Chapter 9 of Island Tales / On the Makaloa Mat is here in full — 199 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Island Tales / On the Makaloa Mat is here in full — 199 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Deuce take it!” he cried to me. “It stinks to heaven. And I shall be doomed to wear it until we’re rescued.” There was no mistaking the object of his abhorrence. The ancient crone was making a dearest-loved _lei_ (wreath) of the fruit of the _hala_ which is the screw-pine or pandanus of the South Pacific.
Chapter 9 of Island Tales / On the Makaloa Mat is here in full — 199 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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.
hate coupled with disgust
From this reading “There was no mistaking the object of his abhorrence.”
an ugly evil-looking old woman
From this reading “The ancient crone was making a dearest-loved _lei_ (wreath) of the fruit of the _hala_ which is the screw-pine or pandanus of the South Pacific.”
a tie in tennis or table tennis that requires winning two successive points to win the game
From this reading ““Deuce take it!” he cried to me.”
flower arrangement consisting of a circular band of foliage or flowers for ornamental purposes
putting the wrong interpretation on
From this reading “There was no mistaking the object of his abhorrence.”
fiber from leaves of the pandanus tree; used for woven articles (such as mats)
From this reading “The ancient crone was making a dearest-loved _lei_ (wreath) of the fruit of the _hala_ which is the screw-pine or pandanus of the South Pacific.”
plural of “stink” — a distinctive odor that is offensively unpleasant
From this reading ““It stinks to heaven.”
flower arrangement consisting of a circular band of foliage or flowers for ornamental purposes
From this reading “The ancient crone was making a dearest-loved _lei_ (wreath) of the fruit of the _hala_ which is the screw-pine or pandanus of the South Pacific.”
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 The ancient crone was making a dearest-loved _lei_ (wreath) of the fruit of the _hala_ which is the screw-pine or pandanus of the South Pacific.
hate coupled with disgust
From this reading There was no mistaking the object of his abhorrence.
Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence or deeply revered.
From this reading The ancient crone was making a dearest-loved _lei_ (wreath) of the fruit of the _hala_ which is the screw-pine or pandanus of the South Pacific.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And I shall be doomed to wear it until we’re rescued.”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading And I shall be doomed to wear it until we’re rescued.”
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “Deuce take it!” he cried to me.
an ugly evil-looking old woman
From this reading The ancient crone was making a dearest-loved _lei_ (wreath) of the fruit of the _hala_ which is the screw-pine or pandanus of the South Pacific.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ancient crone was making a dearest-loved _lei_ (wreath) of the fruit of the _hala_ which is the screw-pine or pandanus of the South Pacific.
a tie in tennis or table tennis that requires winning two successive points to win the game
From this reading “Deuce take it!” he cried to me.
marked for certain death
From this reading And I shall be doomed to wear it until we’re rescued.”
the ripened reproductive body of a seed plant
From this reading The ancient crone was making a dearest-loved _lei_ (wreath) of the fruit of the _hala_ which is the screw-pine or pandanus of the South Pacific.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ancient crone was making a dearest-loved _lei_ (wreath) of the fruit of the _hala_ which is the screw-pine or pandanus of the South Pacific.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Deuce take it!” he cried to me.
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading “It stinks to heaven.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading There was no mistaking the object of his abhorrence.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading And I shall be doomed to wear it until we’re rescued.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The ancient crone was making a dearest-loved _lei_ (wreath) of the fruit of the _hala_ which is the screw-pine or pandanus of the South Pacific.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Deuce take it!” he cried to me.
flower arrangement consisting of a circular band of foliage or flowers for ornamental purposes
From this reading The ancient crone was making a dearest-loved _lei_ (wreath) of the fruit of the _hala_ which is the screw-pine or pandanus of the South Pacific.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading The ancient crone was making a dearest-loved _lei_ (wreath) of the fruit of the _hala_ which is the screw-pine or pandanus of the South Pacific.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Deuce take it!” he cried to me.
putting the wrong interpretation on
From this reading There was no mistaking the object of his abhorrence.
not any; not one
From this reading There was no mistaking the object of his abhorrence.
a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow
From this reading There was no mistaking the object of his abhorrence.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There was no mistaking the object of his abhorrence.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading The ancient crone was making a dearest-loved _lei_ (wreath) of the fruit of the _hala_ which is the screw-pine or pandanus of the South Pacific.
the largest ocean in the world
From this reading The ancient crone was making a dearest-loved _lei_ (wreath) of the fruit of the _hala_ which is the screw-pine or pandanus of the South Pacific.
fiber from leaves of the pandanus tree; used for woven articles (such as mats)
From this reading The ancient crone was making a dearest-loved _lei_ (wreath) of the fruit of the _hala_ which is the screw-pine or pandanus of the South Pacific.
delivered from danger
From this reading And I shall be doomed to wear it until we’re rescued.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ancient crone was making a dearest-loved _lei_ (wreath) of the fruit of the _hala_ which is the screw-pine or pandanus of the South Pacific.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading And I shall be doomed to wear it until we’re rescued.”
the region of the United States lying to the south of the Mason-Dixon line
From this reading The ancient crone was making a dearest-loved _lei_ (wreath) of the fruit of the _hala_ which is the screw-pine or pandanus of the South Pacific.
plural of “stink” — a distinctive odor that is offensively unpleasant
From this reading “It stinks to heaven.
carry out
From this reading “Deuce take it!” he cried to me.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There was no mistaking the object of his abhorrence.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was no mistaking the object of his abhorrence.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Deuce take it!” he cried to me.
up to a particular time
From this reading And I shall be doomed to wear it until we’re rescued.”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was no mistaking the object of his abhorrence.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And I shall be doomed to wear it until we’re rescued.”
be dressed in
From this reading And I shall be doomed to wear it until we’re rescued.”
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The ancient crone was making a dearest-loved _lei_ (wreath) of the fruit of the _hala_ which is the screw-pine or pandanus of the South Pacific.
flower arrangement consisting of a circular band of foliage or flowers for ornamental purposes
From this reading The ancient crone was making a dearest-loved _lei_ (wreath) of the fruit of the _hala_ which is the screw-pine or pandanus of the South Pacific.
Chapter 9 of Island Tales / On the Makaloa Mat by Jack London holds 199 sentences, grouped into 40 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 9 holds 199 sentences of Island Tales / On the Makaloa Mat, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 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 199 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 9 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.
