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 After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Schools of whales grew so tame that day after day they played about the ship among the porpoises and the sharks without the least apparent fear of us, and we pelted them with empty bottles for lack of better sport.
absolutely
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The calm was absolutely breathless, and the surface of the sea absolutely without a wrinkle.
acquainted
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From this reading For a whole day and part of a night we lay so close to another ship that had drifted to our vicinity, that we carried on conversations with her passengers, introduced each other by name, and became pretty intimately acquainted with people we had never heard of before, and have never heard of since.
AfterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
afterward
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Twenty-four hours afterward these bottles would be still lying on the glassy water under our noses, showing that the ship had not moved out of her place in all that time.
all
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Twenty-four hours afterward these bottles would be still lying on the glassy water under our noses, showing that the ship had not moved out of her place in all that time.
amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading Schools of whales grew so tame that day after day they played about the ship among the porpoises and the sharks without the least apparent fear of us, and we pelted them with empty bottles for lack of better sport.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
anothernounUS /ˈanother/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading For a whole day and part of a night we lay so close to another ship that had drifted to our vicinity, that we carried on conversations with her passengers, introduced each other by name, and became pretty intimately acquainted with people we had never heard of before, and have never heard of since.
apparent
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Schools of whales grew so tame that day after day they played about the ship among the porpoises and the sharks without the least apparent fear of us, and we pelted them with empty bottles for lack of better sport.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Twenty-four hours afterward these bottles would be still lying on the glassy water under our noses, showing that the ship had not moved out of her place in all that time.
became
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a whole day and part of a night we lay so close to another ship that had drifted to our vicinity, that we carried on conversations with her passengers, introduced each other by name, and became pretty intimately acquainted with people we had never heard of before, and have never heard of since.
beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/
earlier than; in front of
From this reading For a whole day and part of a night we lay so close to another ship that had drifted to our vicinity, that we carried on conversations with her passengers, introduced each other by name, and became pretty intimately acquainted with people we had never heard of before, and have never heard of since.
better
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Schools of whales grew so tame that day after day they played about the ship among the porpoises and the sharks without the least apparent fear of us, and we pelted them with empty bottles for lack of better sport.
bottles
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Schools of whales grew so tame that day after day they played about the ship among the porpoises and the sharks without the least apparent fear of us, and we pelted them with empty bottles for lack of better sport.
breathless
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The calm was absolutely breathless, and the surface of the sea absolutely without a wrinkle.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
byprepositionUS /baɪ/
showing who or what does the action
From this reading For a whole day and part of a night we lay so close to another ship that had drifted to our vicinity, that we carried on conversations with her passengers, introduced each other by name, and became pretty intimately acquainted with people we had never heard of before, and have never heard of since.
calm
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
carried
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a whole day and part of a night we lay so close to another ship that had drifted to our vicinity, that we carried on conversations with her passengers, introduced each other by name, and became pretty intimately acquainted with people we had never heard of before, and have never heard of since.
close
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a whole day and part of a night we lay so close to another ship that had drifted to our vicinity, that we carried on conversations with her passengers, introduced each other by name, and became pretty intimately acquainted with people we had never heard of before, and have never heard of since.
conversations
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a whole day and part of a night we lay so close to another ship that had drifted to our vicinity, that we carried on conversations with her passengers, introduced each other by name, and became pretty intimately acquainted with people we had never heard of before, and have never heard of since.
day
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Schools of whales grew so tame that day after day they played about the ship among the porpoises and the sharks without the least apparent fear of us, and we pelted them with empty bottles for lack of better sport.
deadnounUS /dead/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
delightful
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
drifted
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a whole day and part of a night we lay so close to another ship that had drifted to our vicinity, that we carried on conversations with her passengers, introduced each other by name, and became pretty intimately acquainted with people we had never heard of before, and have never heard of since.
eachdeterminerUS /iːtʃ/
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading For a whole day and part of a night we lay so close to another ship that had drifted to our vicinity, that we carried on conversations with her passengers, introduced each other by name, and became pretty intimately acquainted with people we had never heard of before, and have never heard of since.
eighteen
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
empty
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Schools of whales grew so tame that day after day they played about the ship among the porpoises and the sharks without the least apparent fear of us, and we pelted them with empty bottles for lack of better sport.
everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
fear
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Schools of whales grew so tame that day after day they played about the ship among the porpoises and the sharks without the least apparent fear of us, and we pelted them with empty bottles for lack of better sport.
