Chapter 20 of In the Days of Drake is here in full — 78 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of In the Days of Drake is here in full — 78 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
HOME WITH DRAKE. During our awful captivity on board the galleon we had well-nigh lost all count or notion of time. To us one day was pretty much like another. If we slept it was only to be awakened by the overseer's whip. Day or night it was all one with us; never did our tormentors cease to afflict us.
Chapter 20 of In the Days of Drake is here in full — 78 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/15 · 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.
cause great unhappiness for; distress
From this reading “Day or night it was all one with us; never did our tormentors cease to afflict us.”
aroused or activated
From this reading “If we slept it was only to be awakened by the overseer's whip.”
the state of being imprisoned
From this reading “During our awful captivity on board the galleon we had well-nigh lost all count or notion of time.”
put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading “Day or night it was all one with us; never did our tormentors cease to afflict us.”
English explorer and admiral who was the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe and who helped to defeat the Spanish Armada (1540-1596)
From this reading “HOME WITH DRAKE.”
a large square-rigged sailing ship with three or more masts; used by the Spanish for commerce and war from the 15th to 18th centuries
From this reading “During our awful captivity on board the galleon we had well-nigh lost all count or notion of time.”
plural of “tormentor” — someone who torments
From this reading “Day or night it was all one with us; never did our tormentors cease to afflict us.”
beat severely with a whip or rod
From this reading “If we slept it was only to be awakened by the overseer's whip.”
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.
cause great unhappiness for; distress
From this reading Day or night it was all one with us; never did our tormentors cease to afflict us.
(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 During our awful captivity on board the galleon we had well-nigh lost all count or notion of time.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading To us one day was pretty much like another.
aroused or activated
From this reading If we slept it was only to be awakened by the overseer's whip.
exceptionally bad or displeasing
From this reading During our awful captivity on board the galleon we had well-nigh lost all count or notion of time.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading If we slept it was only to be awakened by the overseer's whip.
a committee having supervisory powers
From this reading During our awful captivity on board the galleon we had well-nigh lost all count or notion of time.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading If we slept it was only to be awakened by the overseer's whip.
the state of being imprisoned
From this reading During our awful captivity on board the galleon we had well-nigh lost all count or notion of time.
put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading Day or night it was all one with us; never did our tormentors cease to afflict us.
determine the number or amount of
From this reading During our awful captivity on board the galleon we had well-nigh lost all count or notion of time.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading To us one day was pretty much like another.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Day or night it was all one with us; never did our tormentors cease to afflict us.
English explorer and admiral who was the first Englishman to circumnavigate the globe and who helped to defeat the Spanish Armada (1540-1596)
From this reading HOME WITH DRAKE.
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading During our awful captivity on board the galleon we had well-nigh lost all count or notion of time.
a large square-rigged sailing ship with three or more masts; used by the Spanish for commerce and war from the 15th to 18th centuries
From this reading During our awful captivity on board the galleon we had well-nigh lost all count or notion of time.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading During our awful captivity on board the galleon we had well-nigh lost all count or notion of time.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading HOME WITH DRAKE.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If we slept it was only to be awakened by the overseer's whip.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading If we slept it was only to be awakened by the overseer's whip.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading To us one day was pretty much like another.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading During our awful captivity on board the galleon we had well-nigh lost all count or notion of time.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading To us one day was pretty much like another.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Day or night it was all one with us; never did our tormentors cease to afflict us.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Day or night it was all one with us; never did our tormentors cease to afflict us.
a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
From this reading During our awful captivity on board the galleon we had well-nigh lost all count or notion of time.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading During our awful captivity on board the galleon we had well-nigh lost all count or notion of time.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading During our awful captivity on board the galleon we had well-nigh lost all count or notion of time.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading To us one day was pretty much like another.
and nothing more
From this reading If we slept it was only to be awakened by the overseer's whip.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading During our awful captivity on board the galleon we had well-nigh lost all count or notion of time.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading During our awful captivity on board the galleon we had well-nigh lost all count or notion of time.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If we slept it was only to be awakened by the overseer's whip.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading To us one day was pretty much like another.
inflected form of “sleep” — be asleep
From this reading If we slept it was only to be awakened by the overseer's whip.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading During our awful captivity on board the galleon we had well-nigh lost all count or notion of time.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading During our awful captivity on board the galleon we had well-nigh lost all count or notion of time.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To us one day was pretty much like another.
plural of “tormentor” — someone who torments
From this reading Day or night it was all one with us; never did our tormentors cease to afflict us.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading To us one day was pretty much like another.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading To us one day was pretty much like another.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading During our awful captivity on board the galleon we had well-nigh lost all count or notion of time.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading During our awful captivity on board the galleon we had well-nigh lost all count or notion of time.
beat severely with a whip or rod
From this reading If we slept it was only to be awakened by the overseer's whip.
in the company of; together with
From this reading HOME WITH DRAKE.
Chapter 20 of In the Days of Drake by J. S. (Joseph Smith) Fletcher holds 78 sentences, grouped into 16 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 20 holds 78 sentences of In the Days of Drake, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of In the Days of Drake by J. S. (Joseph Smith) Fletcher exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 78 sentences, grouped into 16 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 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 16 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 20 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 In the Days of Drake by J. S. (Joseph Smith) Fletcher on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1988 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29304 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #29304, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 165 minutes of reading across 398 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through In the Days of Drake section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of In the Days of Drake 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 In the Days of Drake, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
