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The Giant Raft
The Giant Raft

Chapter XXVII · The First Search

Cover illustration for The Giant Raft
Context Illustration Reading 1/20 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The search had to commence at once, and that for two weighty reasons.
The first of these was--and this was a question of life or death--that this proof of Joam Dacosta’s innocence must be produced before the arrival of the order from Rio Janeiro.
Once the identity of the prisoner was established, it was impossible that such an order could be other than the order for his execution.
The second was that the body of Torres should be got out of the water as quickly as possible so as to regain undamaged the metal case and the paper it ought to contain.
At this juncture Araujo displayed not only zeal and intelligence, but also a perfect knowledge of the state of the river at its confluence with the Rio Negro.
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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.

The Giant Raft

Chapter XXVII · The First Search

Reading 1/20 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The search had to commence at once, and that for two weighty reasons.
Line 2
The first of these was--and this was a question of life or death--that this proof of Joam Dacosta’s innocence must be produced before the arrival of the order from Rio Janeiro.
Line 3
Once the identity of the prisoner was established, it was impossible that such an order could be other than the order for his execution.
Line 4
The second was that the body of Torres should be got out of the water as quickly as possible so as to regain undamaged the metal case and the paper it ought to contain.
Line 5
At this juncture Araujo displayed not only zeal and intelligence, but also a perfect knowledge of the state of the river at its confluence with the Rio Negro.

Learner Dictionary

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

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “The first of these was--and this was a question of life or death--that this proof of Joam Dacosta’s innocence must be produced before the arrival of the order from Rio Janeiro.”

Body noun US /body/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The second was that the body of Torres should be got out of the water as quickly as possible so as to regain undamaged the metal case and the paper it ought to contain.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

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

From this reading “Once the identity of the prisoner was established, it was impossible that such an order could be other than the order for his execution.”

First noun US /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The first of these was--and this was a question of life or death--that this proof of Joam Dacosta’s innocence must be produced before the arrival of the order from Rio Janeiro.”

Life noun US /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The first of these was--and this was a question of life or death--that this proof of Joam Dacosta’s innocence must be produced before the arrival of the order from Rio Janeiro.”

Must modal verb US /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading “The first of these was--and this was a question of life or death--that this proof of Joam Dacosta’s innocence must be produced before the arrival of the order from Rio Janeiro.”

Once noun US /once/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The search had to commence at once, and that for two weighty reasons.”

Order noun US /order/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The first of these was--and this was a question of life or death--that this proof of Joam Dacosta’s innocence must be produced before the arrival of the order from Rio Janeiro.”

Ought modal verb US /ɔːt/

used with “to” to say what is right or advisable

From this reading “The second was that the body of Torres should be got out of the water as quickly as possible so as to regain undamaged the metal case and the paper it ought to contain.”

Question noun US /ˈquestion/

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

From this reading “The first of these was--and this was a question of life or death--that this proof of Joam Dacosta’s innocence must be produced before the arrival of the order from Rio Janeiro.”

Reasons noun US /ˈreasons/

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

From this reading “The search had to commence at once, and that for two weighty reasons.”

Second noun US /second/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The second was that the body of Torres should be got out of the water as quickly as possible so as to regain undamaged the metal case and the paper it ought to contain.”

These determiner US /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading “The first of these was--and this was a question of life or death--that this proof of Joam Dacosta’s innocence must be produced before the arrival of the order from Rio Janeiro.”

All words in this reading · 83

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 first of these was--and this was a question of life or death--that this proof of Joam Dacosta’s innocence must be produced before the arrival of the order from Rio Janeiro.

also

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

From this reading At this juncture Araujo displayed not only zeal and intelligence, but also a perfect knowledge of the state of the river at its confluence with the Rio Negro.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading Once the identity of the prisoner was established, it was impossible that such an order could be other than the order for his execution.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The search had to commence at once, and that for two weighty reasons.

Araujo

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

From this reading At this juncture Araujo displayed not only zeal and intelligence, but also a perfect knowledge of the state of the river at its confluence with the Rio Negro.

arrival

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

From this reading The first of these was--and this was a question of life or death--that this proof of Joam Dacosta’s innocence must be produced before the arrival of the order from Rio Janeiro.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading The second was that the body of Torres should be got out of the water as quickly as possible so as to regain undamaged the metal case and the paper it ought to contain.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading The search had to commence at once, and that for two weighty reasons.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading The first of these was--and this was a question of life or death--that this proof of Joam Dacosta’s innocence must be produced before the arrival of the order from Rio Janeiro.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading The first of these was--and this was a question of life or death--that this proof of Joam Dacosta’s innocence must be produced before the arrival of the order from Rio Janeiro.

