Chapter 20 of A Jolly Fellowship is here in full — 176 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of A Jolly Fellowship is here in full — 176 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE RUSSIAN BARK. We soon began to think the captain was mistaken in saying there would be lots of ships coming this way. But then, we couldn't see very far. Ships may have passed within a few miles of us, without our knowing anything about it. It was very different from being high up on a ship's deck, or in her rigging.
Chapter 20 of A Jolly Fellowship is here in full — 176 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
tough protective covering of the woody stems and roots of trees and other woody plants
From this reading “THE RUSSIAN BARK.”
any of various platforms built into a vessel
From this reading “It was very different from being high up on a ship's deck, or in her rigging.”
a large number or amount
From this reading “We soon began to think the captain was mistaken in saying there would be lots of ships coming this way.”
wrong in e.g. opinion or judgment
From this reading “We soon began to think the captain was mistaken in saying there would be lots of ships coming this way.”
gear consisting of ropes etc. supporting a ship's masts and sails
From this reading “It was very different from being high up on a ship's deck, or in her rigging.”
a native or inhabitant of Russia
From this reading “THE RUSSIAN BARK.”
possessive form of “ship” — a vessel that carries passengers or freight
From this reading “It was very different from being high up on a ship's deck, or in her rigging.”
plural of “ship” — a vessel that carries passengers or freight
From this reading “We soon began to think the captain was mistaken in saying there would be lots of ships coming this way.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Ships may have passed within a few miles of us, without our knowing anything about it.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Ships may have passed within a few miles of us, without our knowing anything about it.
any thing at all
From this reading Ships may have passed within a few miles of us, without our knowing anything about it.
tough protective covering of the woody stems and roots of trees and other woody plants
From this reading THE RUSSIAN BARK.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading We soon began to think the captain was mistaken in saying there would be lots of ships coming this way.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading We soon began to think the captain was mistaken in saying there would be lots of ships coming this way.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading It was very different from being high up on a ship's deck, or in her rigging.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But then, we couldn't see very far.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading We soon began to think the captain was mistaken in saying there would be lots of ships coming this way.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading We soon began to think the captain was mistaken in saying there would be lots of ships coming this way.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But then, we couldn't see very far.
any of various platforms built into a vessel
From this reading It was very different from being high up on a ship's deck, or in her rigging.
unlike in nature or quality or form or degree
From this reading It was very different from being high up on a ship's deck, or in her rigging.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading But then, we couldn't see very far.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading Ships may have passed within a few miles of us, without our knowing anything about it.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading It was very different from being high up on a ship's deck, or in her rigging.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Ships may have passed within a few miles of us, without our knowing anything about it.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading It was very different from being high up on a ship's deck, or in her rigging.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading It was very different from being high up on a ship's deck, or in her rigging.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading We soon began to think the captain was mistaken in saying there would be lots of ships coming this way.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Ships may have passed within a few miles of us, without our knowing anything about it.
evidencing the possession of inside information
From this reading Ships may have passed within a few miles of us, without our knowing anything about it.
a large number or amount
From this reading We soon began to think the captain was mistaken in saying there would be lots of ships coming this way.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading Ships may have passed within a few miles of us, without our knowing anything about it.
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading Ships may have passed within a few miles of us, without our knowing anything about it.
wrong in e.g. opinion or judgment
From this reading We soon began to think the captain was mistaken in saying there would be lots of ships coming this way.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading We soon began to think the captain was mistaken in saying there would be lots of ships coming this way.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It was very different from being high up on a ship's deck, or in her rigging.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading It was very different from being high up on a ship's deck, or in her rigging.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Ships may have passed within a few miles of us, without our knowing anything about it.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading Ships may have passed within a few miles of us, without our knowing anything about it.
gear consisting of ropes etc. supporting a ship's masts and sails
From this reading It was very different from being high up on a ship's deck, or in her rigging.
a native or inhabitant of Russia
From this reading THE RUSSIAN BARK.
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading We soon began to think the captain was mistaken in saying there would be lots of ships coming this way.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading But then, we couldn't see very far.
possessive form of “ship” — a vessel that carries passengers or freight
From this reading It was very different from being high up on a ship's deck, or in her rigging.
plural of “ship” — a vessel that carries passengers or freight
From this reading We soon began to think the captain was mistaken in saying there would be lots of ships coming this way.
in the near future
From this reading We soon began to think the captain was mistaken in saying there would be lots of ships coming this way.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE RUSSIAN BARK.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading But then, we couldn't see very far.
in or at that place or location
From this reading We soon began to think the captain was mistaken in saying there would be lots of ships coming this way.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading We soon began to think the captain was mistaken in saying there would be lots of ships coming this way.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading We soon began to think the captain was mistaken in saying there would be lots of ships coming this way.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading We soon began to think the captain was mistaken in saying there would be lots of ships coming this way.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading It was very different from being high up on a ship's deck, or in her rigging.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Ships may have passed within a few miles of us, without our knowing anything about it.
precisely as stated
From this reading But then, we couldn't see very far.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading We soon began to think the captain was mistaken in saying there would be lots of ships coming this way.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading We soon began to think the captain was mistaken in saying there would be lots of ships coming this way.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We soon began to think the captain was mistaken in saying there would be lots of ships coming this way.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading Ships may have passed within a few miles of us, without our knowing anything about it.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Ships may have passed within a few miles of us, without our knowing anything about it.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading We soon began to think the captain was mistaken in saying there would be lots of ships coming this way.
Chapter 20 of A Jolly Fellowship by Frank R. Stockton holds 176 sentences, grouped into 36 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 20 holds 176 sentences of A Jolly Fellowship, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of A Jolly Fellowship by Frank R. Stockton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 176 sentences, grouped into 36 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 36 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 20 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading A Jolly Fellowship by Frank R. Stockton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4570 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20651 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20651, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 380 minutes of reading across 914 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Jolly Fellowship section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of A Jolly Fellowship to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in A Jolly Fellowship, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
