Chapter 20 of All Adrift is here in full — 112 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of All Adrift is here in full — 112 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MR. PEPPERS FINDS THE TABLES TURNED. Dory Dornwood gathered himself up after his defeat, and stood upon his legs again. He was mortified at the result of his attempt to release the officer, and improve his situation in the boat. He had thought of using the tiller as a weapon, and now he was sorry he had not done so.
Chapter 20 of All Adrift is here in full — 112 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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.
an unsuccessful ending to a struggle or contest
From this reading “Dory Dornwood gathered himself up after his defeat, and stood upon his legs again.”
a small boat of shallow draft with cross thwarts for seats and rowlocks for oars with which it is propelled
From this reading “Dory Dornwood gathered himself up after his defeat, and stood upon his legs again.”
to make better
From this reading “He was mortified at the result of his attempt to release the officer, and improve his situation in the boat.”
suffering from tissue death
From this reading “He was mortified at the result of his attempt to release the officer, and improve his situation in the boat.”
plural of “pepper” — climber having dark red berries (peppercorns) when fully ripe; southern India and Sri Lanka; naturalized in northern Burma and Assam
From this reading “PEPPERS FINDS THE TABLES TURNED.”
release, as from one's grip
From this reading “He was mortified at the result of his attempt to release the officer, and improve his situation in the boat.”
plural of “table” — a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading “PEPPERS FINDS THE TABLES TURNED.”
a shoot that sprouts from the base of a grass
From this reading “He had thought of using the tiller as a weapon, and now he was sorry he had not done so.”
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 He had thought of using the tiller as a weapon, and now he was sorry he had not done so.
later than; following
From this reading Dory Dornwood gathered himself up after his defeat, and stood upon his legs again.
anew
From this reading Dory Dornwood gathered himself up after his defeat, and stood upon his legs again.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Dory Dornwood gathered himself up after his defeat, and stood upon his legs again.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He had thought of using the tiller as a weapon, and now he was sorry he had not done so.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He was mortified at the result of his attempt to release the officer, and improve his situation in the boat.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading He was mortified at the result of his attempt to release the officer, and improve his situation in the boat.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading He was mortified at the result of his attempt to release the officer, and improve his situation in the boat.
an unsuccessful ending to a struggle or contest
From this reading Dory Dornwood gathered himself up after his defeat, and stood upon his legs again.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading He had thought of using the tiller as a weapon, and now he was sorry he had not done so.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dory Dornwood gathered himself up after his defeat, and stood upon his legs again.
a small boat of shallow draft with cross thwarts for seats and rowlocks for oars with which it is propelled
From this reading Dory Dornwood gathered himself up after his defeat, and stood upon his legs again.
plural of “find” — a productive insight
From this reading PEPPERS FINDS THE TABLES TURNED.
brought together in one place
From this reading Dory Dornwood gathered himself up after his defeat, and stood upon his legs again.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had thought of using the tiller as a weapon, and now he was sorry he had not done so.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was mortified at the result of his attempt to release the officer, and improve his situation in the boat.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Dory Dornwood gathered himself up after his defeat, and stood upon his legs again.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Dory Dornwood gathered himself up after his defeat, and stood upon his legs again.
to make better
From this reading He was mortified at the result of his attempt to release the officer, and improve his situation in the boat.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He was mortified at the result of his attempt to release the officer, and improve his situation in the boat.
staying power
From this reading Dory Dornwood gathered himself up after his defeat, and stood upon his legs again.
suffering from tissue death
From this reading He was mortified at the result of his attempt to release the officer, and improve his situation in the boat.
a form of address for a man
From this reading MR.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He had thought of using the tiller as a weapon, and now he was sorry he had not done so.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading He had thought of using the tiller as a weapon, and now he was sorry he had not done so.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He was mortified at the result of his attempt to release the officer, and improve his situation in the boat.
any person in the armed services who holds a position of authority or command
From this reading He was mortified at the result of his attempt to release the officer, and improve his situation in the boat.
plural of “pepper” — climber having dark red berries (peppercorns) when fully ripe; southern India and Sri Lanka; naturalized in northern Burma and Assam
From this reading PEPPERS FINDS THE TABLES TURNED.
release, as from one's grip
From this reading He was mortified at the result of his attempt to release the officer, and improve his situation in the boat.
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading He was mortified at the result of his attempt to release the officer, and improve his situation in the boat.
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading He was mortified at the result of his attempt to release the officer, and improve his situation in the boat.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading He had thought of using the tiller as a weapon, and now he was sorry he had not done so.
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading He had thought of using the tiller as a weapon, and now he was sorry he had not done so.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Dory Dornwood gathered himself up after his defeat, and stood upon his legs again.
plural of “table” — a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading PEPPERS FINDS THE TABLES TURNED.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading PEPPERS FINDS THE TABLES TURNED.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading He had thought of using the tiller as a weapon, and now he was sorry he had not done so.
a shoot that sprouts from the base of a grass
From this reading He had thought of using the tiller as a weapon, and now he was sorry he had not done so.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He was mortified at the result of his attempt to release the officer, and improve his situation in the boat.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading PEPPERS FINDS THE TABLES TURNED.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Dory Dornwood gathered himself up after his defeat, and stood upon his legs again.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Dory Dornwood gathered himself up after his defeat, and stood upon his legs again.
an act that exploits or victimizes someone (treats them unfairly)
From this reading He had thought of using the tiller as a weapon, and now he was sorry he had not done so.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was mortified at the result of his attempt to release the officer, and improve his situation in the boat.
any instrument or instrumentality used in fighting or hunting
From this reading He had thought of using the tiller as a weapon, and now he was sorry he had not done so.
Chapter 20 of All Adrift by Oliver Optic holds 112 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 20 holds 112 sentences of All Adrift, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of All Adrift by Oliver Optic exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 112 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 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 All Adrift by Oliver Optic on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3924 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25577 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25577, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 327 minutes of reading across 785 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through All Adrift section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of All Adrift 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 All Adrift, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
