Chapter 3 of An Old Sailor's Yarns is here in full — 78 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of An Old Sailor's Yarns is here in full — 78 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
O! a most dainty man! To see him walk before a lady and bear her fan! LOVE'S LABOR LOST. The next day, as the old seaman sat by a front window smoking his pipe after dinner, he suddenly started up with the exclamation of "Hey! what--what the devil have we here? Mary, love, hand me the glass--a mariner adrift on a grating, by the Lord Harry!"
Chapter 3 of An Old Sailor's Yarns is here in full — 78 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/15 · 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.
aimlessly drifting
From this reading “Mary, love, hand me the glass--a mariner adrift on a grating, by the Lord Harry!"”
delicately beautiful
From this reading “O! a most dainty man!”
an abrupt excited utterance
From this reading “The next day, as the old seaman sat by a front window smoking his pipe after dinner, he suddenly started up with the exclamation of "Hey! what--what the devil have we here?”
strike out (a batter), (of a pitcher)
From this reading “To see him walk before a lady and bear her fan!”
a barrier that has parallel or crossed bars blocking a passage but admitting air
From this reading “Mary, love, hand me the glass--a mariner adrift on a grating, by the Lord Harry!"”
possessive form of “love” — a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading “LOVE'S LABOR LOST.”
a man who serves as a sailor
From this reading “Mary, love, hand me the glass--a mariner adrift on a grating, by the Lord Harry!"”
a man who serves as a sailor
From this reading “The next day, as the old seaman sat by a front window smoking his pipe after dinner, he suddenly started up with the exclamation of "Hey! what--what the devil have we here?”
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 O! a most dainty man!
aimlessly drifting
From this reading Mary, love, hand me the glass--a mariner adrift on a grating, by the Lord Harry!"
later than; following
From this reading The next day, as the old seaman sat by a front window smoking his pipe after dinner, he suddenly started up with the exclamation of "Hey! what--what the devil have we here?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading To see him walk before a lady and bear her fan!
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The next day, as the old seaman sat by a front window smoking his pipe after dinner, he suddenly started up with the exclamation of "Hey! what--what the devil have we here?
have
From this reading To see him walk before a lady and bear her fan!
earlier than; in front of
From this reading To see him walk before a lady and bear her fan!
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The next day, as the old seaman sat by a front window smoking his pipe after dinner, he suddenly started up with the exclamation of "Hey! what--what the devil have we here?
delicately beautiful
From this reading O! a most dainty man!
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading The next day, as the old seaman sat by a front window smoking his pipe after dinner, he suddenly started up with the exclamation of "Hey! what--what the devil have we here?
(Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading The next day, as the old seaman sat by a front window smoking his pipe after dinner, he suddenly started up with the exclamation of "Hey! what--what the devil have we here?
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading The next day, as the old seaman sat by a front window smoking his pipe after dinner, he suddenly started up with the exclamation of "Hey! what--what the devil have we here?
an abrupt excited utterance
From this reading The next day, as the old seaman sat by a front window smoking his pipe after dinner, he suddenly started up with the exclamation of "Hey! what--what the devil have we here?
strike out (a batter), (of a pitcher)
From this reading To see him walk before a lady and bear her fan!
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading The next day, as the old seaman sat by a front window smoking his pipe after dinner, he suddenly started up with the exclamation of "Hey! what--what the devil have we here?
a brittle transparent solid with irregular atomic structure
From this reading Mary, love, hand me the glass--a mariner adrift on a grating, by the Lord Harry!"
a barrier that has parallel or crossed bars blocking a passage but admitting air
From this reading Mary, love, hand me the glass--a mariner adrift on a grating, by the Lord Harry!"
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Mary, love, hand me the glass--a mariner adrift on a grating, by the Lord Harry!"
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading Mary, love, hand me the glass--a mariner adrift on a grating, by the Lord Harry!"
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The next day, as the old seaman sat by a front window smoking his pipe after dinner, he suddenly started up with the exclamation of "Hey! what--what the devil have we here?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The next day, as the old seaman sat by a front window smoking his pipe after dinner, he suddenly started up with the exclamation of "Hey! what--what the devil have we here?
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading To see him walk before a lady and bear her fan!
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading The next day, as the old seaman sat by a front window smoking his pipe after dinner, he suddenly started up with the exclamation of "Hey! what--what the devil have we here?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The next day, as the old seaman sat by a front window smoking his pipe after dinner, he suddenly started up with the exclamation of "Hey! what--what the devil have we here?
