Good boatswain, have care.

bottom

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

From this reading The most that could be done was to keep the ship dead before it, to prevent her broaching-to, and to have a care that she kept clear of those rocks and of that bottom, for which Nanny Sidley had so much pined.

broaching-to

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

From this reading The most that could be done was to keep the ship dead before it, to prevent her broaching-to, and to have a care that she kept clear of those rocks and of that bottom, for which Nanny Sidley had so much pined.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Several islands had been passed, looking tranquil and smiling amid the fury of the tempest; but it was impossible to haul up for any one among them.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading At sunset, the speck presented by the reefed top-sail of the corvette had sunk beneath the horizon, in the southern board, and that ship was seen no longer.

care

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

From this reading Good boatswain, have care.

clear

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

From this reading The most that could be done was to keep the ship dead before it, to prevent her broaching-to, and to have a care that she kept clear of those rocks and of that bottom, for which Nanny Sidley had so much pined.

corvette

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

From this reading At sunset, the speck presented by the reefed top-sail of the corvette had sunk beneath the horizon, in the southern board, and that ship was seen no longer.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading The most that could be done was to keep the ship dead before it, to prevent her broaching-to, and to have a care that she kept clear of those rocks and of that bottom, for which Nanny Sidley had so much pined.

deadnounUS /dead/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The most that could be done was to keep the ship dead before it, to prevent her broaching-to, and to have a care that she kept clear of those rocks and of that bottom, for which Nanny Sidley had so much pined.

donenounUS /done/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The most that could be done was to keep the ship dead before it, to prevent her broaching-to, and to have a care that she kept clear of those rocks and of that bottom, for which Nanny Sidley had so much pined.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Several islands had been passed, looking tranquil and smiling amid the fury of the tempest; but it was impossible to haul up for any one among them.

fury

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

From this reading Several islands had been passed, looking tranquil and smiling amid the fury of the tempest; but it was impossible to haul up for any one among them.

GoodnounUS /good/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Good boatswain, have care.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading At sunset, the speck presented by the reefed top-sail of the corvette had sunk beneath the horizon, in the southern board, and that ship was seen no longer.

haul

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

From this reading Several islands had been passed, looking tranquil and smiling amid the fury of the tempest; but it was impossible to haul up for any one among them.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Good boatswain, have care.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading The most that could be done was to keep the ship dead before it, to prevent her broaching-to, and to have a care that she kept clear of those rocks and of that bottom, for which Nanny Sidley had so much pined.

horizon

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

From this reading At sunset, the speck presented by the reefed top-sail of the corvette had sunk beneath the horizon, in the southern board, and that ship was seen no longer.

impossible

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

From this reading Several islands had been passed, looking tranquil and smiling amid the fury of the tempest; but it was impossible to haul up for any one among them.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading At sunset, the speck presented by the reefed top-sail of the corvette had sunk beneath the horizon, in the southern board, and that ship was seen no longer.

islands

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

From this reading Several islands had been passed, looking tranquil and smiling amid the fury of the tempest; but it was impossible to haul up for any one among them.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Several islands had been passed, looking tranquil and smiling amid the fury of the tempest; but it was impossible to haul up for any one among them.

keep

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

From this reading The most that could be done was to keep the ship dead before it, to prevent her broaching-to, and to have a care that she kept clear of those rocks and of that bottom, for which Nanny Sidley had so much pined.

kept

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

From this reading The most that could be done was to keep the ship dead before it, to prevent her broaching-to, and to have a care that she kept clear of those rocks and of that bottom, for which Nanny Sidley had so much pined.

longer

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

From this reading At sunset, the speck presented by the reefed top-sail of the corvette had sunk beneath the horizon, in the southern board, and that ship was seen no longer.

looking

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

From this reading Several islands had been passed, looking tranquil and smiling amid the fury of the tempest; but it was impossible to haul up for any one among them.

most

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

From this reading The most that could be done was to keep the ship dead before it, to prevent her broaching-to, and to have a care that she kept clear of those rocks and of that bottom, for which Nanny Sidley had so much pined.

much

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

From this reading The most that could be done was to keep the ship dead before it, to prevent her broaching-to, and to have a care that she kept clear of those rocks and of that bottom, for which Nanny Sidley had so much pined.

