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An Outcast of the Islands
An Outcast of the Islands

Chapter V · Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of An Outcast of the Islands is here in full — 2232 sentences across 447 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for An Outcast of the Islands
Context Illustration Reading 1/446 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.
He stared on the river, past the schooner anchored in mid-stream, past the forests of the left bank; he stared through and past the illusion of the material world.
The sun was sinking.
Under the sky was stretched a network of white threads, a network fine and close-meshed, where here and there were caught thicker white vapours of globular shape; and to the eastward, above the ragged barrier of the forests, surged the summits of a chain of great clouds, growing bigger slowly, in imperceptible motion, as if careful not to disturb the glowing stillness of the earth and of the sky.
Abreast of the house the river was empty but for the motionless schooner.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

An Outcast of the Islands

Chapter V · Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of An Outcast of the Islands is here in full — 2232 sentences across 447 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/446 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.
Line 2
He stared on the river, past the schooner anchored in mid-stream, past the forests of the left bank; he stared through and past the illusion of the material world.
Line 3
The sun was sinking.
Line 4
Under the sky was stretched a network of white threads, a network fine and close-meshed, where here and there were caught thicker white vapours of globular shape; and to the eastward, above the ragged barrier of the forests, surged the summits of a chain of great clouds, growing bigger slowly, in imperceptible motion, as if careful not to disturb the glowing stillness of the earth and of the sky.
Line 5
Abreast of the house the river was empty but for the motionless schooner.

Learner Dictionary

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.

Alone adjective US /əˈloʊn/

Having no one else present.

From this reading “CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.”

Courtyard noun US /ˈkɔːrt.jɑːrd/

An unroofed area that is completely or partially enclosed by the walls of a house.

From this reading “CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.”

All words in this reading · 112

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.

a

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

above

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Under the sky was stretched a network of white threads, a network fine and close-meshed, where here and there were caught thicker white vapours of globular shape; and to the eastward, above the ragged barrier of the forests, surged the summits of a chain of great clouds, growing bigger slowly, in imperceptible motion, as if careful not to disturb the glowing stillness of the earth and of the sky.

Abreast

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Abreast of the house the river was empty but for the motionless schooner.

all

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

Almayer

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/

Having no one else present.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

amongst

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

anchored

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He stared on the river, past the schooner anchored in mid-stream, past the forests of the left bank; he stared through and past the illusion of the material world.

and

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

aquatic

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

as

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Under the sky was stretched a network of white threads, a network fine and close-meshed, where here and there were caught thicker white vapours of globular shape; and to the eastward, above the ragged barrier of the forests, surged the summits of a chain of great clouds, growing bigger slowly, in imperceptible motion, as if careful not to disturb the glowing stillness of the earth and of the sky.

away

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

bank

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He stared on the river, past the schooner anchored in mid-stream, past the forests of the left bank; he stared through and past the illusion of the material world.

barrier

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Under the sky was stretched a network of white threads, a network fine and close-meshed, where here and there were caught thicker white vapours of globular shape; and to the eastward, above the ragged barrier of the forests, surged the summits of a chain of great clouds, growing bigger slowly, in imperceptible motion, as if careful not to disturb the glowing stillness of the earth and of the sky.

before

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

between

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

big

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

bigger

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Under the sky was stretched a network of white threads, a network fine and close-meshed, where here and there were caught thicker white vapours of globular shape; and to the eastward, above the ragged barrier of the forests, surged the summits of a chain of great clouds, growing bigger slowly, in imperceptible motion, as if careful not to disturb the glowing stillness of the earth and of the sky.

both

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

brood

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

but

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Abreast of the house the river was empty but for the motionless schooner.

canoes

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

careful

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Under the sky was stretched a network of white threads, a network fine and close-meshed, where here and there were caught thicker white vapours of globular shape; and to the eastward, above the ragged barrier of the forests, surged the summits of a chain of great clouds, growing bigger slowly, in imperceptible motion, as if careful not to disturb the glowing stillness of the earth and of the sky.

caught

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Under the sky was stretched a network of white threads, a network fine and close-meshed, where here and there were caught thicker white vapours of globular shape; and to the eastward, above the ragged barrier of the forests, surged the summits of a chain of great clouds, growing bigger slowly, in imperceptible motion, as if careful not to disturb the glowing stillness of the earth and of the sky.

chain

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Under the sky was stretched a network of white threads, a network fine and close-meshed, where here and there were caught thicker white vapours of globular shape; and to the eastward, above the ragged barrier of the forests, surged the summits of a chain of great clouds, growing bigger slowly, in imperceptible motion, as if careful not to disturb the glowing stillness of the earth and of the sky.

