Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1
The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1

Chapter LIV · Chapter 54

Chapter 54 of The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1 is here in full — 81 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1
Context Illustration Reading 1/16 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
OF A PROVINCE CALLED COTAN.
Cotan is a province lying between north-east and east, and is eight days journey in length.
The people are subject to the Great Kaan,{1} and are all worshippers of Mahommet.{2} There are numerous towns and villages in the country, but Cotan, the capital, is the most noble of all, and gives its name to the kingdom.
Everything is to be had there in plenty, including abundance of cotton, [with flax, hemp, wheat, wine, and the like].
The people have vineyards and gardens and estates.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
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 Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1

Chapter LIV · Chapter 54

Chapter 54 of The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1 is here in full — 81 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/16 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
OF A PROVINCE CALLED COTAN.
Line 2
Cotan is a province lying between north-east and east, and is eight daysjourney in length.
Line 3
The people are subject to the Great Kaan,{1} and are all worshippers of Mahommet.{2} There are numerous towns and villages in the country, but Cotan, the capital, is the most noble of all, and gives its name to the kingdom.
Line 4
Everything is to be had there in plenty, including abundance of cotton, [with flax, hemp, wheat, wine, and the like].
/ˈevriθɪŋ ɪz tuː biː hæd ðer ɪn ˈplenti ˌɪnˈkluːdɪŋ əˈbʌndəns ʌv ˈkɑːtən wɪð flæks hemp wiːt waɪn ənd ðə laɪk/
Line 5
The people have vineyards and gardens and estates.
/ðə ˈpiːpəl hæv ˈvɪnjərdz ənd ˈɡɑːrdənz ənd ɪˈsteɪts/

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.

abundance noun US /əˈbʌndəns/

the property of a more than adequate quantity or supply

From this reading “Everything is to be had there in plenty, including abundance of cotton, [with flax, hemp, wheat, wine, and the like].”

estates noun US /ɪˈsteɪts/

plural of “estate” — everything you own; all of your assets (whether real property or personal property) and liabilities

From this reading “The people have vineyards and gardens and estates.”

flax noun US /flæks/

fiber of the flax plant that is made into thread and woven into linen fabric

From this reading “Everything is to be had there in plenty, including abundance of cotton, [with flax, hemp, wheat, wine, and the like].”

hemp noun US /hemp/

a plant fiber

From this reading “Everything is to be had there in plenty, including abundance of cotton, [with flax, hemp, wheat, wine, and the like].”

north-east adverb US /ˌnɔːrˈθiːst/

to, toward, or in the northeast

From this reading “Cotan is a province lying between north-east and east, and is eight days’ journey in length.”

vineyards noun US /ˈvɪnjərdz/

plural of “vineyard” — a farm of grapevines where wine grapes are produced

From this reading “The people have vineyards and gardens and estates.”

wheat noun US /wiːt/

annual or biennial grass having erect flower spikes and light brown grains

From this reading “Everything is to be had there in plenty, including abundance of cotton, [with flax, hemp, wheat, wine, and the like].”

worshippers noun US /ˈwɜːrʃɪpərz/

plural of “worshipper” — a person who has religious faith

From this reading “The people are subject to the Great Kaan,{1} and are all worshippers of Mahommet.{2} There are numerous towns and villages in the country, but Cotan, the capital, is the most noble of all, and gives its name to the kingdom.”

All words in this reading · 58

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.

1

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

From this reading The people are subject to the Great Kaan,{1} and are all worshippers of Mahommet.{2} There are numerous towns and villages in the country, but Cotan, the capital, is the most noble of all, and gives its name to the kingdom.

2

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

From this reading The people are subject to the Great Kaan,{1} and are all worshippers of Mahommet.{2} There are numerous towns and villages in the country, but Cotan, the capital, is the most noble of all, and gives its name to the kingdom.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading OF A PROVINCE CALLED COTAN.

abundancenounUS /əˈbʌndəns/

the property of a more than adequate quantity or supply

From this reading Everything is to be had there in plenty, including abundance of cotton, [with flax, hemp, wheat, wine, and the like].

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading The people are subject to the Great Kaan,{1} and are all worshippers of Mahommet.{2} There are numerous towns and villages in the country, but Cotan, the capital, is the most noble of all, and gives its name to the kingdom.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Cotan is a province lying between north-east and east, and is eight days’ journey in length.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading The people are subject to the Great Kaan,{1} and are all worshippers of Mahommet.{2} There are numerous towns and villages in the country, but Cotan, the capital, is the most noble of all, and gives its name to the kingdom.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading Everything is to be had there in plenty, including abundance of cotton, [with flax, hemp, wheat, wine, and the like].

betweenprepositionUS /bɪˈtwiːn/

in the space, time, or range separating two things

From this reading Cotan is a province lying between north-east and east, and is eight days’ journey in length.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading The people are subject to the Great Kaan,{1} and are all worshippers of Mahommet.{2} There are numerous towns and villages in the country, but Cotan, the capital, is the most noble of all, and gives its name to the kingdom.