bodynounUS /body/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The second was that the body of Torres should be got out of the water as quickly as possible so as to regain undamaged the metal case and the paper it ought to contain.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading At this juncture Araujo displayed not only zeal and intelligence, but also a perfect knowledge of the state of the river at its confluence with the Rio Negro.

case

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

From this reading The second was that the body of Torres should be got out of the water as quickly as possible so as to regain undamaged the metal case and the paper it ought to contain.

commence

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

From this reading The search had to commence at once, and that for two weighty reasons.

confluence

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

From this reading At this juncture Araujo displayed not only zeal and intelligence, but also a perfect knowledge of the state of the river at its confluence with the Rio Negro.

contain

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

From this reading The second was that the body of Torres should be got out of the water as quickly as possible so as to regain undamaged the metal case and the paper it ought to contain.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading Once the identity of the prisoner was established, it was impossible that such an order could be other than the order for his execution.

Dacosta's

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

From this reading The first of these was--and this was a question of life or death--that this proof of Joam Dacosta’s innocence must be produced before the arrival of the order from Rio Janeiro.

death

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

From this reading The first of these was--and this was a question of life or death--that this proof of Joam Dacosta’s innocence must be produced before the arrival of the order from Rio Janeiro.

displayed

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

From this reading At this juncture Araujo displayed not only zeal and intelligence, but also a perfect knowledge of the state of the river at its confluence with the Rio Negro.

established

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

From this reading Once the identity of the prisoner was established, it was impossible that such an order could be other than the order for his execution.

execution

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

From this reading Once the identity of the prisoner was established, it was impossible that such an order could be other than the order for his execution.

firstnounUS /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The first of these was--and this was a question of life or death--that this proof of Joam Dacosta’s innocence must be produced before the arrival of the order from Rio Janeiro.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading The search had to commence at once, and that for two weighty reasons.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The first of these was--and this was a question of life or death--that this proof of Joam Dacosta’s innocence must be produced before the arrival of the order from Rio Janeiro.

got

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

From this reading The second was that the body of Torres should be got out of the water as quickly as possible so as to regain undamaged the metal case and the paper it ought to contain.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The search had to commence at once, and that for two weighty reasons.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Once the identity of the prisoner was established, it was impossible that such an order could be other than the order for his execution.

identity

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

From this reading Once the identity of the prisoner was established, it was impossible that such an order could be other than the order for his execution.

impossible

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

From this reading Once the identity of the prisoner was established, it was impossible that such an order could be other than the order for his execution.

innocence

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

From this reading The first of these was--and this was a question of life or death--that this proof of Joam Dacosta’s innocence must be produced before the arrival of the order from Rio Janeiro.

intelligence

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

From this reading At this juncture Araujo displayed not only zeal and intelligence, but also a perfect knowledge of the state of the river at its confluence with the Rio Negro.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Once the identity of the prisoner was established, it was impossible that such an order could be other than the order for his execution.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading At this juncture Araujo displayed not only zeal and intelligence, but also a perfect knowledge of the state of the river at its confluence with the Rio Negro.

Janeiro

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

From this reading The first of these was--and this was a question of life or death--that this proof of Joam Dacosta’s innocence must be produced before the arrival of the order from Rio Janeiro.

Joam

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

From this reading The first of these was--and this was a question of life or death--that this proof of Joam Dacosta’s innocence must be produced before the arrival of the order from Rio Janeiro.

juncture

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

From this reading At this juncture Araujo displayed not only zeal and intelligence, but also a perfect knowledge of the state of the river at its confluence with the Rio Negro.

knowledge

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

From this reading At this juncture Araujo displayed not only zeal and intelligence, but also a perfect knowledge of the state of the river at its confluence with the Rio Negro.

lifenounUS /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The first of these was--and this was a question of life or death--that this proof of Joam Dacosta’s innocence must be produced before the arrival of the order from Rio Janeiro.

metal

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

From this reading The second was that the body of Torres should be got out of the water as quickly as possible so as to regain undamaged the metal case and the paper it ought to contain.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading The first of these was--and this was a question of life or death--that this proof of Joam Dacosta’s innocence must be produced before the arrival of the order from Rio Janeiro.

Negro

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

From this reading At this juncture Araujo displayed not only zeal and intelligence, but also a perfect knowledge of the state of the river at its confluence with the Rio Negro.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading At this juncture Araujo displayed not only zeal and intelligence, but also a perfect knowledge of the state of the river at its confluence with the Rio Negro.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The first of these was--and this was a question of life or death--that this proof of Joam Dacosta’s innocence must be produced before the arrival of the order from Rio Janeiro.

once

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

From this reading The search had to commence at once, and that for two weighty reasons.

only

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

From this reading At this juncture Araujo displayed not only zeal and intelligence, but also a perfect knowledge of the state of the river at its confluence with the Rio Negro.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading The first of these was--and this was a question of life or death--that this proof of Joam Dacosta’s innocence must be produced before the arrival of the order from Rio Janeiro.

