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The Scarlet Banner
The Scarlet Banner

Chapter IX

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Context Illustration Reading 1/7 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The "lower city" of Carthage extended northward to the harbor, westward to the suburb of Aklas, the Numidian, and eastward to the Tripolitan suburb.
Directly beyond its southern gate, covering a space more than two leagues long and a league wide, lay the oft-mentioned "Grove of Venus" or "Grove of the Holy Virgin."
From the most ancient pagan times this grove was the scene of the sumptuous, sensual revels which were proverbial throughout the Roman Empire.
"African" was the word used to express the acme of such orgies.
The whole coast of the bay in this neighborhood, kept moist by the damp sea-air, had originally been covered with dense woods.
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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 Scarlet Banner

Chapter IX

Reading 1/7 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The "lower city" of Carthage extended northward to the harbor, westward to the suburb of Aklas, the Numidian, and eastward to the Tripolitan suburb.
Line 2
Directly beyond its southern gate, covering a space more than two leagues long and a league wide, lay the oft-mentioned "Grove of Venus" or "Grove of the Holy Virgin."
Line 3
From the most ancient pagan times this grove was the scene of the sumptuous, sensual revels which were proverbial throughout the Roman Empire.
Line 4
"African" was the word used to express the acme of such orgies.
Line 5
The whole coast of the bay in this neighborhood, kept moist by the damp sea-air, had originally been covered with dense woods.

Learner Dictionary

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

Ancient adjective US /ˈeɪn.ʃənt/

Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence or deeply revered.

From this reading “From the most ancient pagan times this grove was the scene of the sumptuous, sensual revels which were proverbial throughout the Roman Empire.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “The whole coast of the bay in this neighborhood, kept moist by the damp sea-air, had originally been covered with dense woods.”

Beyond preposition US /bɪˈɑːnd/

on the far side of; further than

From this reading “Directly beyond its southern gate, covering a space more than two leagues long and a league wide, lay the oft-mentioned "Grove of Venus" or "Grove of the Holy Virgin."”

Directly noun US /ˈdirectly/

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

From this reading “Directly beyond its southern gate, covering a space more than two leagues long and a league wide, lay the oft-mentioned "Grove of Venus" or "Grove of the Holy Virgin."”

Express verb US /ɪkˈspres/

to show or communicate a feeling or idea

From this reading “"African" was the word used to express the acme of such orgies.”

Long noun US /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Directly beyond its southern gate, covering a space more than two leagues long and a league wide, lay the oft-mentioned "Grove of Venus" or "Grove of the Holy Virgin."”

Throughout preposition US /θruːˈaʊt/

in every part of a place, or for the whole of a period

From this reading “From the most ancient pagan times this grove was the scene of the sumptuous, sensual revels which were proverbial throughout the Roman Empire.”

Westward adverb US /ˈwɛstwərd/

toward the west

From this reading “The "lower city" of Carthage extended northward to the harbor, westward to the suburb of Aklas, the Numidian, and eastward to the Tripolitan suburb.”

All words in this reading · 79

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 Directly beyond its southern gate, covering a space more than two leagues long and a league wide, lay the oft-mentioned "Grove of Venus" or "Grove of the Holy Virgin."

acme

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

From this reading "African" was the word used to express the acme of such orgies.

African

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

From this reading "African" was the word used to express the acme of such orgies.

Aklas

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

From this reading The "lower city" of Carthage extended northward to the harbor, westward to the suburb of Aklas, the Numidian, and eastward to the Tripolitan suburb.

ancientadjectiveUS /ˈeɪn.ʃənt/

Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence or deeply revered.

From this reading From the most ancient pagan times this grove was the scene of the sumptuous, sensual revels which were proverbial throughout the Roman Empire.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The "lower city" of Carthage extended northward to the harbor, westward to the suburb of Aklas, the Numidian, and eastward to the Tripolitan suburb.

bay

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

From this reading The whole coast of the bay in this neighborhood, kept moist by the damp sea-air, had originally been covered with dense woods.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading The whole coast of the bay in this neighborhood, kept moist by the damp sea-air, had originally been covered with dense woods.

beyondprepositionUS /bɪˈɑːnd/

on the far side of; further than

From this reading Directly beyond its southern gate, covering a space more than two leagues long and a league wide, lay the oft-mentioned "Grove of Venus" or "Grove of the Holy Virgin."

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading The whole coast of the bay in this neighborhood, kept moist by the damp sea-air, had originally been covered with dense woods.

