Chapter 1 of Lancelot Biggs cooks a pirate is here in full — 526 sentences across 106 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Lancelot Biggs cooks a pirate is here in full — 526 sentences across 106 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Cooking," explained Biggs, "is simply a matter of chemistry." But he didn't expect that he'd have to prove that statement! The whole trouble started with Slops. Slops wasn't a _bad_ cook, you understand. He just wasn't a cook at all, rightly speaking.
Chapter 1 of Lancelot Biggs cooks a pirate is here in full — 526 sentences across 106 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/105 · 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.
the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions
From this reading “"Cooking," explained Biggs, "is simply a matter of chemistry."”
prepare a hot meal
From this reading “Slops wasn't a _bad_ cook, you understand.”
the act of preparing something (as food) by the application of heat
From this reading “"Cooking," explained Biggs, "is simply a matter of chemistry."”
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading “But he didn't expect that he'd have to prove that statement!”
past form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading “"Cooking," explained Biggs, "is simply a matter of chemistry."”
be shown or be found to be
From this reading “But he didn't expect that he'd have to prove that statement!”
with honesty
From this reading “He just wasn't a cook at all, rightly speaking.”
a message that is stated or declared; a communication (oral or written) setting forth particulars or facts etc
From this reading “But he didn't expect that he'd have to prove that statement!”
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.
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 "Cooking," explained Biggs, "is simply a matter of chemistry."
(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 He just wasn't a cook at all, rightly speaking.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He just wasn't a cook at all, rightly speaking.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading Slops wasn't a _bad_ cook, you understand.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Cooking," explained Biggs, "is simply a matter of chemistry."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But he didn't expect that he'd have to prove that statement!
the science of matter; the branch of the natural sciences dealing with the composition of substances and their properties and reactions
From this reading "Cooking," explained Biggs, "is simply a matter of chemistry."
prepare a hot meal
From this reading Slops wasn't a _bad_ cook, you understand.
the act of preparing something (as food) by the application of heat
From this reading "Cooking," explained Biggs, "is simply a matter of chemistry."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But he didn't expect that he'd have to prove that statement!
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading But he didn't expect that he'd have to prove that statement!
past form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading "Cooking," explained Biggs, "is simply a matter of chemistry."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading But he didn't expect that he'd have to prove that statement!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But he didn't expect that he'd have to prove that statement!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But he didn't expect that he'd have to prove that statement!
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Cooking," explained Biggs, "is simply a matter of chemistry."
and nothing more
From this reading He just wasn't a cook at all, rightly speaking.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading "Cooking," explained Biggs, "is simply a matter of chemistry."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Cooking," explained Biggs, "is simply a matter of chemistry."
be shown or be found to be
From this reading But he didn't expect that he'd have to prove that statement!
with honesty
From this reading He just wasn't a cook at all, rightly speaking.
and nothing more
From this reading "Cooking," explained Biggs, "is simply a matter of chemistry."
wet feed (especially for pigs) consisting of mostly kitchen waste mixed with water or skimmed or sour milk
From this reading The whole trouble started with Slops.
the utterance of intelligible speech
From this reading He just wasn't a cook at all, rightly speaking.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading The whole trouble started with Slops.
a message that is stated or declared; a communication (oral or written) setting forth particulars or facts etc
From this reading But he didn't expect that he'd have to prove that statement!
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading But he didn't expect that he'd have to prove that statement!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The whole trouble started with Slops.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But he didn't expect that he'd have to prove that statement!
a source of difficulty
From this reading The whole trouble started with Slops.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading Slops wasn't a _bad_ cook, you understand.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Slops wasn't a _bad_ cook, you understand.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading The whole trouble started with Slops.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The whole trouble started with Slops.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Slops wasn't a _bad_ cook, you understand.
Chapter 1 of Lancelot Biggs cooks a pirate by Nelson S. Bond holds 526 sentences, grouped into 106 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 1 holds 526 sentences of Lancelot Biggs cooks a pirate, unabridged, divided into 106 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Lancelot Biggs cooks a pirate by Nelson S. Bond exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 526 sentences, grouped into 106 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 106 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 106 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 1 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 Lancelot Biggs cooks a pirate by Nelson S. Bond on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 526 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #73924 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #73924, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 43 minutes of reading across 106 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Lancelot Biggs cooks a pirate section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of Lancelot Biggs cooks a pirate 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 Lancelot Biggs cooks a pirate, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
