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 It would have been such a grand thing to scourge the seas in a British man-of-war with the Jolly Roger floating over her.
abandon
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At first Blackbeard had thought to establish himself upon the corvette and abandon the Revenge.
action
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From this reading THE ADDRESS OF THE LETTER There was hard and ghastly work that day when the Revenge was cleared after action, and there was lively and interesting work on board the Badger when Blackbeard and his officers went over the captured vessel to discover what new possessions they had won.
ADDRESS
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE ADDRESS OF THE LETTER There was hard and ghastly work that day when the Revenge was cleared after action, and there was lively and interesting work on board the Badger when Blackbeard and his officers went over the captured vessel to discover what new possessions they had won.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading THE ADDRESS OF THE LETTER There was hard and ghastly work that day when the Revenge was cleared after action, and there was lively and interesting work on board the Badger when Blackbeard and his officers went over the captured vessel to discover what new possessions they had won.
ambition
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So the wary pirate curbed his ambition.
American
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But this would have been too dangerous; the combined naval force of England in American waters would have been united to put down such presumption.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE ADDRESS OF THE LETTER There was hard and ghastly work that day when the Revenge was cleared after action, and there was lively and interesting work on board the Badger when Blackbeard and his officers went over the captured vessel to discover what new possessions they had won.
AtprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At first Blackbeard had thought to establish himself upon the corvette and abandon the Revenge.
Badger
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE ADDRESS OF THE LETTER There was hard and ghastly work that day when the Revenge was cleared after action, and there was lively and interesting work on board the Badger when Blackbeard and his officers went over the captured vessel to discover what new possessions they had won.
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It would have been such a grand thing to scourge the seas in a British man-of-war with the Jolly Roger floating over her.
Blackbeard
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE ADDRESS OF THE LETTER There was hard and ghastly work that day when the Revenge was cleared after action, and there was lively and interesting work on board the Badger when Blackbeard and his officers went over the captured vessel to discover what new possessions they had won.
board
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE ADDRESS OF THE LETTER There was hard and ghastly work that day when the Revenge was cleared after action, and there was lively and interesting work on board the Badger when Blackbeard and his officers went over the captured vessel to discover what new possessions they had won.
British
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It would have been such a grand thing to scourge the seas in a British man-of-war with the Jolly Roger floating over her.
ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But this would have been too dangerous; the combined naval force of England in American waters would have been united to put down such presumption.
captured
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE ADDRESS OF THE LETTER There was hard and ghastly work that day when the Revenge was cleared after action, and there was lively and interesting work on board the Badger when Blackbeard and his officers went over the captured vessel to discover what new possessions they had won.
cleared
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE ADDRESS OF THE LETTER There was hard and ghastly work that day when the Revenge was cleared after action, and there was lively and interesting work on board the Badger when Blackbeard and his officers went over the captured vessel to discover what new possessions they had won.
combined
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But this would have been too dangerous; the combined naval force of England in American waters would have been united to put down such presumption.
corvette
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At first Blackbeard had thought to establish himself upon the corvette and abandon the Revenge.
curbed
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So the wary pirate curbed his ambition.
dangerous
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But this would have been too dangerous; the combined naval force of England in American waters would have been united to put down such presumption.
day
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE ADDRESS OF THE LETTER There was hard and ghastly work that day when the Revenge was cleared after action, and there was lively and interesting work on board the Badger when Blackbeard and his officers went over the captured vessel to discover what new possessions they had won.
discover
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE ADDRESS OF THE LETTER There was hard and ghastly work that day when the Revenge was cleared after action, and there was lively and interesting work on board the Badger when Blackbeard and his officers went over the captured vessel to discover what new possessions they had won.
down
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But this would have been too dangerous; the combined naval force of England in American waters would have been united to put down such presumption.
