Chapter 4 of Captain Balaam of the 'Cormorant', and other sea comedies is here in full — 470 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Captain Balaam of the 'Cormorant', and other sea comedies is here in full — 470 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
'It's piracy, rank piracy,' roared Balaam, as he struggled in the grasp of Boden and his enemy, the skipper of the _Scanderbeg_. 'This is piracy, and you'll be 'ung for it!' They slammed him down upon a hencoop with considerable violence. 'Dry up, you old thief,' said Boden. 'You ought to be ashamed of yourself.
Chapter 4 of Captain Balaam of the 'Cormorant', and other sea comedies is here in full — 470 sentences across 94 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/94 · 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.
hold firmly
From this reading “'It's piracy, rank piracy,' roared Balaam, as he struggled in the grasp of Boden and his enemy, the skipper of the _Scanderbeg_.”
hijacking on the high seas or in similar contexts; taking a ship or plane away from the control of those who are legally entitled to it
From this reading “'It's piracy, rank piracy,' roared Balaam, as he struggled in the grasp of Boden and his enemy, the skipper of the _Scanderbeg_.”
past form of “roar” — make a loud noise, as of wind, water, or vehicles
From this reading “'It's piracy, rank piracy,' roared Balaam, as he struggled in the grasp of Boden and his enemy, the skipper of the _Scanderbeg_.”
a student who fails to attend classes
From this reading “'It's piracy, rank piracy,' roared Balaam, as he struggled in the grasp of Boden and his enemy, the skipper of the _Scanderbeg_.”
inflected form of “slam” — close violently
From this reading “They slammed him down upon a hencoop with considerable violence.”
past form of “struggle” — make a strenuous or labored effort
From this reading “'It's piracy, rank piracy,' roared Balaam, as he struggled in the grasp of Boden and his enemy, the skipper of the _Scanderbeg_.”
a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it
From this reading “'Dry up, you old thief,' said Boden.”
an act of aggression (as one against a person who resists)
From this reading “They slammed him down upon a hencoop with considerable violence.”
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.
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 They slammed him down upon a hencoop with considerable violence.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading 'It's piracy, rank piracy,' roared Balaam, as he struggled in the grasp of Boden and his enemy, the skipper of the _Scanderbeg_.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading 'It's piracy, rank piracy,' roared Balaam, as he struggled in the grasp of Boden and his enemy, the skipper of the _Scanderbeg_.
feeling shame or guilt or embarrassment or remorse
From this reading 'You ought to be ashamed of yourself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'It's piracy, rank piracy,' roared Balaam, as he struggled in the grasp of Boden and his enemy, the skipper of the _Scanderbeg_.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading 'This is piracy, and you'll be 'ung for it!'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'It's piracy, rank piracy,' roared Balaam, as he struggled in the grasp of Boden and his enemy, the skipper of the _Scanderbeg_.
large or relatively large in number or amount or extent or degree
From this reading They slammed him down upon a hencoop with considerable violence.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading They slammed him down upon a hencoop with considerable violence.
free from liquid or moisture; lacking natural or normal moisture or depleted of water; or no longer wet
From this reading 'Dry up, you old thief,' said Boden.
an opposing military force
From this reading 'It's piracy, rank piracy,' roared Balaam, as he struggled in the grasp of Boden and his enemy, the skipper of the _Scanderbeg_.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading 'This is piracy, and you'll be 'ung for it!'
hold firmly
From this reading 'It's piracy, rank piracy,' roared Balaam, as he struggled in the grasp of Boden and his enemy, the skipper of the _Scanderbeg_.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading 'It's piracy, rank piracy,' roared Balaam, as he struggled in the grasp of Boden and his enemy, the skipper of the _Scanderbeg_.
a farm building for housing poultry
From this reading They slammed him down upon a hencoop with considerable violence.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading They slammed him down upon a hencoop with considerable violence.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading 'It's piracy, rank piracy,' roared Balaam, as he struggled in the grasp of Boden and his enemy, the skipper of the _Scanderbeg_.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading 'It's piracy, rank piracy,' roared Balaam, as he struggled in the grasp of Boden and his enemy, the skipper of the _Scanderbeg_.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading 'This is piracy, and you'll be 'ung for it!'
