1. Attempt
Definition: To try to do something, especially something difficult. (Can be used as a verb or a noun).
Example 1: She will attempt to pass her driving test for the second time tomorrow.
Example 2: This was his first attempt at baking a chocolate cake, and it tasted great!
2. Welcome
Definition (Noun): The way you greet someone when they arrive.
Definition (Verb): To greet someone in a polite and friendly way when they arrive.
Example 1 (Noun): The hotel staff gave us a very warm welcome when we checked in.
Example 2 (Verb): Our neighbours always welcome us into their home with a cup of tea.
3. In charge
Definition: Having the responsibility or control over something or a group of people.
Example 1: Who is in charge of organising the office party this year?
Example 2: While the manager is on vacation, Sarah is in charge of the store.
4. Annoyed / Annoy
Definition (Annoyed - Adjective): Feeling a little bit angry or impatient.
Definition (Annoy - Transitive Verb): To make someone feel slightly angry or impatient.
Example 1 (Annoyed): I was very annoyed because the train was thirty minutes late.
Example 2 (Annoy): Loud music late at night really annoys the people living next door.
5. Clever / Bright / Brilliant / Smart
Definition: Words used to describe someone who is intelligent, learns quickly, or handles situations well. (Note: "Brilliant" can also mean exceptionally smart or wonderful).
Example 1: He is a very bright student who always gets the best grades in science.
Example 2: She came up with a clever solution to fix the broken computer.
6. Narrow / Wide / Broad
Definition (Narrow): Measuring a short distance from one side to the other; not wide.
Definition (Wide & Broad): Measuring a large distance from one side to the other. (We often use "wide" for physical spaces like roads, and "broad" for larger concepts like shoulders, smiles, or ideas).
Example 1 (Narrow): The old town has very narrow streets, so cars cannot drive through them easily.
Example 2 (Wide / Broad): The river is so wide that you cannot see the people on the other side. / He had a broad smile on his face when he won the prize.
The ship shook heavily, almost throwing me into the sea. I managed to move forwards and jumped onto the deck*.
A large sail hid the back of the ship from me, and I could see no one. The deck* was a mess of dirt, rubbish, and an empty bottle went backwards and forwards. Suddenly, the ship turned quickly. The sails moved, finally showing me the back of the ship.
There were a couple of men there. One man, dressed in a red cap, lay on his back. He didn’t move, his teeth showed through open lips. He didn’t look like he was alive. I remembered him to be O’Brien. The other man, Israel Hands, lay against the side of the ship. His chin down, and his face was completely white. I was certain they had had a fight and attempted to murder each other while they were drinking rum.
Then, Hands turned slowly with a cry of pain. His cry went right to my heart, but I remembered he was a nasty man, and I no longer had to feel sorry for him.
I walked towards him, ' Welcome to my ship, Mr. Hands'.
He was too exhausted to show he was amazed. He only said one word: 'rum!'
I carefully moved across the ship and went down into the cabin*. It was a terrible mess. There were a dozen empty bottles on the floor. I found a bottle with a little rum left for Israel Hands. For myself, I found some water, biscuits, fruit, and cheese, which I ate and drank. Finally, I went back up, and gave Hands the rum.
He drank a lot of it quickly. 'Ah,' he said, 'I really needed that!'
I sat in a corner, still eating. 'Are you seriously injured ?' I asked him.
He made a rough sound. 'If the doctor was here, I would be fine. But I am not a lucky man, Jim. And as for him,' he said as he pointed at O’Brien, 'he’s dead. Where did you come from, young man?'
'I have come to be in charge of this ship, Mr. Hands,' I said. 'Please think of me as your captain from now on'.
He looked annoyed but said nothing. He also looked a little better, but he was still suffering from the cuts and from being injured in the fight.
'By the way,' I said, 'I do not want this pirate flag on my ship'. I pulled down their black flag and got rid of it by throwing it into the sea. 'This is the end of Captain Silver!'
