Chapter 14 of Island Tales / On the Makaloa Mat is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of Island Tales / On the Makaloa Mat is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“She is nevertheless my ancestress,” Ah Kim protested, “the mother who gave me birth, whether I am in China or Hawaii, O Silvery Moon Blossom that I want for wife.” “I have had two husbands,” Li Faa stated placidly. “One was a _paké_, one was a Portuguese. I learned much from both. Also am I educated.
Chapter 14 of Island Tales / On the Makaloa Mat is here in full — 194 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.
produce or yield flowers
From this reading ““She is nevertheless my ancestress,” Ah Kim protested, “the mother who gave me birth, whether I am in China or Hawaii, O Silvery Moon Blossom that I want for wife.””
a communist nation that covers a vast territory in eastern Asia; the most populous country in the world
From this reading ““She is nevertheless my ancestress,” Ah Kim protested, “the mother who gave me birth, whether I am in China or Hawaii, O Silvery Moon Blossom that I want for wife.””
possessing an education (especially having more than average knowledge)
From this reading “Also am I educated.”
a state in the United States in the central Pacific on the Hawaiian Islands
From this reading ““She is nevertheless my ancestress,” Ah Kim protested, “the mother who gave me birth, whether I am in China or Hawaii, O Silvery Moon Blossom that I want for wife.””
plural of “husband” — a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading ““I have had two husbands,” Li Faa stated placidly.”
in a quiet and tranquil manner
From this reading ““I have had two husbands,” Li Faa stated placidly.”
the Romance language spoken in Portugal and Brazil
From this reading ““One was a _paké_, one was a Portuguese.”
resembling or reminiscent of silver
From this reading ““She is nevertheless my ancestress,” Ah Kim protested, “the mother who gave me birth, whether I am in China or Hawaii, O Silvery Moon Blossom that I want for wife.””
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 “One was a _paké_, one was a Portuguese.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “She is nevertheless my ancestress,” Ah Kim protested, “the mother who gave me birth, whether I am in China or Hawaii, O Silvery Moon Blossom that I want for wife.”
in addition
From this reading Also am I educated.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “She is nevertheless my ancestress,” Ah Kim protested, “the mother who gave me birth, whether I am in China or Hawaii, O Silvery Moon Blossom that I want for wife.”
a woman ancestor
From this reading “She is nevertheless my ancestress,” Ah Kim protested, “the mother who gave me birth, whether I am in China or Hawaii, O Silvery Moon Blossom that I want for wife.”
the time when something begins (especially life)
From this reading “She is nevertheless my ancestress,” Ah Kim protested, “the mother who gave me birth, whether I am in China or Hawaii, O Silvery Moon Blossom that I want for wife.”
produce or yield flowers
From this reading “She is nevertheless my ancestress,” Ah Kim protested, “the mother who gave me birth, whether I am in China or Hawaii, O Silvery Moon Blossom that I want for wife.”
the two together, not just one
From this reading I learned much from both.
a communist nation that covers a vast territory in eastern Asia; the most populous country in the world
From this reading “She is nevertheless my ancestress,” Ah Kim protested, “the mother who gave me birth, whether I am in China or Hawaii, O Silvery Moon Blossom that I want for wife.”
possessing an education (especially having more than average knowledge)
From this reading Also am I educated.
an agency in the Department of Transportation that is responsible for the safety of civilian aviation
From this reading “I have had two husbands,” Li Faa stated placidly.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “She is nevertheless my ancestress,” Ah Kim protested, “the mother who gave me birth, whether I am in China or Hawaii, O Silvery Moon Blossom that I want for wife.”
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading I learned much from both.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading “She is nevertheless my ancestress,” Ah Kim protested, “the mother who gave me birth, whether I am in China or Hawaii, O Silvery Moon Blossom that I want for wife.”
