Chapter 1 of Captain Jim is here in full — 256 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Captain Jim is here in full — 256 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Queer, isn’t it?” Jim said. “Rather!” said Wally. They were sitting on little green chairs in Hyde Park. Not far off swirled the traffic of Piccadilly; glancing across to Hyde Park Corner, they could see the great red motor-’buses, meeting, halting, and then rocking away in different directions, hooting as they fled.
Chapter 1 of Captain Jim is here in full — 256 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/51 · 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.
plural of “bus” — a vehicle carrying many passengers; used for public transport
From this reading “Not far off swirled the traffic of Piccadilly; glancing across to Hyde Park Corner, they could see the great red motor-’buses, meeting, halting, and then rocking away in different directions, hooting as they fled.”
-ing form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading “Not far off swirled the traffic of Piccadilly; glancing across to Hyde Park Corner, they could see the great red motor-’buses, meeting, halting, and then rocking away in different directions, hooting as they fled.”
disabled in the feet or legs
From this reading “Not far off swirled the traffic of Piccadilly; glancing across to Hyde Park Corner, they could see the great red motor-’buses, meeting, halting, and then rocking away in different directions, hooting as they fled.”
machine that converts other forms of energy into mechanical energy and so imparts motion
From this reading “Not far off swirled the traffic of Piccadilly; glancing across to Hyde Park Corner, they could see the great red motor-’buses, meeting, halting, and then rocking away in different directions, hooting as they fled.”
-ing form of “rock” — move back and forth or sideways
From this reading “Not far off swirled the traffic of Piccadilly; glancing across to Hyde Park Corner, they could see the great red motor-’buses, meeting, halting, and then rocking away in different directions, hooting as they fled.”
past form of “swirl” — turn in a twisting or spinning motion
From this reading “Not far off swirled the traffic of Piccadilly; glancing across to Hyde Park Corner, they could see the great red motor-’buses, meeting, halting, and then rocking away in different directions, hooting as they fled.”
the aggregation of things (pedestrians or vehicles) coming and going in a particular locality during a specified period of time
From this reading “Not far off swirled the traffic of Piccadilly; glancing across to Hyde Park Corner, they could see the great red motor-’buses, meeting, halting, and then rocking away in different directions, hooting as they fled.”
a silly and inept person; someone who is regarded as stupid
From this reading ““Rather!” said Wally.”
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.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Not far off swirled the traffic of Piccadilly; glancing across to Hyde Park Corner, they could see the great red motor-’buses, meeting, halting, and then rocking away in different directions, hooting as they fled.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Not far off swirled the traffic of Piccadilly; glancing across to Hyde Park Corner, they could see the great red motor-’buses, meeting, halting, and then rocking away in different directions, hooting as they fled.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Not far off swirled the traffic of Piccadilly; glancing across to Hyde Park Corner, they could see the great red motor-’buses, meeting, halting, and then rocking away in different directions, hooting as they fled.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Not far off swirled the traffic of Piccadilly; glancing across to Hyde Park Corner, they could see the great red motor-’buses, meeting, halting, and then rocking away in different directions, hooting as they fled.
plural of “bus” — a vehicle carrying many passengers; used for public transport
From this reading Not far off swirled the traffic of Piccadilly; glancing across to Hyde Park Corner, they could see the great red motor-’buses, meeting, halting, and then rocking away in different directions, hooting as they fled.
plural of “chair” — a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading They were sitting on little green chairs in Hyde Park.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading Not far off swirled the traffic of Piccadilly; glancing across to Hyde Park Corner, they could see the great red motor-’buses, meeting, halting, and then rocking away in different directions, hooting as they fled.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Not far off swirled the traffic of Piccadilly; glancing across to Hyde Park Corner, they could see the great red motor-’buses, meeting, halting, and then rocking away in different directions, hooting as they fled.
unlike in nature or quality or form or degree
From this reading Not far off swirled the traffic of Piccadilly; glancing across to Hyde Park Corner, they could see the great red motor-’buses, meeting, halting, and then rocking away in different directions, hooting as they fled.
plural of “direction” — a line leading to a place or point
From this reading Not far off swirled the traffic of Piccadilly; glancing across to Hyde Park Corner, they could see the great red motor-’buses, meeting, halting, and then rocking away in different directions, hooting as they fled.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading Not far off swirled the traffic of Piccadilly; glancing across to Hyde Park Corner, they could see the great red motor-’buses, meeting, halting, and then rocking away in different directions, hooting as they fled.
inflected form of “flee” — run away quickly
From this reading Not far off swirled the traffic of Piccadilly; glancing across to Hyde Park Corner, they could see the great red motor-’buses, meeting, halting, and then rocking away in different directions, hooting as they fled.
