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The Land of Desolation
The Land of Desolation

Chapter III

Chapter 3 of The Land of Desolation is here in full — 61 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Land of Desolation
Context Illustration Reading 1/12 · 5 lines
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FREE FROM DANGER.
I was a passenger on board the _Panther_, and shared with my companions the emotions which the Land of Desolation first inspired.
Under ordinary circumstances, there can be no more comfortable situation on board a ship than that of passenger.
You are not expected to know any thing, and, if wise, you will not want to know any thing.
You are content to trust to the captain, who is presumed to be quite competent to look to the safety of his ship, and therefore to your own.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Land of Desolation

Chapter III

Chapter 3 of The Land of Desolation is here in full — 61 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/12 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
FREE FROM DANGER.
/friː frʌm ˈdeɪndʒər/
Line 2
I was a passenger on board the _Panther_, and shared with my companions the emotions which the Land of Desolation first inspired.
/aɪ wɑːz ə ˈpæsəndʒər ɑːn bɔːrd ðə ˈpænθər ənd ʃerd wɪð maɪ kəmˈpænjənz ðə ɪˈmoʊʃənz wɪtʃ ðə lænd ʌv ˌdesəˈleɪʃən fɜːrst ˌɪnˈspaɪərd/
Line 3
Under ordinary circumstances, there can be no more comfortable situation on board a ship than that of passenger.
/ˈʌndər ˈɔːrdəneri ˈsɜːrkəmstænsəz ðer kæn biː noʊ mɔːr ˈkʌmfərtəbəl ˌsɪtʃuːˈeɪʃən ɑːn bɔːrd ə ʃɪp ðæn ðæt ʌv ˈpæsəndʒər/
Line 4
You are not expected to know any thing, and, if wise, you will not want to know any thing.
/juː ɑːr nɑːt ɪkˈspektəd tuː noʊ ˈeni θɪŋ ənd ɪf waɪz juː wɪl nɑːt wɑːnt tuː noʊ ˈeni θɪŋ/
Line 5
You are content to trust to the captain, who is presumed to be quite competent to look to the safety of his ship, and therefore to your own.
/juː ɑːr ˈkɑːntent tuː trʌst tuː ðə ˈkæptən huː ɪz prəˈzuːmd tuː biː kwaɪt ˈkɑːmpətɪnt tuː lʊk tuː ðə ˈseɪfti ʌv hɪz ʃɪp ənd ˈðerfɔːr tuː jɔːr oʊn/

Learner Dictionary

These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.

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

competent adjective US /ˈkɑːmpətɪnt/

properly or sufficiently qualified or capable or efficient

From this reading “You are content to trust to the captain, who is presumed to be quite competent to look to the safety of his ship, and therefore to your own.”

Desolation noun US /ˌdesəˈleɪʃən/

the state of being decayed or destroyed

From this reading “I was a passenger on board the _Panther_, and shared with my companions the emotions which the Land of Desolation first inspired.”

emotions noun US /ɪˈmoʊʃənz/

plural of “emotion” — any strong feeling

From this reading “I was a passenger on board the _Panther_, and shared with my companions the emotions which the Land of Desolation first inspired.”

inspired adjective US /ˌɪnˈspaɪərd/

being of such surpassing excellence as to suggest inspiration by the gods

From this reading “I was a passenger on board the _Panther_, and shared with my companions the emotions which the Land of Desolation first inspired.”

Panther noun US /ˈpænθər/

a large spotted feline of tropical America similar to the leopard; in some classifications considered a member of the genus Felis

passenger noun US /ˈpæsəndʒər/

a traveler riding in a vehicle (a boat or bus or car or plane or train etc) who is not operating it

From this reading “I was a passenger on board the _Panther_, and shared with my companions the emotions which the Land of Desolation first inspired.”

presumed verb US /prəˈzuːmd/

past form of “presume” — take to be the case or to be true; accept without verification or proof

From this reading “You are content to trust to the captain, who is presumed to be quite competent to look to the safety of his ship, and therefore to your own.”

shared adjective US /ʃerd/

have in common; held or experienced in common

From this reading “I was a passenger on board the _Panther_, and shared with my companions the emotions which the Land of Desolation first inspired.”

Word partnerships in these lines

English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.

Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.

ordinary circumstances noun + noun

In this reading “Under ordinary circumstances, there can be no more comfortable situation on board a ship than that of passenger.”

on board preposition + noun

on a ship, train, plane or other vehicle

In this reading “I was a passenger on board the _Panther_, and shared with my companions the emotions which the Land of Desolation first inspired.”

Under ordinary preposition + noun

In this reading “Under ordinary circumstances, there can be no more comfortable situation on board a ship than that of passenger.”

FREE FROM verb + particle

In this reading “FREE FROM DANGER.”

any thing adjective + noun

In this reading “You are not expected to know any thing, and, if wise, you will not want to know any thing.”

All words in this reading · 62

Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.

