Chapter 8 of Poor Jack is here in full — 407 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 Poor Jack is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Then you don't remember your own parents?" "No, I recollect nothing till I found myself in this house. Father says I'm a Dutchman, because it was a Dutch ship or a Dutch boat which I was taken out of." "And how long was that ago?" "Nine years ago.
Chapter 8 of Poor Jack is here in full — 407 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.
in the past
From this reading “"And how long was that ago?"”
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading “Father says I'm a Dutchman, because it was a Dutch ship or a Dutch boat which I was taken out of."”
of or relating to the Netherlands or its people or culture
From this reading “Father says I'm a Dutchman, because it was a Dutch ship or a Dutch boat which I was taken out of."”
a native or inhabitant of Holland
From this reading “Father says I'm a Dutchman, because it was a Dutch ship or a Dutch boat which I was taken out of."”
the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one
From this reading “"Nine years ago.”
plural of “parent” — a father or mother; one who begets or one who gives birth to or nurtures and raises a child; a relative who plays the role of guardian
From this reading “"Then you don't remember your own parents?"”
recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
From this reading “"No, I recollect nothing till I found myself in this house.”
transport commercially
From this reading “Father says I'm a Dutchman, because it was a Dutch ship or a Dutch boat which I was taken out of."”
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 Father says I'm a Dutchman, because it was a Dutch ship or a Dutch boat which I was taken out of."
in the past
From this reading "And how long was that ago?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And how long was that ago?"
for the reason that
From this reading Father says I'm a Dutchman, because it was a Dutch ship or a Dutch boat which I was taken out of."
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading Father says I'm a Dutchman, because it was a Dutch ship or a Dutch boat which I was taken out of."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Then you don't remember your own parents?"
of or relating to the Netherlands or its people or culture
From this reading Father says I'm a Dutchman, because it was a Dutch ship or a Dutch boat which I was taken out of."
a native or inhabitant of Holland
From this reading Father says I'm a Dutchman, because it was a Dutch ship or a Dutch boat which I was taken out of."
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Father says I'm a Dutchman, because it was a Dutch ship or a Dutch boat which I was taken out of."
set up or found
From this reading "No, I recollect nothing till I found myself in this house.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading "No, I recollect nothing till I found myself in this house.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "And how long was that ago?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "No, I recollect nothing till I found myself in this house.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Father says I'm a Dutchman, because it was a Dutch ship or a Dutch boat which I was taken out of."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "No, I recollect nothing till I found myself in this house.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Father says I'm a Dutchman, because it was a Dutch ship or a Dutch boat which I was taken out of."
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading "And how long was that ago?"
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading "No, I recollect nothing till I found myself in this house.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one
From this reading "Nine years ago.
not any; not one
From this reading "No, I recollect nothing till I found myself in this house.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading "No, I recollect nothing till I found myself in this house.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Father says I'm a Dutchman, because it was a Dutch ship or a Dutch boat which I was taken out of."
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Father says I'm a Dutchman, because it was a Dutch ship or a Dutch boat which I was taken out of."
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Father says I'm a Dutchman, because it was a Dutch ship or a Dutch boat which I was taken out of."
have ownership or possession of
From this reading "Then you don't remember your own parents?"
plural of “parent” — a father or mother; one who begets or one who gives birth to or nurtures and raises a child; a relative who plays the role of guardian
From this reading "Then you don't remember your own parents?"
recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
From this reading "No, I recollect nothing till I found myself in this house.
To recall to mind.
From this reading "Then you don't remember your own parents?"
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading Father says I'm a Dutchman, because it was a Dutch ship or a Dutch boat which I was taken out of."
transport commercially
From this reading Father says I'm a Dutchman, because it was a Dutch ship or a Dutch boat which I was taken out of."
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading Father says I'm a Dutchman, because it was a Dutch ship or a Dutch boat which I was taken out of."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "And how long was that ago?"
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Then you don't remember your own parents?"
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "No, I recollect nothing till I found myself in this house.
up to a particular time
From this reading "No, I recollect nothing till I found myself in this house.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Father says I'm a Dutchman, because it was a Dutch ship or a Dutch boat which I was taken out of."
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Father says I'm a Dutchman, because it was a Dutch ship or a Dutch boat which I was taken out of."
a late time of life
From this reading "Nine years ago.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Then you don't remember your own parents?"
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Then you don't remember your own parents?"
Chapter 8 of Poor Jack by Frederick Marryat holds 407 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 407 sentences of Poor Jack, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Poor Jack by Frederick Marryat exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 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 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.
