Chapter 3 of Island Tales / On the Makaloa Mat is here in full — 192 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Island Tales / On the Makaloa Mat is here in full — 192 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Lieutenant Bowsfield,” Martha nodded. “But Hilo! I was the first woman on his back. He was a three-year-old, almost a four-year, and just broken. So black and in such a vigour of coat that the high lights on him clad him in shimmering silver.
Chapter 3 of Island Tales / On the Makaloa Mat is here in full — 192 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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.
wearing or provided with clothing; sometimes used in combination
From this reading “So black and in such a vigour of coat that the high lights on him clad him in shimmering silver.”
an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading “So black and in such a vigour of coat that the high lights on him clad him in shimmering silver.”
a town in Hawaii on the island of Hawaii
From this reading ““But Hilo!”
a commissioned military officer
From this reading ““Lieutenant Bowsfield,” Martha nodded.”
plural of “light” — (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation
From this reading “So black and in such a vigour of coat that the high lights on him clad him in shimmering silver.”
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading ““Lieutenant Bowsfield,” Martha nodded.”
-ing form of “shimmer” — shine with a weak or fitful light
From this reading “So black and in such a vigour of coat that the high lights on him clad him in shimmering silver.”
a soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal; occurs in argentite and in free form; used in coins and jewelry and tableware and photography
From this reading “So black and in such a vigour of coat that the high lights on him clad him in shimmering silver.”
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 He was a three-year-old, almost a four-year, and just broken.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading He was a three-year-old, almost a four-year, and just broken.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He was a three-year-old, almost a four-year, and just broken.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading I was the first woman on his back.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading So black and in such a vigour of coat that the high lights on him clad him in shimmering silver.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Lieutenant Bowsfield,” Martha nodded.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading He was a three-year-old, almost a four-year, and just broken.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But Hilo!
wearing or provided with clothing; sometimes used in combination
From this reading So black and in such a vigour of coat that the high lights on him clad him in shimmering silver.
an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading So black and in such a vigour of coat that the high lights on him clad him in shimmering silver.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading I was the first woman on his back.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was a three-year-old, almost a four-year, and just broken.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was a three-year-old, almost a four-year, and just broken.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading So black and in such a vigour of coat that the high lights on him clad him in shimmering silver.
a town in Hawaii on the island of Hawaii
From this reading “But Hilo!
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading So black and in such a vigour of coat that the high lights on him clad him in shimmering silver.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading I was the first woman on his back.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I was the first woman on his back.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading So black and in such a vigour of coat that the high lights on him clad him in shimmering silver.
and nothing more
From this reading He was a three-year-old, almost a four-year, and just broken.
a commissioned military officer
From this reading “Lieutenant Bowsfield,” Martha nodded.
plural of “light” — (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation
From this reading So black and in such a vigour of coat that the high lights on him clad him in shimmering silver.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Lieutenant Bowsfield,” Martha nodded.
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading “Lieutenant Bowsfield,” Martha nodded.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading So black and in such a vigour of coat that the high lights on him clad him in shimmering silver.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I was the first woman on his back.
-ing form of “shimmer” — shine with a weak or fitful light
From this reading So black and in such a vigour of coat that the high lights on him clad him in shimmering silver.
a soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal; occurs in argentite and in free form; used in coins and jewelry and tableware and photography
From this reading So black and in such a vigour of coat that the high lights on him clad him in shimmering silver.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So black and in such a vigour of coat that the high lights on him clad him in shimmering silver.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading So black and in such a vigour of coat that the high lights on him clad him in shimmering silver.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading So black and in such a vigour of coat that the high lights on him clad him in shimmering silver.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I was the first woman on his back.
three years of age
From this reading He was a three-year-old, almost a four-year, and just broken.
forceful exertion
From this reading So black and in such a vigour of coat that the high lights on him clad him in shimmering silver.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was the first woman on his back.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading I was the first woman on his back.
Chapter 3 of Island Tales / On the Makaloa Mat by Jack London holds 192 sentences, grouped into 39 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 3 holds 192 sentences of Island Tales / On the Makaloa Mat, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Island Tales / On the Makaloa Mat by Jack London exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 192 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 3 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 Island Tales / On the Makaloa Mat by Jack London on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3244 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2152 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2152, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 270 minutes of reading across 649 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Island Tales / On the Makaloa Mat section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of Island Tales / On the Makaloa Mat 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 Island Tales / On the Makaloa Mat, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
