Chapter 1 of Make or Break is here in full — 127 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Make or Break is here in full — 127 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BY OLIVER OPTIC. I. THE STARRY FLAG; OR, THE YOUNG FISHERMAN OF CAPE ANN. II. FREAKS OF FORTUNE; OR, HALF ROUND THE WORLD. III.
Chapter 1 of Make or Break is here in full — 127 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/25 · 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.
a strip of land projecting into a body of water
From this reading “I. THE STARRY FLAG; OR, THE YOUNG FISHERMAN OF CAPE ANN.”
someone whose occupation is catching fish
From this reading “I. THE STARRY FLAG; OR, THE YOUNG FISHERMAN OF CAPE ANN.”
emblem usually consisting of a rectangular piece of cloth of distinctive design
From this reading “I. THE STARRY FLAG; OR, THE YOUNG FISHERMAN OF CAPE ANN.”
an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
From this reading “FREAKS OF FORTUNE; OR, HALF ROUND THE WORLD.”
plural of “freak” — a person or animal that is markedly unusual or deformed
From this reading “FREAKS OF FORTUNE; OR, HALF ROUND THE WORLD.”
United States jazz musician who influenced the style of Louis Armstrong (1885-1938)
From this reading “BY OLIVER OPTIC.”
of or relating to or resembling the eye
From this reading “BY OLIVER OPTIC.”
abounding with or resembling stars
From this reading “I. THE STARRY FLAG; OR, THE YOUNG FISHERMAN OF CAPE ANN.”
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 “I. THE STARRY FLAG; OR, THE YOUNG FISHERMAN OF CAPE ANN.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I. THE STARRY FLAG; OR, THE YOUNG FISHERMAN OF CAPE ANN.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading BY OLIVER OPTIC.
a strip of land projecting into a body of water
From this reading I. THE STARRY FLAG; OR, THE YOUNG FISHERMAN OF CAPE ANN.
someone whose occupation is catching fish
From this reading I. THE STARRY FLAG; OR, THE YOUNG FISHERMAN OF CAPE ANN.
emblem usually consisting of a rectangular piece of cloth of distinctive design
From this reading I. THE STARRY FLAG; OR, THE YOUNG FISHERMAN OF CAPE ANN.
an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
From this reading FREAKS OF FORTUNE; OR, HALF ROUND THE WORLD.
plural of “freak” — a person or animal that is markedly unusual or deformed
From this reading FREAKS OF FORTUNE; OR, HALF ROUND THE WORLD.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading FREAKS OF FORTUNE; OR, HALF ROUND THE WORLD.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I. THE STARRY FLAG; OR, THE YOUNG FISHERMAN OF CAPE ANN.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading II.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading III.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I. THE STARRY FLAG; OR, THE YOUNG FISHERMAN OF CAPE ANN.
United States jazz musician who influenced the style of Louis Armstrong (1885-1938)
From this reading BY OLIVER OPTIC.
of or relating to or resembling the eye
From this reading BY OLIVER OPTIC.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading I. THE STARRY FLAG; OR, THE YOUNG FISHERMAN OF CAPE ANN.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading FREAKS OF FORTUNE; OR, HALF ROUND THE WORLD.
abounding with or resembling stars
From this reading I. THE STARRY FLAG; OR, THE YOUNG FISHERMAN OF CAPE ANN.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I. THE STARRY FLAG; OR, THE YOUNG FISHERMAN OF CAPE ANN.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading FREAKS OF FORTUNE; OR, HALF ROUND THE WORLD.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading I. THE STARRY FLAG; OR, THE YOUNG FISHERMAN OF CAPE ANN.
Chapter 1 of Make or Break by Oliver Optic holds 127 sentences, grouped into 26 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 127 sentences of Make or Break, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Make or Break by Oliver Optic exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 127 sentences, grouped into 26 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 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 26 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 Make or Break by Oliver Optic on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3574 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26695 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26695, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 297 minutes of reading across 715 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Make or Break section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of Make or Break 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 Make or Break, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
