Chapter 17 of Leaves from a middy's log is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Leaves from a middy's log is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
ON BOARD THE PIRATE BRIG. I started up. It was broad daylight. The ill-favoured countenance of the mule-driver was the first thing that met my gaze. The fellow was kneeling on the deck beside me, and there was a sardonic grin upon his swarthy visage as he stared at me.
Chapter 17 of Leaves from a middy's log is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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.
two-masted sailing vessel square-rigged on both masts
From this reading “ON BOARD THE PIRATE BRIG.”
the time after sunrise and before sunset while it is light outside
From this reading “It was broad daylight.”
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading “The fellow was kneeling on the deck beside me, and there was a sardonic grin upon his swarthy visage as he stared at me.”
supporting yourself on your knees
From this reading “The fellow was kneeling on the deck beside me, and there was a sardonic grin upon his swarthy visage as he stared at me.”
someone who uses another person's words or ideas as if they were his own
From this reading “ON BOARD THE PIRATE BRIG.”
disdainfully or ironically humorous; scornful and mocking
From this reading “The fellow was kneeling on the deck beside me, and there was a sardonic grin upon his swarthy visage as he stared at me.”
naturally having skin of a dark color
From this reading “The fellow was kneeling on the deck beside me, and there was a sardonic grin upon his swarthy visage as he stared at me.”
the human face (“kisser” and “smiler” and “mug” are informal terms for “face” and “phiz” is British)
From this reading “The fellow was kneeling on the deck beside me, and there was a sardonic grin upon his swarthy visage as he stared at me.”
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.
In this reading “The fellow was kneeling on the deck beside me, and there was a sardonic grin upon his swarthy visage as he stared at me.”
In this reading “It was broad daylight.”
on a ship, train, plane or other vehicle
In this reading “ON BOARD THE PIRATE BRIG.”
In this reading “The fellow was kneeling on the deck beside me, and there was a sardonic grin upon his swarthy visage as he stared at me.”
In this reading “The ill-favoured countenance of the mule-driver was the first thing that met my gaze.”
get going or set in motion
In this reading “I started up.”
In this reading “The fellow was kneeling on the deck beside me, and there was a sardonic grin upon his swarthy visage as he stared at me.”
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 fellow was kneeling on the deck beside me, and there was a sardonic grin upon his swarthy visage as he stared at me.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The fellow was kneeling on the deck beside me, and there was a sardonic grin upon his swarthy visage as he stared at me.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The fellow was kneeling on the deck beside me, and there was a sardonic grin upon his swarthy visage as he stared at me.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The fellow was kneeling on the deck beside me, and there was a sardonic grin upon his swarthy visage as he stared at me.
next to; at the side of
From this reading The fellow was kneeling on the deck beside me, and there was a sardonic grin upon his swarthy visage as he stared at me.
a committee having supervisory powers
From this reading ON BOARD THE PIRATE BRIG.
two-masted sailing vessel square-rigged on both masts
From this reading ON BOARD THE PIRATE BRIG.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading It was broad daylight.
the appearance conveyed by a person's face
From this reading The ill-favoured countenance of the mule-driver was the first thing that met my gaze.
the time after sunrise and before sunset while it is light outside
From this reading It was broad daylight.
any of various platforms built into a vessel
From this reading The fellow was kneeling on the deck beside me, and there was a sardonic grin upon his swarthy visage as he stared at me.
a boy or man
From this reading The fellow was kneeling on the deck beside me, and there was a sardonic grin upon his swarthy visage as he stared at me.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The ill-favoured countenance of the mule-driver was the first thing that met my gaze.
a long fixed look
From this reading The ill-favoured countenance of the mule-driver was the first thing that met my gaze.
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading The fellow was kneeling on the deck beside me, and there was a sardonic grin upon his swarthy visage as he stared at me.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The fellow was kneeling on the deck beside me, and there was a sardonic grin upon his swarthy visage as he stared at me.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The fellow was kneeling on the deck beside me, and there was a sardonic grin upon his swarthy visage as he stared at me.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I started up.
usually used of a face
From this reading The ill-favoured countenance of the mule-driver was the first thing that met my gaze.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was broad daylight.
supporting yourself on your knees
From this reading The fellow was kneeling on the deck beside me, and there was a sardonic grin upon his swarthy visage as he stared at me.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The fellow was kneeling on the deck beside me, and there was a sardonic grin upon his swarthy visage as he stared at me.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading The ill-favoured countenance of the mule-driver was the first thing that met my gaze.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The ill-favoured countenance of the mule-driver was the first thing that met my gaze.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading The ill-favoured countenance of the mule-driver was the first thing that met my gaze.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The ill-favoured countenance of the mule-driver was the first thing that met my gaze.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading ON BOARD THE PIRATE BRIG.
someone who uses another person's words or ideas as if they were his own
From this reading ON BOARD THE PIRATE BRIG.
disdainfully or ironically humorous; scornful and mocking
From this reading The fellow was kneeling on the deck beside me, and there was a sardonic grin upon his swarthy visage as he stared at me.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading The fellow was kneeling on the deck beside me, and there was a sardonic grin upon his swarthy visage as he stared at me.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading I started up.
naturally having skin of a dark color
From this reading The fellow was kneeling on the deck beside me, and there was a sardonic grin upon his swarthy visage as he stared at me.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The ill-favoured countenance of the mule-driver was the first thing that met my gaze.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ON BOARD THE PIRATE BRIG.
in or at that place or location
From this reading The fellow was kneeling on the deck beside me, and there was a sardonic grin upon his swarthy visage as he stared at me.
a special situation
From this reading The ill-favoured countenance of the mule-driver was the first thing that met my gaze.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I started up.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The fellow was kneeling on the deck beside me, and there was a sardonic grin upon his swarthy visage as he stared at me.
the human face (“kisser” and “smiler” and “mug” are informal terms for “face” and “phiz” is British)
From this reading The fellow was kneeling on the deck beside me, and there was a sardonic grin upon his swarthy visage as he stared at me.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was broad daylight.
Chapter 17 of Leaves from a middy's log by Arthur Lee Knight holds 159 sentences, grouped into 32 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 17 holds 159 sentences of Leaves from a middy's log, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Leaves from a middy's log by Arthur Lee Knight exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 159 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 17 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 Leaves from a middy's log by Arthur Lee Knight on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2666 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #71750 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #71750, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 222 minutes of reading across 534 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Leaves from a middy's log section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of Leaves from a middy's log 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 Leaves from a middy's log, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
