Chapter 1 of A Sailor in Spite of Himself is here in full — 115 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of A Sailor in Spite of Himself is here in full — 115 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AUTHOR OF "THE GUNBOAT SERIES," "THE ROD AND GUN SERIES," "THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SERIES," ETC. "Halloo, Blues! What are you doing out here?" "What are you Whites doing out here?" "We came out to see you beaten."
Chapter 1 of A Sailor in Spite of Himself is here in full — 115 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE GUNBOAT SERIES," "THE ROD AND GUN SERIES," "THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SERIES," ETC.”
formed or made thin by hammering
From this reading “"We came out to see you beaten."”
a type of folksong that originated among Black Americans at the beginning of the 20th century; has a melancholy sound from repeated use of blue notes
From this reading “"Halloo, Blues!”
a small shallow-draft boat carrying mounted guns; used by costal patrols
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE GUNBOAT SERIES," "THE ROD AND GUN SERIES," "THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SERIES," ETC.”
abounding in rocks or stones
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE GUNBOAT SERIES," "THE ROD AND GUN SERIES," "THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SERIES," ETC.”
a long thin implement made of metal or wood
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE GUNBOAT SERIES," "THE ROD AND GUN SERIES," "THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SERIES," ETC.”
similar things placed in order or happening one after another
From this reading “AUTHOR OF "THE GUNBOAT SERIES," "THE ROD AND GUN SERIES," "THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SERIES," ETC.”
plural of “white” — a Caucasian
From this reading “"What are you Whites doing out here?"”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
appear or become visible; make a showing
In this reading “"We came out to see you beaten."”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE GUNBOAT SERIES," "THE ROD AND GUN SERIES," "THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SERIES," ETC.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading What are you doing out here?"
writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE GUNBOAT SERIES," "THE ROD AND GUN SERIES," "THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SERIES," ETC.
formed or made thin by hammering
From this reading "We came out to see you beaten."
a type of folksong that originated among Black Americans at the beginning of the 20th century; has a melancholy sound from repeated use of blue notes
From this reading "Halloo, Blues!
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "We came out to see you beaten."
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading What are you doing out here?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE GUNBOAT SERIES," "THE ROD AND GUN SERIES," "THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SERIES," ETC.
a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE GUNBOAT SERIES," "THE ROD AND GUN SERIES," "THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SERIES," ETC.
a small shallow-draft boat carrying mounted guns; used by costal patrols
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE GUNBOAT SERIES," "THE ROD AND GUN SERIES," "THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SERIES," ETC.
urge on with shouts
From this reading "Halloo, Blues!
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading What are you doing out here?"
a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE GUNBOAT SERIES," "THE ROD AND GUN SERIES," "THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SERIES," ETC.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE GUNBOAT SERIES," "THE ROD AND GUN SERIES," "THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SERIES," ETC.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading What are you doing out here?"
abounding in rocks or stones
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE GUNBOAT SERIES," "THE ROD AND GUN SERIES," "THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SERIES," ETC.
a long thin implement made of metal or wood
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE GUNBOAT SERIES," "THE ROD AND GUN SERIES," "THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SERIES," ETC.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "We came out to see you beaten."
similar things placed in order or happening one after another
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE GUNBOAT SERIES," "THE ROD AND GUN SERIES," "THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SERIES," ETC.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AUTHOR OF "THE GUNBOAT SERIES," "THE ROD AND GUN SERIES," "THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SERIES," ETC.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "We came out to see you beaten."
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "We came out to see you beaten."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What are you doing out here?"
plural of “white” — a Caucasian
From this reading "What are you Whites doing out here?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading What are you doing out here?"
Chapter 1 of A Sailor in Spite of Himself by Harry Castlemon holds 115 sentences, grouped into 23 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 1 holds 115 sentences of A Sailor in Spite of Himself, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of A Sailor in Spite of Himself by Harry Castlemon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 115 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 1 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 Sailor in Spite of Himself by Harry Castlemon on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4871 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54741 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #54741, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 405 minutes of reading across 975 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Sailor in Spite of Himself section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of A Sailor in Spite of Himself 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 Sailor in Spite of Himself, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
