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The Refugees: A Tale of Two Continents
The Refugees: A Tale of Two Continents

Chapter VI

Cover illustration for The Refugees: A Tale of Two Continents
Context Illustration Reading 1/41 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE NEW WORLD AND THE OLD.
The young American was soon ready for the expedition, but De Catinat lingered until the last possible minute.
When at last he was able to tear himself away, he adjusted his cravat, brushed his brilliant coat, and looked very critically over the sombre suit of his companion.
"Where got you those?" he asked.
"In New York, ere I left."
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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 Refugees: A Tale of Two Continents

Chapter VI

Reading 1/41 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE NEW WORLD AND THE OLD.
Line 2
The young American was soon ready for the expedition, but De Catinat lingered until the last possible minute.
Line 3
When at last he was able to tear himself away, he adjusted his cravat, brushed his brilliant coat, and looked very critically over the sombre suit of his companion.
Line 4
"Where got you those?" he asked.
Line 5
"In New York, ere I left."

Learner Dictionary

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

Asked noun US /asked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “"Where got you those?" he asked.”

Cravat noun US /krəˈvæt/

A short, wide strip of silk fabric worn by gentlemen around the neck inside an open-collared shirt.

From this reading “When at last he was able to tear himself away, he adjusted his cravat, brushed his brilliant coat, and looked very critically over the sombre suit of his companion.”

Ere conjunction US /er/

an old word for “before”

From this reading “"In New York, ere I left."”

Himself pronoun US /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading “When at last he was able to tear himself away, he adjusted his cravat, brushed his brilliant coat, and looked very critically over the sombre suit of his companion.”

Last noun US /last/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The young American was soon ready for the expedition, but De Catinat lingered until the last possible minute.”

Left noun US /left/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “"In New York, ere I left."”

Looked noun US /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “When at last he was able to tear himself away, he adjusted his cravat, brushed his brilliant coat, and looked very critically over the sombre suit of his companion.”

Over preposition US /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading “When at last he was able to tear himself away, he adjusted his cravat, brushed his brilliant coat, and looked very critically over the sombre suit of his companion.”

Soon noun US /soon/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The young American was soon ready for the expedition, but De Catinat lingered until the last possible minute.”

Those determiner US /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading “"Where got you those?" he asked.”

Until preposition US /ənˈtɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading “The young American was soon ready for the expedition, but De Catinat lingered until the last possible minute.”

All words in this reading · 52

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

able

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

From this reading When at last he was able to tear himself away, he adjusted his cravat, brushed his brilliant coat, and looked very critically over the sombre suit of his companion.

adjusted

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

From this reading When at last he was able to tear himself away, he adjusted his cravat, brushed his brilliant coat, and looked very critically over the sombre suit of his companion.

American

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

From this reading The young American was soon ready for the expedition, but De Catinat lingered until the last possible minute.

ANDconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading THE NEW WORLD AND THE OLD.

askednounUS /asked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading "Where got you those?" he asked.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading When at last he was able to tear himself away, he adjusted his cravat, brushed his brilliant coat, and looked very critically over the sombre suit of his companion.

away

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

From this reading When at last he was able to tear himself away, he adjusted his cravat, brushed his brilliant coat, and looked very critically over the sombre suit of his companion.

brilliant

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

From this reading When at last he was able to tear himself away, he adjusted his cravat, brushed his brilliant coat, and looked very critically over the sombre suit of his companion.

brushed

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

From this reading When at last he was able to tear himself away, he adjusted his cravat, brushed his brilliant coat, and looked very critically over the sombre suit of his companion.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading The young American was soon ready for the expedition, but De Catinat lingered until the last possible minute.

Catinat

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

From this reading The young American was soon ready for the expedition, but De Catinat lingered until the last possible minute.

coat

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

From this reading When at last he was able to tear himself away, he adjusted his cravat, brushed his brilliant coat, and looked very critically over the sombre suit of his companion.

companion

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

From this reading When at last he was able to tear himself away, he adjusted his cravat, brushed his brilliant coat, and looked very critically over the sombre suit of his companion.

cravatnounUS /krəˈvæt/

A short, wide strip of silk fabric worn by gentlemen around the neck inside an open-collared shirt.

