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In the Wilderness
In the Wilderness

Chapter I

Cover illustration for In the Wilderness
Context Illustration Reading 1/32 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
So many conflicting accounts have appeared about my casual encounter with an Adirondack bear last summer that in justice to the public, to myself, and to the bear, it is necessary to make a plain statement of the facts.
Besides, it is so seldom I have occasion to kill a bear, that the celebration of the exploit may be excused.
The encounter was unpremeditated on both sides.
I was not hunting for a bear, and I have no reason to suppose that a bear was looking for me.
The fact is, that we were both out blackberrying, and met by chance, the usual way.
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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.

In the Wilderness

Chapter I

Reading 1/32 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
So many conflicting accounts have appeared about my casual encounter with an Adirondack bear last summer that in justice to the public, to myself, and to the bear, it is necessary to make a plain statement of the facts.
Line 2
Besides, it is so seldom I have occasion to kill a bear, that the celebration of the exploit may be excused.
Line 3
The encounter was unpremeditated on both sides.
Line 4
I was not hunting for a bear, and I have no reason to suppose that a bear was looking for me.
Line 5
The fact is, that we were both out blackberrying, and met by chance, the usual way.

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 “So many conflicting accounts have appeared about my casual encounter with an Adirondack bear last summer that in justice to the public, to myself, and to the bear, it is necessary to make a plain statement of the facts.”

Accounts noun US /ˈaccounts/

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

From this reading “So many conflicting accounts have appeared about my casual encounter with an Adirondack bear last summer that in justice to the public, to myself, and to the bear, it is necessary to make a plain statement of the facts.”

Besides preposition US /bɪˈsaɪdz/

in addition to; as well as

From this reading “Besides, it is so seldom I have occasion to kill a bear, that the celebration of the exploit may be excused.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “So many conflicting accounts have appeared about my casual encounter with an Adirondack bear last summer that in justice to the public, to myself, and to the bear, it is necessary to make a plain statement of the facts.”

Last noun US /last/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “So many conflicting accounts have appeared about my casual encounter with an Adirondack bear last summer that in justice to the public, to myself, and to the bear, it is necessary to make a plain statement of the facts.”

Make noun US /make/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “So many conflicting accounts have appeared about my casual encounter with an Adirondack bear last summer that in justice to the public, to myself, and to the bear, it is necessary to make a plain statement of the facts.”

May modal verb US /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading “Besides, it is so seldom I have occasion to kill a bear, that the celebration of the exploit may be excused.”

Myself pronoun US /ˌmaɪˈself/

used when the speaker is also the object of the action

From this reading “So many conflicting accounts have appeared about my casual encounter with an Adirondack bear last summer that in justice to the public, to myself, and to the bear, it is necessary to make a plain statement of the facts.”

Suppose noun US /ˈsuppose/

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

From this reading “I was not hunting for a bear, and I have no reason to suppose that a bear was looking for me.”

All words in this reading · 66

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 So many conflicting accounts have appeared about my casual encounter with an Adirondack bear last summer that in justice to the public, to myself, and to the bear, it is necessary to make a plain statement of the facts.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading So many conflicting accounts have appeared about my casual encounter with an Adirondack bear last summer that in justice to the public, to myself, and to the bear, it is necessary to make a plain statement of the facts.

accountsnounUS /ˈaccounts/

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

From this reading So many conflicting accounts have appeared about my casual encounter with an Adirondack bear last summer that in justice to the public, to myself, and to the bear, it is necessary to make a plain statement of the facts.

Adirondack

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

From this reading So many conflicting accounts have appeared about my casual encounter with an Adirondack bear last summer that in justice to the public, to myself, and to the bear, it is necessary to make a plain statement of the facts.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading So many conflicting accounts have appeared about my casual encounter with an Adirondack bear last summer that in justice to the public, to myself, and to the bear, it is necessary to make a plain statement of the facts.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading So many conflicting accounts have appeared about my casual encounter with an Adirondack bear last summer that in justice to the public, to myself, and to the bear, it is necessary to make a plain statement of the facts.

appeared

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

From this reading So many conflicting accounts have appeared about my casual encounter with an Adirondack bear last summer that in justice to the public, to myself, and to the bear, it is necessary to make a plain statement of the facts.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading Besides, it is so seldom I have occasion to kill a bear, that the celebration of the exploit may be excused.

bear

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

From this reading So many conflicting accounts have appeared about my casual encounter with an Adirondack bear last summer that in justice to the public, to myself, and to the bear, it is necessary to make a plain statement of the facts.

