Chapter 17 of Cast Upon the Breakers is here in full — 154 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Cast Upon the Breakers is here in full — 154 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
RODNEY’S SECRET IS DISCOVERED. Jasper lost no time in acquainting his uncle with Rodney’s extraordinary good fortune. James Redwood was surprised, but not all together incredulous. “I don’t understand it,” he said, “but Ropes appears to be a boy of truth. Perhaps he may have exaggerated the amount of his salary.”
Chapter 17 of Cast Upon the Breakers is here in full — 154 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/30 · 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 quantity of money
From this reading “Perhaps he may have exaggerated the amount of his salary.””
third-person singular of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading ““I don’t understand it,” he said, “but Ropes appears to be a boy of truth.”
represented as greater than is true or reasonable
From this reading “Perhaps he may have exaggerated the amount of his salary.””
not disposed or willing to believe; unbelieving
From this reading “James Redwood was surprised, but not all together incredulous.”
an opaque form of quartz; red or yellow or brown or dark green in color; used for ornamentation or as a gemstone
From this reading “Jasper lost no time in acquainting his uncle with Rodney’s extraordinary good fortune.”
the soft reddish wood of either of two species of sequoia trees
From this reading “James Redwood was surprised, but not all together incredulous.”
plural of “rope” — a strong line
From this reading ““I don’t understand it,” he said, “but Ropes appears to be a boy of truth.”
something that remunerates
From this reading “Perhaps he may have exaggerated the amount of his salary.””
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 “I don’t understand it,” he said, “but Ropes appears to be a boy of truth.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jasper lost no time in acquainting his uncle with Rodney’s extraordinary good fortune.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading James Redwood was surprised, but not all together incredulous.
a quantity of money
From this reading Perhaps he may have exaggerated the amount of his salary.”
third-person singular of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading “I don’t understand it,” he said, “but Ropes appears to be a boy of truth.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “I don’t understand it,” he said, “but Ropes appears to be a boy of truth.
a youthful male person
From this reading “I don’t understand it,” he said, “but Ropes appears to be a boy of truth.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading James Redwood was surprised, but not all together incredulous.
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading RODNEY’S SECRET IS DISCOVERED.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I don’t understand it,” he said, “but Ropes appears to be a boy of truth.
represented as greater than is true or reasonable
From this reading Perhaps he may have exaggerated the amount of his salary.”
beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable
From this reading Jasper lost no time in acquainting his uncle with Rodney’s extraordinary good fortune.
an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
From this reading Jasper lost no time in acquainting his uncle with Rodney’s extraordinary good fortune.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Jasper lost no time in acquainting his uncle with Rodney’s extraordinary good fortune.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Perhaps he may have exaggerated the amount of his salary.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I don’t understand it,” he said, “but Ropes appears to be a boy of truth.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Jasper lost no time in acquainting his uncle with Rodney’s extraordinary good fortune.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I don’t understand it,” he said, “but Ropes appears to be a boy of truth.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Jasper lost no time in acquainting his uncle with Rodney’s extraordinary good fortune.
not disposed or willing to believe; unbelieving
From this reading James Redwood was surprised, but not all together incredulous.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading RODNEY’S SECRET IS DISCOVERED.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “I don’t understand it,” he said, “but Ropes appears to be a boy of truth.
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading James Redwood was surprised, but not all together incredulous.
an opaque form of quartz; red or yellow or brown or dark green in color; used for ornamentation or as a gemstone
From this reading Jasper lost no time in acquainting his uncle with Rodney’s extraordinary good fortune.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading Jasper lost no time in acquainting his uncle with Rodney’s extraordinary good fortune.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading Perhaps he may have exaggerated the amount of his salary.”
not any; not one
From this reading Jasper lost no time in acquainting his uncle with Rodney’s extraordinary good fortune.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading James Redwood was surprised, but not all together incredulous.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “I don’t understand it,” he said, “but Ropes appears to be a boy of truth.
by chance
From this reading Perhaps he may have exaggerated the amount of his salary.”
the soft reddish wood of either of two species of sequoia trees
From this reading James Redwood was surprised, but not all together incredulous.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading RODNEY’S SECRET IS DISCOVERED.
plural of “rope” — a strong line
From this reading “I don’t understand it,” he said, “but Ropes appears to be a boy of truth.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I don’t understand it,” he said, “but Ropes appears to be a boy of truth.
something that remunerates
From this reading Perhaps he may have exaggerated the amount of his salary.”
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading RODNEY’S SECRET IS DISCOVERED.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading James Redwood was surprised, but not all together incredulous.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Perhaps he may have exaggerated the amount of his salary.”
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Jasper lost no time in acquainting his uncle with Rodney’s extraordinary good fortune.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “I don’t understand it,” he said, “but Ropes appears to be a boy of truth.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading James Redwood was surprised, but not all together incredulous.
a fact that has been verified
From this reading “I don’t understand it,” he said, “but Ropes appears to be a boy of truth.
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading Jasper lost no time in acquainting his uncle with Rodney’s extraordinary good fortune.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading “I don’t understand it,” he said, “but Ropes appears to be a boy of truth.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading James Redwood was surprised, but not all together incredulous.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Jasper lost no time in acquainting his uncle with Rodney’s extraordinary good fortune.
Chapter 17 of Cast Upon the Breakers by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 154 sentences, grouped into 31 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.
Chapter 17 holds 154 sentences of Cast Upon the Breakers, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Cast Upon the Breakers by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 154 sentences, grouped into 31 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 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 31 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 17 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 Cast Upon the Breakers by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5109 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #399 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #399, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 425 minutes of reading across 1022 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Cast Upon the Breakers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 36 chapters of Cast Upon the Breakers 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 Cast Upon the Breakers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
