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The Shadow Line: A Confession
The Shadow Line: A Confession

Chapter XI

Cover illustration for The Shadow Line: A Confession
Context Illustration Reading 1/44 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
To see him coming aft to the wheel comforted one.
The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.
There was also a man called Gambril.
He was the only grizzled person in the ship.
His face was of an austere type.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Shadow Line: A Confession

Chapter XI

Reading 1/44 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
To see him coming aft to the wheel comforted one.
Line 2
The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.
Line 3
There was also a man called Gambril.
Line 4
He was the only grizzled person in the ship.
Line 5
His face was of an austere type.

Learner Dictionary

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

Even noun US /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.”

Help noun US /help/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.”

Himself pronoun US /hɪmˈself/

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

From this reading “The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “To see him coming aft to the wheel comforted one.”

Poor noun US /poor/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.”

Ship noun US /ship/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He was the only grizzled person in the ship.”

Told noun US /told/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.”

All words in this reading · 66

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 blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.

aft

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

From this reading To see him coming aft to the wheel comforted one.

also

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

From this reading There was also a man called Gambril.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading His face was of an austere type.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.

austere

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

From this reading His face was of an austere type.

blue

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

From this reading The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.

calf

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

From this reading The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.

called

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

From this reading There was also a man called Gambril.

canvas

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

From this reading The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.

cap

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

From this reading The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.

check

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

From this reading The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.

clean

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

From this reading The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.

comforted

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

From this reading To see him coming aft to the wheel comforted one.

coming

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

From this reading To see him coming aft to the wheel comforted one.

couldn't

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

From this reading The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.

dungaree

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

From this reading The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.

evennounUS /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.

evidently

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

From this reading The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.

face

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

From this reading His face was of an austere type.

fellow

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

From this reading The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.

gait

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

From this reading The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.

Gambril

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

From this reading There was also a man called Gambril.

grizzled

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

From this reading He was the only grizzled person in the ship.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.

helpnounUS /help/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.

higher

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

From this reading The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading To see him coming aft to the wheel comforted one.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

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

From this reading The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading He was the only grizzled person in the ship.

invincible

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

From this reading The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.

jauntiness

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

From this reading The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.

leg

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

From this reading The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.

made

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

From this reading The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.

man

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

From this reading There was also a man called Gambril.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading To see him coming aft to the wheel comforted one.

only

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

From this reading He was the only grizzled person in the ship.

other

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

From this reading The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.

peculiar

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

From this reading The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.

persistent

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

From this reading The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.

person

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

From this reading He was the only grizzled person in the ship.

poornounUS /poor/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.

see

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

From this reading To see him coming aft to the wheel comforted one.

shipnounUS /ship/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He was the only grizzled person in the ship.

shirt

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

From this reading The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.

smartness

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

From this reading The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.

spirit

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

From this reading The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading To see him coming aft to the wheel comforted one.

There

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

From this reading There was also a man called Gambril.

ToparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading To see him coming aft to the wheel comforted one.

toldnounUS /told/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.

tottering

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

From this reading The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.

trousers

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

From this reading The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.

turned

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

From this reading The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.

type

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

From this reading His face was of an austere type.

up

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

From this reading The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading There was also a man called Gambril.

wheel

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

From this reading To see him coming aft to the wheel comforted one.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.

white

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

From this reading The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.

whole

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

From this reading The blue dungaree trousers turned up the calf, one leg a little higher than the other, the clean check shirt, the white canvas cap, evidently made by himself, made up a whole of peculiar smartness, and the persistent jauntiness of his gait, even, poor fellow, when he couldn’t help tottering, told of his invincible spirit.