Carthage

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

From this reading The "lower city" of Carthage extended northward to the harbor, westward to the suburb of Aklas, the Numidian, and eastward to the Tripolitan suburb.

city

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

From this reading The "lower city" of Carthage extended northward to the harbor, westward to the suburb of Aklas, the Numidian, and eastward to the Tripolitan suburb.

coast

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

From this reading The whole coast of the bay in this neighborhood, kept moist by the damp sea-air, had originally been covered with dense woods.

covered

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

From this reading The whole coast of the bay in this neighborhood, kept moist by the damp sea-air, had originally been covered with dense woods.

covering

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

From this reading Directly beyond its southern gate, covering a space more than two leagues long and a league wide, lay the oft-mentioned "Grove of Venus" or "Grove of the Holy Virgin."

damp

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

From this reading The whole coast of the bay in this neighborhood, kept moist by the damp sea-air, had originally been covered with dense woods.

dense

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

From this reading The whole coast of the bay in this neighborhood, kept moist by the damp sea-air, had originally been covered with dense woods.

DirectlynounUS /ˈdirectly/

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

From this reading Directly beyond its southern gate, covering a space more than two leagues long and a league wide, lay the oft-mentioned "Grove of Venus" or "Grove of the Holy Virgin."

eastward

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

From this reading The "lower city" of Carthage extended northward to the harbor, westward to the suburb of Aklas, the Numidian, and eastward to the Tripolitan suburb.

Empire

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

From this reading From the most ancient pagan times this grove was the scene of the sumptuous, sensual revels which were proverbial throughout the Roman Empire.

expressverbUS /ɪkˈspres/

to show or communicate a feeling or idea

From this reading "African" was the word used to express the acme of such orgies.

extended

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

From this reading The "lower city" of Carthage extended northward to the harbor, westward to the suburb of Aklas, the Numidian, and eastward to the Tripolitan suburb.

FromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading From the most ancient pagan times this grove was the scene of the sumptuous, sensual revels which were proverbial throughout the Roman Empire.

gate

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

From this reading Directly beyond its southern gate, covering a space more than two leagues long and a league wide, lay the oft-mentioned "Grove of Venus" or "Grove of the Holy Virgin."

Grove

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

From this reading Directly beyond its southern gate, covering a space more than two leagues long and a league wide, lay the oft-mentioned "Grove of Venus" or "Grove of the Holy Virgin."

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The whole coast of the bay in this neighborhood, kept moist by the damp sea-air, had originally been covered with dense woods.

harbor

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

From this reading The "lower city" of Carthage extended northward to the harbor, westward to the suburb of Aklas, the Numidian, and eastward to the Tripolitan suburb.

Holy

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

From this reading Directly beyond its southern gate, covering a space more than two leagues long and a league wide, lay the oft-mentioned "Grove of Venus" or "Grove of the Holy Virgin."

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The whole coast of the bay in this neighborhood, kept moist by the damp sea-air, had originally been covered with dense woods.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading Directly beyond its southern gate, covering a space more than two leagues long and a league wide, lay the oft-mentioned "Grove of Venus" or "Grove of the Holy Virgin."

kept

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

From this reading The whole coast of the bay in this neighborhood, kept moist by the damp sea-air, had originally been covered with dense woods.

lay

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

From this reading Directly beyond its southern gate, covering a space more than two leagues long and a league wide, lay the oft-mentioned "Grove of Venus" or "Grove of the Holy Virgin."

league

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

From this reading Directly beyond its southern gate, covering a space more than two leagues long and a league wide, lay the oft-mentioned "Grove of Venus" or "Grove of the Holy Virgin."

leagues

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

From this reading Directly beyond its southern gate, covering a space more than two leagues long and a league wide, lay the oft-mentioned "Grove of Venus" or "Grove of the Holy Virgin."

longnounUS /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Directly beyond its southern gate, covering a space more than two leagues long and a league wide, lay the oft-mentioned "Grove of Venus" or "Grove of the Holy Virgin."

lower

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

From this reading The "lower city" of Carthage extended northward to the harbor, westward to the suburb of Aklas, the Numidian, and eastward to the Tripolitan suburb.

moist

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

From this reading The whole coast of the bay in this neighborhood, kept moist by the damp sea-air, had originally been covered with dense woods.

more

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

From this reading Directly beyond its southern gate, covering a space more than two leagues long and a league wide, lay the oft-mentioned "Grove of Venus" or "Grove of the Holy Virgin."

most

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

From this reading From the most ancient pagan times this grove was the scene of the sumptuous, sensual revels which were proverbial throughout the Roman Empire.

neighborhood

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

From this reading The whole coast of the bay in this neighborhood, kept moist by the damp sea-air, had originally been covered with dense woods.

northward

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

From this reading The "lower city" of Carthage extended northward to the harbor, westward to the suburb of Aklas, the Numidian, and eastward to the Tripolitan suburb.

Numidian

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

From this reading The "lower city" of Carthage extended northward to the harbor, westward to the suburb of Aklas, the Numidian, and eastward to the Tripolitan suburb.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The "lower city" of Carthage extended northward to the harbor, westward to the suburb of Aklas, the Numidian, and eastward to the Tripolitan suburb.

oft-mentioned

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

From this reading Directly beyond its southern gate, covering a space more than two leagues long and a league wide, lay the oft-mentioned "Grove of Venus" or "Grove of the Holy Virgin."