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “I have had two husbands,” Li Faa stated placidly.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “I have had two husbands,” Li Faa stated placidly.
a state in the United States in the central Pacific on the Hawaiian Islands
From this reading “She is nevertheless my ancestress,” Ah Kim protested, “the mother who gave me birth, whether I am in China or Hawaii, O Silvery Moon Blossom that I want for wife.”
plural of “husband” — a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading “I have had two husbands,” Li Faa stated placidly.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “She is nevertheless my ancestress,” Ah Kim protested, “the mother who gave me birth, whether I am in China or Hawaii, O Silvery Moon Blossom that I want for wife.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “She is nevertheless my ancestress,” Ah Kim protested, “the mother who gave me birth, whether I am in China or Hawaii, O Silvery Moon Blossom that I want for wife.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “She is nevertheless my ancestress,” Ah Kim protested, “the mother who gave me birth, whether I am in China or Hawaii, O Silvery Moon Blossom that I want for wife.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “She is nevertheless my ancestress,” Ah Kim protested, “the mother who gave me birth, whether I am in China or Hawaii, O Silvery Moon Blossom that I want for wife.”
having or showing profound knowledge
From this reading I learned much from both.
a soft silver-white univalent element of the alkali metal group; the lightest metal known; occurs in several minerals
From this reading “I have had two husbands,” Li Faa stated placidly.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “She is nevertheless my ancestress,” Ah Kim protested, “the mother who gave me birth, whether I am in China or Hawaii, O Silvery Moon Blossom that I want for wife.”
the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading “She is nevertheless my ancestress,” Ah Kim protested, “the mother who gave me birth, whether I am in China or Hawaii, O Silvery Moon Blossom that I want for wife.”
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading “She is nevertheless my ancestress,” Ah Kim protested, “the mother who gave me birth, whether I am in China or Hawaii, O Silvery Moon Blossom that I want for wife.”
to a great degree or extent
From this reading I learned much from both.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “She is nevertheless my ancestress,” Ah Kim protested, “the mother who gave me birth, whether I am in China or Hawaii, O Silvery Moon Blossom that I want for wife.”
in spite of what has just been said
From this reading “She is nevertheless my ancestress,” Ah Kim protested, “the mother who gave me birth, whether I am in China or Hawaii, O Silvery Moon Blossom that I want for wife.”
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading “She is nevertheless my ancestress,” Ah Kim protested, “the mother who gave me birth, whether I am in China or Hawaii, O Silvery Moon Blossom that I want for wife.”
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “One was a _paké_, one was a Portuguese.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading “She is nevertheless my ancestress,” Ah Kim protested, “the mother who gave me birth, whether I am in China or Hawaii, O Silvery Moon Blossom that I want for wife.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “One was a _paké_, one was a Portuguese.
in a quiet and tranquil manner
From this reading “I have had two husbands,” Li Faa stated placidly.
the Romance language spoken in Portugal and Brazil
From this reading “One was a _paké_, one was a Portuguese.
past form of “protest” — utter words of protest
From this reading “She is nevertheless my ancestress,” Ah Kim protested, “the mother who gave me birth, whether I am in China or Hawaii, O Silvery Moon Blossom that I want for wife.”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “She is nevertheless my ancestress,” Ah Kim protested, “the mother who gave me birth, whether I am in China or Hawaii, O Silvery Moon Blossom that I want for wife.”
resembling or reminiscent of silver
From this reading “She is nevertheless my ancestress,” Ah Kim protested, “the mother who gave me birth, whether I am in China or Hawaii, O Silvery Moon Blossom that I want for wife.”
declared as fact; explicitly stated
From this reading “I have had two husbands,” Li Faa stated placidly.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “She is nevertheless my ancestress,” Ah Kim protested, “the mother who gave me birth, whether I am in China or Hawaii, O Silvery Moon Blossom that I want for wife.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “She is nevertheless my ancestress,” Ah Kim protested, “the mother who gave me birth, whether I am in China or Hawaii, O Silvery Moon Blossom that I want for wife.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading “I have had two husbands,” Li Faa stated placidly.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “She is nevertheless my ancestress,” Ah Kim protested, “the mother who gave me birth, whether I am in China or Hawaii, O Silvery Moon Blossom that I want for wife.”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “One was a _paké_, one was a Portuguese.
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading “She is nevertheless my ancestress,” Ah Kim protested, “the mother who gave me birth, whether I am in China or Hawaii, O Silvery Moon Blossom that I want for wife.”
which person or people
From this reading “She is nevertheless my ancestress,” Ah Kim protested, “the mother who gave me birth, whether I am in China or Hawaii, O Silvery Moon Blossom that I want for wife.”
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading “She is nevertheless my ancestress,” Ah Kim protested, “the mother who gave me birth, whether I am in China or Hawaii, O Silvery Moon Blossom that I want for wife.”
Chapter 14 of Island Tales / On the Makaloa Mat by Jack London holds 194 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 14 holds 194 sentences of Island Tales / On the Makaloa Mat, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 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 194 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 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.
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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.
