Chapter 17 of Old Jack is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Old Jack is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
There appeared, if our eyes deceived us not, a dark space where the line of huge breakers was divided. We were rushing headlong to destruction. Not an instant was to be lost. The helm was put to port. We rose on the crest of a vast rolling sea.
Chapter 17 of Old Jack is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
waves breaking on the shore
From this reading “There appeared, if our eyes deceived us not, a dark space where the line of huge breakers was divided.”
the top line of a hill, mountain, or wave
From this reading “We rose on the crest of a vast rolling sea.”
past form of “deceive” — be false to; be dishonest with
From this reading “There appeared, if our eyes deceived us not, a dark space where the line of huge breakers was divided.”
the termination of something by causing so much damage to it that it cannot be repaired or no longer exists
From this reading “We were rushing headlong to destruction.”
separated into parts or pieces
From this reading “There appeared, if our eyes deceived us not, a dark space where the line of huge breakers was divided.”
with the head foremost
From this reading “We were rushing headlong to destruction.”
steering mechanism for a vessel; a mechanical device by which a vessel is steered
From this reading “The helm was put to port.”
(American football) an attempt to advance the ball by running into the line
From this reading “We were rushing headlong to destruction.”
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 There appeared, if our eyes deceived us not, a dark space where the line of huge breakers was divided.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Not an instant was to be lost.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading There appeared, if our eyes deceived us not, a dark space where the line of huge breakers was divided.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Not an instant was to be lost.
waves breaking on the shore
From this reading There appeared, if our eyes deceived us not, a dark space where the line of huge breakers was divided.
the top line of a hill, mountain, or wave
From this reading We rose on the crest of a vast rolling sea.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading There appeared, if our eyes deceived us not, a dark space where the line of huge breakers was divided.
past form of “deceive” — be false to; be dishonest with
From this reading There appeared, if our eyes deceived us not, a dark space where the line of huge breakers was divided.
the termination of something by causing so much damage to it that it cannot be repaired or no longer exists
From this reading We were rushing headlong to destruction.
separated into parts or pieces
From this reading There appeared, if our eyes deceived us not, a dark space where the line of huge breakers was divided.
opinion or judgment
From this reading There appeared, if our eyes deceived us not, a dark space where the line of huge breakers was divided.
with the head foremost
From this reading We were rushing headlong to destruction.
steering mechanism for a vessel; a mechanical device by which a vessel is steered
From this reading The helm was put to port.
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading There appeared, if our eyes deceived us not, a dark space where the line of huge breakers was divided.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading There appeared, if our eyes deceived us not, a dark space where the line of huge breakers was divided.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading Not an instant was to be lost.
a formation of people or things one beside another
From this reading There appeared, if our eyes deceived us not, a dark space where the line of huge breakers was divided.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading Not an instant was to be lost.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading There appeared, if our eyes deceived us not, a dark space where the line of huge breakers was divided.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There appeared, if our eyes deceived us not, a dark space where the line of huge breakers was divided.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading We rose on the crest of a vast rolling sea.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading There appeared, if our eyes deceived us not, a dark space where the line of huge breakers was divided.
a place (seaport or airport) where people and merchandise can enter or leave a country
From this reading The helm was put to port.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The helm was put to port.
uttered with a trill
From this reading We rose on the crest of a vast rolling sea.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading We rose on the crest of a vast rolling sea.
(American football) an attempt to advance the ball by running into the line
From this reading We were rushing headlong to destruction.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading We rose on the crest of a vast rolling sea.
the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
From this reading There appeared, if our eyes deceived us not, a dark space where the line of huge breakers was divided.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There appeared, if our eyes deceived us not, a dark space where the line of huge breakers was divided.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There appeared, if our eyes deceived us not, a dark space where the line of huge breakers was divided.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading We were rushing headlong to destruction.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading There appeared, if our eyes deceived us not, a dark space where the line of huge breakers was divided.
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading We rose on the crest of a vast rolling sea.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There appeared, if our eyes deceived us not, a dark space where the line of huge breakers was divided.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We were rushing headlong to destruction.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading We were rushing headlong to destruction.
in or at the place that
From this reading There appeared, if our eyes deceived us not, a dark space where the line of huge breakers was divided.
Chapter 17 of Old Jack by William Henry Giles Kingston holds 419 sentences, grouped into 84 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 17 holds 419 sentences of Old Jack, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Old Jack by William Henry Giles Kingston exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 419 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 17 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 Old Jack by William Henry Giles Kingston on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7142 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23049 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #23049, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 595 minutes of reading across 1429 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Old Jack section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of Old Jack 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 Old Jack, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