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 I was a passenger on board the _Panther_, and shared with my companions the emotions which the Land of Desolation first inspired.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading I was a passenger on board the _Panther_, and shared with my companions the emotions which the Land of Desolation first inspired.

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading You are not expected to know any thing, and, if wise, you will not want to know any thing.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading You are not expected to know any thing, and, if wise, you will not want to know any thing.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading Under ordinary circumstances, there can be no more comfortable situation on board a ship than that of passenger.

boardnounUS /bɔːrd/

a committee having supervisory powers

From this reading I was a passenger on board the _Panther_, and shared with my companions the emotions which the Land of Desolation first inspired.

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading Under ordinary circumstances, there can be no more comfortable situation on board a ship than that of passenger.

captainnounUS /ˈkæptən/

an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant

From this reading You are content to trust to the captain, who is presumed to be quite competent to look to the safety of his ship, and therefore to your own.

circumstancesnounUS /ˈsɜːrkəmstænsəz/

your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)

From this reading Under ordinary circumstances, there can be no more comfortable situation on board a ship than that of passenger.

comfortableadjectiveUS /ˈkʌmfərtəbəl/

providing or experiencing physical well-being or relief (“comfy” is informal)

From this reading Under ordinary circumstances, there can be no more comfortable situation on board a ship than that of passenger.

companionsnounUS /kəmˈpænjənz/

plural of “companion” — a friend who is frequently in the company of another

From this reading I was a passenger on board the _Panther_, and shared with my companions the emotions which the Land of Desolation first inspired.

competentadjectiveUS /ˈkɑːmpətɪnt/

properly or sufficiently qualified or capable or efficient

From this reading You are content to trust to the captain, who is presumed to be quite competent to look to the safety of his ship, and therefore to your own.

contentnounUS /ˈkɑːntent/

(usually plural) everything that is included in a collection and that is held or included in something

From this reading You are content to trust to the captain, who is presumed to be quite competent to look to the safety of his ship, and therefore to your own.

DANGERnounUS /ˈdeɪndʒər/

the condition of being susceptible to harm or injury

From this reading FREE FROM DANGER.

DesolationnounUS /ˌdesəˈleɪʃən/

the state of being decayed or destroyed

From this reading I was a passenger on board the _Panther_, and shared with my companions the emotions which the Land of Desolation first inspired.

emotionsnounUS /ɪˈmoʊʃənz/

plural of “emotion” — any strong feeling

From this reading I was a passenger on board the _Panther_, and shared with my companions the emotions which the Land of Desolation first inspired.

expectedadjectiveUS /ɪkˈspektəd/

considered likely or probable to happen or arrive

From this reading You are not expected to know any thing, and, if wise, you will not want to know any thing.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading I was a passenger on board the _Panther_, and shared with my companions the emotions which the Land of Desolation first inspired.

FREEverbUS /friː/

grant freedom to; free from confinement

From this reading FREE FROM DANGER.

FROMprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading FREE FROM DANGER.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading You are content to trust to the captain, who is presumed to be quite competent to look to the safety of his ship, and therefore to your own.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading I was a passenger on board the _Panther_, and shared with my companions the emotions which the Land of Desolation first inspired.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading You are not expected to know any thing, and, if wise, you will not want to know any thing.

inspiredadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈspaɪərd/

being of such surpassing excellence as to suggest inspiration by the gods

From this reading I was a passenger on board the _Panther_, and shared with my companions the emotions which the Land of Desolation first inspired.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading You are content to trust to the captain, who is presumed to be quite competent to look to the safety of his ship, and therefore to your own.

knowverbUS /noʊ/

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading You are not expected to know any thing, and, if wise, you will not want to know any thing.

LandnounUS /lænd/

the land on which real estate is located

From this reading I was a passenger on board the _Panther_, and shared with my companions the emotions which the Land of Desolation first inspired.

lookverbUS /lʊk/

perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading You are content to trust to the captain, who is presumed to be quite competent to look to the safety of his ship, and therefore to your own.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading Under ordinary circumstances, there can be no more comfortable situation on board a ship than that of passenger.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading I was a passenger on board the _Panther_, and shared with my companions the emotions which the Land of Desolation first inspired.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading Under ordinary circumstances, there can be no more comfortable situation on board a ship than that of passenger.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading You are not expected to know any thing, and, if wise, you will not want to know any thing.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading I was a passenger on board the _Panther_, and shared with my companions the emotions which the Land of Desolation first inspired.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading I was a passenger on board the _Panther_, and shared with my companions the emotions which the Land of Desolation first inspired.

ordinarynounUS /ˈɔːrdəneri/

a judge of a probate court

From this reading Under ordinary circumstances, there can be no more comfortable situation on board a ship than that of passenger.

ownverbUS /oʊn/

have ownership or possession of

From this reading You are content to trust to the captain, who is presumed to be quite competent to look to the safety of his ship, and therefore to your own.