England
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But this would have been too dangerous; the combined naval force of England in American waters would have been united to put down such presumption.
establish
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At first Blackbeard had thought to establish himself upon the corvette and abandon the Revenge.
firstnounUS /first/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading At first Blackbeard had thought to establish himself upon the corvette and abandon the Revenge.
floating
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It would have been such a grand thing to scourge the seas in a British man-of-war with the Jolly Roger floating over her.
force
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But this would have been too dangerous; the combined naval force of England in American waters would have been united to put down such presumption.
ghastly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE ADDRESS OF THE LETTER There was hard and ghastly work that day when the Revenge was cleared after action, and there was lively and interesting work on board the Badger when Blackbeard and his officers went over the captured vessel to discover what new possessions they had won.
grand
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It would have been such a grand thing to scourge the seas in a British man-of-war with the Jolly Roger floating over her.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading THE ADDRESS OF THE LETTER There was hard and ghastly work that day when the Revenge was cleared after action, and there was lively and interesting work on board the Badger when Blackbeard and his officers went over the captured vessel to discover what new possessions they had won.
hard
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE ADDRESS OF THE LETTER There was hard and ghastly work that day when the Revenge was cleared after action, and there was lively and interesting work on board the Badger when Blackbeard and his officers went over the captured vessel to discover what new possessions they had won.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It would have been such a grand thing to scourge the seas in a British man-of-war with the Jolly Roger floating over her.
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading It would have been such a grand thing to scourge the seas in a British man-of-war with the Jolly Roger floating over her.
himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading At first Blackbeard had thought to establish himself upon the corvette and abandon the Revenge.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading THE ADDRESS OF THE LETTER There was hard and ghastly work that day when the Revenge was cleared after action, and there was lively and interesting work on board the Badger when Blackbeard and his officers went over the captured vessel to discover what new possessions they had won.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It would have been such a grand thing to scourge the seas in a British man-of-war with the Jolly Roger floating over her.
interesting
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE ADDRESS OF THE LETTER There was hard and ghastly work that day when the Revenge was cleared after action, and there was lively and interesting work on board the Badger when Blackbeard and his officers went over the captured vessel to discover what new possessions they had won.
ItpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It would have been such a grand thing to scourge the seas in a British man-of-war with the Jolly Roger floating over her.
Jolly
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It would have been such a grand thing to scourge the seas in a British man-of-war with the Jolly Roger floating over her.
LETTER
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE ADDRESS OF THE LETTER There was hard and ghastly work that day when the Revenge was cleared after action, and there was lively and interesting work on board the Badger when Blackbeard and his officers went over the captured vessel to discover what new possessions they had won.
lively
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE ADDRESS OF THE LETTER There was hard and ghastly work that day when the Revenge was cleared after action, and there was lively and interesting work on board the Badger when Blackbeard and his officers went over the captured vessel to discover what new possessions they had won.
man-of-war
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It would have been such a grand thing to scourge the seas in a British man-of-war with the Jolly Roger floating over her.
naval
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But this would have been too dangerous; the combined naval force of England in American waters would have been united to put down such presumption.
new
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE ADDRESS OF THE LETTER There was hard and ghastly work that day when the Revenge was cleared after action, and there was lively and interesting work on board the Badger when Blackbeard and his officers went over the captured vessel to discover what new possessions they had won.
OFprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE ADDRESS OF THE LETTER There was hard and ghastly work that day when the Revenge was cleared after action, and there was lively and interesting work on board the Badger when Blackbeard and his officers went over the captured vessel to discover what new possessions they had won.
officers
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE ADDRESS OF THE LETTER There was hard and ghastly work that day when the Revenge was cleared after action, and there was lively and interesting work on board the Badger when Blackbeard and his officers went over the captured vessel to discover what new possessions they had won.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading THE ADDRESS OF THE LETTER There was hard and ghastly work that day when the Revenge was cleared after action, and there was lively and interesting work on board the Badger when Blackbeard and his officers went over the captured vessel to discover what new possessions they had won.
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/
above and across; more than
From this reading THE ADDRESS OF THE LETTER There was hard and ghastly work that day when the Revenge was cleared after action, and there was lively and interesting work on board the Badger when Blackbeard and his officers went over the captured vessel to discover what new possessions they had won.
pirate
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So the wary pirate curbed his ambition.
possessions
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE ADDRESS OF THE LETTER There was hard and ghastly work that day when the Revenge was cleared after action, and there was lively and interesting work on board the Badger when Blackbeard and his officers went over the captured vessel to discover what new possessions they had won.
presumption
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But this would have been too dangerous; the combined naval force of England in American waters would have been united to put down such presumption.
put
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But this would have been too dangerous; the combined naval force of England in American waters would have been united to put down such presumption.
Revenge
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE ADDRESS OF THE LETTER There was hard and ghastly work that day when the Revenge was cleared after action, and there was lively and interesting work on board the Badger when Blackbeard and his officers went over the captured vessel to discover what new possessions they had won.