CHAPTER

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

close-meshed

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Under the sky was stretched a network of white threads, a network fine and close-meshed, where here and there were caught thicker white vapours of globular shape; and to the eastward, above the ragged barrier of the forests, surged the summits of a chain of great clouds, growing bigger slowly, in imperceptible motion, as if careful not to disturb the glowing stillness of the earth and of the sky.

clouds

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Under the sky was stretched a network of white threads, a network fine and close-meshed, where here and there were caught thicker white vapours of globular shape; and to the eastward, above the ragged barrier of the forests, surged the summits of a chain of great clouds, growing bigger slowly, in imperceptible motion, as if careful not to disturb the glowing stillness of the earth and of the sky.

cluster

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

courtyardnounUS /ˈkɔːrt.jɑːrd/

An unroofed area that is completely or partially enclosed by the walls of a house.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

dark

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

disturb

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Under the sky was stretched a network of white threads, a network fine and close-meshed, where here and there were caught thicker white vapours of globular shape; and to the eastward, above the ragged barrier of the forests, surged the summits of a chain of great clouds, growing bigger slowly, in imperceptible motion, as if careful not to disturb the glowing stillness of the earth and of the sky.

earth

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Under the sky was stretched a network of white threads, a network fine and close-meshed, where here and there were caught thicker white vapours of globular shape; and to the eastward, above the ragged barrier of the forests, surged the summits of a chain of great clouds, growing bigger slowly, in imperceptible motion, as if careful not to disturb the glowing stillness of the earth and of the sky.

eastward

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Under the sky was stretched a network of white threads, a network fine and close-meshed, where here and there were caught thicker white vapours of globular shape; and to the eastward, above the ragged barrier of the forests, surged the summits of a chain of great clouds, growing bigger slowly, in imperceptible motion, as if careful not to disturb the glowing stillness of the earth and of the sky.

elbows

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

empty

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Abreast of the house the river was empty but for the motionless schooner.

fine

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Under the sky was stretched a network of white threads, a network fine and close-meshed, where here and there were caught thicker white vapours of globular shape; and to the eastward, above the ragged barrier of the forests, surged the summits of a chain of great clouds, growing bigger slowly, in imperceptible motion, as if careful not to disturb the glowing stillness of the earth and of the sky.

floated

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

for

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Abreast of the house the river was empty but for the motionless schooner.

forests

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He stared on the river, past the schooner anchored in mid-stream, past the forests of the left bank; he stared through and past the illusion of the material world.

globular

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Under the sky was stretched a network of white threads, a network fine and close-meshed, where here and there were caught thicker white vapours of globular shape; and to the eastward, above the ragged barrier of the forests, surged the summits of a chain of great clouds, growing bigger slowly, in imperceptible motion, as if careful not to disturb the glowing stillness of the earth and of the sky.

glowing

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Under the sky was stretched a network of white threads, a network fine and close-meshed, where here and there were caught thicker white vapours of globular shape; and to the eastward, above the ragged barrier of the forests, surged the summits of a chain of great clouds, growing bigger slowly, in imperceptible motion, as if careful not to disturb the glowing stillness of the earth and of the sky.

grass

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

great

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Under the sky was stretched a network of white threads, a network fine and close-meshed, where here and there were caught thicker white vapours of globular shape; and to the eastward, above the ragged barrier of the forests, surged the summits of a chain of great clouds, growing bigger slowly, in imperceptible motion, as if careful not to disturb the glowing stillness of the earth and of the sky.

growing

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Under the sky was stretched a network of white threads, a network fine and close-meshed, where here and there were caught thicker white vapours of globular shape; and to the eastward, above the ragged barrier of the forests, surged the summits of a chain of great clouds, growing bigger slowly, in imperceptible motion, as if careful not to disturb the glowing stillness of the earth and of the sky.

hands

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

He

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He stared on the river, past the schooner anchored in mid-stream, past the forests of the left bank; he stared through and past the illusion of the material world.

head

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

here

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Under the sky was stretched a network of white threads, a network fine and close-meshed, where here and there were caught thicker white vapours of globular shape; and to the eastward, above the ragged barrier of the forests, surged the summits of a chain of great clouds, growing bigger slowly, in imperceptible motion, as if careful not to disturb the glowing stillness of the earth and of the sky.

high

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

him

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

his

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

holding

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

house

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

if

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Under the sky was stretched a network of white threads, a network fine and close-meshed, where here and there were caught thicker white vapours of globular shape; and to the eastward, above the ragged barrier of the forests, surged the summits of a chain of great clouds, growing bigger slowly, in imperceptible motion, as if careful not to disturb the glowing stillness of the earth and of the sky.

illusion

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He stared on the river, past the schooner anchored in mid-stream, past the forests of the left bank; he stared through and past the illusion of the material world.