BesidesprepositionUS /bɪˈsaɪdz/

in addition to; as well as

From this reading Besides, it is so seldom I have occasion to kill a bear, that the celebration of the exploit may be excused.

blackberrying

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

From this reading The fact is, that we were both out blackberrying, and met by chance, the usual way.

bothdeterminerUS /boʊθ/

the two together, not just one

From this reading The encounter was unpremeditated on both sides.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading The fact is, that we were both out blackberrying, and met by chance, the usual way.

casual

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

From this reading So many conflicting accounts have appeared about my casual encounter with an Adirondack bear last summer that in justice to the public, to myself, and to the bear, it is necessary to make a plain statement of the facts.

celebration

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

From this reading Besides, it is so seldom I have occasion to kill a bear, that the celebration of the exploit may be excused.

chance

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

From this reading The fact is, that we were both out blackberrying, and met by chance, the usual way.

conflicting

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

From this reading So many conflicting accounts have appeared about my casual encounter with an Adirondack bear last summer that in justice to the public, to myself, and to the bear, it is necessary to make a plain statement of the facts.

encounter

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

From this reading So many conflicting accounts have appeared about my casual encounter with an Adirondack bear last summer that in justice to the public, to myself, and to the bear, it is necessary to make a plain statement of the facts.

excused

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

From this reading Besides, it is so seldom I have occasion to kill a bear, that the celebration of the exploit may be excused.

exploit

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

From this reading Besides, it is so seldom I have occasion to kill a bear, that the celebration of the exploit may be excused.

fact

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

From this reading The fact is, that we were both out blackberrying, and met by chance, the usual way.

facts

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

From this reading So many conflicting accounts have appeared about my casual encounter with an Adirondack bear last summer that in justice to the public, to myself, and to the bear, it is necessary to make a plain statement of the facts.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading I was not hunting for a bear, and I have no reason to suppose that a bear was looking for me.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading So many conflicting accounts have appeared about my casual encounter with an Adirondack bear last summer that in justice to the public, to myself, and to the bear, it is necessary to make a plain statement of the facts.

hunting

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

From this reading I was not hunting for a bear, and I have no reason to suppose that a bear was looking for me.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading Besides, it is so seldom I have occasion to kill a bear, that the celebration of the exploit may be excused.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading So many conflicting accounts have appeared about my casual encounter with an Adirondack bear last summer that in justice to the public, to myself, and to the bear, it is necessary to make a plain statement of the facts.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading So many conflicting accounts have appeared about my casual encounter with an Adirondack bear last summer that in justice to the public, to myself, and to the bear, it is necessary to make a plain statement of the facts.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading So many conflicting accounts have appeared about my casual encounter with an Adirondack bear last summer that in justice to the public, to myself, and to the bear, it is necessary to make a plain statement of the facts.

justice

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

From this reading So many conflicting accounts have appeared about my casual encounter with an Adirondack bear last summer that in justice to the public, to myself, and to the bear, it is necessary to make a plain statement of the facts.

kill

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

From this reading Besides, it is so seldom I have occasion to kill a bear, that the celebration of the exploit may be excused.

lastnounUS /last/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading So many conflicting accounts have appeared about my casual encounter with an Adirondack bear last summer that in justice to the public, to myself, and to the bear, it is necessary to make a plain statement of the facts.

looking

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

From this reading I was not hunting for a bear, and I have no reason to suppose that a bear was looking for me.

makenounUS /make/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading So many conflicting accounts have appeared about my casual encounter with an Adirondack bear last summer that in justice to the public, to myself, and to the bear, it is necessary to make a plain statement of the facts.

many

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

From this reading So many conflicting accounts have appeared about my casual encounter with an Adirondack bear last summer that in justice to the public, to myself, and to the bear, it is necessary to make a plain statement of the facts.