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading 'This is piracy, and you'll be 'ung for it!'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'It's piracy, rank piracy,' roared Balaam, as he struggled in the grasp of Boden and his enemy, the skipper of the _Scanderbeg_.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading 'It's piracy, rank piracy,' roared Balaam, as he struggled in the grasp of Boden and his enemy, the skipper of the _Scanderbeg_.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading 'Dry up, you old thief,' said Boden.
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading 'You ought to be ashamed of yourself.
hijacking on the high seas or in similar contexts; taking a ship or plane away from the control of those who are legally entitled to it
From this reading 'It's piracy, rank piracy,' roared Balaam, as he struggled in the grasp of Boden and his enemy, the skipper of the _Scanderbeg_.
a row or line of people (especially soldiers or police) standing abreast of one another
From this reading 'It's piracy, rank piracy,' roared Balaam, as he struggled in the grasp of Boden and his enemy, the skipper of the _Scanderbeg_.
past form of “roar” — make a loud noise, as of wind, water, or vehicles
From this reading 'It's piracy, rank piracy,' roared Balaam, as he struggled in the grasp of Boden and his enemy, the skipper of the _Scanderbeg_.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading 'Dry up, you old thief,' said Boden.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'It's piracy, rank piracy,' roared Balaam, as he struggled in the grasp of Boden and his enemy, the skipper of the _Scanderbeg_.
a student who fails to attend classes
From this reading 'It's piracy, rank piracy,' roared Balaam, as he struggled in the grasp of Boden and his enemy, the skipper of the _Scanderbeg_.
inflected form of “slam” — close violently
From this reading They slammed him down upon a hencoop with considerable violence.
past form of “struggle” — make a strenuous or labored effort
From this reading 'It's piracy, rank piracy,' roared Balaam, as he struggled in the grasp of Boden and his enemy, the skipper of the _Scanderbeg_.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading 'It's piracy, rank piracy,' roared Balaam, as he struggled in the grasp of Boden and his enemy, the skipper of the _Scanderbeg_.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They slammed him down upon a hencoop with considerable violence.
a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it
From this reading 'Dry up, you old thief,' said Boden.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading 'This is piracy, and you'll be 'ung for it!'
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading 'You ought to be ashamed of yourself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'This is piracy, and you'll be 'ung for it!'
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading 'Dry up, you old thief,' said Boden.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading They slammed him down upon a hencoop with considerable violence.
an act of aggression (as one against a person who resists)
From this reading They slammed him down upon a hencoop with considerable violence.
in the company of; together with
From this reading They slammed him down upon a hencoop with considerable violence.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading 'Dry up, you old thief,' said Boden.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'This is piracy, and you'll be 'ung for it!'
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading 'You ought to be ashamed of yourself.
Chapter 4 of Captain Balaam of the 'Cormorant', and other sea comedies by Morley Roberts holds 470 sentences, grouped into 94 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 4 holds 470 sentences of Captain Balaam of the 'Cormorant', and other sea comedies, unabridged, divided into 94 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Captain Balaam of the 'Cormorant', and other sea comedies by Morley Roberts exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 470 sentences, grouped into 94 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 94 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 94 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 4 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 Captain Balaam of the 'Cormorant', and other sea comedies by Morley Roberts on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2763 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #68920 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #68920, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 230 minutes of reading across 553 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Captain Balaam of the 'Cormorant', and other sea comedies section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of Captain Balaam of the 'Cormorant', and other sea comedies 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 Captain Balaam of the 'Cormorant', and other sea comedies, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