imperceptible

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Under the sky was stretched a network of white threads, a network fine and close-meshed, where here and there were caught thicker white vapours of globular shape; and to the eastward, above the ragged barrier of the forests, surged the summits of a chain of great clouds, growing bigger slowly, in imperceptible motion, as if careful not to disturb the glowing stillness of the earth and of the sky.

in

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

its

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

jetty

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

left

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He stared on the river, past the schooner anchored in mid-stream, past the forests of the left bank; he stared through and past the illusion of the material world.

like

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

material

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He stared on the river, past the schooner anchored in mid-stream, past the forests of the left bank; he stared through and past the illusion of the material world.

mid-stream

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He stared on the river, past the schooner anchored in mid-stream, past the forests of the left bank; he stared through and past the illusion of the material world.

mother

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

motion

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Under the sky was stretched a network of white threads, a network fine and close-meshed, where here and there were caught thicker white vapours of globular shape; and to the eastward, above the ragged barrier of the forests, surged the summits of a chain of great clouds, growing bigger slowly, in imperceptible motion, as if careful not to disturb the glowing stillness of the earth and of the sky.

motionless

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Abreast of the house the river was empty but for the motionless schooner.

network

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Under the sky was stretched a network of white threads, a network fine and close-meshed, where here and there were caught thicker white vapours of globular shape; and to the eastward, above the ragged barrier of the forests, surged the summits of a chain of great clouds, growing bigger slowly, in imperceptible motion, as if careful not to disturb the glowing stillness of the earth and of the sky.

not

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Under the sky was stretched a network of white threads, a network fine and close-meshed, where here and there were caught thicker white vapours of globular shape; and to the eastward, above the ragged barrier of the forests, surged the summits of a chain of great clouds, growing bigger slowly, in imperceptible motion, as if careful not to disturb the glowing stillness of the earth and of the sky.

of

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

on

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

ONE

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

over

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

past

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He stared on the river, past the schooner anchored in mid-stream, past the forests of the left bank; he stared through and past the illusion of the material world.

propped

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

ragged

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Under the sky was stretched a network of white threads, a network fine and close-meshed, where here and there were caught thicker white vapours of globular shape; and to the eastward, above the ragged barrier of the forests, surged the summits of a chain of great clouds, growing bigger slowly, in imperceptible motion, as if careful not to disturb the glowing stillness of the earth and of the sky.

river

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He stared on the river, past the schooner anchored in mid-stream, past the forests of the left bank; he stared through and past the illusion of the material world.

schooner

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He stared on the river, past the schooner anchored in mid-stream, past the forests of the left bank; he stared through and past the illusion of the material world.

shape

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Under the sky was stretched a network of white threads, a network fine and close-meshed, where here and there were caught thicker white vapours of globular shape; and to the eastward, above the ragged barrier of the forests, surged the summits of a chain of great clouds, growing bigger slowly, in imperceptible motion, as if careful not to disturb the glowing stillness of the earth and of the sky.

short

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

sinking

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The sun was sinking.

sky

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Under the sky was stretched a network of white threads, a network fine and close-meshed, where here and there were caught thicker white vapours of globular shape; and to the eastward, above the ragged barrier of the forests, surged the summits of a chain of great clouds, growing bigger slowly, in imperceptible motion, as if careful not to disturb the glowing stillness of the earth and of the sky.

slowly

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Under the sky was stretched a network of white threads, a network fine and close-meshed, where here and there were caught thicker white vapours of globular shape; and to the eastward, above the ragged barrier of the forests, surged the summits of a chain of great clouds, growing bigger slowly, in imperceptible motion, as if careful not to disturb the glowing stillness of the earth and of the sky.

small

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

sprouting

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

stared

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

stillness

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Under the sky was stretched a network of white threads, a network fine and close-meshed, where here and there were caught thicker white vapours of globular shape; and to the eastward, above the ragged barrier of the forests, surged the summits of a chain of great clouds, growing bigger slowly, in imperceptible motion, as if careful not to disturb the glowing stillness of the earth and of the sky.

stretch

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

stretched

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Under the sky was stretched a network of white threads, a network fine and close-meshed, where here and there were caught thicker white vapours of globular shape; and to the eastward, above the ragged barrier of the forests, surged the summits of a chain of great clouds, growing bigger slowly, in imperceptible motion, as if careful not to disturb the glowing stillness of the earth and of the sky.

summits

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Under the sky was stretched a network of white threads, a network fine and close-meshed, where here and there were caught thicker white vapours of globular shape; and to the eastward, above the ragged barrier of the forests, surged the summits of a chain of great clouds, growing bigger slowly, in imperceptible motion, as if careful not to disturb the glowing stillness of the earth and of the sky.

sun

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The sun was sinking.

surged

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Under the sky was stretched a network of white threads, a network fine and close-meshed, where here and there were caught thicker white vapours of globular shape; and to the eastward, above the ragged barrier of the forests, surged the summits of a chain of great clouds, growing bigger slowly, in imperceptible motion, as if careful not to disturb the glowing stillness of the earth and of the sky.

