used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading About ten days afterwards, as I was steering out to double a cape, I came in sight of a Portuguese ship.
AboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading About ten days afterwards, as I was steering out to double a cape, I came in sight of a Portuguese ship.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading About ten days afterwards, as I was steering out to double a cape, I came in sight of a Portuguese ship.
(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 They then bade me come on board, and very kindly took me in, with all my goods.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading At last a Scotch sailor called to me, and I answered I was an Englishman, and had made my escape from the Moors of Salee.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading At last a Scotch sailor called to me, and I answered I was an Englishman, and had made my escape from the Moors of Salee.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading At last a Scotch sailor called to me, and I answered I was an Englishman, and had made my escape from the Moors of Salee.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading About ten days afterwards, as I was steering out to double a cape, I came in sight of a Portuguese ship.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At last a Scotch sailor called to me, and I answered I was an Englishman, and had made my escape from the Moors of Salee.
a Chadic language spoken in northern Nigeria
From this reading They then bade me come on board, and very kindly took me in, with all my goods.
a committee having supervisory powers
From this reading They then bade me come on board, and very kindly took me in, with all my goods.
Brazils
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We had a very good voyage to the Brazils, and when we reached our destination the captain recommended me to an honest man who had a sugar plantation.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading On coming nearer, they hailed me, but I understood not a word.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading At last a Scotch sailor called to me, and I answered I was an Englishman, and had made my escape from the Moors of Salee.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading About ten days afterwards, as I was steering out to double a cape, I came in sight of a Portuguese ship.
capenounUS /keɪp/
a strip of land projecting into a body of water
From this reading About ten days afterwards, as I was steering out to double a cape, I came in sight of a Portuguese ship.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading We had a very good voyage to the Brazils, and when we reached our destination the captain recommended me to an honest man who had a sugar plantation.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading They then bade me come on board, and very kindly took me in, with all my goods.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading On coming nearer, they hailed me, but I understood not a word.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading About ten days afterwards, as I was steering out to double a cape, I came in sight of a Portuguese ship.
destinationnounUS /ˌdestəˈneɪʃən/
the place designated as the end (as of a race or journey)
From this reading We had a very good voyage to the Brazils, and when we reached our destination the captain recommended me to an honest man who had a sugar plantation.
increase twofold
From this reading About ten days afterwards, as I was steering out to double a cape, I came in sight of a Portuguese ship.
a man who is a native or inhabitant of England
From this reading At last a Scotch sailor called to me, and I answered I was an Englishman, and had made my escape from the Moors of Salee.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading At last a Scotch sailor called to me, and I answered I was an Englishman, and had made my escape from the Moors of Salee.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading At last a Scotch sailor called to me, and I answered I was an Englishman, and had made my escape from the Moors of Salee.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading We had a very good voyage to the Brazils, and when we reached our destination the captain recommended me to an honest man who had a sugar plantation.
plural of “good” — benefit
From this reading They then bade me come on board, and very kindly took me in, with all my goods.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading At last a Scotch sailor called to me, and I answered I was an Englishman, and had made my escape from the Moors of Salee.
hailedverbUS /heɪld/
past form of “hail” — praise vociferously
From this reading On coming nearer, they hailed me, but I understood not a word.
not disposed to cheat or defraud; not deceptive or fraudulent
From this reading We had a very good voyage to the Brazils, and when we reached our destination the captain recommended me to an honest man who had a sugar plantation.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading About ten days afterwards, as I was steering out to double a cape, I came in sight of a Portuguese ship.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading About ten days afterwards, as I was steering out to double a cape, I came in sight of a Portuguese ship.
showing or motivated by sympathy and understanding and generosity
From this reading They then bade me come on board, and very kindly took me in, with all my goods.
immediately past
From this reading At last a Scotch sailor called to me, and I answered I was an Englishman, and had made my escape from the Moors of Salee.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading At last a Scotch sailor called to me, and I answered I was an Englishman, and had made my escape from the Moors of Salee.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading We had a very good voyage to the Brazils, and when we reached our destination the captain recommended me to an honest man who had a sugar plantation.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading On coming nearer, they hailed me, but I understood not a word.