-ing form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading Not far off swirled the traffic of Piccadilly; glancing across to Hyde Park Corner, they could see the great red motor-’buses, meeting, halting, and then rocking away in different directions, hooting as they fled.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Not far off swirled the traffic of Piccadilly; glancing across to Hyde Park Corner, they could see the great red motor-’buses, meeting, halting, and then rocking away in different directions, hooting as they fled.
green color or pigment; resembling the color of growing grass
From this reading They were sitting on little green chairs in Hyde Park.
disabled in the feet or legs
From this reading Not far off swirled the traffic of Piccadilly; glancing across to Hyde Park Corner, they could see the great red motor-’buses, meeting, halting, and then rocking away in different directions, hooting as they fled.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Not far off swirled the traffic of Piccadilly; glancing across to Hyde Park Corner, they could see the great red motor-’buses, meeting, halting, and then rocking away in different directions, hooting as they fled.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They were sitting on little green chairs in Hyde Park.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading They were sitting on little green chairs in Hyde Park.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Queer, isn’t it?”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Queer, isn’t it?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jim said.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading They were sitting on little green chairs in Hyde Park.
a formally arranged gathering
From this reading Not far off swirled the traffic of Piccadilly; glancing across to Hyde Park Corner, they could see the great red motor-’buses, meeting, halting, and then rocking away in different directions, hooting as they fled.
machine that converts other forms of energy into mechanical energy and so imparts motion
From this reading Not far off swirled the traffic of Piccadilly; glancing across to Hyde Park Corner, they could see the great red motor-’buses, meeting, halting, and then rocking away in different directions, hooting as they fled.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not far off swirled the traffic of Piccadilly; glancing across to Hyde Park Corner, they could see the great red motor-’buses, meeting, halting, and then rocking away in different directions, hooting as they fled.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Not far off swirled the traffic of Piccadilly; glancing across to Hyde Park Corner, they could see the great red motor-’buses, meeting, halting, and then rocking away in different directions, hooting as they fled.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Not far off swirled the traffic of Piccadilly; glancing across to Hyde Park Corner, they could see the great red motor-’buses, meeting, halting, and then rocking away in different directions, hooting as they fled.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading They were sitting on little green chairs in Hyde Park.
a large area of land preserved in its natural state as public property
From this reading They were sitting on little green chairs in Hyde Park.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Not far off swirled the traffic of Piccadilly; glancing across to Hyde Park Corner, they could see the great red motor-’buses, meeting, halting, and then rocking away in different directions, hooting as they fled.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading “Queer, isn’t it?”
on the contrary
From this reading “Rather!” said Wally.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading Not far off swirled the traffic of Piccadilly; glancing across to Hyde Park Corner, they could see the great red motor-’buses, meeting, halting, and then rocking away in different directions, hooting as they fled.
-ing form of “rock” — move back and forth or sideways
From this reading Not far off swirled the traffic of Piccadilly; glancing across to Hyde Park Corner, they could see the great red motor-’buses, meeting, halting, and then rocking away in different directions, hooting as they fled.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Jim said.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Not far off swirled the traffic of Piccadilly; glancing across to Hyde Park Corner, they could see the great red motor-’buses, meeting, halting, and then rocking away in different directions, hooting as they fled.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading They were sitting on little green chairs in Hyde Park.
past form of “swirl” — turn in a twisting or spinning motion
From this reading Not far off swirled the traffic of Piccadilly; glancing across to Hyde Park Corner, they could see the great red motor-’buses, meeting, halting, and then rocking away in different directions, hooting as they fled.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Not far off swirled the traffic of Piccadilly; glancing across to Hyde Park Corner, they could see the great red motor-’buses, meeting, halting, and then rocking away in different directions, hooting as they fled.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Not far off swirled the traffic of Piccadilly; glancing across to Hyde Park Corner, they could see the great red motor-’buses, meeting, halting, and then rocking away in different directions, hooting as they fled.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were sitting on little green chairs in Hyde Park.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Not far off swirled the traffic of Piccadilly; glancing across to Hyde Park Corner, they could see the great red motor-’buses, meeting, halting, and then rocking away in different directions, hooting as they fled.
the aggregation of things (pedestrians or vehicles) coming and going in a particular locality during a specified period of time
From this reading Not far off swirled the traffic of Piccadilly; glancing across to Hyde Park Corner, they could see the great red motor-’buses, meeting, halting, and then rocking away in different directions, hooting as they fled.
a silly and inept person; someone who is regarded as stupid
From this reading “Rather!” said Wally.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were sitting on little green chairs in Hyde Park.
Chapter 1 of Captain Jim by Mary Grant Bruce holds 256 sentences, grouped into 52 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 1 holds 256 sentences of Captain Jim, unabridged, divided into 52 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Captain Jim by Mary Grant Bruce exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 256 sentences, grouped into 52 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 52 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 52 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 1 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 Jim by Mary Grant Bruce on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6505 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #27174 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #27174, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 542 minutes of reading across 1301 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Captain Jim section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of Captain Jim 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 Jim, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