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading To see him walk before a lady and bear her fan!
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The next day, as the old seaman sat by a front window smoking his pipe after dinner, he suddenly started up with the exclamation of "Hey! what--what the devil have we here?
a social class comprising those who do manual labor or work for wages
From this reading LOVE'S LABOR LOST.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading To see him walk before a lady and bear her fan!
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading Mary, love, hand me the glass--a mariner adrift on a grating, by the Lord Harry!"
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading LOVE'S LABOR LOST.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading Mary, love, hand me the glass--a mariner adrift on a grating, by the Lord Harry!"
possessive form of “love” — a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading LOVE'S LABOR LOST.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading O! a most dainty man!
a man who serves as a sailor
From this reading Mary, love, hand me the glass--a mariner adrift on a grating, by the Lord Harry!"
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading Mary, love, hand me the glass--a mariner adrift on a grating, by the Lord Harry!"
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Mary, love, hand me the glass--a mariner adrift on a grating, by the Lord Harry!"
used to form the superlative
From this reading O! a most dainty man!
immediately following in time or order
From this reading The next day, as the old seaman sat by a front window smoking his pipe after dinner, he suddenly started up with the exclamation of "Hey! what--what the devil have we here?
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading O! a most dainty man!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The next day, as the old seaman sat by a front window smoking his pipe after dinner, he suddenly started up with the exclamation of "Hey! what--what the devil have we here?
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The next day, as the old seaman sat by a front window smoking his pipe after dinner, he suddenly started up with the exclamation of "Hey! what--what the devil have we here?
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Mary, love, hand me the glass--a mariner adrift on a grating, by the Lord Harry!"
a tube with a small bowl at one end; used for smoking tobacco
From this reading The next day, as the old seaman sat by a front window smoking his pipe after dinner, he suddenly started up with the exclamation of "Hey! what--what the devil have we here?
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading The next day, as the old seaman sat by a front window smoking his pipe after dinner, he suddenly started up with the exclamation of "Hey! what--what the devil have we here?
a man who serves as a sailor
From this reading The next day, as the old seaman sat by a front window smoking his pipe after dinner, he suddenly started up with the exclamation of "Hey! what--what the devil have we here?
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading To see him walk before a lady and bear her fan!
the act of smoking tobacco or other substances
From this reading The next day, as the old seaman sat by a front window smoking his pipe after dinner, he suddenly started up with the exclamation of "Hey! what--what the devil have we here?
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading The next day, as the old seaman sat by a front window smoking his pipe after dinner, he suddenly started up with the exclamation of "Hey! what--what the devil have we here?
happening unexpectedly
From this reading The next day, as the old seaman sat by a front window smoking his pipe after dinner, he suddenly started up with the exclamation of "Hey! what--what the devil have we here?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The next day, as the old seaman sat by a front window smoking his pipe after dinner, he suddenly started up with the exclamation of "Hey! what--what the devil have we here?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To see him walk before a lady and bear her fan!
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The next day, as the old seaman sat by a front window smoking his pipe after dinner, he suddenly started up with the exclamation of "Hey! what--what the devil have we here?
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading To see him walk before a lady and bear her fan!
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading The next day, as the old seaman sat by a front window smoking his pipe after dinner, he suddenly started up with the exclamation of "Hey! what--what the devil have we here?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading The next day, as the old seaman sat by a front window smoking his pipe after dinner, he suddenly started up with the exclamation of "Hey! what--what the devil have we here?
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading The next day, as the old seaman sat by a front window smoking his pipe after dinner, he suddenly started up with the exclamation of "Hey! what--what the devil have we here?
in the company of; together with
From this reading The next day, as the old seaman sat by a front window smoking his pipe after dinner, he suddenly started up with the exclamation of "Hey! what--what the devil have we here?
Chapter 3 of An Old Sailor's Yarns by N. (Nathaniel) Ames holds 78 sentences, grouped into 16 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 3 holds 78 sentences of An Old Sailor's Yarns, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of An Old Sailor's Yarns by N. (Nathaniel) Ames exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 78 sentences, grouped into 16 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 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 16 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 3 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 An Old Sailor's Yarns by N. (Nathaniel) Ames on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2393 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29323 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #29323, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 199 minutes of reading across 479 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through An Old Sailor's Yarns section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of An Old Sailor's Yarns 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 An Old Sailor's Yarns, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
