Chapter 1 of Across the Salt Seas is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Across the Salt Seas is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Dreams he of cutting foreign throats, of breaches, ambuscadoes, Spanish blades; of healths five fathoms deep.--Shakespeare. "Phew!" said the captain of _La Mouche Noire_, as he came up to me where I paced the deck by the after binacle. "Phew! It is a devil in its death agonies. What has the man seen and known?
Chapter 1 of Across the Salt Seas is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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.
plural of “agony” — intense feelings of suffering; acute mental or physical pain
From this reading “It is a devil in its death agonies.”
plural of “blade” — especially a leaf of grass or the broad portion of a leaf as distinct from the petiole
From this reading “Dreams he of cutting foreign throats, of breaches, ambuscadoes, Spanish blades; of healths five fathoms deep.--Shakespeare.”
plural of “breach” — a failure to perform some promised act or obligation
From this reading “Dreams he of cutting foreign throats, of breaches, ambuscadoes, Spanish blades; of healths five fathoms deep.--Shakespeare.”
the activity of selecting the scenes to be shown and putting them together to create a film
From this reading “Dreams he of cutting foreign throats, of breaches, ambuscadoes, Spanish blades; of healths five fathoms deep.--Shakespeare.”
plural of “fathom” — a linear unit of measurement (equal to 6 feet) for water depth
From this reading “Dreams he of cutting foreign throats, of breaches, ambuscadoes, Spanish blades; of healths five fathoms deep.--Shakespeare.”
past form of “pace” — walk with slow or fast paces
From this reading “"Phew!" said the captain of _La Mouche Noire_, as he came up to me where I paced the deck by the after binacle.”
English poet and dramatist considered one of the greatest English writers (1564-1616)
From this reading “Dreams he of cutting foreign throats, of breaches, ambuscadoes, Spanish blades; of healths five fathoms deep.--Shakespeare.”
plural of “throat” — the passage to the stomach and lungs; in the front part of the neck below the chin and above the collarbone
From this reading “Dreams he of cutting foreign throats, of breaches, ambuscadoes, Spanish blades; of healths five fathoms deep.--Shakespeare.”
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.
In this reading “Dreams he of cutting foreign throats, of breaches, ambuscadoes, Spanish blades; of healths five fathoms deep.--Shakespeare.”
In this reading “It is a devil in its death agonies.”
bring forth, usually something desirable
In this reading “"Phew!" said the captain of _La Mouche Noire_, as he came up to me where I paced the deck by the after binacle.”
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 It is a devil in its death agonies.
later than; following
From this reading "Phew!" said the captain of _La Mouche Noire_, as he came up to me where I paced the deck by the after binacle.
plural of “agony” — intense feelings of suffering; acute mental or physical pain
From this reading It is a devil in its death agonies.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dreams he of cutting foreign throats, of breaches, ambuscadoes, Spanish blades; of healths five fathoms deep.--Shakespeare.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading What has the man seen and known?
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Phew!" said the captain of _La Mouche Noire_, as he came up to me where I paced the deck by the after binacle.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Phew!" said the captain of _La Mouche Noire_, as he came up to me where I paced the deck by the after binacle.
plural of “blade” — especially a leaf of grass or the broad portion of a leaf as distinct from the petiole
From this reading Dreams he of cutting foreign throats, of breaches, ambuscadoes, Spanish blades; of healths five fathoms deep.--Shakespeare.
plural of “breach” — a failure to perform some promised act or obligation
From this reading Dreams he of cutting foreign throats, of breaches, ambuscadoes, Spanish blades; of healths five fathoms deep.--Shakespeare.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "Phew!" said the captain of _La Mouche Noire_, as he came up to me where I paced the deck by the after binacle.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Phew!" said the captain of _La Mouche Noire_, as he came up to me where I paced the deck by the after binacle.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading "Phew!" said the captain of _La Mouche Noire_, as he came up to me where I paced the deck by the after binacle.
the activity of selecting the scenes to be shown and putting them together to create a film
From this reading Dreams he of cutting foreign throats, of breaches, ambuscadoes, Spanish blades; of healths five fathoms deep.--Shakespeare.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading It is a devil in its death agonies.
any of various platforms built into a vessel
From this reading "Phew!" said the captain of _La Mouche Noire_, as he came up to me where I paced the deck by the after binacle.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading Dreams he of cutting foreign throats, of breaches, ambuscadoes, Spanish blades; of healths five fathoms deep.--Shakespeare.
(Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading It is a devil in its death agonies.
plural of “dream” — a series of mental images and emotions occurring during sleep
From this reading Dreams he of cutting foreign throats, of breaches, ambuscadoes, Spanish blades; of healths five fathoms deep.--Shakespeare.
plural of “fathom” — a linear unit of measurement (equal to 6 feet) for water depth
From this reading Dreams he of cutting foreign throats, of breaches, ambuscadoes, Spanish blades; of healths five fathoms deep.--Shakespeare.
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading Dreams he of cutting foreign throats, of breaches, ambuscadoes, Spanish blades; of healths five fathoms deep.--Shakespeare.
of concern to or concerning the affairs of other nations (other than your own)
From this reading Dreams he of cutting foreign throats, of breaches, ambuscadoes, Spanish blades; of healths five fathoms deep.--Shakespeare.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading What has the man seen and known?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Dreams he of cutting foreign throats, of breaches, ambuscadoes, Spanish blades; of healths five fathoms deep.--Shakespeare.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dreams he of cutting foreign throats, of breaches, ambuscadoes, Spanish blades; of healths five fathoms deep.--Shakespeare.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Phew!" said the captain of _La Mouche Noire_, as he came up to me where I paced the deck by the after binacle.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It is a devil in its death agonies.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is a devil in its death agonies.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is a devil in its death agonies.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading It is a devil in its death agonies.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading What has the man seen and known?
a white soft metallic element that tarnishes readily; occurs in rare earth minerals and is usually classified as a rare earth
From this reading "Phew!" said the captain of _La Mouche Noire_, as he came up to me where I paced the deck by the after binacle.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading What has the man seen and known?
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Phew!" said the captain of _La Mouche Noire_, as he came up to me where I paced the deck by the after binacle.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Phew!" said the captain of _La Mouche Noire_, as he came up to me where I paced the deck by the after binacle.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Phew!" said the captain of _La Mouche Noire_, as he came up to me where I paced the deck by the after binacle.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Dreams he of cutting foreign throats, of breaches, ambuscadoes, Spanish blades; of healths five fathoms deep.--Shakespeare.
past form of “pace” — walk with slow or fast paces
From this reading "Phew!" said the captain of _La Mouche Noire_, as he came up to me where I paced the deck by the after binacle.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Phew!" said the captain of _La Mouche Noire_, as he came up to me where I paced the deck by the after binacle.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Phew!" said the captain of _La Mouche Noire_, as he came up to me where I paced the deck by the after binacle.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading What has the man seen and known?
English poet and dramatist considered one of the greatest English writers (1564-1616)
From this reading Dreams he of cutting foreign throats, of breaches, ambuscadoes, Spanish blades; of healths five fathoms deep.--Shakespeare.
the Romance language spoken in most of Spain and the countries colonized by Spain
From this reading Dreams he of cutting foreign throats, of breaches, ambuscadoes, Spanish blades; of healths five fathoms deep.--Shakespeare.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Phew!" said the captain of _La Mouche Noire_, as he came up to me where I paced the deck by the after binacle.
plural of “throat” — the passage to the stomach and lungs; in the front part of the neck below the chin and above the collarbone
From this reading Dreams he of cutting foreign throats, of breaches, ambuscadoes, Spanish blades; of healths five fathoms deep.--Shakespeare.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Phew!" said the captain of _La Mouche Noire_, as he came up to me where I paced the deck by the after binacle.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Phew!" said the captain of _La Mouche Noire_, as he came up to me where I paced the deck by the after binacle.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What has the man seen and known?
in or at the place that
From this reading "Phew!" said the captain of _La Mouche Noire_, as he came up to me where I paced the deck by the after binacle.
Chapter 1 of Across the Salt Seas by John Bloundelle-Burton holds 194 sentences, grouped into 39 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 194 sentences of Across the Salt Seas, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Across the Salt Seas by John Bloundelle-Burton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 194 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 Across the Salt Seas by John Bloundelle-Burton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4560 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #52102 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #52102, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 380 minutes of reading across 912 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Across the Salt Seas section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of Across the Salt Seas 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 Across the Salt Seas, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
