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
- panza
- stands
- discouraged
- mounting
- quixote
- 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
- act
- army
- behemoths
- beloved
- caught
- charges
- conceived
- convinced
- discouraged
- don
- dulcinea
- duty
- explains
- eyes
- giants
- ill
- knight
- lady
- lance
- mission
- mounting
- panza
- piercing
- protagonist
- proudly
- quixote
- sails
- sancho
- skinny
- squire
- stands
- steed
- time
- undeterred
- valor
- vanquish
- windmills