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Sam Steele's Adventures on Land and Sea
Sam Steele's Adventures on Land and Sea

Chapter VI · The Land of Mystery

Chapter VI of Sam Steele's Adventures on Land and Sea, “The Land of Mystery,” is here in full — 59 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/11 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Captain Gay examined his chart with minute care, and solemnly shook his head.
The island was not there.
Either the chart was imperfect, or we had reached a hitherto undiscovered land.
The latter conjecture was not at all unreasonable, for so many islands lay in this neighborhood that even when sighted by chance an outlying islet was little liable to tempt one to land upon it.
This was doubtless one of the numerous group lying to the south-east of the Alaska peninsula, which are of volcanic origin and as a rule barren and uninhabited.
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Sam Steele's Adventures on Land and Sea

Chapter VI · The Land of Mystery

Chapter VI of Sam Steele's Adventures on Land and Sea, “The Land of Mystery,” is here in full — 59 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/11 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Captain Gay examined his chart with minute care, and solemnly shook his head.
/ˈkæptən ɡeɪ ɪɡˈzæmənd hɪz tʃɑːrt wɪð ˈmɪnət ker ənd ˈsɔːləmli ʃʊk hɪz hed/
Line 2
The island was not there.
/ðə ˈaɪlənd wɑːz nɑːt ðer/
Line 3
Either the chart was imperfect, or we had reached a hitherto undiscovered land.
/ˈiːðər ðə tʃɑːrt wɑːz ˌɪmˈpɜːrfɪkt ɔːr wiː hæd riːtʃt ə ˈhɪðɜːrˈtuː ˌʌndɪˈskʌvərd lænd/
Line 4
The latter conjecture was not at all unreasonable, for so many islands lay in this neighborhood that even when sighted by chance an outlying islet was little liable to tempt one to land upon it.
/ðə ˈlætər kənˈdʒektʃər wɑːz nɑːt æt ɔːl ənˈriːznəbəl fɔːr soʊ ˈmeni ˈaɪləndz leɪ ɪn ðɪs ˈneɪbərhʊd ðæt ˈiːvɪn wen ˈsaɪtɪd baɪ tʃæns æn ˈaʊtlaɪɪŋ ˈaɪlɪt wɑːz ˈlɪtəl ˈlaɪəbəl tuː tempt wʌn tuː lænd əˈpɑːn ɪt/
Line 5
This was doubtless one of the numerous group lying to the south-east of the Alaska peninsula, which are of volcanic origin and as a rule barren and uninhabited.

Learner Dictionary

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.

Alaska noun US /əˈlæskə/

a state in northwestern North America; the 49th state admitted to the union

From this reading “This was doubtless one of the numerous group lying to the south-east of the Alaska peninsula, which are of volcanic origin and as a rule barren and uninhabited.”

chart noun US /tʃɑːrt/

a visual display of information

From this reading “Captain Gay examined his chart with minute care, and solemnly shook his head.”

islet noun US /ˈaɪlɪt/

a small island

From this reading “The latter conjecture was not at all unreasonable, for so many islands lay in this neighborhood that even when sighted by chance an outlying islet was little liable to tempt one to land upon it.”

outlying adjective US /ˈaʊtlaɪɪŋ/

relatively far from a center or middle

From this reading “The latter conjecture was not at all unreasonable, for so many islands lay in this neighborhood that even when sighted by chance an outlying islet was little liable to tempt one to land upon it.”

peninsula noun US /pəˈnɪnsələ/

a large mass of land projecting into a body of water

From this reading “This was doubtless one of the numerous group lying to the south-east of the Alaska peninsula, which are of volcanic origin and as a rule barren and uninhabited.”

undiscovered adjective US /ˌʌndɪˈskʌvərd/

not discovered

From this reading “Either the chart was imperfect, or we had reached a hitherto undiscovered land.”

uninhabited adjective US /ˌʌnɪnˈhæbətɪd/

not having inhabitants; not lived in

From this reading “This was doubtless one of the numerous group lying to the south-east of the Alaska peninsula, which are of volcanic origin and as a rule barren and uninhabited.”

volcanic adjective US /vɑːlˈkænɪk/

relating to or produced by or consisting of volcanoes

From this reading “This was doubtless one of the numerous group lying to the south-east of the Alaska peninsula, which are of volcanic origin and as a rule barren and uninhabited.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

by chance preposition + noun

through chance

In this reading “The latter conjecture was not at all unreasonable, for so many islands lay in this neighborhood that even when sighted by chance an outlying islet was little liable to tempt one to land upon it.”

lay in verb + particle

keep or lay aside for future use

In this reading “The latter conjecture was not at all unreasonable, for so many islands lay in this neighborhood that even when sighted by chance an outlying islet was little liable to tempt one to land upon it.”