PanthernounUS /ˈpænθər/

a large spotted feline of tropical America similar to the leopard; in some classifications considered a member of the genus Felis

From this reading I was a passenger on board the _Panther_, and shared with my companions the emotions which the Land of Desolation first inspired.

passengernounUS /ˈpæsəndʒər/

a traveler riding in a vehicle (a boat or bus or car or plane or train etc) who is not operating it

From this reading I was a passenger on board the _Panther_, and shared with my companions the emotions which the Land of Desolation first inspired.

presumedverbUS /prəˈzuːmd/

past form of “presume” — take to be the case or to be true; accept without verification or proof

From this reading You are content to trust to the captain, who is presumed to be quite competent to look to the safety of his ship, and therefore to your own.

quiteadverbUS /kwaɪt/

to a degree (not used with a negative)

From this reading You are content to trust to the captain, who is presumed to be quite competent to look to the safety of his ship, and therefore to your own.

safetynounUS /ˈseɪfti/

the state of being certain that adverse effects will not be caused by some agent under defined conditions

From this reading You are content to trust to the captain, who is presumed to be quite competent to look to the safety of his ship, and therefore to your own.

sharedadjectiveUS /ʃerd/

have in common; held or experienced in common

From this reading I was a passenger on board the _Panther_, and shared with my companions the emotions which the Land of Desolation first inspired.

shipverbUS /ʃɪp/

transport commercially

From this reading Under ordinary circumstances, there can be no more comfortable situation on board a ship than that of passenger.

situationnounUS /ˌsɪtʃuːˈeɪʃən/

the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time

From this reading Under ordinary circumstances, there can be no more comfortable situation on board a ship than that of passenger.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading Under ordinary circumstances, there can be no more comfortable situation on board a ship than that of passenger.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Under ordinary circumstances, there can be no more comfortable situation on board a ship than that of passenger.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading I was a passenger on board the _Panther_, and shared with my companions the emotions which the Land of Desolation first inspired.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading Under ordinary circumstances, there can be no more comfortable situation on board a ship than that of passenger.

thereforeadverbUS /ˈðerfɔːr/

for that reason; as a result

From this reading You are content to trust to the captain, who is presumed to be quite competent to look to the safety of his ship, and therefore to your own.

thingnounUS /θɪŋ/

a special situation

From this reading You are not expected to know any thing, and, if wise, you will not want to know any thing.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading You are not expected to know any thing, and, if wise, you will not want to know any thing.

trustnounUS /trʌst/

something (as property) held by one party (the trustee) for the benefit of another (the beneficiary)

From this reading You are content to trust to the captain, who is presumed to be quite competent to look to the safety of his ship, and therefore to your own.

UnderprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading Under ordinary circumstances, there can be no more comfortable situation on board a ship than that of passenger.

wantverbUS /wɑːnt/

feel or have a desire for; want strongly

From this reading You are not expected to know any thing, and, if wise, you will not want to know any thing.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading I was a passenger on board the _Panther_, and shared with my companions the emotions which the Land of Desolation first inspired.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading I was a passenger on board the _Panther_, and shared with my companions the emotions which the Land of Desolation first inspired.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading You are content to trust to the captain, who is presumed to be quite competent to look to the safety of his ship, and therefore to your own.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading You are not expected to know any thing, and, if wise, you will not want to know any thing.

wiseadjectiveUS /waɪz/

having or prompted by wisdom or discernment

From this reading You are not expected to know any thing, and, if wise, you will not want to know any thing.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading I was a passenger on board the _Panther_, and shared with my companions the emotions which the Land of Desolation first inspired.

YoupronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading You are not expected to know any thing, and, if wise, you will not want to know any thing.

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading You are content to trust to the captain, who is presumed to be quite competent to look to the safety of his ship, and therefore to your own.

Chapter 3 of The Land of Desolation by I. I. (Isaac Israel) Hayes holds 61 sentences, grouped into 13 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.

What does chapter 3 of The Land of Desolation contain?

Chapter 3 holds 61 sentences of The Land of Desolation, unabridged, divided into 13 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 3 of The Land of Desolation by I. I. (Isaac Israel) Hayes exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 61 sentences, grouped into 13 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.

How do I study chapter 3 of The Land of Desolation?

Work through the 13 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 13 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.

Can chapter 3 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 3 can be played aloud in United States English.

Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.

Questions about reading The Land of Desolation

Common questions about reading The Land of Desolation by I. I. (Isaac Israel) Hayes on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Land of Desolation?

Yes. All 3145 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #59217 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Land of Desolation is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #59217, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Land of Desolation take to read?

About 262 minutes of reading across 629 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Land of Desolation section by section

How to work through The Land of Desolation section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 39 chapters of The Land of Desolation to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Land of Desolation

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Land of Desolation, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Being
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Land of Desolation; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Personal
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Land of Desolation; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Narrative
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Land of Desolation; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Observation
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Land of Desolation; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.