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading Besides, it is so seldom I have occasion to kill a bear, that the celebration of the exploit may be excused.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading I was not hunting for a bear, and I have no reason to suppose that a bear was looking for me.

met

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

From this reading The fact is, that we were both out blackberrying, and met by chance, the usual way.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading So many conflicting accounts have appeared about my casual encounter with an Adirondack bear last summer that in justice to the public, to myself, and to the bear, it is necessary to make a plain statement of the facts.

myselfpronounUS /ˌmaɪˈself/

used when the speaker is also the object of the action

From this reading So many conflicting accounts have appeared about my casual encounter with an Adirondack bear last summer that in justice to the public, to myself, and to the bear, it is necessary to make a plain statement of the facts.

necessary

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

From this reading So many conflicting accounts have appeared about my casual encounter with an Adirondack bear last summer that in justice to the public, to myself, and to the bear, it is necessary to make a plain statement of the facts.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading I was not hunting for a bear, and I have no reason to suppose that a bear was looking for me.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading I was not hunting for a bear, and I have no reason to suppose that a bear was looking for me.

occasion

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

From this reading Besides, it is so seldom I have occasion to kill a bear, that the celebration of the exploit may be excused.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading So many conflicting accounts have appeared about my casual encounter with an Adirondack bear last summer that in justice to the public, to myself, and to the bear, it is necessary to make a plain statement of the facts.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The encounter was unpremeditated on both sides.

out

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

From this reading The fact is, that we were both out blackberrying, and met by chance, the usual way.

plain

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

From this reading So many conflicting accounts have appeared about my casual encounter with an Adirondack bear last summer that in justice to the public, to myself, and to the bear, it is necessary to make a plain statement of the facts.

public

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

From this reading So many conflicting accounts have appeared about my casual encounter with an Adirondack bear last summer that in justice to the public, to myself, and to the bear, it is necessary to make a plain statement of the facts.

reason

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

From this reading I was not hunting for a bear, and I have no reason to suppose that a bear was looking for me.

seldom

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

From this reading Besides, it is so seldom I have occasion to kill a bear, that the celebration of the exploit may be excused.

sides

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

From this reading The encounter was unpremeditated on both sides.

SoconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading So many conflicting accounts have appeared about my casual encounter with an Adirondack bear last summer that in justice to the public, to myself, and to the bear, it is necessary to make a plain statement of the facts.

statement

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

From this reading So many conflicting accounts have appeared about my casual encounter with an Adirondack bear last summer that in justice to the public, to myself, and to the bear, it is necessary to make a plain statement of the facts.

summer

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

From this reading So many conflicting accounts have appeared about my casual encounter with an Adirondack bear last summer that in justice to the public, to myself, and to the bear, it is necessary to make a plain statement of the facts.

supposenounUS /ˈsuppose/

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

From this reading I was not hunting for a bear, and I have no reason to suppose that a bear was looking for me.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading So many conflicting accounts have appeared about my casual encounter with an Adirondack bear last summer that in justice to the public, to myself, and to the bear, it is necessary to make a plain statement of the facts.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading So many conflicting accounts have appeared about my casual encounter with an Adirondack bear last summer that in justice to the public, to myself, and to the bear, it is necessary to make a plain statement of the facts.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading So many conflicting accounts have appeared about my casual encounter with an Adirondack bear last summer that in justice to the public, to myself, and to the bear, it is necessary to make a plain statement of the facts.

unpremeditated

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

From this reading The encounter was unpremeditated on both sides.

usual

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

From this reading The fact is, that we were both out blackberrying, and met by chance, the usual way.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The encounter was unpremeditated on both sides.

way

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

From this reading The fact is, that we were both out blackberrying, and met by chance, the usual way.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading The fact is, that we were both out blackberrying, and met by chance, the usual way.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading The fact is, that we were both out blackberrying, and met by chance, the usual way.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading So many conflicting accounts have appeared about my casual encounter with an Adirondack bear last summer that in justice to the public, to myself, and to the bear, it is necessary to make a plain statement of the facts.