CALLEDverbUS /kɔːld/

past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading OF A PROVINCE CALLED COTAN.

capitalnounUS /ˈkæpətəl/

assets available for use in the production of further assets

From this reading The people are subject to the Great Kaan,{1} and are all worshippers of Mahommet.{2} There are numerous towns and villages in the country, but Cotan, the capital, is the most noble of all, and gives its name to the kingdom.

COTANnoun

ratio of the adjacent to the opposite side of a right-angled triangle

From this reading OF A PROVINCE CALLED COTAN.

cottonnounUS /ˈkɑːtən/

soft silky fibers from cotton plants in their raw state

From this reading Everything is to be had there in plenty, including abundance of cotton, [with flax, hemp, wheat, wine, and the like].

countrynounUS /ˈkʌntri/

a politically organized body of people under a single government

From this reading The people are subject to the Great Kaan,{1} and are all worshippers of Mahommet.{2} There are numerous towns and villages in the country, but Cotan, the capital, is the most noble of all, and gives its name to the kingdom.

daysnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading Cotan is a province lying between north-east and east, and is eight days’ journey in length.

eastnounUS /iːst/

the cardinal compass point that is at 90 degrees

From this reading Cotan is a province lying between north-east and east, and is eight days’ journey in length.

eightadjectiveUS /eɪt/

being one more than seven

From this reading Cotan is a province lying between north-east and east, and is eight days’ journey in length.

estatesnounUS /ɪˈsteɪts/

plural of “estate” — everything you own; all of your assets (whether real property or personal property) and liabilities

From this reading The people have vineyards and gardens and estates.

EverythingpronounUS /ˈevriθɪŋ/

all things; all of a situation

From this reading Everything is to be had there in plenty, including abundance of cotton, [with flax, hemp, wheat, wine, and the like].

flaxnounUS /flæks/

fiber of the flax plant that is made into thread and woven into linen fabric

From this reading Everything is to be had there in plenty, including abundance of cotton, [with flax, hemp, wheat, wine, and the like].

gardensnounUS /ˈɡɑːrdənz/

plural of “garden” — a plot of ground where plants are cultivated

From this reading The people have vineyards and gardens and estates.

givesnounUS /ɡɪvz/

plural of “give” — the elasticity of something that can be stretched and returns to its original length

From this reading The people are subject to the Great Kaan,{1} and are all worshippers of Mahommet.{2} There are numerous towns and villages in the country, but Cotan, the capital, is the most noble of all, and gives its name to the kingdom.

GreatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading The people are subject to the Great Kaan,{1} and are all worshippers of Mahommet.{2} There are numerous towns and villages in the country, but Cotan, the capital, is the most noble of all, and gives its name to the kingdom.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Everything is to be had there in plenty, including abundance of cotton, [with flax, hemp, wheat, wine, and the like].

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading The people have vineyards and gardens and estates.

hempnounUS /hemp/

a plant fiber

From this reading Everything is to be had there in plenty, including abundance of cotton, [with flax, hemp, wheat, wine, and the like].

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Cotan is a province lying between north-east and east, and is eight days’ journey in length.

includingverbUS /ˌɪnˈkluːdɪŋ/

-ing form of “include” — have as a part, be made up out of

From this reading Everything is to be had there in plenty, including abundance of cotton, [with flax, hemp, wheat, wine, and the like].

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading Cotan is a province lying between north-east and east, and is eight days’ journey in length.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading The people are subject to the Great Kaan,{1} and are all worshippers of Mahommet.{2} There are numerous towns and villages in the country, but Cotan, the capital, is the most noble of all, and gives its name to the kingdom.

journeyverbUS /ˈdʒɜːrni/

undertake a journey or trip

From this reading Cotan is a province lying between north-east and east, and is eight days’ journey in length.

Kaan

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

From this reading The people are subject to the Great Kaan,{1} and are all worshippers of Mahommet.{2} There are numerous towns and villages in the country, but Cotan, the capital, is the most noble of all, and gives its name to the kingdom.

kingdomnounUS /ˈkɪŋdəm/

a domain in which something is dominant

From this reading The people are subject to the Great Kaan,{1} and are all worshippers of Mahommet.{2} There are numerous towns and villages in the country, but Cotan, the capital, is the most noble of all, and gives its name to the kingdom.

lengthnounUS /leŋkθ/

the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place

From this reading Cotan is a province lying between north-east and east, and is eight days’ journey in length.

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading Everything is to be had there in plenty, including abundance of cotton, [with flax, hemp, wheat, wine, and the like].

lyingnounUS /ˈlaɪɪŋ/

the deliberate act of deviating from the truth

From this reading Cotan is a province lying between north-east and east, and is eight days’ journey in length.

