Four Afloat
Four Afloat by Ralph Henry Barbour is available here as the complete text, split into 994 reading sections of 5 sentences, each with audio and tap-to-define vocabulary.
Four Afloat: Being the Adventures of the Big Four on the Water by Ralph Henry Barbour. Complete source text from Project Gutenberg eBook #37021.
Course Syllabus
This syllabus gives direct access to every published chapter and its complete sequence of five-line English readings.
Four Afloat
Select a chapter to continue in the Cinema Lecture Hall with line-by-line English learning.
0 of 984 original contextual illustrations are live; remaining readings use the book cover while their artwork is reviewed.
- Chapter I
- Chapter II
- Chapter III Wherein Dan Practices Steering
- Chapter IV
- Chapter V Wherein Tom Buys Lobsters and Dan Disapproves
- Chapter VI
- Chapter VII
- Chapter VIII Tells How They Outwitted the Captain of the _Henry Nellis_
- Chapter IX Proves That a Stern Chase Is Not Always a Long Chase
- Chapter X Shows the Crew of the _Vagabond_ Under Fire
- Chapter XI Records a Mysterious Disappearance
- Chapter XII Wherein Nelson Solves the Mystery
- Chapter XIII
- Chapter XIV In Which Tom Disappears from Sight
- Chapter XV Tells of Adventures in the Fog
- Chapter XVI Witnesses a Defeat for the _Vagabond_
- Chapter XVII In Which Dan Plays a Joke
- Chapter XVIII In Which Tom Puts Up at the Seamont Inn
- Chapter XIX Narrates a Midnight Adventure
- Chapter XX Wherein Tom Appears and the Launch Disappears
- Chapter XXI Tells of the Search for the _Vagabond_
- Chapter XXII Wherein the _Vagabond_ Is Recovered and the Thief Is Captured
- Chapter XXIII Tells How the Four Encountered Old Acquaintances
- Chapter XXIV Wherein Spencer Floyd Leaves the _Henry Nellis_
This edition of Four Afloat by Ralph Henry Barbour carries the complete text of Project Gutenberg eBook #37021, divided into 24 chapters and 994 reading sections of 5 sentences each. Every sentence of the source is kept, and each chapter records which sentences cover which part of the story. Any word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Where can I read Four Afloat in full?
The complete text of Four Afloat is here, taken from Project Gutenberg eBook #37021 and divided into 994 sections.
This page carries the whole of Four Afloat by Ralph Henry Barbour, not an abridgement or a summary. The text comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #37021, with the Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence removed so that only the work itself remains. It runs to 4967 sentences across 24 chapters. Each chapter stores a record of which sentences cover which part of the work, so nothing is quietly dropped between the source edition and the page you read.
How is Four Afloat divided for reading?
Four Afloat is presented in 24 chapters, each split into sections of 5 sentences for steady reading.
Rather than presenting Four Afloat as unbroken pages, the text is grouped into 994 sections of 5 sentences each. A section is short enough to hold in mind at once, which suits a reader working in a second language or returning to a long work in short sittings. The sections are gathered into 24 chapters.
Can I hear Four Afloat read aloud?
Yes. Every sentence and every individual word of Four Afloat can be played aloud, and each word shows its dictionary entry.
Every sentence of Four Afloat can be played aloud, and so can any single word within it. Tapping a word plays it on its own and opens its dictionary entry, with the pronunciation shown in IPA alongside the part of speech and meaning. The reading voice uses United States English. This matters most for a work of this period, where a reader meets vocabulary and turns of phrase that are no longer in daily use and cannot be guessed reliably from spelling alone.
Questions about reading Four Afloat
Common questions about reading Four Afloat by Ralph Henry Barbour on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Is this the complete text of Four Afloat?
Yes. All 4967 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37021 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Which edition of Four Afloat is used?
Project Gutenberg eBook #37021, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
How long does Four Afloat take to read?
About 413 minutes of reading across 994 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to read Four Afloat section by section
How to work through Four Afloat section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Open a chapter
Choose one of the 24 chapters of Four Afloat to begin.
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Read one section
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
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Listen and tap
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Vocabulary met early in Four Afloat
Words and structures a reader meets early in Four Afloat, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
- Pu-pu-pu-pu
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Four Afloat; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Quite
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Four Afloat; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Tommy
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Four Afloat; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Soothingly
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Four Afloat; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.