Nanny

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

From this reading The most that could be done was to keep the ship dead before it, to prevent her broaching-to, and to have a care that she kept clear of those rocks and of that bottom, for which Nanny Sidley had so much pined.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading At sunset, the speck presented by the reefed top-sail of the corvette had sunk beneath the horizon, in the southern board, and that ship was seen no longer.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading At sunset, the speck presented by the reefed top-sail of the corvette had sunk beneath the horizon, in the southern board, and that ship was seen no longer.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Several islands had been passed, looking tranquil and smiling amid the fury of the tempest; but it was impossible to haul up for any one among them.

passednounUS /passed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Several islands had been passed, looking tranquil and smiling amid the fury of the tempest; but it was impossible to haul up for any one among them.

pined

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

From this reading The most that could be done was to keep the ship dead before it, to prevent her broaching-to, and to have a care that she kept clear of those rocks and of that bottom, for which Nanny Sidley had so much pined.

presented

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

From this reading At sunset, the speck presented by the reefed top-sail of the corvette had sunk beneath the horizon, in the southern board, and that ship was seen no longer.

prevent

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

From this reading The most that could be done was to keep the ship dead before it, to prevent her broaching-to, and to have a care that she kept clear of those rocks and of that bottom, for which Nanny Sidley had so much pined.

reefed

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

From this reading At sunset, the speck presented by the reefed top-sail of the corvette had sunk beneath the horizon, in the southern board, and that ship was seen no longer.

rocks

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

From this reading The most that could be done was to keep the ship dead before it, to prevent her broaching-to, and to have a care that she kept clear of those rocks and of that bottom, for which Nanny Sidley had so much pined.

seen

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

From this reading At sunset, the speck presented by the reefed top-sail of the corvette had sunk beneath the horizon, in the southern board, and that ship was seen no longer.

Several

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

From this reading Several islands had been passed, looking tranquil and smiling amid the fury of the tempest; but it was impossible to haul up for any one among them.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading The most that could be done was to keep the ship dead before it, to prevent her broaching-to, and to have a care that she kept clear of those rocks and of that bottom, for which Nanny Sidley had so much pined.

shipnounUS /ship/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading At sunset, the speck presented by the reefed top-sail of the corvette had sunk beneath the horizon, in the southern board, and that ship was seen no longer.

Sidley

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

From this reading The most that could be done was to keep the ship dead before it, to prevent her broaching-to, and to have a care that she kept clear of those rocks and of that bottom, for which Nanny Sidley had so much pined.

smiling

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

From this reading Several islands had been passed, looking tranquil and smiling amid the fury of the tempest; but it was impossible to haul up for any one among them.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading The most that could be done was to keep the ship dead before it, to prevent her broaching-to, and to have a care that she kept clear of those rocks and of that bottom, for which Nanny Sidley had so much pined.

southern

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

From this reading At sunset, the speck presented by the reefed top-sail of the corvette had sunk beneath the horizon, in the southern board, and that ship was seen no longer.

speck

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

From this reading At sunset, the speck presented by the reefed top-sail of the corvette had sunk beneath the horizon, in the southern board, and that ship was seen no longer.

sunk

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

From this reading At sunset, the speck presented by the reefed top-sail of the corvette had sunk beneath the horizon, in the southern board, and that ship was seen no longer.

sunset

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

From this reading At sunset, the speck presented by the reefed top-sail of the corvette had sunk beneath the horizon, in the southern board, and that ship was seen no longer.

TEMPEST

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

From this reading TEMPEST.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading At sunset, the speck presented by the reefed top-sail of the corvette had sunk beneath the horizon, in the southern board, and that ship was seen no longer.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading At sunset, the speck presented by the reefed top-sail of the corvette had sunk beneath the horizon, in the southern board, and that ship was seen no longer.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Several islands had been passed, looking tranquil and smiling amid the fury of the tempest; but it was impossible to haul up for any one among them.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading The most that could be done was to keep the ship dead before it, to prevent her broaching-to, and to have a care that she kept clear of those rocks and of that bottom, for which Nanny Sidley had so much pined.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Several islands had been passed, looking tranquil and smiling amid the fury of the tempest; but it was impossible to haul up for any one among them.

top-sail

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

From this reading At sunset, the speck presented by the reefed top-sail of the corvette had sunk beneath the horizon, in the southern board, and that ship was seen no longer.

tranquil

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

From this reading Several islands had been passed, looking tranquil and smiling amid the fury of the tempest; but it was impossible to haul up for any one among them.

up

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

From this reading Several islands had been passed, looking tranquil and smiling amid the fury of the tempest; but it was impossible to haul up for any one among them.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading At sunset, the speck presented by the reefed top-sail of the corvette had sunk beneath the horizon, in the southern board, and that ship was seen no longer.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading The most that could be done was to keep the ship dead before it, to prevent her broaching-to, and to have a care that she kept clear of those rocks and of that bottom, for which Nanny Sidley had so much pined.