ordernounUS /order/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The first of these was--and this was a question of life or death--that this proof of Joam Dacosta’s innocence must be produced before the arrival of the order from Rio Janeiro.

other

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

From this reading Once the identity of the prisoner was established, it was impossible that such an order could be other than the order for his execution.

oughtmodal verbUS /ɔːt/

used with “to” to say what is right or advisable

From this reading The second was that the body of Torres should be got out of the water as quickly as possible so as to regain undamaged the metal case and the paper it ought to contain.

out

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

From this reading The second was that the body of Torres should be got out of the water as quickly as possible so as to regain undamaged the metal case and the paper it ought to contain.

paper

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

From this reading The second was that the body of Torres should be got out of the water as quickly as possible so as to regain undamaged the metal case and the paper it ought to contain.

perfect

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

From this reading At this juncture Araujo displayed not only zeal and intelligence, but also a perfect knowledge of the state of the river at its confluence with the Rio Negro.

possible

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

From this reading The second was that the body of Torres should be got out of the water as quickly as possible so as to regain undamaged the metal case and the paper it ought to contain.

prisoner

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

From this reading Once the identity of the prisoner was established, it was impossible that such an order could be other than the order for his execution.

produced

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

From this reading The first of these was--and this was a question of life or death--that this proof of Joam Dacosta’s innocence must be produced before the arrival of the order from Rio Janeiro.

proof

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

From this reading The first of these was--and this was a question of life or death--that this proof of Joam Dacosta’s innocence must be produced before the arrival of the order from Rio Janeiro.

questionnounUS /ˈquestion/

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

From this reading The first of these was--and this was a question of life or death--that this proof of Joam Dacosta’s innocence must be produced before the arrival of the order from Rio Janeiro.

quickly

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

From this reading The second was that the body of Torres should be got out of the water as quickly as possible so as to regain undamaged the metal case and the paper it ought to contain.

reasonsnounUS /ˈreasons/

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

From this reading The search had to commence at once, and that for two weighty reasons.

regain

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

From this reading The second was that the body of Torres should be got out of the water as quickly as possible so as to regain undamaged the metal case and the paper it ought to contain.

Rio

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

From this reading The first of these was--and this was a question of life or death--that this proof of Joam Dacosta’s innocence must be produced before the arrival of the order from Rio Janeiro.

river

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

From this reading At this juncture Araujo displayed not only zeal and intelligence, but also a perfect knowledge of the state of the river at its confluence with the Rio Negro.

search

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

From this reading The search had to commence at once, and that for two weighty reasons.

second

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

From this reading The second was that the body of Torres should be got out of the water as quickly as possible so as to regain undamaged the metal case and the paper it ought to contain.

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading The second was that the body of Torres should be got out of the water as quickly as possible so as to regain undamaged the metal case and the paper it ought to contain.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading The second was that the body of Torres should be got out of the water as quickly as possible so as to regain undamaged the metal case and the paper it ought to contain.

state

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

From this reading At this juncture Araujo displayed not only zeal and intelligence, but also a perfect knowledge of the state of the river at its confluence with the Rio Negro.

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading Once the identity of the prisoner was established, it was impossible that such an order could be other than the order for his execution.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading Once the identity of the prisoner was established, it was impossible that such an order could be other than the order for his execution.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The search had to commence at once, and that for two weighty reasons.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The search had to commence at once, and that for two weighty reasons.

thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading The first of these was--and this was a question of life or death--that this proof of Joam Dacosta’s innocence must be produced before the arrival of the order from Rio Janeiro.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading The first of these was--and this was a question of life or death--that this proof of Joam Dacosta’s innocence must be produced before the arrival of the order from Rio Janeiro.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The search had to commence at once, and that for two weighty reasons.

Torres

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

From this reading The second was that the body of Torres should be got out of the water as quickly as possible so as to regain undamaged the metal case and the paper it ought to contain.

two

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

From this reading The search had to commence at once, and that for two weighty reasons.

undamaged

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

From this reading The second was that the body of Torres should be got out of the water as quickly as possible so as to regain undamaged the metal case and the paper it ought to contain.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The first of these was--and this was a question of life or death--that this proof of Joam Dacosta’s innocence must be produced before the arrival of the order from Rio Janeiro.

water

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

From this reading The second was that the body of Torres should be got out of the water as quickly as possible so as to regain undamaged the metal case and the paper it ought to contain.

weighty

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

From this reading The search had to commence at once, and that for two weighty reasons.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading At this juncture Araujo displayed not only zeal and intelligence, but also a perfect knowledge of the state of the river at its confluence with the Rio Negro.

zeal

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

From this reading At this juncture Araujo displayed not only zeal and intelligence, but also a perfect knowledge of the state of the river at its confluence with the Rio Negro.