Chapter 8 of Cormorant Crag: A Tale of the Smuggling Days is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Cormorant Crag: A Tale of the Smuggling Days is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Were there ever pirates, then?" cried Mike excitedly. Sir Francis laughed. "It's strange," he said, "what interest boys always have taken in smugglers, pirates, and brigand stories. Why, you're as bad as the rest, boy! But there, I'm running away from your question.
Chapter 8 of Cormorant Crag: A Tale of the Smuggling Days is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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 “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading “"It's strange," he said, "what interest boys always have taken in smugglers, pirates, and brigand stories.”
with excitement; in an excited manner
From this reading “"Were there ever pirates, then?" cried Mike excitedly.”
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading “Sir Francis laughed.”
device for converting sound waves into electrical energy
From this reading “"Were there ever pirates, then?" cried Mike excitedly.”
plural of “pirate” — someone who uses another person's words or ideas as if they were his own
From this reading “"Were there ever pirates, then?" cried Mike excitedly.”
(of fluids) moving or issuing in a stream
From this reading “But there, I'm running away from your question.”
plural of “smuggler” — someone who imports or exports without paying duties
From this reading “"It's strange," he said, "what interest boys always have taken in smugglers, pirates, and brigand stories.”
plural of “story” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading “"It's strange," he said, "what interest boys always have taken in smugglers, pirates, and brigand stories.”
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.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading "It's strange," he said, "what interest boys always have taken in smugglers, pirates, and brigand stories.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "It's strange," he said, "what interest boys always have taken in smugglers, pirates, and brigand stories.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Why, you're as bad as the rest, boy!
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading But there, I'm running away from your question.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading Why, you're as bad as the rest, boy!
a youthful male person
From this reading Why, you're as bad as the rest, boy!
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading "It's strange," he said, "what interest boys always have taken in smugglers, pirates, and brigand stories.
an armed thief who is (usually) a member of a band
From this reading "It's strange," he said, "what interest boys always have taken in smugglers, pirates, and brigand stories.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But there, I'm running away from your question.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Were there ever pirates, then?" cried Mike excitedly.
at any time
From this reading "Were there ever pirates, then?" cried Mike excitedly.
with excitement; in an excited manner
From this reading "Were there ever pirates, then?" cried Mike excitedly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sir Francis laughed.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading But there, I'm running away from your question.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "It's strange," he said, "what interest boys always have taken in smugglers, pirates, and brigand stories.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "It's strange," he said, "what interest boys always have taken in smugglers, pirates, and brigand stories.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But there, I'm running away from your question.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "It's strange," he said, "what interest boys always have taken in smugglers, pirates, and brigand stories.
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading "It's strange," he said, "what interest boys always have taken in smugglers, pirates, and brigand stories.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's strange," he said, "what interest boys always have taken in smugglers, pirates, and brigand stories.
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading Sir Francis laughed.
device for converting sound waves into electrical energy
From this reading "Were there ever pirates, then?" cried Mike excitedly.
plural of “pirate” — someone who uses another person's words or ideas as if they were his own
From this reading "Were there ever pirates, then?" cried Mike excitedly.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading But there, I'm running away from your question.
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading Why, you're as bad as the rest, boy!
(of fluids) moving or issuing in a stream
From this reading But there, I'm running away from your question.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "It's strange," he said, "what interest boys always have taken in smugglers, pirates, and brigand stories.
term of address for a man
From this reading Sir Francis laughed.
plural of “smuggler” — someone who imports or exports without paying duties
From this reading "It's strange," he said, "what interest boys always have taken in smugglers, pirates, and brigand stories.
plural of “story” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading "It's strange," he said, "what interest boys always have taken in smugglers, pirates, and brigand stories.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading "It's strange," he said, "what interest boys always have taken in smugglers, pirates, and brigand stories.
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading "It's strange," he said, "what interest boys always have taken in smugglers, pirates, and brigand stories.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Why, you're as bad as the rest, boy!
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Were there ever pirates, then?" cried Mike excitedly.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Were there ever pirates, then?" cried Mike excitedly.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Were there ever pirates, then?" cried Mike excitedly.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "It's strange," he said, "what interest boys always have taken in smugglers, pirates, and brigand stories.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why, you're as bad as the rest, boy!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Why, you're as bad as the rest, boy!
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading But there, I'm running away from your question.
Chapter 8 of Cormorant Crag: A Tale of the Smuggling Days by George Manville Fenn holds 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 8 holds 404 sentences of Cormorant Crag: A Tale of the Smuggling Days, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Cormorant Crag: A Tale of the Smuggling Days by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 8 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 Cormorant Crag: A Tale of the Smuggling Days by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7382 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21295 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21295, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1477 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Cormorant Crag: A Tale of the Smuggling Days section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of Cormorant Crag: A Tale of the Smuggling Days 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 Cormorant Crag: A Tale of the Smuggling Days, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
