Chapter 14 of Little Bobtail is here in full — 207 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of Little Bobtail is here in full — 207 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE DISCHARGE. "Look here, Howe!" exclaimed Mr. Jones, tugging with all his might at his line; "I'm pulling up the bottom of Penobscot Bay, as true as you live!" "Don't do that, sir," shouted Bobtail, merrily. "We shall get aground if you do." "What is it?" asked Mr. Howe.
Chapter 14 of Little Bobtail is here in full — 207 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/41 · 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.
stuck in a place where a ship can no longer float
From this reading “"We shall get aground if you do."”
complete or carry out
From this reading “THE DISCHARGE.”
United States editor (1920-1993)
From this reading “"Look here, Howe!" exclaimed Mr. Jones, tugging with all his might at his line; "I'm pulling up the bottom of Penobscot Bay, as true as you live!"”
United States labor leader (born in Ireland) who helped to found the Industrial Workers of the World (1830-1930)
From this reading “"Look here, Howe!" exclaimed Mr. Jones, tugging with all his might at his line; "I'm pulling up the bottom of Penobscot Bay, as true as you live!"”
in a joyous manner
From this reading “"Don't do that, sir," shouted Bobtail, merrily.”
a member of the Algonquian people belonging to the Abnaki confederacy and living in the Penobscot valley in northern Maine
From this reading “"Look here, Howe!" exclaimed Mr. Jones, tugging with all his might at his line; "I'm pulling up the bottom of Penobscot Bay, as true as you live!"”
the act of pulling; applying force to move something toward or with you
From this reading “"Look here, Howe!" exclaimed Mr. Jones, tugging with all his might at his line; "I'm pulling up the bottom of Penobscot Bay, as true as you live!"”
inflected form of “tug” — pull hard
From this reading “"Look here, Howe!" exclaimed Mr. Jones, tugging with all his might at his line; "I'm pulling up the bottom of Penobscot Bay, as true as you live!"”
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.
stuck in a place where a ship can no longer float
From this reading "We shall get aground if you do."
(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 "Look here, Howe!" exclaimed Mr. Jones, tugging with all his might at his line; "I'm pulling up the bottom of Penobscot Bay, as true as you live!"
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Look here, Howe!" exclaimed Mr. Jones, tugging with all his might at his line; "I'm pulling up the bottom of Penobscot Bay, as true as you live!"
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "What is it?" asked Mr. Howe.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Look here, Howe!" exclaimed Mr. Jones, tugging with all his might at his line; "I'm pulling up the bottom of Penobscot Bay, as true as you live!"
an indentation of a shoreline larger than a cove but smaller than a gulf
From this reading "Look here, Howe!" exclaimed Mr. Jones, tugging with all his might at his line; "I'm pulling up the bottom of Penobscot Bay, as true as you live!"
a short or shortened tail of certain animals
From this reading "Don't do that, sir," shouted Bobtail, merrily.
the lower side of anything
From this reading "Look here, Howe!" exclaimed Mr. Jones, tugging with all his might at his line; "I'm pulling up the bottom of Penobscot Bay, as true as you live!"
complete or carry out
From this reading THE DISCHARGE.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Don't do that, sir," shouted Bobtail, merrily.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Don't do that, sir," shouted Bobtail, merrily.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading "Look here, Howe!" exclaimed Mr. Jones, tugging with all his might at his line; "I'm pulling up the bottom of Penobscot Bay, as true as you live!"
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "We shall get aground if you do."
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "Look here, Howe!" exclaimed Mr. Jones, tugging with all his might at his line; "I'm pulling up the bottom of Penobscot Bay, as true as you live!"
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Look here, Howe!" exclaimed Mr. Jones, tugging with all his might at his line; "I'm pulling up the bottom of Penobscot Bay, as true as you live!"
