Chapter III of Mystery of the Caribbean Pearls, “Backfire,” is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter III
Chapter III of Mystery of the Caribbean Pearls, “Backfire,” is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Neither boy spoke, so startled were they by their striking resemblance to one another. “This can’t be,” Biff said, half aloud. “That boy is—is—ME!” The other lad must have been thinking the same. “Step forward, please,” the gate attendant called out sharply.
Chapter III of Mystery of the Caribbean Pearls, “Backfire,” is here in full — 156 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.
using the voice; not silently
From this reading ““This can’t be,” Biff said, half aloud.”
someone who waits on or tends to or attends to the needs of another
From this reading ““Step forward, please,” the gate attendant called out sharply.”
(boxing) a blow with the fist
From this reading ““This can’t be,” Biff said, half aloud.”
a boy or man
From this reading “The other lad must have been thinking the same.”
similarity in appearance or external or superficial details
From this reading “Neither boy spoke, so startled were they by their striking resemblance to one another.”
in an aggressive manner
From this reading ““Step forward, please,” the gate attendant called out sharply.”
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading “Neither boy spoke, so startled were they by their striking resemblance to one another.”
sensational in appearance or thrilling in effect
From this reading “Neither boy spoke, so startled were they by their striking resemblance to one another.”
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 “Neither boy spoke, so startled were they by their striking resemblance to one another.”
utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
In this reading ““Step forward, please,” the gate attendant called out sharply.”
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.
using the voice; not silently
From this reading “This can’t be,” Biff said, half aloud.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading Neither boy spoke, so startled were they by their striking resemblance to one another.
someone who waits on or tends to or attends to the needs of another
From this reading “Step forward, please,” the gate attendant called out sharply.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “This can’t be,” Biff said, half aloud.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The other lad must have been thinking the same.
(boxing) a blow with the fist
From this reading “This can’t be,” Biff said, half aloud.
a youthful male person
From this reading Neither boy spoke, so startled were they by their striking resemblance to one another.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Neither boy spoke, so startled were they by their striking resemblance to one another.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “Step forward, please,” the gate attendant called out sharply.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “This can’t be,” Biff said, half aloud.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading “Step forward, please,” the gate attendant called out sharply.
a movable barrier in a fence or wall
From this reading “Step forward, please,” the gate attendant called out sharply.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading “This can’t be,” Biff said, half aloud.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The other lad must have been thinking the same.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “That boy is—is—ME!”
a boy or man
From this reading The other lad must have been thinking the same.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “That boy is—is—ME!”
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading The other lad must have been thinking the same.
not one and not the other of two
From this reading Neither boy spoke, so startled were they by their striking resemblance to one another.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Neither boy spoke, so startled were they by their striking resemblance to one another.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading The other lad must have been thinking the same.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “Step forward, please,” the gate attendant called out sharply.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading “Step forward, please,” the gate attendant called out sharply.
similarity in appearance or external or superficial details
From this reading Neither boy spoke, so startled were they by their striking resemblance to one another.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “This can’t be,” Biff said, half aloud.
Identical; not different.
From this reading The other lad must have been thinking the same.
in an aggressive manner
From this reading “Step forward, please,” the gate attendant called out sharply.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Neither boy spoke, so startled were they by their striking resemblance to one another.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading Neither boy spoke, so startled were they by their striking resemblance to one another.
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading Neither boy spoke, so startled were they by their striking resemblance to one another.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading “Step forward, please,” the gate attendant called out sharply.
sensational in appearance or thrilling in effect
From this reading Neither boy spoke, so startled were they by their striking resemblance to one another.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “That boy is—is—ME!”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The other lad must have been thinking the same.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Neither boy spoke, so startled were they by their striking resemblance to one another.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Neither boy spoke, so startled were they by their striking resemblance to one another.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading The other lad must have been thinking the same.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “This can’t be,” Biff said, half aloud.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Neither boy spoke, so startled were they by their striking resemblance to one another.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Neither boy spoke, so startled were they by their striking resemblance to one another.
Chapter 3 of Mystery of the Caribbean Pearls by Andy Adams holds 156 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 3 holds 156 sentences of Mystery of the Caribbean Pearls, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Mystery of the Caribbean Pearls by Andy Adams exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 156 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 3 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 Mystery of the Caribbean Pearls by Andy Adams on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4168 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #64694 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #64694, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 347 minutes of reading across 834 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mystery of the Caribbean Pearls section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of Mystery of the Caribbean Pearls 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 Mystery of the Caribbean Pearls, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
