Chapter 17 of Cursed is here in full — 189 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Cursed is here in full — 189 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
HAL SHOWS HIS TEETH Fergus McLaughlin, though down, had not yet taken the count. True, Hal had felled him to his own deck, half-stunned; but the wiry Scot, toughened by many seas, had never yet learned to spell “defeat.” For him, the battle was just beginning. He managed to rise on hands and knees. Mouthing curses, he swayed there.
Chapter 17 of Cursed is here in full — 189 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/37 · 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 “curse” — profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger
From this reading “Mouthing curses, he swayed there.”
an unsuccessful ending to a struggle or contest
From this reading “True, Hal had felled him to his own deck, half-stunned; but the wiry Scot, toughened by many seas, had never yet learned to spell “defeat.””
past form of “fell” — cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading “True, Hal had felled him to his own deck, half-stunned; but the wiry Scot, toughened by many seas, had never yet learned to spell “defeat.””
-ing form of “mouth” — express in speech
From this reading “Mouthing curses, he swayed there.”
a native or inhabitant of Scotland
From this reading “True, Hal had felled him to his own deck, half-stunned; but the wiry Scot, toughened by many seas, had never yet learned to spell “defeat.””
past form of “sway” — move back and forth or sideways
From this reading “Mouthing curses, he swayed there.”
physically toughened
From this reading “True, Hal had felled him to his own deck, half-stunned; but the wiry Scot, toughened by many seas, had never yet learned to spell “defeat.””
lean and sinewy
From this reading “True, Hal had felled him to his own deck, half-stunned; but the wiry Scot, toughened by many seas, had never yet learned to spell “defeat.””
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He managed to rise on hands and knees.
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading For him, the battle was just beginning.
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading For him, the battle was just beginning.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading True, Hal had felled him to his own deck, half-stunned; but the wiry Scot, toughened by many seas, had never yet learned to spell “defeat.”
showing who or what does the action
From this reading True, Hal had felled him to his own deck, half-stunned; but the wiry Scot, toughened by many seas, had never yet learned to spell “defeat.”
determine the number or amount of
From this reading HAL SHOWS HIS TEETH Fergus McLaughlin, though down, had not yet taken the count.
plural of “curse” — profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger
From this reading Mouthing curses, he swayed there.
any of various platforms built into a vessel
From this reading True, Hal had felled him to his own deck, half-stunned; but the wiry Scot, toughened by many seas, had never yet learned to spell “defeat.”
an unsuccessful ending to a struggle or contest
From this reading True, Hal had felled him to his own deck, half-stunned; but the wiry Scot, toughened by many seas, had never yet learned to spell “defeat.”
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading HAL SHOWS HIS TEETH Fergus McLaughlin, though down, had not yet taken the count.
past form of “fell” — cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading True, Hal had felled him to his own deck, half-stunned; but the wiry Scot, toughened by many seas, had never yet learned to spell “defeat.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HAL SHOWS HIS TEETH Fergus McLaughlin, though down, had not yet taken the count.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For him, the battle was just beginning.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading HAL SHOWS HIS TEETH Fergus McLaughlin, though down, had not yet taken the count.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HAL SHOWS HIS TEETH Fergus McLaughlin, though down, had not yet taken the count.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading True, Hal had felled him to his own deck, half-stunned; but the wiry Scot, toughened by many seas, had never yet learned to spell “defeat.”
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading He managed to rise on hands and knees.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He managed to rise on hands and knees.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading True, Hal had felled him to his own deck, half-stunned; but the wiry Scot, toughened by many seas, had never yet learned to spell “defeat.”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading HAL SHOWS HIS TEETH Fergus McLaughlin, though down, had not yet taken the count.
and nothing more
From this reading For him, the battle was just beginning.
plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading He managed to rise on hands and knees.
having or showing profound knowledge
From this reading True, Hal had felled him to his own deck, half-stunned; but the wiry Scot, toughened by many seas, had never yet learned to spell “defeat.”
past form of “manage” — be successful; achieve a goal
From this reading He managed to rise on hands and knees.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading True, Hal had felled him to his own deck, half-stunned; but the wiry Scot, toughened by many seas, had never yet learned to spell “defeat.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HAL SHOWS HIS TEETH Fergus McLaughlin, though down, had not yet taken the count.
-ing form of “mouth” — express in speech
From this reading Mouthing curses, he swayed there.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading True, Hal had felled him to his own deck, half-stunned; but the wiry Scot, toughened by many seas, had never yet learned to spell “defeat.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading HAL SHOWS HIS TEETH Fergus McLaughlin, though down, had not yet taken the count.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He managed to rise on hands and knees.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading True, Hal had felled him to his own deck, half-stunned; but the wiry Scot, toughened by many seas, had never yet learned to spell “defeat.”
move upward
From this reading He managed to rise on hands and knees.
a native or inhabitant of Scotland
From this reading True, Hal had felled him to his own deck, half-stunned; but the wiry Scot, toughened by many seas, had never yet learned to spell “defeat.”
plural of “sea” — a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading True, Hal had felled him to his own deck, half-stunned; but the wiry Scot, toughened by many seas, had never yet learned to spell “defeat.”
plural of “show” — the act of publicly exhibiting or entertaining
From this reading HAL SHOWS HIS TEETH Fergus McLaughlin, though down, had not yet taken the count.
orally recite the letters of or give the spelling of
From this reading True, Hal had felled him to his own deck, half-stunned; but the wiry Scot, toughened by many seas, had never yet learned to spell “defeat.”
past form of “sway” — move back and forth or sideways
From this reading Mouthing curses, he swayed there.
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading HAL SHOWS HIS TEETH Fergus McLaughlin, though down, had not yet taken the count.
the kind and number and arrangement of teeth (collectively) in a person or animal
From this reading HAL SHOWS HIS TEETH Fergus McLaughlin, though down, had not yet taken the count.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading HAL SHOWS HIS TEETH Fergus McLaughlin, though down, had not yet taken the count.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Mouthing curses, he swayed there.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading HAL SHOWS HIS TEETH Fergus McLaughlin, though down, had not yet taken the count.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading True, Hal had felled him to his own deck, half-stunned; but the wiry Scot, toughened by many seas, had never yet learned to spell “defeat.”
physically toughened
From this reading True, Hal had felled him to his own deck, half-stunned; but the wiry Scot, toughened by many seas, had never yet learned to spell “defeat.”
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading True, Hal had felled him to his own deck, half-stunned; but the wiry Scot, toughened by many seas, had never yet learned to spell “defeat.”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading For him, the battle was just beginning.
lean and sinewy
From this reading True, Hal had felled him to his own deck, half-stunned; but the wiry Scot, toughened by many seas, had never yet learned to spell “defeat.”
but in spite of that
From this reading HAL SHOWS HIS TEETH Fergus McLaughlin, though down, had not yet taken the count.
Chapter 17 of Cursed by George Allan England holds 189 sentences, grouped into 38 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 17 holds 189 sentences of Cursed, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Cursed by George Allan England exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 189 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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 Cursed by George Allan England on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7915 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #48068 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #48068, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1583 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Cursed section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Cursed 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 Cursed, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
