full transcript

From the Ted Talk by Ilan Stavans: Why should you read "Don Quixote"?

Unscramble the Blue Letters

mtuoning his skinny steed, the protagonist of Don Quixote charges an army of giants. In his eyes, it is his duty to vanquish these behemoths in the name of his beloved lady, Dulcinea. However, this act of valor is ill conceived. As his squire Sancho pnaza explains to him time and again, these aren’t giants; they are merely windmills. Don qxuitoe is undeterred, but his piercing lance is soon caught in their sails. Never desgiuoarcd, the knight sdtans polrduy, and becomes even more convinced of his mission.

Open Cloze

________ his skinny steed, the protagonist of Don Quixote charges an army of giants. In his eyes, it is his duty to vanquish these behemoths in the name of his beloved lady, Dulcinea. However, this act of valor is ill conceived. As his squire Sancho _____ explains to him time and again, these aren’t giants; they are merely windmills. Don _______ is undeterred, but his piercing lance is soon caught in their sails. Never ___________, the knight ______ _______, and becomes even more convinced of his mission.

Solution

  1. panza
  2. stands
  3. discouraged
  4. mounting
  5. quixote
  6. proudly

Original Text

Mounting his skinny steed, the protagonist of Don Quixote charges an army of giants. In his eyes, it is his duty to vanquish these behemoths in the name of his beloved lady, Dulcinea. However, this act of valor is ill conceived. As his squire Sancho Panza explains to him time and again, these aren’t giants; they are merely windmills. Don Quixote is undeterred, but his piercing lance is soon caught in their sails. Never discouraged, the knight stands proudly, and becomes even more convinced of his mission.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations

ngrams of length 2

collocation frequency
don quixote 12
sancho panza 2
chivalry novels 2
character development 2

Important Words

  1. act
  2. army
  3. behemoths
  4. beloved
  5. caught
  6. charges
  7. conceived
  8. convinced
  9. discouraged
  10. don
  11. dulcinea
  12. duty
  13. explains
  14. eyes
  15. giants
  16. ill
  17. knight
  18. lady
  19. lance
  20. mission
  21. mounting
  22. panza
  23. piercing
  24. protagonist
  25. proudly
  26. quixote
  27. sails
  28. sancho
  29. skinny
  30. squire
  31. stands
  32. steed
  33. time
  34. undeterred
  35. valor
  36. vanquish
  37. windmills