table

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

that

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

the

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

there

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Under the sky was stretched a network of white threads, a network fine and close-meshed, where here and there were caught thicker white vapours of globular shape; and to the eastward, above the ragged barrier of the forests, surged the summits of a chain of great clouds, growing bigger slowly, in imperceptible motion, as if careful not to disturb the glowing stillness of the earth and of the sky.

thicker

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Under the sky was stretched a network of white threads, a network fine and close-meshed, where here and there were caught thicker white vapours of globular shape; and to the eastward, above the ragged barrier of the forests, surged the summits of a chain of great clouds, growing bigger slowly, in imperceptible motion, as if careful not to disturb the glowing stillness of the earth and of the sky.

threads

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Under the sky was stretched a network of white threads, a network fine and close-meshed, where here and there were caught thicker white vapours of globular shape; and to the eastward, above the ragged barrier of the forests, surged the summits of a chain of great clouds, growing bigger slowly, in imperceptible motion, as if careful not to disturb the glowing stillness of the earth and of the sky.

through

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He stared on the river, past the schooner anchored in mid-stream, past the forests of the left bank; he stared through and past the illusion of the material world.

to

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Under the sky was stretched a network of white threads, a network fine and close-meshed, where here and there were caught thicker white vapours of globular shape; and to the eastward, above the ragged barrier of the forests, surged the summits of a chain of great clouds, growing bigger slowly, in imperceptible motion, as if careful not to disturb the glowing stillness of the earth and of the sky.

Under

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Under the sky was stretched a network of white threads, a network fine and close-meshed, where here and there were caught thicker white vapours of globular shape; and to the eastward, above the ragged barrier of the forests, surged the summits of a chain of great clouds, growing bigger slowly, in imperceptible motion, as if careful not to disturb the glowing stillness of the earth and of the sky.

vapours

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Under the sky was stretched a network of white threads, a network fine and close-meshed, where here and there were caught thicker white vapours of globular shape; and to the eastward, above the ragged barrier of the forests, surged the summits of a chain of great clouds, growing bigger slowly, in imperceptible motion, as if careful not to disturb the glowing stillness of the earth and of the sky.

verandah

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

was

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The sun was sinking.

were

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Under the sky was stretched a network of white threads, a network fine and close-meshed, where here and there were caught thicker white vapours of globular shape; and to the eastward, above the ragged barrier of the forests, surged the summits of a chain of great clouds, growing bigger slowly, in imperceptible motion, as if careful not to disturb the glowing stillness of the earth and of the sky.

whale-boat

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

where

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Under the sky was stretched a network of white threads, a network fine and close-meshed, where here and there were caught thicker white vapours of globular shape; and to the eastward, above the ragged barrier of the forests, surged the summits of a chain of great clouds, growing bigger slowly, in imperceptible motion, as if careful not to disturb the glowing stillness of the earth and of the sky.

which

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

white

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

with

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

world

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He stared on the river, past the schooner anchored in mid-stream, past the forests of the left bank; he stared through and past the illusion of the material world.

young

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHAPTER ONE Almayer propped, alone on the verandah of his house, with both his elbows on the table, and holding his head between his hands, stared before him, away over the stretch of sprouting young grass in his courtyard, and over the short jetty with its cluster of small canoes, amongst which his big whale-boat floated high, like a white mother of all that dark and aquatic brood.

Chapter 5 of An Outcast of the Islands by Joseph Conrad holds 2232 sentences, grouped into 447 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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.

What does chapter 5 of An Outcast of the Islands contain?

Chapter 5 holds 2232 sentences of An Outcast of the Islands, unabridged, divided into 447 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 5 of An Outcast of the Islands by Joseph Conrad exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 2232 sentences, grouped into 447 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.

How do I study chapter 5 of An Outcast of the Islands?

Work through the 447 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 447 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.

Can chapter 5 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 5 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.

Questions about reading An Outcast of the Islands

Common questions about reading An Outcast of the Islands by Joseph Conrad on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of An Outcast of the Islands?

Yes. All 8405 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #638 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of An Outcast of the Islands is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #638, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does An Outcast of the Islands take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1681 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read An Outcast of the Islands section by section

How to work through An Outcast of the Islands section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 5 chapters of An Outcast of the Islands to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in An Outcast of the Islands

Words and structures a reader meets early in An Outcast of the Islands, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Stepped
A word that appears in the opening chapter of An Outcast of the Islands; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Straight
A word that appears in the opening chapter of An Outcast of the Islands; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Narrow
A word that appears in the opening chapter of An Outcast of the Islands; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Peculiar
A word that appears in the opening chapter of An Outcast of the Islands; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.