Chapter 8 of Percival Keene is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Percival Keene is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"The enemy's main yard is cut in two in the slings, sir," reported I, after I had my glass upon her. "Then her last hope is gone," replied Mr Hippesley. "Haul over the starboard jib-sheet forward--let her come to, quartermaster. Larboard guns, my lads." "Now, my men," cried Captain Delmar, "make short work of her."
Chapter 8 of Percival Keene is here in full — 428 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
possessive form of “enemy” — an opposing military force
From this reading “"The enemy's main yard is cut in two in the slings, sir," reported I, after I had my glass upon her.”
plural of “gun” — a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading “Larboard guns, my lads."”
draw slowly or heavily
From this reading “"Haul over the starboard jib-sheet forward--let her come to, quartermaster.”
plural of “lad” — a boy or man
From this reading “Larboard guns, my lads."”
an army officer who provides clothing and subsistence for troops
From this reading “"Haul over the starboard jib-sheet forward--let her come to, quartermaster.”
made known or told about; especially presented in a formal account
From this reading “"The enemy's main yard is cut in two in the slings, sir," reported I, after I had my glass upon her.”
plural of “sling” — a highball with liquor and water with sugar and lemon or lime juice
From this reading “"The enemy's main yard is cut in two in the slings, sir," reported I, after I had my glass upon her.”
the right side of a ship or aircraft to someone who is aboard and facing the bow or nose
From this reading “"Haul over the starboard jib-sheet forward--let her come to, quartermaster.”
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.
later than; following
From this reading "The enemy's main yard is cut in two in the slings, sir," reported I, after I had my glass upon her.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading "Now, my men," cried Captain Delmar, "make short work of her."
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Haul over the starboard jib-sheet forward--let her come to, quartermaster.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Now, my men," cried Captain Delmar, "make short work of her."
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading "The enemy's main yard is cut in two in the slings, sir," reported I, after I had my glass upon her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Now, my men," cried Captain Delmar, "make short work of her."
possessive form of “enemy” — an opposing military force
From this reading "The enemy's main yard is cut in two in the slings, sir," reported I, after I had my glass upon her.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading "Haul over the starboard jib-sheet forward--let her come to, quartermaster.
a brittle transparent solid with irregular atomic structure
From this reading "The enemy's main yard is cut in two in the slings, sir," reported I, after I had my glass upon her.
destroyed or killed
From this reading "Then her last hope is gone," replied Mr Hippesley.
plural of “gun” — a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading Larboard guns, my lads."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "The enemy's main yard is cut in two in the slings, sir," reported I, after I had my glass upon her.
draw slowly or heavily
From this reading "Haul over the starboard jib-sheet forward--let her come to, quartermaster.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "The enemy's main yard is cut in two in the slings, sir," reported I, after I had my glass upon her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Then her last hope is gone," replied Mr Hippesley.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading "Then her last hope is gone," replied Mr Hippesley.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "The enemy's main yard is cut in two in the slings, sir," reported I, after I had my glass upon her.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "The enemy's main yard is cut in two in the slings, sir," reported I, after I had my glass upon her.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "The enemy's main yard is cut in two in the slings, sir," reported I, after I had my glass upon her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Haul over the starboard jib-sheet forward--let her come to, quartermaster.
plural of “lad” — a boy or man
From this reading Larboard guns, my lads."
the left side of a ship or aircraft to someone who is aboard and facing the bow or nose
From this reading Larboard guns, my lads."
immediately past
From this reading "Then her last hope is gone," replied Mr Hippesley.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading "Haul over the starboard jib-sheet forward--let her come to, quartermaster.
most important element
From this reading "The enemy's main yard is cut in two in the slings, sir," reported I, after I had my glass upon her.
engage in
From this reading "Now, my men," cried Captain Delmar, "make short work of her."
the force of workers available
From this reading "Now, my men," cried Captain Delmar, "make short work of her."
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Then her last hope is gone," replied Mr Hippesley.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "The enemy's main yard is cut in two in the slings, sir," reported I, after I had my glass upon her.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Now, my men," cried Captain Delmar, "make short work of her."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Now, my men," cried Captain Delmar, "make short work of her."
above and across; more than
From this reading "Haul over the starboard jib-sheet forward--let her come to, quartermaster.
an army officer who provides clothing and subsistence for troops
From this reading "Haul over the starboard jib-sheet forward--let her come to, quartermaster.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "Then her last hope is gone," replied Mr Hippesley.
made known or told about; especially presented in a formal account
From this reading "The enemy's main yard is cut in two in the slings, sir," reported I, after I had my glass upon her.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading "Now, my men," cried Captain Delmar, "make short work of her."
term of address for a man
From this reading "The enemy's main yard is cut in two in the slings, sir," reported I, after I had my glass upon her.
plural of “sling” — a highball with liquor and water with sugar and lemon or lime juice
From this reading "The enemy's main yard is cut in two in the slings, sir," reported I, after I had my glass upon her.
the right side of a ship or aircraft to someone who is aboard and facing the bow or nose
From this reading "Haul over the starboard jib-sheet forward--let her come to, quartermaster.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The enemy's main yard is cut in two in the slings, sir," reported I, after I had my glass upon her.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Then her last hope is gone," replied Mr Hippesley.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Haul over the starboard jib-sheet forward--let her come to, quartermaster.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading "The enemy's main yard is cut in two in the slings, sir," reported I, after I had my glass upon her.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading "The enemy's main yard is cut in two in the slings, sir," reported I, after I had my glass upon her.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading "Now, my men," cried Captain Delmar, "make short work of her."
a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading "The enemy's main yard is cut in two in the slings, sir," reported I, after I had my glass upon her.
Chapter 8 of Percival Keene by Frederick Marryat holds 428 sentences, grouped into 86 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 428 sentences of Percival Keene, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Percival Keene by Frederick Marryat exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 428 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Percival Keene by Frederick Marryat on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5868 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21572 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21572, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 489 minutes of reading across 1174 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Percival Keene section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Percival Keene 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 Percival Keene, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