MoorsnounUS /mʊrz/
plural of “moor” — one of the Muslim people of north Africa; of mixed Arab and Berber descent; converted to Islam in the 8th century; conqueror of Spain in the 8th century
From this reading At last a Scotch sailor called to me, and I answered I was an Englishman, and had made my escape from the Moors of Salee.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading At last a Scotch sailor called to me, and I answered I was an Englishman, and had made my escape from the Moors of Salee.
(comparative of “near” or “close”) within a shorter distance
From this reading On coming nearer, they hailed me, but I understood not a word.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading On coming nearer, they hailed me, but I understood not a word.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading About ten days afterwards, as I was steering out to double a cape, I came in sight of a Portuguese ship.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On coming nearer, they hailed me, but I understood not a word.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading We had a very good voyage to the Brazils, and when we reached our destination the captain recommended me to an honest man who had a sugar plantation.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading About ten days afterwards, as I was steering out to double a cape, I came in sight of a Portuguese ship.
plantationnounUS /ˌplænˈteɪʃən/
an estate where cash crops are grown on a large scale (especially in tropical areas)
From this reading We had a very good voyage to the Brazils, and when we reached our destination the captain recommended me to an honest man who had a sugar plantation.
PortuguesenounUS /ˈpɔːrtʃəɡiːz/
the Romance language spoken in Portugal and Brazil
From this reading About ten days afterwards, as I was steering out to double a cape, I came in sight of a Portuguese ship.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading We had a very good voyage to the Brazils, and when we reached our destination the captain recommended me to an honest man who had a sugar plantation.
recommendedverbUS /ˌrekəˈmendɪd/
past form of “recommend” — push for something
From this reading We had a very good voyage to the Brazils, and when we reached our destination the captain recommended me to an honest man who had a sugar plantation.
any member of a ship's crew
From this reading At last a Scotch sailor called to me, and I answered I was an Englishman, and had made my escape from the Moors of Salee.
Salee
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At last a Scotch sailor called to me, and I answered I was an Englishman, and had made my escape from the Moors of Salee.
ScotchnounUS /skɑːtʃ/
a slight surface cut (especially a notch that is made to keep a tally)
From this reading At last a Scotch sailor called to me, and I answered I was an Englishman, and had made my escape from the Moors of Salee.
transport commercially
From this reading About ten days afterwards, as I was steering out to double a cape, I came in sight of a Portuguese ship.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading About ten days afterwards, as I was steering out to double a cape, I came in sight of a Portuguese ship.
steeringnounUS /ˈstɪrɪŋ/
the act of guiding or showing the way
From this reading About ten days afterwards, as I was steering out to double a cape, I came in sight of a Portuguese ship.
sugarnounUS /ˈʃʊɡər/
a white crystalline carbohydrate used as a sweetener and preservative
From this reading We had a very good voyage to the Brazils, and when we reached our destination the captain recommended me to an honest man who had a sugar plantation.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading About ten days afterwards, as I was steering out to double a cape, I came in sight of a Portuguese ship.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading At last a Scotch sailor called to me, and I answered I was an Englishman, and had made my escape from the Moors of Salee.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading They then bade me come on board, and very kindly took me in, with all my goods.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading On coming nearer, they hailed me, but I understood not a word.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading About ten days afterwards, as I was steering out to double a cape, I came in sight of a Portuguese ship.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading They then bade me come on board, and very kindly took me in, with all my goods.
fully apprehended as to purport or meaning or explanation
From this reading On coming nearer, they hailed me, but I understood not a word.
precisely as stated
From this reading They then bade me come on board, and very kindly took me in, with all my goods.
an act of traveling by water
From this reading We had a very good voyage to the Brazils, and when we reached our destination the captain recommended me to an honest man who had a sugar plantation.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading About ten days afterwards, as I was steering out to double a cape, I came in sight of a Portuguese ship.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We had a very good voyage to the Brazils, and when we reached our destination the captain recommended me to an honest man who had a sugar plantation.
at the time that
From this reading We had a very good voyage to the Brazils, and when we reached our destination the captain recommended me to an honest man who had a sugar plantation.
which person or people
From this reading We had a very good voyage to the Brazils, and when we reached our destination the captain recommended me to an honest man who had a sugar plantation.
in the company of; together with
From this reading They then bade me come on board, and very kindly took me in, with all my goods.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading On coming nearer, they hailed me, but I understood not a word.