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Schools of whales grew so tame that day after day they played about the ship among the porpoises and the sharks without the least apparent fear of us, and we pelted them with empty bottles for lack of better sport.
Francisco
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
fromprepositionUS /frʌm/
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
glassy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Twenty-four hours afterward these bottles would be still lying on the glassy water under our noses, showing that the ship had not moved out of her place in all that time.
grew
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Schools of whales grew so tame that day after day they played about the ship among the porpoises and the sharks without the least apparent fear of us, and we pelted them with empty bottles for lack of better sport.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Twenty-four hours afterward these bottles would be still lying on the glassy water under our noses, showing that the ship had not moved out of her place in all that time.
halfnounUS /half/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading For a whole day and part of a night we lay so close to another ship that had drifted to our vicinity, that we carried on conversations with her passengers, introduced each other by name, and became pretty intimately acquainted with people we had never heard of before, and have never heard of since.
heard
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a whole day and part of a night we lay so close to another ship that had drifted to our vicinity, that we carried on conversations with her passengers, introduced each other by name, and became pretty intimately acquainted with people we had never heard of before, and have never heard of since.
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Twenty-four hours afterward these bottles would be still lying on the glassy water under our noses, showing that the ship had not moved out of her place in all that time.
hours
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Twenty-four hours afterward these bottles would be still lying on the glassy water under our noses, showing that the ship had not moved out of her place in all that time.
hundred
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
IpronounUS /aɪ/
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
incident
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
intimately
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a whole day and part of a night we lay so close to another ship that had drifted to our vicinity, that we carried on conversations with her passengers, introduced each other by name, and became pretty intimately acquainted with people we had never heard of before, and have never heard of since.
introduced
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a whole day and part of a night we lay so close to another ship that had drifted to our vicinity, that we carried on conversations with her passengers, introduced each other by name, and became pretty intimately acquainted with people we had never heard of before, and have never heard of since.
islands
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
lack
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Schools of whales grew so tame that day after day they played about the ship among the porpoises and the sharks without the least apparent fear of us, and we pelted them with empty bottles for lack of better sport.
land
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
lay
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a whole day and part of a night we lay so close to another ship that had drifted to our vicinity, that we carried on conversations with her passengers, introduced each other by name, and became pretty intimately acquainted with people we had never heard of before, and have never heard of since.
leastnounUS /least/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Schools of whales grew so tame that day after day they played about the ship among the porpoises and the sharks without the least apparent fear of us, and we pelted them with empty bottles for lack of better sport.
longnounUS /long/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
luxurious
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
lying
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
maymodal verbUS /meɪ/
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
miles
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
moved
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Twenty-four hours afterward these bottles would be still lying on the glassy water under our noses, showing that the ship had not moved out of her place in all that time.
namenounUS /name/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading For a whole day and part of a night we lay so close to another ship that had drifted to our vicinity, that we carried on conversations with her passengers, introduced each other by name, and became pretty intimately acquainted with people we had never heard of before, and have never heard of since.
nearest
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
nevernounUS /never/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading For a whole day and part of a night we lay so close to another ship that had drifted to our vicinity, that we carried on conversations with her passengers, introduced each other by name, and became pretty intimately acquainted with people we had never heard of before, and have never heard of since.
night
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a whole day and part of a night we lay so close to another ship that had drifted to our vicinity, that we carried on conversations with her passengers, introduced each other by name, and became pretty intimately acquainted with people we had never heard of before, and have never heard of since.
noses
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Twenty-four hours afterward these bottles would be still lying on the glassy water under our noses, showing that the ship had not moved out of her place in all that time.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Twenty-four hours afterward these bottles would be still lying on the glassy water under our noses, showing that the ship had not moved out of her place in all that time.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Schools of whales grew so tame that day after day they played about the ship among the porpoises and the sharks without the least apparent fear of us, and we pelted them with empty bottles for lack of better sport.