United States editor (1920-1993)
From this reading "Look here, Howe!" exclaimed Mr. Jones, tugging with all his might at his line; "I'm pulling up the bottom of Penobscot Bay, as true as you live!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Look here, Howe!" exclaimed Mr. Jones, tugging with all his might at his line; "I'm pulling up the bottom of Penobscot Bay, as true as you live!"
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "We shall get aground if you do."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What is it?" asked Mr. Howe.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "What is it?" asked Mr. Howe.
United States labor leader (born in Ireland) who helped to found the Industrial Workers of the World (1830-1930)
From this reading "Look here, Howe!" exclaimed Mr. Jones, tugging with all his might at his line; "I'm pulling up the bottom of Penobscot Bay, as true as you live!"
a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading "Look here, Howe!" exclaimed Mr. Jones, tugging with all his might at his line; "I'm pulling up the bottom of Penobscot Bay, as true as you live!"
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading "Look here, Howe!" exclaimed Mr. Jones, tugging with all his might at his line; "I'm pulling up the bottom of Penobscot Bay, as true as you live!"
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "Look here, Howe!" exclaimed Mr. Jones, tugging with all his might at his line; "I'm pulling up the bottom of Penobscot Bay, as true as you live!"
in a joyous manner
From this reading "Don't do that, sir," shouted Bobtail, merrily.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading "Look here, Howe!" exclaimed Mr. Jones, tugging with all his might at his line; "I'm pulling up the bottom of Penobscot Bay, as true as you live!"
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Look here, Howe!" exclaimed Mr. Jones, tugging with all his might at his line; "I'm pulling up the bottom of Penobscot Bay, as true as you live!"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Look here, Howe!" exclaimed Mr. Jones, tugging with all his might at his line; "I'm pulling up the bottom of Penobscot Bay, as true as you live!"
a member of the Algonquian people belonging to the Abnaki confederacy and living in the Penobscot valley in northern Maine
From this reading "Look here, Howe!" exclaimed Mr. Jones, tugging with all his might at his line; "I'm pulling up the bottom of Penobscot Bay, as true as you live!"
the act of pulling; applying force to move something toward or with you
From this reading "Look here, Howe!" exclaimed Mr. Jones, tugging with all his might at his line; "I'm pulling up the bottom of Penobscot Bay, as true as you live!"
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading "We shall get aground if you do."
in a vehement outcry
From this reading "Don't do that, sir," shouted Bobtail, merrily.
term of address for a man
From this reading "Don't do that, sir," shouted Bobtail, merrily.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Don't do that, sir," shouted Bobtail, merrily.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE DISCHARGE.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading "Look here, Howe!" exclaimed Mr. Jones, tugging with all his might at his line; "I'm pulling up the bottom of Penobscot Bay, as true as you live!"
inflected form of “tug” — pull hard
From this reading "Look here, Howe!" exclaimed Mr. Jones, tugging with all his might at his line; "I'm pulling up the bottom of Penobscot Bay, as true as you live!"
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "Look here, Howe!" exclaimed Mr. Jones, tugging with all his might at his line; "I'm pulling up the bottom of Penobscot Bay, as true as you live!"
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "We shall get aground if you do."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What is it?" asked Mr. Howe.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Look here, Howe!" exclaimed Mr. Jones, tugging with all his might at his line; "I'm pulling up the bottom of Penobscot Bay, as true as you live!"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Look here, Howe!" exclaimed Mr. Jones, tugging with all his might at his line; "I'm pulling up the bottom of Penobscot Bay, as true as you live!"
Chapter 14 of Little Bobtail by Oliver Optic holds 207 sentences, grouped into 42 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 14 holds 207 sentences of Little Bobtail, unabridged, divided into 42 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of Little Bobtail by Oliver Optic exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 207 sentences, grouped into 42 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 42 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 42 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.
Common questions about reading Little Bobtail by Oliver Optic on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3946 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25466 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25466, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 328 minutes of reading across 790 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Little Bobtail section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of Little Bobtail 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 Little Bobtail, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