Hands watched me carefully. 'Captain Hawkins,' he said slowly, 'I think you want to reach the coast now. Why don’t we talk?'
'Yes, of course,' I said. 'Speak'.
'This dead man and I wanted to sail the ship back,' Hands began. 'But he is useless now. If you give me food, drink, and something to tie my bleeding leg, I will tell you how to sail her. That is a fair arrangement, don’t you think?'
'I am not going back to your camp,' I said. 'I want to go to North Inlet and land the ship on the beach there'.
'I accept!' he cried. 'I have no other option! I’ll help you'.
Soon, with the help of Israel Hand’s instructions, I was sailing the ship along the coast. I got a soft scarf and helped Hands tie it around his deep cut. After, he ate and drank more, he looked much more powerful – and more dangerous.
The wind was perfect, and I was happy to be in charge. But Hands watched me with a strange smile. It was the smile of an elderly man, but there was also something dark and clever in it – too clever!
As we got closer to the North Inlet, Hands spoke to me.
'This is a ship with no luck, Captain Jim. Many men have died on it. Tell me, when a man is dead, is he gone for ever, or does he come alive again?'.
'You can kill the body, Mr. Hands, but not the ghost,' I replied. 'O’Brien is in another world now'.
'Ah,' he said. 'Well, Jim, could you go down to the cabin and get me a bottle of wine? This rum is too strong'.
I knew he was telling a lie. He wanted me to leave him alone so he could do something secretly. However, I agreed so he would not know I had my doubts.
'Wine?' I said. 'Do you want white or red?'.
'I do not care,' he replied smiling.
I chose to hurry loudly down the stairs, then quickly pulled off my shoes. I moved quietly and looked out onto the ship’s deck* from a different place.
My worst fears were true. Hands was moving across the floor on his hands and knees. He reached a pile of rope*, pulled out a long knife, and chose to hide it inside his jacket. Then, he quickly moved back to his place.
He had a knife and his plan was to murder me. But I knew he needed me to land the ship safely first. Until we reached the beach, I was safe, or so I thought.
I went back to the cabin*, put on my shoes, grabbed a bottle of wine, and returned. Hands chose to act like he was exhausted again. He drank some wine and asked for tobacco, saying he was near death.
'If you think you are going to die,' I said, 'you should say a prayer. You have told a lie and murdered at least one man!
He drank more wine and spoke seriously. 'I have sailed for thirty years. The man who hits first is the clever one. Dead men don’t bite. Now, follow my rules, and let's finish this'.
He told me how to direct the ship into the narrow bay. The water was calm.
'Now, turn!' he suddenly gave a cry.
I pushed hard, and the ship turned quickly toward the shore. I was so excited about landing the ship that I forgot to watch Hands. Suddenly, I felt something was wrong. I turned my head and saw Hands right behind me, holding the knife.
We both let out a scream. He jumped at me. I escaped and pulled a gun from my pocket. I shot at Hands, but nothing happened. The gun was wet!
Hands was badly injured, but he moved quickly. My heart was beating fast.
Suddenly, the ship hit the sand on the bottom of the sea. It stopped and started to fall to one side. There was water everywhere.
I jumped onto the ship's ropes* and climbed up the mast* as fast as I could. I quickly put new, dry gunpowder* in my guns. Slowly, with the knife in his teeth, Hands started to climb the ropes* towards me.
When he was part of the way up, I pointed my guns at him.
'One more step, Mr. Hands,' I said, 'and I will shoot you! Dead men don't bite'.
He stopped and took the knife from his mouth. 'Jim,' he said, 'I think we have a problem here. I will have to give in to you'.
I felt proud that I had won. Suddenly, Hands threw his knife! It flew through the air and hit me in the shoulder.
The injury in my shoulder was so painful, my hands closed tightly. Both of my guns fired* loudly and they dropped from my hands. However, they did not drop alone. With a cry, Israel Hands let go of the ropes* and fell down head-first into the sea. His body disappeared under the waves.
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