Chapter 1 of Light Freights is here in full — 442 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Light Freights is here in full — 442 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“For a time he kept behind.” “‘Not bad news I ’ope,’ says Bill.” “Wiped his eyes to the memory of the faithful black” “‘Wot?’ screams Ginger, ‘tattoo me?’” “There was unpleasantness all round then.” “With its head tilted back, studying the signpost.” “‘Don’t talk nonsense.’”
Chapter 1 of Light Freights is here in full — 442 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/88 · 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.
perennial plants having thick branching aromatic rhizomes and leafy reedlike stems
From this reading ““Wiped his eyes to the memory of the faithful black” “‘Wot?’ screams Ginger, ‘tattoo me?’” “There was unpleasantness all round then.””
plural of “scream” — sharp piercing cry
From this reading ““Wiped his eyes to the memory of the faithful black” “‘Wot?’ screams Ginger, ‘tattoo me?’” “There was unpleasantness all round then.””
a post bearing a sign that gives directions or shows the way
From this reading ““With its head tilted back, studying the signpost.””
reading carefully with intent to remember
From this reading ““With its head tilted back, studying the signpost.””
a drumbeat or bugle call that signals the military to return to their quarters
From this reading ““Wiped his eyes to the memory of the faithful black” “‘Wot?’ screams Ginger, ‘tattoo me?’” “There was unpleasantness all round then.””
departing or being caused to depart from the true vertical or horizontal
From this reading ““With its head tilted back, studying the signpost.””
the feeling caused by disagreeable stimuli; one pole of a continuum of states of feeling
From this reading ““Wiped his eyes to the memory of the faithful black” “‘Wot?’ screams Ginger, ‘tattoo me?’” “There was unpleasantness all round then.””
past form of “wipe” — rub with a circular motion
From this reading ““Wiped his eyes to the memory of the faithful black” “‘Wot?’ screams Ginger, ‘tattoo me?’” “There was unpleasantness all round then.””
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 “For a time he kept behind.”
(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 “Wiped his eyes to the memory of the faithful black” “‘Wot?’ screams Ginger, ‘tattoo me?’” “There was unpleasantness all round then.”
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading “With its head tilted back, studying the signpost.”
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading “‘Not bad news I ’ope,’ says Bill.”
at or toward the back of something
From this reading “For a time he kept behind.”
a statute in draft before it becomes law
From this reading “‘Not bad news I ’ope,’ says Bill.”
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading “Wiped his eyes to the memory of the faithful black” “‘Wot?’ screams Ginger, ‘tattoo me?’” “There was unpleasantness all round then.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “‘Don’t talk nonsense.’”
opinion or judgment
From this reading “Wiped his eyes to the memory of the faithful black” “‘Wot?’ screams Ginger, ‘tattoo me?’” “There was unpleasantness all round then.”
steadfast in affection or allegiance
From this reading “Wiped his eyes to the memory of the faithful black” “‘Wot?’ screams Ginger, ‘tattoo me?’” “There was unpleasantness all round then.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “For a time he kept behind.”
perennial plants having thick branching aromatic rhizomes and leafy reedlike stems
From this reading “Wiped his eyes to the memory of the faithful black” “‘Wot?’ screams Ginger, ‘tattoo me?’” “There was unpleasantness all round then.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “For a time he kept behind.”
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading “With its head tilted back, studying the signpost.”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “Wiped his eyes to the memory of the faithful black” “‘Wot?’ screams Ginger, ‘tattoo me?’” “There was unpleasantness all round then.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “‘Not bad news I ’ope,’ says Bill.”
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading “With its head tilted back, studying the signpost.”
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading “For a time he kept behind.”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Wiped his eyes to the memory of the faithful black” “‘Wot?’ screams Ginger, ‘tattoo me?’” “There was unpleasantness all round then.”
The faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information and knowledge.
From this reading “Wiped his eyes to the memory of the faithful black” “‘Wot?’ screams Ginger, ‘tattoo me?’” “There was unpleasantness all round then.”
information about recent and important events
From this reading “‘Not bad news I ’ope,’ says Bill.”
a message that seems to convey no meaning
From this reading “‘Don’t talk nonsense.’”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “‘Not bad news I ’ope,’ says Bill.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Wiped his eyes to the memory of the faithful black” “‘Wot?’ screams Ginger, ‘tattoo me?’” “There was unpleasantness all round then.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “‘Not bad news I ’ope,’ says Bill.”
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading “Wiped his eyes to the memory of the faithful black” “‘Wot?’ screams Ginger, ‘tattoo me?’” “There was unpleasantness all round then.”
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading “‘Not bad news I ’ope,’ says Bill.”
plural of “scream” — sharp piercing cry
From this reading “Wiped his eyes to the memory of the faithful black” “‘Wot?’ screams Ginger, ‘tattoo me?’” “There was unpleasantness all round then.”
a post bearing a sign that gives directions or shows the way
From this reading “With its head tilted back, studying the signpost.”
reading carefully with intent to remember
From this reading “With its head tilted back, studying the signpost.”
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading “‘Don’t talk nonsense.’”
a drumbeat or bugle call that signals the military to return to their quarters
From this reading “Wiped his eyes to the memory of the faithful black” “‘Wot?’ screams Ginger, ‘tattoo me?’” “There was unpleasantness all round then.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Wiped his eyes to the memory of the faithful black” “‘Wot?’ screams Ginger, ‘tattoo me?’” “There was unpleasantness all round then.”
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading “Wiped his eyes to the memory of the faithful black” “‘Wot?’ screams Ginger, ‘tattoo me?’” “There was unpleasantness all round then.”
in or at that place or location
From this reading “Wiped his eyes to the memory of the faithful black” “‘Wot?’ screams Ginger, ‘tattoo me?’” “There was unpleasantness all round then.”
departing or being caused to depart from the true vertical or horizontal
From this reading “With its head tilted back, studying the signpost.”
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading “For a time he kept behind.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Wiped his eyes to the memory of the faithful black” “‘Wot?’ screams Ginger, ‘tattoo me?’” “There was unpleasantness all round then.”
the feeling caused by disagreeable stimuli; one pole of a continuum of states of feeling
From this reading “Wiped his eyes to the memory of the faithful black” “‘Wot?’ screams Ginger, ‘tattoo me?’” “There was unpleasantness all round then.”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Wiped his eyes to the memory of the faithful black” “‘Wot?’ screams Ginger, ‘tattoo me?’” “There was unpleasantness all round then.”
past form of “wipe” — rub with a circular motion
From this reading “Wiped his eyes to the memory of the faithful black” “‘Wot?’ screams Ginger, ‘tattoo me?’” “There was unpleasantness all round then.”
in the company of; together with
From this reading “With its head tilted back, studying the signpost.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Wiped his eyes to the memory of the faithful black” “‘Wot?’ screams Ginger, ‘tattoo me?’” “There was unpleasantness all round then.”
Chapter 1 of Light Freights by W. W. (William Wymark) Jacobs holds 442 sentences, grouped into 89 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 442 sentences of Light Freights, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Light Freights by W. W. (William Wymark) Jacobs exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 442 sentences, grouped into 89 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 89 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 89 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 Light Freights by W. W. (William Wymark) Jacobs on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3557 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21928 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21928, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 296 minutes of reading across 712 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Light Freights section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of Light Freights 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 Light Freights, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