All words in this reading · 72

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Either the chart was imperfect, or we had reached a hitherto undiscovered land.

AlaskanounUS /əˈlæskə/

a state in northwestern North America; the 49th state admitted to the union

From this reading This was doubtless one of the numerous group lying to the south-east of the Alaska peninsula, which are of volcanic origin and as a rule barren and uninhabited.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading The latter conjecture was not at all unreasonable, for so many islands lay in this neighborhood that even when sighted by chance an outlying islet was little liable to tempt one to land upon it.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading The latter conjecture was not at all unreasonable, for so many islands lay in this neighborhood that even when sighted by chance an outlying islet was little liable to tempt one to land upon it.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Captain Gay examined his chart with minute care, and solemnly shook his head.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading This was doubtless one of the numerous group lying to the south-east of the Alaska peninsula, which are of volcanic origin and as a rule barren and uninhabited.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading This was doubtless one of the numerous group lying to the south-east of the Alaska peninsula, which are of volcanic origin and as a rule barren and uninhabited.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading The latter conjecture was not at all unreasonable, for so many islands lay in this neighborhood that even when sighted by chance an outlying islet was little liable to tempt one to land upon it.

barrenadjectiveUS /ˈbærən/

providing no shelter or sustenance

From this reading This was doubtless one of the numerous group lying to the south-east of the Alaska peninsula, which are of volcanic origin and as a rule barren and uninhabited.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading The latter conjecture was not at all unreasonable, for so many islands lay in this neighborhood that even when sighted by chance an outlying islet was little liable to tempt one to land upon it.

CaptainnounUS /ˈkæptən/

an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant

From this reading Captain Gay examined his chart with minute care, and solemnly shook his head.

carenounUS /ker/

the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something

From this reading Captain Gay examined his chart with minute care, and solemnly shook his head.

chancenounUS /tʃæns/

a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances

From this reading The latter conjecture was not at all unreasonable, for so many islands lay in this neighborhood that even when sighted by chance an outlying islet was little liable to tempt one to land upon it.

chartnounUS /tʃɑːrt/

a visual display of information

From this reading Captain Gay examined his chart with minute care, and solemnly shook his head.

conjecturenounUS /kənˈdʒektʃər/

a hypothesis that has been formed by speculating or conjecturing (usually with little hard evidence)

From this reading The latter conjecture was not at all unreasonable, for so many islands lay in this neighborhood that even when sighted by chance an outlying islet was little liable to tempt one to land upon it.

doubtlessadverbUS /ˈdaʊtləs/

without doubt; certainly

From this reading This was doubtless one of the numerous group lying to the south-east of the Alaska peninsula, which are of volcanic origin and as a rule barren and uninhabited.

EitherdeterminerUS /ˈiːðər/

one or the other of two

From this reading Either the chart was imperfect, or we had reached a hitherto undiscovered land.

evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

From this reading The latter conjecture was not at all unreasonable, for so many islands lay in this neighborhood that even when sighted by chance an outlying islet was little liable to tempt one to land upon it.

examinedverbUS /ɪɡˈzæmənd/

past form of “examine” — consider in detail and subject to an analysis in order to discover essential features or meaning

From this reading Captain Gay examined his chart with minute care, and solemnly shook his head.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading The latter conjecture was not at all unreasonable, for so many islands lay in this neighborhood that even when sighted by chance an outlying islet was little liable to tempt one to land upon it.

GayadjectiveUS /ɡeɪ/

bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer

From this reading Captain Gay examined his chart with minute care, and solemnly shook his head.

groupnounUS /ɡruːp/

any number of entities (members) considered as a unit

From this reading This was doubtless one of the numerous group lying to the south-east of the Alaska peninsula, which are of volcanic origin and as a rule barren and uninhabited.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Either the chart was imperfect, or we had reached a hitherto undiscovered land.

headnounUS /hed/

the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains

From this reading Captain Gay examined his chart with minute care, and solemnly shook his head.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Captain Gay examined his chart with minute care, and solemnly shook his head.

hithertoadverbUS /ˈhɪðɜːrˈtuː/

used in negative statement to describe a situation that has existed up to this point or up to the present time