Mahommet

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

From this reading The people are subject to the Great Kaan,{1} and are all worshippers of Mahommet.{2} There are numerous towns and villages in the country, but Cotan, the capital, is the most noble of all, and gives its name to the kingdom.

mostadverbUS /moʊst/

used to form the superlative

From this reading The people are subject to the Great Kaan,{1} and are all worshippers of Mahommet.{2} There are numerous towns and villages in the country, but Cotan, the capital, is the most noble of all, and gives its name to the kingdom.

nameverbUS /neɪm/

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading The people are subject to the Great Kaan,{1} and are all worshippers of Mahommet.{2} There are numerous towns and villages in the country, but Cotan, the capital, is the most noble of all, and gives its name to the kingdom.

nobleadjectiveUS /ˈnoʊbəl/

impressive in appearance

From this reading The people are subject to the Great Kaan,{1} and are all worshippers of Mahommet.{2} There are numerous towns and villages in the country, but Cotan, the capital, is the most noble of all, and gives its name to the kingdom.

north-eastadverbUS /ˌnɔːrˈθiːst/

to, toward, or in the northeast

From this reading Cotan is a province lying between north-east and east, and is eight days’ journey in length.

numerousadjectiveUS /ˈnuːmərəs/

amounting to a large indefinite number

From this reading The people are subject to the Great Kaan,{1} and are all worshippers of Mahommet.{2} There are numerous towns and villages in the country, but Cotan, the capital, is the most noble of all, and gives its name to the kingdom.

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading OF A PROVINCE CALLED COTAN.

peoplenounUS /ˈpiːpəl/

(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively

From this reading The people are subject to the Great Kaan,{1} and are all worshippers of Mahommet.{2} There are numerous towns and villages in the country, but Cotan, the capital, is the most noble of all, and gives its name to the kingdom.

plentynounUS /ˈplenti/

a full supply

From this reading Everything is to be had there in plenty, including abundance of cotton, [with flax, hemp, wheat, wine, and the like].

PROVINCEnounUS /ˈprɑːvəns/

the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation

From this reading OF A PROVINCE CALLED COTAN.

subjectnounUS /səbˈdʒekt/

the subject matter of a conversation or discussion

From this reading The people are subject to the Great Kaan,{1} and are all worshippers of Mahommet.{2} There are numerous towns and villages in the country, but Cotan, the capital, is the most noble of all, and gives its name to the kingdom.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The people are subject to the Great Kaan,{1} and are all worshippers of Mahommet.{2} There are numerous towns and villages in the country, but Cotan, the capital, is the most noble of all, and gives its name to the kingdom.

ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading The people are subject to the Great Kaan,{1} and are all worshippers of Mahommet.{2} There are numerous towns and villages in the country, but Cotan, the capital, is the most noble of all, and gives its name to the kingdom.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The people are subject to the Great Kaan,{1} and are all worshippers of Mahommet.{2} There are numerous towns and villages in the country, but Cotan, the capital, is the most noble of all, and gives its name to the kingdom.

townsnounUS /taʊnz/

plural of “town” — an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city

From this reading The people are subject to the Great Kaan,{1} and are all worshippers of Mahommet.{2} There are numerous towns and villages in the country, but Cotan, the capital, is the most noble of all, and gives its name to the kingdom.

villagesnounUS /ˈvɪlədʒəz/

plural of “village” — a community of people smaller than a town

From this reading The people are subject to the Great Kaan,{1} and are all worshippers of Mahommet.{2} There are numerous towns and villages in the country, but Cotan, the capital, is the most noble of all, and gives its name to the kingdom.

vineyardsnounUS /ˈvɪnjərdz/

plural of “vineyard” — a farm of grapevines where wine grapes are produced

From this reading The people have vineyards and gardens and estates.

wheatnounUS /wiːt/

annual or biennial grass having erect flower spikes and light brown grains

From this reading Everything is to be had there in plenty, including abundance of cotton, [with flax, hemp, wheat, wine, and the like].

winenounUS /waɪn/

fermented juice (of grapes especially)

From this reading Everything is to be had there in plenty, including abundance of cotton, [with flax, hemp, wheat, wine, and the like].

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Everything is to be had there in plenty, including abundance of cotton, [with flax, hemp, wheat, wine, and the like].

worshippersnounUS /ˈwɜːrʃɪpərz/

plural of “worshipper” — a person who has religious faith

From this reading The people are subject to the Great Kaan,{1} and are all worshippers of Mahommet.{2} There are numerous towns and villages in the country, but Cotan, the capital, is the most noble of all, and gives its name to the kingdom.

Chapter 54 of The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1 by Marco Polo holds 81 sentences, grouped into 17 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 54 of The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1 contain?

Chapter 54 holds 81 sentences of The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1, unabridged, divided into 17 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 54 of The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1 by Marco Polo exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 81 sentences, grouped into 17 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 54 of The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1?

Work through the 17 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 17 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 54 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 54 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 Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1

Common questions about reading The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1 by Marco Polo on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1?

Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1 is used?

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

How long does The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1 take to read?

About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1 section by section

How to work through The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1 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 Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
One of the 0 chapters of The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 2
One of the 0 chapters of The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 3
One of the 0 chapters of The Travels of Marco Polo — Volume 1, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.