From this reading When at last he was able to tear himself away, he adjusted his cravat, brushed his brilliant coat, and looked very critically over the sombre suit of his companion.

critically

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

From this reading When at last he was able to tear himself away, he adjusted his cravat, brushed his brilliant coat, and looked very critically over the sombre suit of his companion.

De

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

From this reading The young American was soon ready for the expedition, but De Catinat lingered until the last possible minute.

ereconjunctionUS /er/

an old word for “before”

From this reading "In New York, ere I left."

expedition

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

From this reading The young American was soon ready for the expedition, but De Catinat lingered until the last possible minute.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading The young American was soon ready for the expedition, but De Catinat lingered until the last possible minute.

got

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

From this reading "Where got you those?" he asked.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading When at last he was able to tear himself away, he adjusted his cravat, brushed his brilliant coat, and looked very critically over the sombre suit of his companion.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading When at last he was able to tear himself away, he adjusted his cravat, brushed his brilliant coat, and looked very critically over the sombre suit of his companion.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading When at last he was able to tear himself away, he adjusted his cravat, brushed his brilliant coat, and looked very critically over the sombre suit of his companion.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading "In New York, ere I left."

InprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading "In New York, ere I left."

lastnounUS /last/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The young American was soon ready for the expedition, but De Catinat lingered until the last possible minute.

leftnounUS /left/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading "In New York, ere I left."

lingered

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

From this reading The young American was soon ready for the expedition, but De Catinat lingered until the last possible minute.

lookednounUS /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading When at last he was able to tear himself away, he adjusted his cravat, brushed his brilliant coat, and looked very critically over the sombre suit of his companion.

minute

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

From this reading The young American was soon ready for the expedition, but De Catinat lingered until the last possible minute.

NEW

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

From this reading THE NEW WORLD AND THE OLD.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading When at last he was able to tear himself away, he adjusted his cravat, brushed his brilliant coat, and looked very critically over the sombre suit of his companion.

OLD

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

From this reading THE NEW WORLD AND THE OLD.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading When at last he was able to tear himself away, he adjusted his cravat, brushed his brilliant coat, and looked very critically over the sombre suit of his companion.

possible

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

From this reading The young American was soon ready for the expedition, but De Catinat lingered until the last possible minute.

ready

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

From this reading The young American was soon ready for the expedition, but De Catinat lingered until the last possible minute.

sombre

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

From this reading When at last he was able to tear himself away, he adjusted his cravat, brushed his brilliant coat, and looked very critically over the sombre suit of his companion.

soon

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

From this reading The young American was soon ready for the expedition, but De Catinat lingered until the last possible minute.

suit

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

From this reading When at last he was able to tear himself away, he adjusted his cravat, brushed his brilliant coat, and looked very critically over the sombre suit of his companion.

tear

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

From this reading When at last he was able to tear himself away, he adjusted his cravat, brushed his brilliant coat, and looked very critically over the sombre suit of his companion.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE NEW WORLD AND THE OLD.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading "Where got you those?" he asked.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading When at last he was able to tear himself away, he adjusted his cravat, brushed his brilliant coat, and looked very critically over the sombre suit of his companion.

untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading The young American was soon ready for the expedition, but De Catinat lingered until the last possible minute.

very

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

From this reading When at last he was able to tear himself away, he adjusted his cravat, brushed his brilliant coat, and looked very critically over the sombre suit of his companion.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The young American was soon ready for the expedition, but De Catinat lingered until the last possible minute.

WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading When at last he was able to tear himself away, he adjusted his cravat, brushed his brilliant coat, and looked very critically over the sombre suit of his companion.

WhereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading "Where got you those?" he asked.

WORLD

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

From this reading THE NEW WORLD AND THE OLD.

York

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

From this reading "In New York, ere I left."

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "Where got you those?" he asked.

young

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

From this reading The young American was soon ready for the expedition, but De Catinat lingered until the last possible minute.