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Twenty-four hours afterward these bottles would be still lying on the glassy water under our noses, showing that the ship had not moved out of her place in all that time.
other
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a whole day and part of a night we lay so close to another ship that had drifted to our vicinity, that we carried on conversations with her passengers, introduced each other by name, and became pretty intimately acquainted with people we had never heard of before, and have never heard of since.
ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Twenty-four hours afterward these bottles would be still lying on the glassy water under our noses, showing that the ship had not moved out of her place in all that time.
out
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Twenty-four hours afterward these bottles would be still lying on the glassy water under our noses, showing that the ship had not moved out of her place in all that time.
partnounUS /part/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading For a whole day and part of a night we lay so close to another ship that had drifted to our vicinity, that we carried on conversations with her passengers, introduced each other by name, and became pretty intimately acquainted with people we had never heard of before, and have never heard of since.
passengers
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a whole day and part of a night we lay so close to another ship that had drifted to our vicinity, that we carried on conversations with her passengers, introduced each other by name, and became pretty intimately acquainted with people we had never heard of before, and have never heard of since.
pelted
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Schools of whales grew so tame that day after day they played about the ship among the porpoises and the sharks without the least apparent fear of us, and we pelted them with empty bottles for lack of better sport.
people
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a whole day and part of a night we lay so close to another ship that had drifted to our vicinity, that we carried on conversations with her passengers, introduced each other by name, and became pretty intimately acquainted with people we had never heard of before, and have never heard of since.
place
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Twenty-four hours afterward these bottles would be still lying on the glassy water under our noses, showing that the ship had not moved out of her place in all that time.
played
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Schools of whales grew so tame that day after day they played about the ship among the porpoises and the sharks without the least apparent fear of us, and we pelted them with empty bottles for lack of better sport.
porpoises
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Schools of whales grew so tame that day after day they played about the ship among the porpoises and the sharks without the least apparent fear of us, and we pelted them with empty bottles for lack of better sport.
pretty
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a whole day and part of a night we lay so close to another ship that had drifted to our vicinity, that we carried on conversations with her passengers, introduced each other by name, and became pretty intimately acquainted with people we had never heard of before, and have never heard of since.
rank
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
regretfully
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
returnednounUS /ˈreturned/
a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
sailing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
San
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
Schools
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Schools of whales grew so tame that day after day they played about the ship among the porpoises and the sharks without the least apparent fear of us, and we pelted them with empty bottles for lack of better sport.
sea
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The calm was absolutely breathless, and the surface of the sea absolutely without a wrinkle.
sharks
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Schools of whales grew so tame that day after day they played about the ship among the porpoises and the sharks without the least apparent fear of us, and we pelted them with empty bottles for lack of better sport.
shipnounUS /ship/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Schools of whales grew so tame that day after day they played about the ship among the porpoises and the sharks without the least apparent fear of us, and we pelted them with empty bottles for lack of better sport.
shipping
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
showing
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Twenty-four hours afterward these bottles would be still lying on the glassy water under our noses, showing that the ship had not moved out of her place in all that time.
sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/
from a time in the past until now
From this reading For a whole day and part of a night we lay so close to another ship that had drifted to our vicinity, that we carried on conversations with her passengers, introduced each other by name, and became pretty intimately acquainted with people we had never heard of before, and have never heard of since.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Schools of whales grew so tame that day after day they played about the ship among the porpoises and the sharks without the least apparent fear of us, and we pelted them with empty bottles for lack of better sport.
