Chapter 19 of Brave Old Salt is here in full — 128 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIX
Chapter 19 of Brave Old Salt is here in full — 128 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE BOAT EXPEDITION. At general quarters, on the following day, Somers looked somewhat care-worn. It was midnight when he had worked out the solution of the cipher, and at this hour he had been called to take the mid watch. But there was no happier or more exultant man in the fleet. His conquest over the cabalistic letter had confirmed his theory.
Chapter 19 of Brave Old Salt is here in full — 128 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/25 · 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.
A secret or disguised way of writing; a code used to conceal ancient secrets.
From this reading “It was midnight when he had worked out the solution of the cipher, and at this hour he had been called to take the mid watch.”
of persons; not subject to change
From this reading “His conquest over the cabalistic letter had confirmed his theory.”
the act of conquering
From this reading “His conquest over the cabalistic letter had confirmed his theory.”
joyful and proud especially because of triumph or success
From this reading “But there was no happier or more exultant man in the fleet.”
comparative of “happy” — enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading “But there was no happier or more exultant man in the fleet.”
used in combination to denote the middle
From this reading “It was midnight when he had worked out the solution of the cipher, and at this hour he had been called to take the mid watch.”
a homogeneous mixture of two or more substances; frequently (but not necessarily) a liquid solution
From this reading “It was midnight when he had worked out the solution of the cipher, and at this hour he had been called to take the mid watch.”
a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena
From this reading “His conquest over the cabalistic letter had confirmed his theory.”
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 “At general quarters, on the following day, Somers looked somewhat care-worn.”
come up with
In this reading “It was midnight when he had worked out the solution of the cipher, and at this hour he had been called to take the mid watch.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was midnight when he had worked out the solution of the cipher, and at this hour he had been called to take the mid watch.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At general quarters, on the following day, Somers looked somewhat care-worn.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It was midnight when he had worked out the solution of the cipher, and at this hour he had been called to take the mid watch.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading THE BOAT EXPEDITION.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But there was no happier or more exultant man in the fleet.
having a secret or hidden meaning
From this reading His conquest over the cabalistic letter had confirmed his theory.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading It was midnight when he had worked out the solution of the cipher, and at this hour he had been called to take the mid watch.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At general quarters, on the following day, Somers looked somewhat care-worn.
A secret or disguised way of writing; a code used to conceal ancient secrets.
From this reading It was midnight when he had worked out the solution of the cipher, and at this hour he had been called to take the mid watch.
of persons; not subject to change
From this reading His conquest over the cabalistic letter had confirmed his theory.
the act of conquering
From this reading His conquest over the cabalistic letter had confirmed his theory.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading At general quarters, on the following day, Somers looked somewhat care-worn.
a military campaign designed to achieve a specific objective in a foreign country
From this reading THE BOAT EXPEDITION.
joyful and proud especially because of triumph or success
From this reading But there was no happier or more exultant man in the fleet.
group of aircraft operating together under the same ownership
From this reading But there was no happier or more exultant man in the fleet.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading At general quarters, on the following day, Somers looked somewhat care-worn.
applying to all or most members of a category or group
From this reading At general quarters, on the following day, Somers looked somewhat care-worn.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was midnight when he had worked out the solution of the cipher, and at this hour he had been called to take the mid watch.
comparative of “happy” — enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading But there was no happier or more exultant man in the fleet.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It was midnight when he had worked out the solution of the cipher, and at this hour he had been called to take the mid watch.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His conquest over the cabalistic letter had confirmed his theory.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading It was midnight when he had worked out the solution of the cipher, and at this hour he had been called to take the mid watch.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading But there was no happier or more exultant man in the fleet.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was midnight when he had worked out the solution of the cipher, and at this hour he had been called to take the mid watch.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading His conquest over the cabalistic letter had confirmed his theory.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading At general quarters, on the following day, Somers looked somewhat care-worn.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading But there was no happier or more exultant man in the fleet.
used in combination to denote the middle
From this reading It was midnight when he had worked out the solution of the cipher, and at this hour he had been called to take the mid watch.
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading It was midnight when he had worked out the solution of the cipher, and at this hour he had been called to take the mid watch.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading But there was no happier or more exultant man in the fleet.
not any; not one
From this reading But there was no happier or more exultant man in the fleet.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was midnight when he had worked out the solution of the cipher, and at this hour he had been called to take the mid watch.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading At general quarters, on the following day, Somers looked somewhat care-worn.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading But there was no happier or more exultant man in the fleet.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading It was midnight when he had worked out the solution of the cipher, and at this hour he had been called to take the mid watch.
above and across; more than
From this reading His conquest over the cabalistic letter had confirmed his theory.
housing available for people to live in
From this reading At general quarters, on the following day, Somers looked somewhat care-worn.
a homogeneous mixture of two or more substances; frequently (but not necessarily) a liquid solution
From this reading It was midnight when he had worked out the solution of the cipher, and at this hour he had been called to take the mid watch.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At general quarters, on the following day, Somers looked somewhat care-worn.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading At general quarters, on the following day, Somers looked somewhat care-worn.
carry out
From this reading It was midnight when he had worked out the solution of the cipher, and at this hour he had been called to take the mid watch.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE BOAT EXPEDITION.
a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world; an organized system of accepted knowledge that applies in a variety of circumstances to explain a specific set of phenomena
From this reading His conquest over the cabalistic letter had confirmed his theory.
in or at that place or location
From this reading But there was no happier or more exultant man in the fleet.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading It was midnight when he had worked out the solution of the cipher, and at this hour he had been called to take the mid watch.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was midnight when he had worked out the solution of the cipher, and at this hour he had been called to take the mid watch.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was midnight when he had worked out the solution of the cipher, and at this hour he had been called to take the mid watch.
look attentively
From this reading It was midnight when he had worked out the solution of the cipher, and at this hour he had been called to take the mid watch.
at the time that
From this reading It was midnight when he had worked out the solution of the cipher, and at this hour he had been called to take the mid watch.
past form of “work” — exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading It was midnight when he had worked out the solution of the cipher, and at this hour he had been called to take the mid watch.
Chapter 19 of Brave Old Salt by Oliver Optic holds 128 sentences, grouped into 26 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 19 holds 128 sentences of Brave Old Salt, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 19 of Brave Old Salt by Oliver Optic exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 128 sentences, grouped into 26 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 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 26 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 19 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 Brave Old Salt by Oliver Optic on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4388 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37907 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #37907, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 365 minutes of reading across 878 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Brave Old Salt section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of Brave Old Salt 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 Brave Old Salt, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
