Chapter 7 of A Middy in Command is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of A Middy in Command is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A Middy in Command--by Harry Collingwood CHAPTER SIXTEEN. SOME VICISSITUDES OF FORTUNE. "Hard up with your helm," I shouted, "hard over with it; we must take our chance of being swamped. Better that than that both craft should be destroyed." And, dashing aft, I lent my assistance to the man who was tending the helm.
Chapter 7 of A Middy in Command is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
at or near or toward the stern of a ship or tail of an airplane
From this reading “And, dashing aft, I lent my assistance to the man who was tending the helm.”
lively and spirited
From this reading “And, dashing aft, I lent my assistance to the man who was tending the helm.”
steering mechanism for a vessel; a mechanical device by which a vessel is steered
From this reading “"Hard up with your helm," I shouted, "hard over with it; we must take our chance of being swamped.”
a period of 40 weekdays from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday
From this reading “And, dashing aft, I lent my assistance to the man who was tending the helm.”
being one more than fifteen
From this reading “A Middy in Command--by Harry Collingwood CHAPTER SIXTEEN.”
past form of “swamp” — drench or submerge or be drenched or submerged
From this reading “"Hard up with your helm," I shouted, "hard over with it; we must take our chance of being swamped.”
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading “And, dashing aft, I lent my assistance to the man who was tending the helm.”
plural of “vicissitude” — a variation in circumstances or fortune at different times in your life or in the development of something
From this reading “SOME VICISSITUDES OF FORTUNE.”
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 A Middy in Command--by Harry Collingwood CHAPTER SIXTEEN.
at or near or toward the stern of a ship or tail of an airplane
From this reading And, dashing aft, I lent my assistance to the man who was tending the helm.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And, dashing aft, I lent my assistance to the man who was tending the helm.
the activity of contributing to the fulfillment of a need or furtherance of an effort or purpose
From this reading And, dashing aft, I lent my assistance to the man who was tending the helm.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Better that than that both craft should be destroyed."
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading "Hard up with your helm," I shouted, "hard over with it; we must take our chance of being swamped.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading Better that than that both craft should be destroyed."
the two together, not just one
From this reading Better that than that both craft should be destroyed."
showing who or what does the action
From this reading A Middy in Command--by Harry Collingwood CHAPTER SIXTEEN.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading "Hard up with your helm," I shouted, "hard over with it; we must take our chance of being swamped.
a subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled
From this reading A Middy in Command--by Harry Collingwood CHAPTER SIXTEEN.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A Middy in Command--by Harry Collingwood CHAPTER SIXTEEN.
an authoritative direction or instruction to do something
From this reading A Middy in Command--by Harry Collingwood CHAPTER SIXTEEN.
the skilled practice of a practical occupation
From this reading Better that than that both craft should be destroyed."
lively and spirited
From this reading And, dashing aft, I lent my assistance to the man who was tending the helm.
spoiled or ruined or demolished
From this reading Better that than that both craft should be destroyed."
an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
From this reading SOME VICISSITUDES OF FORTUNE.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading "Hard up with your helm," I shouted, "hard over with it; we must take our chance of being swamped.
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading A Middy in Command--by Harry Collingwood CHAPTER SIXTEEN.
steering mechanism for a vessel; a mechanical device by which a vessel is steered
From this reading "Hard up with your helm," I shouted, "hard over with it; we must take our chance of being swamped.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Hard up with your helm," I shouted, "hard over with it; we must take our chance of being swamped.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A Middy in Command--by Harry Collingwood CHAPTER SIXTEEN.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Hard up with your helm," I shouted, "hard over with it; we must take our chance of being swamped.
a period of 40 weekdays from Ash Wednesday to Holy Saturday
From this reading And, dashing aft, I lent my assistance to the man who was tending the helm.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading And, dashing aft, I lent my assistance to the man who was tending the helm.
blouse with a sailor collar
From this reading A Middy in Command--by Harry Collingwood CHAPTER SIXTEEN.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "Hard up with your helm," I shouted, "hard over with it; we must take our chance of being swamped.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading And, dashing aft, I lent my assistance to the man who was tending the helm.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading SOME VICISSITUDES OF FORTUNE.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading "Hard up with your helm," I shouted, "hard over with it; we must take our chance of being swamped.
above and across; more than
From this reading "Hard up with your helm," I shouted, "hard over with it; we must take our chance of being swamped.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading Better that than that both craft should be destroyed."
in a vehement outcry
From this reading "Hard up with your helm," I shouted, "hard over with it; we must take our chance of being swamped.
being one more than fifteen
From this reading A Middy in Command--by Harry Collingwood CHAPTER SIXTEEN.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading SOME VICISSITUDES OF FORTUNE.
past form of “swamp” — drench or submerge or be drenched or submerged
From this reading "Hard up with your helm," I shouted, "hard over with it; we must take our chance of being swamped.
carry out
From this reading "Hard up with your helm," I shouted, "hard over with it; we must take our chance of being swamped.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading And, dashing aft, I lent my assistance to the man who was tending the helm.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Better that than that both craft should be destroyed."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Better that than that both craft should be destroyed."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And, dashing aft, I lent my assistance to the man who was tending the helm.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And, dashing aft, I lent my assistance to the man who was tending the helm.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Hard up with your helm," I shouted, "hard over with it; we must take our chance of being swamped.
plural of “vicissitude” — a variation in circumstances or fortune at different times in your life or in the development of something
From this reading SOME VICISSITUDES OF FORTUNE.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And, dashing aft, I lent my assistance to the man who was tending the helm.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Hard up with your helm," I shouted, "hard over with it; we must take our chance of being swamped.
which person or people
From this reading And, dashing aft, I lent my assistance to the man who was tending the helm.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Hard up with your helm," I shouted, "hard over with it; we must take our chance of being swamped.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Hard up with your helm," I shouted, "hard over with it; we must take our chance of being swamped.
Chapter 7 of A Middy in Command by Harry Collingwood holds 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 7 holds 405 sentences of A Middy in Command, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of A Middy in Command by Harry Collingwood exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 7 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.
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Yes. All 3340 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21064 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21064, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 278 minutes of reading across 668 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Middy in Command section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of A Middy in Command 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 Middy in Command, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