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Directly beyond its southern gate, covering a space more than two leagues long and a league wide, lay the oft-mentioned "Grove of Venus" or "Grove of the Holy Virgin."

orgies

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

From this reading "African" was the word used to express the acme of such orgies.

originally

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

From this reading The whole coast of the bay in this neighborhood, kept moist by the damp sea-air, had originally been covered with dense woods.

pagan

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

From this reading From the most ancient pagan times this grove was the scene of the sumptuous, sensual revels which were proverbial throughout the Roman Empire.

proverbial

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

From this reading From the most ancient pagan times this grove was the scene of the sumptuous, sensual revels which were proverbial throughout the Roman Empire.

revels

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

From this reading From the most ancient pagan times this grove was the scene of the sumptuous, sensual revels which were proverbial throughout the Roman Empire.

Roman

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

From this reading From the most ancient pagan times this grove was the scene of the sumptuous, sensual revels which were proverbial throughout the Roman Empire.

scene

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

From this reading From the most ancient pagan times this grove was the scene of the sumptuous, sensual revels which were proverbial throughout the Roman Empire.

sea-air

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

From this reading The whole coast of the bay in this neighborhood, kept moist by the damp sea-air, had originally been covered with dense woods.

sensual

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

From this reading From the most ancient pagan times this grove was the scene of the sumptuous, sensual revels which were proverbial throughout the Roman Empire.

southern

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

From this reading Directly beyond its southern gate, covering a space more than two leagues long and a league wide, lay the oft-mentioned "Grove of Venus" or "Grove of the Holy Virgin."

space

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

From this reading Directly beyond its southern gate, covering a space more than two leagues long and a league wide, lay the oft-mentioned "Grove of Venus" or "Grove of the Holy Virgin."

suburb

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

From this reading The "lower city" of Carthage extended northward to the harbor, westward to the suburb of Aklas, the Numidian, and eastward to the Tripolitan suburb.

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading "African" was the word used to express the acme of such orgies.

sumptuous

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

From this reading From the most ancient pagan times this grove was the scene of the sumptuous, sensual revels which were proverbial throughout the Roman Empire.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading Directly beyond its southern gate, covering a space more than two leagues long and a league wide, lay the oft-mentioned "Grove of Venus" or "Grove of the Holy Virgin."

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The "lower city" of Carthage extended northward to the harbor, westward to the suburb of Aklas, the Numidian, and eastward to the Tripolitan suburb.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading From the most ancient pagan times this grove was the scene of the sumptuous, sensual revels which were proverbial throughout the Roman Empire.

throughoutprepositionUS /θruːˈaʊt/

in every part of a place, or for the whole of a period

From this reading From the most ancient pagan times this grove was the scene of the sumptuous, sensual revels which were proverbial throughout the Roman Empire.

times

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

From this reading From the most ancient pagan times this grove was the scene of the sumptuous, sensual revels which were proverbial throughout the Roman Empire.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The "lower city" of Carthage extended northward to the harbor, westward to the suburb of Aklas, the Numidian, and eastward to the Tripolitan suburb.

Tripolitan

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

From this reading The "lower city" of Carthage extended northward to the harbor, westward to the suburb of Aklas, the Numidian, and eastward to the Tripolitan suburb.

two

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

From this reading Directly beyond its southern gate, covering a space more than two leagues long and a league wide, lay the oft-mentioned "Grove of Venus" or "Grove of the Holy Virgin."

used

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

From this reading "African" was the word used to express the acme of such orgies.

Venus

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

From this reading Directly beyond its southern gate, covering a space more than two leagues long and a league wide, lay the oft-mentioned "Grove of Venus" or "Grove of the Holy Virgin."

Virgin

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

From this reading Directly beyond its southern gate, covering a space more than two leagues long and a league wide, lay the oft-mentioned "Grove of Venus" or "Grove of the Holy Virgin."

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading From the most ancient pagan times this grove was the scene of the sumptuous, sensual revels which were proverbial throughout the Roman Empire.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading From the most ancient pagan times this grove was the scene of the sumptuous, sensual revels which were proverbial throughout the Roman Empire.

westwardadverbUS /ˈwɛstwərd/

toward the west

From this reading The "lower city" of Carthage extended northward to the harbor, westward to the suburb of Aklas, the Numidian, and eastward to the Tripolitan suburb.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading From the most ancient pagan times this grove was the scene of the sumptuous, sensual revels which were proverbial throughout the Roman Empire.

whole

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

From this reading The whole coast of the bay in this neighborhood, kept moist by the damp sea-air, had originally been covered with dense woods.

wide

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

From this reading Directly beyond its southern gate, covering a space more than two leagues long and a league wide, lay the oft-mentioned "Grove of Venus" or "Grove of the Holy Virgin."

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading The whole coast of the bay in this neighborhood, kept moist by the damp sea-air, had originally been covered with dense woods.

woods

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

From this reading The whole coast of the bay in this neighborhood, kept moist by the damp sea-air, had originally been covered with dense woods.

word

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

From this reading "African" was the word used to express the acme of such orgies.