Chapter 18 of Captain Margaret is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of Captain Margaret is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I dined before I left the ship,” he said. “That rascal, my purser, kept me. Very good claret, your Excellency. Who’s the man next but one on my left? I seem to know his face.”
Chapter 18 of Captain Margaret is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
past form of “dine” — have supper; eat dinner
From this reading ““I dined before I left the ship,” he said.”
a title used to address dignitaries (such as ambassadors or governors); usually preceded by “Your” or “His” or “Her”
From this reading “Very good claret, your Excellency.”
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading ““That rascal, my purser, kept me.”
immediately following in time or order
From this reading “Who’s the man next but one on my left?”
an officer aboard a ship who keeps accounts and attends to the passengers' welfare
From this reading ““That rascal, my purser, kept me.”
a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel
From this reading ““That rascal, my purser, kept me.”
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “I seem to know his face.””
transport commercially
From this reading ““I dined before I left the ship,” he said.”
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.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading “I dined before I left the ship,” he said.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Who’s the man next but one on my left?
a dark purplish-red color
From this reading Very good claret, your Excellency.
past form of “dine” — have supper; eat dinner
From this reading “I dined before I left the ship,” he said.
a title used to address dignitaries (such as ambassadors or governors); usually preceded by “Your” or “His” or “Her”
From this reading Very good claret, your Excellency.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading I seem to know his face.”
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Very good claret, your Excellency.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I dined before I left the ship,” he said.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading I seem to know his face.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I dined before I left the ship,” he said.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading “That rascal, my purser, kept me.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I seem to know his face.”
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading “I dined before I left the ship,” he said.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Who’s the man next but one on my left?
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “That rascal, my purser, kept me.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “That rascal, my purser, kept me.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading Who’s the man next but one on my left?
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Who’s the man next but one on my left?
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Who’s the man next but one on my left?
an officer aboard a ship who keeps accounts and attends to the passengers' welfare
From this reading “That rascal, my purser, kept me.
a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel
From this reading “That rascal, my purser, kept me.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I dined before I left the ship,” he said.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading I seem to know his face.”
transport commercially
From this reading “I dined before I left the ship,” he said.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “That rascal, my purser, kept me.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I dined before I left the ship,” he said.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I seem to know his face.”
precisely as stated
From this reading Very good claret, your Excellency.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Who’s the man next but one on my left?
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Very good claret, your Excellency.
Chapter 18 of Captain Margaret by John Masefield holds 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 18 holds 407 sentences of Captain Margaret, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of Captain Margaret by John Masefield exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 18 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 Margaret by John Masefield on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 10660 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #73167 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #73167, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2132 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Captain Margaret section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of Captain Margaret 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 Margaret, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