Roger
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It would have been such a grand thing to scourge the seas in a British man-of-war with the Jolly Roger floating over her.
scourge
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It would have been such a grand thing to scourge the seas in a British man-of-war with the Jolly Roger floating over her.
seas
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It would have been such a grand thing to scourge the seas in a British man-of-war with the Jolly Roger floating over her.
SoconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So the wary pirate curbed his ambition.
suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading It would have been such a grand thing to scourge the seas in a British man-of-war with the Jolly Roger floating over her.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading THE ADDRESS OF THE LETTER There was hard and ghastly work that day when the Revenge was cleared after action, and there was lively and interesting work on board the Badger when Blackbeard and his officers went over the captured vessel to discover what new possessions they had won.
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE ADDRESS OF THE LETTER There was hard and ghastly work that day when the Revenge was cleared after action, and there was lively and interesting work on board the Badger when Blackbeard and his officers went over the captured vessel to discover what new possessions they had won.
There
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE ADDRESS OF THE LETTER There was hard and ghastly work that day when the Revenge was cleared after action, and there was lively and interesting work on board the Badger when Blackbeard and his officers went over the captured vessel to discover what new possessions they had won.
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading THE ADDRESS OF THE LETTER There was hard and ghastly work that day when the Revenge was cleared after action, and there was lively and interesting work on board the Badger when Blackbeard and his officers went over the captured vessel to discover what new possessions they had won.
thingnounUS /thing/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading It would have been such a grand thing to scourge the seas in a British man-of-war with the Jolly Roger floating over her.
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading But this would have been too dangerous; the combined naval force of England in American waters would have been united to put down such presumption.
thoughtnounUS /thought/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading At first Blackbeard had thought to establish himself upon the corvette and abandon the Revenge.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE ADDRESS OF THE LETTER There was hard and ghastly work that day when the Revenge was cleared after action, and there was lively and interesting work on board the Badger when Blackbeard and his officers went over the captured vessel to discover what new possessions they had won.
too
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But this would have been too dangerous; the combined naval force of England in American waters would have been united to put down such presumption.
united
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But this would have been too dangerous; the combined naval force of England in American waters would have been united to put down such presumption.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading At first Blackbeard had thought to establish himself upon the corvette and abandon the Revenge.
vessel
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE ADDRESS OF THE LETTER There was hard and ghastly work that day when the Revenge was cleared after action, and there was lively and interesting work on board the Badger when Blackbeard and his officers went over the captured vessel to discover what new possessions they had won.
wary
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So the wary pirate curbed his ambition.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE ADDRESS OF THE LETTER There was hard and ghastly work that day when the Revenge was cleared after action, and there was lively and interesting work on board the Badger when Blackbeard and his officers went over the captured vessel to discover what new possessions they had won.
waters
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But this would have been too dangerous; the combined naval force of England in American waters would have been united to put down such presumption.
wentnounUS /went/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading THE ADDRESS OF THE LETTER There was hard and ghastly work that day when the Revenge was cleared after action, and there was lively and interesting work on board the Badger when Blackbeard and his officers went over the captured vessel to discover what new possessions they had won.
whatpronounUS /wʌt/
used to ask for information about something
From this reading THE ADDRESS OF THE LETTER There was hard and ghastly work that day when the Revenge was cleared after action, and there was lively and interesting work on board the Badger when Blackbeard and his officers went over the captured vessel to discover what new possessions they had won.
whenconjunctionUS /wen/
at the time that
From this reading THE ADDRESS OF THE LETTER There was hard and ghastly work that day when the Revenge was cleared after action, and there was lively and interesting work on board the Badger when Blackbeard and his officers went over the captured vessel to discover what new possessions they had won.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading It would have been such a grand thing to scourge the seas in a British man-of-war with the Jolly Roger floating over her.
won
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE ADDRESS OF THE LETTER There was hard and ghastly work that day when the Revenge was cleared after action, and there was lively and interesting work on board the Badger when Blackbeard and his officers went over the captured vessel to discover what new possessions they had won.
work
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE ADDRESS OF THE LETTER There was hard and ghastly work that day when the Revenge was cleared after action, and there was lively and interesting work on board the Badger when Blackbeard and his officers went over the captured vessel to discover what new possessions they had won.
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It would have been such a grand thing to scourge the seas in a British man-of-war with the Jolly Roger floating over her.
