Chapter 6 of Poor Jack is here in full — 385 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of Poor Jack is here in full — 385 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
As we pulled down I observed that a lighter had broken adrift from her moorings, and was sweeping down the river with the ebb tide. "There's a lighter adrift," said I. "Yes," replied Grumble. "I'm too old for that work now; time was. There'll be pretty pickings as soon as she gets down a little lower.
Chapter 6 of Poor Jack is here in full — 385 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/77 · 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.
aimlessly drifting
From this reading “As we pulled down I observed that a lighter had broken adrift from her moorings, and was sweeping down the river with the ebb tide.”
flow back or recede
From this reading “As we pulled down I observed that a lighter had broken adrift from her moorings, and was sweeping down the river with the ebb tide.”
show one's unhappiness or critical attitude
From this reading “"Yes," replied Grumble.”
a substance used to ignite or kindle a fire
From this reading “As we pulled down I observed that a lighter had broken adrift from her moorings, and was sweeping down the river with the ebb tide.”
plural of “mooring” — a place where a craft can be made fast
From this reading “As we pulled down I observed that a lighter had broken adrift from her moorings, and was sweeping down the river with the ebb tide.”
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading “There'll be pretty pickings as soon as she gets down a little lower.”
taking in or moving over (or as if over) a wide area; often used in combination
From this reading “As we pulled down I observed that a lighter had broken adrift from her moorings, and was sweeping down the river with the ebb tide.”
the periodic rise and fall of the sea level under the gravitational pull of the moon
From this reading “As we pulled down I observed that a lighter had broken adrift from her moorings, and was sweeping down the river with the ebb tide.”
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 As we pulled down I observed that a lighter had broken adrift from her moorings, and was sweeping down the river with the ebb tide.
aimlessly drifting
From this reading As we pulled down I observed that a lighter had broken adrift from her moorings, and was sweeping down the river with the ebb tide.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As we pulled down I observed that a lighter had broken adrift from her moorings, and was sweeping down the river with the ebb tide.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As we pulled down I observed that a lighter had broken adrift from her moorings, and was sweeping down the river with the ebb tide.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading There'll be pretty pickings as soon as she gets down a little lower.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading As we pulled down I observed that a lighter had broken adrift from her moorings, and was sweeping down the river with the ebb tide.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading As we pulled down I observed that a lighter had broken adrift from her moorings, and was sweeping down the river with the ebb tide.
flow back or recede
From this reading As we pulled down I observed that a lighter had broken adrift from her moorings, and was sweeping down the river with the ebb tide.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "I'm too old for that work now; time was.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading As we pulled down I observed that a lighter had broken adrift from her moorings, and was sweeping down the river with the ebb tide.
plural of “get” — a return on a shot that seemed impossible to reach and would normally have resulted in a point for the opponent
From this reading There'll be pretty pickings as soon as she gets down a little lower.
show one's unhappiness or critical attitude
From this reading "Yes," replied Grumble.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading As we pulled down I observed that a lighter had broken adrift from her moorings, and was sweeping down the river with the ebb tide.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading As we pulled down I observed that a lighter had broken adrift from her moorings, and was sweeping down the river with the ebb tide.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading As we pulled down I observed that a lighter had broken adrift from her moorings, and was sweeping down the river with the ebb tide.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm too old for that work now; time was.
a substance used to ignite or kindle a fire
From this reading As we pulled down I observed that a lighter had broken adrift from her moorings, and was sweeping down the river with the ebb tide.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading There'll be pretty pickings as soon as she gets down a little lower.
move something or somebody to a lower position
From this reading There'll be pretty pickings as soon as she gets down a little lower.
plural of “mooring” — a place where a craft can be made fast
From this reading As we pulled down I observed that a lighter had broken adrift from her moorings, and was sweeping down the river with the ebb tide.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "I'm too old for that work now; time was.
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading As we pulled down I observed that a lighter had broken adrift from her moorings, and was sweeping down the river with the ebb tide.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "I'm too old for that work now; time was.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading There'll be pretty pickings as soon as she gets down a little lower.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading There'll be pretty pickings as soon as she gets down a little lower.
past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling
From this reading As we pulled down I observed that a lighter had broken adrift from her moorings, and was sweeping down the river with the ebb tide.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "Yes," replied Grumble.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading As we pulled down I observed that a lighter had broken adrift from her moorings, and was sweeping down the river with the ebb tide.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "There's a lighter adrift," said I.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading There'll be pretty pickings as soon as she gets down a little lower.
in the near future
From this reading There'll be pretty pickings as soon as she gets down a little lower.
taking in or moving over (or as if over) a wide area; often used in combination
From this reading As we pulled down I observed that a lighter had broken adrift from her moorings, and was sweeping down the river with the ebb tide.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading As we pulled down I observed that a lighter had broken adrift from her moorings, and was sweeping down the river with the ebb tide.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading As we pulled down I observed that a lighter had broken adrift from her moorings, and was sweeping down the river with the ebb tide.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There'll be pretty pickings as soon as she gets down a little lower.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "There's a lighter adrift," said I.
the periodic rise and fall of the sea level under the gravitational pull of the moon
From this reading As we pulled down I observed that a lighter had broken adrift from her moorings, and was sweeping down the river with the ebb tide.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "I'm too old for that work now; time was.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "I'm too old for that work now; time was.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading As we pulled down I observed that a lighter had broken adrift from her moorings, and was sweeping down the river with the ebb tide.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading As we pulled down I observed that a lighter had broken adrift from her moorings, and was sweeping down the river with the ebb tide.
in the company of; together with
From this reading As we pulled down I observed that a lighter had broken adrift from her moorings, and was sweeping down the river with the ebb tide.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading "I'm too old for that work now; time was.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes," replied Grumble.
Chapter 6 of Poor Jack by Frederick Marryat holds 385 sentences, grouped into 77 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 6 holds 385 sentences of Poor Jack, unabridged, divided into 77 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of Poor Jack by Frederick Marryat exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 385 sentences, grouped into 77 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 77 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 77 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 6 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 Poor Jack by Frederick Marryat on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6405 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14222 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14222, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 533 minutes of reading across 1281 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Poor Jack section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Poor 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 Poor Jack, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
