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Fighting the Sea
Fighting the Sea

Chapter XIV

Chapter 14 of Fighting the Sea is here in full — 136 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Fighting the Sea
Context Illustration Reading 1/27 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
TWO BAD CASES.
Old Capt. Elliott, so the people called him, could not climb a certain stairway.
That was not so strange, for it was the stairway of a new life, and amendment is sometimes the hardest thing one can attempt.
And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliotta little piece of paper in his pocketfor it bore him down as if it had been a millstone round his neck, and climb, he could not.
Say rather, climb he _would_ not.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Fighting the Sea

Chapter XIV

Chapter 14 of Fighting the Sea is here in full — 136 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/27 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
TWO BAD CASES.
/tuː bæd ˈkeɪsəz/
Line 2
Old Capt. Elliott, so the people called him, could not climb a certain stairway.
Line 3
That was not so strange, for it was the stairway of a new life, and amendment is sometimes the hardest thing one can attempt.
/ðæt wɑːz nɑːt soʊ streɪndʒ fɔːr ɪt wɑːz ðə ˈsterweɪ ʌv ə nuː laɪf ənd əˈmendmənt ɪz səmˈtaɪmz ðə ˈhɑːrdəst θɪŋ wʌn kæn əˈtempt/
Line 4
And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliotta little piece of paper in his pocketfor it bore him down as if it had been a millstone round his neck, and climb, he could not.
Line 5
Say rather, climb he _would_ not.
/seɪ ˈræðər klaɪm hiː wʊd nɑːt/

Learner Dictionary

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.

amendment noun US /əˈmendmənt/

the act of amending or correcting

From this reading “That was not so strange, for it was the stairway of a new life, and amendment is sometimes the hardest thing one can attempt.”

bore verb US /bɔːr/

cause to be bored

From this reading “And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.”

cases noun US /ˈkeɪsəz/

plural of “case” — an occurrence of something

From this reading “TWO BAD CASES.”

climb verb US /klaɪm/

go upward with gradual or continuous progress

From this reading “Old Capt. Elliott, so the people called him, could not climb a certain stairway.”

hardest adverb US /ˈhɑːrdəst/

superlative of “hard” — with effort or force or vigor

From this reading “That was not so strange, for it was the stairway of a new life, and amendment is sometimes the hardest thing one can attempt.”

hindered verb US /ˈhɪndərd/

past form of “hinder” — be a hindrance or obstacle to

From this reading “And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.”

mill verb US /mɪl/

move about in a confused manner

From this reading “And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.”

stairway noun US /ˈsterweɪ/

a way of access (upward and downward) consisting of a set of steps

From this reading “Old Capt. Elliott, so the people called him, could not climb a certain stairway.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

new life adjective + noun

In this reading “That was not so strange, for it was the stairway of a new life, and amendment is sometimes the hardest thing one can attempt.”

little piece adjective + noun

In this reading “And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.”

hardest thing adjective + noun counted as “hard thing”

In this reading “That was not so strange, for it was the stairway of a new life, and amendment is sometimes the hardest thing one can attempt.”

All words in this reading · 59

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Old Capt. Elliott, so the people called him, could not climb a certain stairway.

amendmentnounUS /əˈmendmənt/

the act of amending or correcting

From this reading That was not so strange, for it was the stairway of a new life, and amendment is sometimes the hardest thing one can attempt.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading That was not so strange, for it was the stairway of a new life, and amendment is sometimes the hardest thing one can attempt.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.

attemptnounUS /əˈtempt/

earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something

From this reading That was not so strange, for it was the stairway of a new life, and amendment is sometimes the hardest thing one can attempt.

BADadjectiveUS /bæd/

having undesirable or negative qualities

From this reading TWO BAD CASES.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.

boreverbUS /bɔːr/

cause to be bored

From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.

calledverbUS /kɔːld/

past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading Old Capt. Elliott, so the people called him, could not climb a certain stairway.

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading That was not so strange, for it was the stairway of a new life, and amendment is sometimes the hardest thing one can attempt.

Capt

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Old Capt. Elliott, so the people called him, could not climb a certain stairway.

CASESnounUS /ˈkeɪsəz/

plural of “case” — an occurrence of something

From this reading TWO BAD CASES.

certainadjectiveUS /ˈsɜːrtən/

definite but not specified or identified

From this reading Old Capt. Elliott, so the people called him, could not climb a certain stairway.

climbverbUS /klaɪm/

go upward with gradual or continuous progress

From this reading Old Capt. Elliott, so the people called him, could not climb a certain stairway.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading Old Capt. Elliott, so the people called him, could not climb a certain stairway.

doesauxiliary verbUS /dʌz/

the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.

