Chapter 8 of Martin of old London is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Martin of old London is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The man nodded. “I want a word with him,” the waterman continued. There was no answer: the man simply stared. “Speakee capitano,” said Boulter, as if obligingly suiting his language to the comprehension of a foreigner. In a few halting words of broken English the man declared that the captain was at supper and must not be disturbed.
Chapter 8 of Martin of old London is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
an ability to understand the meaning or importance of something (or the knowledge acquired as a result)
From this reading ““Speakee capitano,” said Boulter, as if obligingly suiting his language to the comprehension of a foreigner.”
having the place or position changed
From this reading “In a few halting words of broken English the man declared that the captain was at supper and must not be disturbed.”
a person who comes from a foreign country; someone who does not owe allegiance to your country
From this reading ““Speakee capitano,” said Boulter, as if obligingly suiting his language to the comprehension of a foreigner.”
disabled in the feet or legs
From this reading “In a few halting words of broken English the man declared that the captain was at supper and must not be disturbed.”
in accommodation
From this reading ““Speakee capitano,” said Boulter, as if obligingly suiting his language to the comprehension of a foreigner.”
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading “There was no answer: the man simply stared.”
a fabric used for suits
From this reading ““Speakee capitano,” said Boulter, as if obligingly suiting his language to the comprehension of a foreigner.”
someone who drives or rides in a boat
From this reading ““I want a word with him,” the waterman continued.”
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 “In a few halting words of broken English the man declared that the captain was at supper and must not be disturbed.”
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 “I want a word with him,” the waterman continued.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading In a few halting words of broken English the man declared that the captain was at supper and must not be disturbed.
react verbally
From this reading There was no answer: the man simply stared.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “Speakee capitano,” said Boulter, as if obligingly suiting his language to the comprehension of a foreigner.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading In a few halting words of broken English the man declared that the captain was at supper and must not be disturbed.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading In a few halting words of broken English the man declared that the captain was at supper and must not be disturbed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Speakee capitano,” said Boulter, as if obligingly suiting his language to the comprehension of a foreigner.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading In a few halting words of broken English the man declared that the captain was at supper and must not be disturbed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Speakee capitano,” said Boulter, as if obligingly suiting his language to the comprehension of a foreigner.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading In a few halting words of broken English the man declared that the captain was at supper and must not be disturbed.
an ability to understand the meaning or importance of something (or the knowledge acquired as a result)
From this reading “Speakee capitano,” said Boulter, as if obligingly suiting his language to the comprehension of a foreigner.
without stop or interruption
From this reading “I want a word with him,” the waterman continued.
made known or openly avowed
From this reading In a few halting words of broken English the man declared that the captain was at supper and must not be disturbed.
having the place or position changed
From this reading In a few halting words of broken English the man declared that the captain was at supper and must not be disturbed.
an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries
From this reading In a few halting words of broken English the man declared that the captain was at supper and must not be disturbed.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading In a few halting words of broken English the man declared that the captain was at supper and must not be disturbed.
a person who comes from a foreign country; someone who does not owe allegiance to your country
From this reading “Speakee capitano,” said Boulter, as if obligingly suiting his language to the comprehension of a foreigner.
disabled in the feet or legs
From this reading In a few halting words of broken English the man declared that the captain was at supper and must not be disturbed.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “I want a word with him,” the waterman continued.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “Speakee capitano,” said Boulter, as if obligingly suiting his language to the comprehension of a foreigner.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I want a word with him,” the waterman continued.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “Speakee capitano,” said Boulter, as if obligingly suiting his language to the comprehension of a foreigner.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In a few halting words of broken English the man declared that the captain was at supper and must not be disturbed.
a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols
From this reading “Speakee capitano,” said Boulter, as if obligingly suiting his language to the comprehension of a foreigner.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The man nodded.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading In a few halting words of broken English the man declared that the captain was at supper and must not be disturbed.
not any; not one
From this reading There was no answer: the man simply stared.
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading The man nodded.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading In a few halting words of broken English the man declared that the captain was at supper and must not be disturbed.
in accommodation
From this reading “Speakee capitano,” said Boulter, as if obligingly suiting his language to the comprehension of a foreigner.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Speakee capitano,” said Boulter, as if obligingly suiting his language to the comprehension of a foreigner.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Speakee capitano,” said Boulter, as if obligingly suiting his language to the comprehension of a foreigner.
and nothing more
From this reading There was no answer: the man simply stared.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Speakee capitano,” said Boulter, as if obligingly suiting his language to the comprehension of a foreigner.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading There was no answer: the man simply stared.
a fabric used for suits
From this reading “Speakee capitano,” said Boulter, as if obligingly suiting his language to the comprehension of a foreigner.
a light evening meal; served in early evening if dinner is at midday or served late in the evening at bedtime
From this reading In a few halting words of broken English the man declared that the captain was at supper and must not be disturbed.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading In a few halting words of broken English the man declared that the captain was at supper and must not be disturbed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The man nodded.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was no answer: the man simply stared.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Speakee capitano,” said Boulter, as if obligingly suiting his language to the comprehension of a foreigner.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “I want a word with him,” the waterman continued.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was no answer: the man simply stared.
someone who drives or rides in a boat
From this reading “I want a word with him,” the waterman continued.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “I want a word with him,” the waterman continued.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading “I want a word with him,” the waterman continued.
the words that are spoken
From this reading In a few halting words of broken English the man declared that the captain was at supper and must not be disturbed.
Chapter 8 of Martin of old London by Herbert Strang holds 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 8 holds 408 sentences of Martin of old London, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Martin of old London by Herbert Strang exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 8 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 Martin of old London by Herbert Strang on this page, its source edition and its audio.
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Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Martin of old London section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Martin of old London 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 Martin of old London, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