sport
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Schools of whales grew so tame that day after day they played about the ship among the porpoises and the sharks without the least apparent fear of us, and we pelted them with empty bottles for lack of better sport.
stillnounUS /still/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Twenty-four hours afterward these bottles would be still lying on the glassy water under our noses, showing that the ship had not moved out of her place in all that time.
surface
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The calm was absolutely breathless, and the surface of the sea absolutely without a wrinkle.
tame
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Schools of whales grew so tame that day after day they played about the ship among the porpoises and the sharks without the least apparent fear of us, and we pelted them with empty bottles for lack of better sport.
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Schools of whales grew so tame that day after day they played about the ship among the porpoises and the sharks without the least apparent fear of us, and we pelted them with empty bottles for lack of better sport.
thedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
thempronounUS /ðem/
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Schools of whales grew so tame that day after day they played about the ship among the porpoises and the sharks without the least apparent fear of us, and we pelted them with empty bottles for lack of better sport.
thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading Twenty-four hours afterward these bottles would be still lying on the glassy water under our noses, showing that the ship had not moved out of her place in all that time.
theypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Schools of whales grew so tame that day after day they played about the ship among the porpoises and the sharks without the least apparent fear of us, and we pelted them with empty bottles for lack of better sport.
timenounUS /time/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading Twenty-four hours afterward these bottles would be still lying on the glassy water under our noses, showing that the ship had not moved out of her place in all that time.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
tooknounUS /took/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
Twenty-four
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Twenty-four hours afterward these bottles would be still lying on the glassy water under our noses, showing that the ship had not moved out of her place in all that time.
two
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Twenty-four hours afterward these bottles would be still lying on the glassy water under our noses, showing that the ship had not moved out of her place in all that time.
unlessconjunctionUS /ənˈles/
except if; if not
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
uspronounUS /ʌs/
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Schools of whales grew so tame that day after day they played about the ship among the porpoises and the sharks without the least apparent fear of us, and we pelted them with empty bottles for lack of better sport.
vagrancy
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
vessel
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
vicinity
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a whole day and part of a night we lay so close to another ship that had drifted to our vicinity, that we carried on conversations with her passengers, introduced each other by name, and became pretty intimately acquainted with people we had never heard of before, and have never heard of since.
voyage
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The calm was absolutely breathless, and the surface of the sea absolutely without a wrinkle.
water
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Twenty-four hours afterward these bottles would be still lying on the glassy water under our noses, showing that the ship had not moved out of her place in all that time.
way
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
wepronounUS /wiː/
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Schools of whales grew so tame that day after day they played about the ship among the porpoises and the sharks without the least apparent fear of us, and we pelted them with empty bottles for lack of better sport.
weeks
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
whales
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Schools of whales grew so tame that day after day they played about the ship among the porpoises and the sharks without the least apparent fear of us, and we pelted them with empty bottles for lack of better sport.
whole
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For a whole day and part of a night we lay so close to another ship that had drifted to our vicinity, that we carried on conversations with her passengers, introduced each other by name, and became pretty intimately acquainted with people we had never heard of before, and have never heard of since.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading Schools of whales grew so tame that day after day they played about the ship among the porpoises and the sharks without the least apparent fear of us, and we pelted them with empty bottles for lack of better sport.
withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Twenty-four hours afterward these bottles would be still lying on the glassy water under our noses, showing that the ship had not moved out of her place in all that time.
wrinkle
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The calm was absolutely breathless, and the surface of the sea absolutely without a wrinkle.
year's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After half a year's luxurious vagrancy in the islands, I took shipping in a sailing vessel, and regretfully returned to San Francisco--a voyage in every way delightful, but without an incident: unless lying two long weeks in a dead calm, eighteen hundred miles from the nearest land, may rank as an incident.