Elliott

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Old Capt. Elliott, so the people called him, could not climb a certain stairway.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading That was not so strange, for it was the stairway of a new life, and amendment is sometimes the hardest thing one can attempt.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.

hardestadverbUS /ˈhɑːrdəst/

superlative of “hard” — with effort or force or vigor

From this reading That was not so strange, for it was the stairway of a new life, and amendment is sometimes the hardest thing one can attempt.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Old Capt. Elliott, so the people called him, could not climb a certain stairway.

hinderedverbUS /ˈhɪndərd/

past form of “hinder” — be a hindrance or obstacle to

From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading That was not so strange, for it was the stairway of a new life, and amendment is sometimes the hardest thing one can attempt.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading That was not so strange, for it was the stairway of a new life, and amendment is sometimes the hardest thing one can attempt.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading That was not so strange, for it was the stairway of a new life, and amendment is sometimes the hardest thing one can attempt.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.

millverbUS /mɪl/

move about in a confused manner

From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.

necknounUS /nek/

the part of an organism (human or animal) that connects the head to the rest of the body

From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.

newadjectiveUS /nuː/

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

From this reading That was not so strange, for it was the stairway of a new life, and amendment is sometimes the hardest thing one can attempt.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Old Capt. Elliott, so the people called him, could not climb a certain stairway.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading That was not so strange, for it was the stairway of a new life, and amendment is sometimes the hardest thing one can attempt.

OldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading Old Capt. Elliott, so the people called him, could not climb a certain stairway.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading That was not so strange, for it was the stairway of a new life, and amendment is sometimes the hardest thing one can attempt.

papernounUS /ˈpeɪpər/

a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses

From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.

peoplenounUS /ˈpiːpəl/

(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively

From this reading Old Capt. Elliott, so the people called him, could not climb a certain stairway.

piecenounUS /piːs/

a separate part of a whole

From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.

pocketnounUS /ˈpɑːkət/

a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles

From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.

ratheradverbUS /ˈræðər/

on the contrary

From this reading Say rather, climb he _would_ not.

roundnounUS /raʊnd/

a charge of ammunition for a single shot

From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.

SayverbUS /seɪ/

express in words

From this reading Say rather, climb he _would_ not.

seemverbUS /siːm/

give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Old Capt. Elliott, so the people called him, could not climb a certain stairway.

sometimesadverbUS /səmˈtaɪmz/

on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always

From this reading That was not so strange, for it was the stairway of a new life, and amendment is sometimes the hardest thing one can attempt.

stairwaynounUS /ˈsterweɪ/

a way of access (upward and downward) consisting of a set of steps

From this reading Old Capt. Elliott, so the people called him, could not climb a certain stairway.

stonenounUS /stoʊn/

a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter

From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.

strangeadjectiveUS /streɪndʒ/

being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird

From this reading That was not so strange, for it was the stairway of a new life, and amendment is sometimes the hardest thing one can attempt.

ThatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading That was not so strange, for it was the stairway of a new life, and amendment is sometimes the hardest thing one can attempt.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Old Capt. Elliott, so the people called him, could not climb a certain stairway.

thingnounUS /θɪŋ/

a special situation

From this reading That was not so strange, for it was the stairway of a new life, and amendment is sometimes the hardest thing one can attempt.

TWOnounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading TWO BAD CASES.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading That was not so strange, for it was the stairway of a new life, and amendment is sometimes the hardest thing one can attempt.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading And yet it does not seem as if a little piece of paper, would have so hindered Capt. Elliott—a little piece of paper in his pocket—for it bore him down as if it had been a mill–stone round his neck, and climb, he could not.

Chapter 14 of Fighting the Sea by Edward A. (Edward Augustus) [Adapter] Rand holds 136 sentences, grouped into 28 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.

What does chapter 14 of Fighting the Sea contain?

Chapter 14 holds 136 sentences of Fighting the Sea, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 14 of Fighting the Sea by Edward A. (Edward Augustus) [Adapter] Rand exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 136 sentences, grouped into 28 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.

How do I study chapter 14 of Fighting the Sea?

Work through the 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 28 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.

Can chapter 14 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 14 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.

Questions about reading Fighting the Sea

Common questions about reading Fighting the Sea by Edward A. (Edward Augustus) [Adapter] Rand on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Fighting the Sea?

Yes. All 4497 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #47165 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Fighting the Sea is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #47165, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Fighting the Sea take to read?

About 374 minutes of reading across 900 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Fighting the Sea section by section

How to work through Fighting the Sea section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 20 chapters of Fighting the Sea to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Fighting the Sea

Words and structures a reader meets early in Fighting the Sea, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Winter
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Fighting the Sea; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Saving
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Fighting the Sea; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Station
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Fighting the Sea; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Christmas
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Fighting the Sea; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.