From this reading Either the chart was imperfect, or we had reached a hitherto undiscovered land.

imperfectadjectiveUS /ˌɪmˈpɜːrfɪkt/

not perfect; defective or inadequate

From this reading Either the chart was imperfect, or we had reached a hitherto undiscovered land.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading The latter conjecture was not at all unreasonable, for so many islands lay in this neighborhood that even when sighted by chance an outlying islet was little liable to tempt one to land upon it.

islandnounUS /ˈaɪlənd/

a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water

From this reading The island was not there.

islandsnounUS /ˈaɪləndz/

plural of “island” — a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water

From this reading The latter conjecture was not at all unreasonable, for so many islands lay in this neighborhood that even when sighted by chance an outlying islet was little liable to tempt one to land upon it.

isletnounUS /ˈaɪlɪt/

a small island

From this reading The latter conjecture was not at all unreasonable, for so many islands lay in this neighborhood that even when sighted by chance an outlying islet was little liable to tempt one to land upon it.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading The latter conjecture was not at all unreasonable, for so many islands lay in this neighborhood that even when sighted by chance an outlying islet was little liable to tempt one to land upon it.

landnounUS /lænd/

the land on which real estate is located

From this reading Either the chart was imperfect, or we had reached a hitherto undiscovered land.

latteradjectiveUS /ˈlætər/

referring to the second of two things or persons mentioned (or the last one or ones of several)

From this reading The latter conjecture was not at all unreasonable, for so many islands lay in this neighborhood that even when sighted by chance an outlying islet was little liable to tempt one to land upon it.

layverbUS /leɪ/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading The latter conjecture was not at all unreasonable, for so many islands lay in this neighborhood that even when sighted by chance an outlying islet was little liable to tempt one to land upon it.

liableadjectiveUS /ˈlaɪəbəl/

at risk of or subject to experiencing something usually unpleasant

From this reading The latter conjecture was not at all unreasonable, for so many islands lay in this neighborhood that even when sighted by chance an outlying islet was little liable to tempt one to land upon it.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading The latter conjecture was not at all unreasonable, for so many islands lay in this neighborhood that even when sighted by chance an outlying islet was little liable to tempt one to land upon it.

lyingnounUS /ˈlaɪɪŋ/

the deliberate act of deviating from the truth

From this reading This was doubtless one of the numerous group lying to the south-east of the Alaska peninsula, which are of volcanic origin and as a rule barren and uninhabited.

manyadjectiveUS /ˈmeni/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number

From this reading The latter conjecture was not at all unreasonable, for so many islands lay in this neighborhood that even when sighted by chance an outlying islet was little liable to tempt one to land upon it.

minutenounUS /ˈmɪnət/

a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour

From this reading Captain Gay examined his chart with minute care, and solemnly shook his head.

neighborhoodnounUS /ˈneɪbərhʊd/

a surrounding or nearby region

From this reading The latter conjecture was not at all unreasonable, for so many islands lay in this neighborhood that even when sighted by chance an outlying islet was little liable to tempt one to land upon it.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading The island was not there.

numerousadjectiveUS /ˈnuːmərəs/

amounting to a large indefinite number

From this reading This was doubtless one of the numerous group lying to the south-east of the Alaska peninsula, which are of volcanic origin and as a rule barren and uninhabited.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading This was doubtless one of the numerous group lying to the south-east of the Alaska peninsula, which are of volcanic origin and as a rule barren and uninhabited.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading The latter conjecture was not at all unreasonable, for so many islands lay in this neighborhood that even when sighted by chance an outlying islet was little liable to tempt one to land upon it.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Either the chart was imperfect, or we had reached a hitherto undiscovered land.

originnounUS /ˈɔːrədʒən/

the place where something begins, where it springs into being

From this reading This was doubtless one of the numerous group lying to the south-east of the Alaska peninsula, which are of volcanic origin and as a rule barren and uninhabited.

outlyingadjectiveUS /ˈaʊtlaɪɪŋ/

relatively far from a center or middle

From this reading The latter conjecture was not at all unreasonable, for so many islands lay in this neighborhood that even when sighted by chance an outlying islet was little liable to tempt one to land upon it.

peninsulanounUS /pəˈnɪnsələ/

a large mass of land projecting into a body of water

From this reading This was doubtless one of the numerous group lying to the south-east of the Alaska peninsula, which are of volcanic origin and as a rule barren and uninhabited.

reachedverbUS /riːtʃt/

past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract

From this reading Either the chart was imperfect, or we had reached a hitherto undiscovered land.

rulenounUS /ruːl/

a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior

From this reading This was doubtless one of the numerous group lying to the south-east of the Alaska peninsula, which are of volcanic origin and as a rule barren and uninhabited.

shooknounUS /ʃʊk/

a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment

From this reading Captain Gay examined his chart with minute care, and solemnly shook his head.

sightedadjectiveUS /ˈsaɪtɪd/

able to see

From this reading The latter conjecture was not at all unreasonable, for so many islands lay in this neighborhood that even when sighted by chance an outlying islet was little liable to tempt one to land upon it.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading The latter conjecture was not at all unreasonable, for so many islands lay in this neighborhood that even when sighted by chance an outlying islet was little liable to tempt one to land upon it.

solemnlyadverbUS /ˈsɔːləmli/

in a grave and sedate manner

From this reading Captain Gay examined his chart with minute care, and solemnly shook his head.

south-eastadverb

to, toward, or in the southeast

From this reading This was doubtless one of the numerous group lying to the south-east of the Alaska peninsula, which are of volcanic origin and as a rule barren and uninhabited.

temptverbUS /tempt/

dispose or incline or entice to

From this reading The latter conjecture was not at all unreasonable, for so many islands lay in this neighborhood that even when sighted by chance an outlying islet was little liable to tempt one to land upon it.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The latter conjecture was not at all unreasonable, for so many islands lay in this neighborhood that even when sighted by chance an outlying islet was little liable to tempt one to land upon it.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The island was not there.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading The island was not there.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading The latter conjecture was not at all unreasonable, for so many islands lay in this neighborhood that even when sighted by chance an outlying islet was little liable to tempt one to land upon it.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading The latter conjecture was not at all unreasonable, for so many islands lay in this neighborhood that even when sighted by chance an outlying islet was little liable to tempt one to land upon it.

undiscoveredadjectiveUS /ˌʌndɪˈskʌvərd/

not discovered

From this reading Either the chart was imperfect, or we had reached a hitherto undiscovered land.

uninhabitedadjectiveUS /ˌʌnɪnˈhæbətɪd/

not having inhabitants; not lived in

From this reading This was doubtless one of the numerous group lying to the south-east of the Alaska peninsula, which are of volcanic origin and as a rule barren and uninhabited.

unreasonableadjectiveUS /ənˈriːznəbəl/

not reasonable; not showing good judgment

From this reading The latter conjecture was not at all unreasonable, for so many islands lay in this neighborhood that even when sighted by chance an outlying islet was little liable to tempt one to land upon it.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading The latter conjecture was not at all unreasonable, for so many islands lay in this neighborhood that even when sighted by chance an outlying islet was little liable to tempt one to land upon it.

volcanicadjectiveUS /vɑːlˈkænɪk/

relating to or produced by or consisting of volcanoes

From this reading This was doubtless one of the numerous group lying to the south-east of the Alaska peninsula, which are of volcanic origin and as a rule barren and uninhabited.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The island was not there.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading Either the chart was imperfect, or we had reached a hitherto undiscovered land.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading The latter conjecture was not at all unreasonable, for so many islands lay in this neighborhood that even when sighted by chance an outlying islet was little liable to tempt one to land upon it.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading This was doubtless one of the numerous group lying to the south-east of the Alaska peninsula, which are of volcanic origin and as a rule barren and uninhabited.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Captain Gay examined his chart with minute care, and solemnly shook his head.

Chapter 6 of Sam Steele's Adventures on Land and Sea by L. Frank (Lyman Frank) Baum holds 59 sentences, grouped into 12 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.

What does chapter 6 of Sam Steele's Adventures on Land and Sea contain?

Chapter 6 holds 59 sentences of Sam Steele's Adventures on Land and Sea, unabridged, divided into 12 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 6 of Sam Steele's Adventures on Land and Sea by L. Frank (Lyman Frank) Baum exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 59 sentences, grouped into 12 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.

How do I study chapter 6 of Sam Steele's Adventures on Land and Sea?

Work through the 12 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

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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.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #55597, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 201 minutes of reading across 484 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in Sam Steele's Adventures on Land and Sea

Words and structures a reader meets early in Sam Steele's Adventures on Land and Sea, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Ranck
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Sam Steele's Adventures on Land and Sea; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Voice
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Sam Steele's Adventures on Land and Sea; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Sounded
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Sam Steele's Adventures on Land and Sea; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Bitter
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