Chapter 27 of Sink or Swim is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVII
Chapter 27 of Sink or Swim is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
NEW FRIENDS. “A boy adrift!” repeated Mr. Lindsay. “How could he get into such a situation?” “There may have been a wreck,” said the captain; “though I can see no other indications of it,” as through his glass he scanned the sea in the neighborhood of Harry. “You’ll go after him, won’t you, Captain Scott?” asked Maud, anxiously.
Chapter 27 of Sink or Swim is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/28 · 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 ““A boy adrift!” repeated Mr. Lindsay.”
with anxiety or apprehension
From this reading ““You’ll go after him, won’t you, Captain Scott?” asked Maud, anxiously.”
plural of “indication” — something that serves to indicate or suggest
From this reading ““There may have been a wreck,” said the captain; “though I can see no other indications of it,” as through his glass he scanned the sea in the neighborhood of Harry.”
United States playwright who collaborated with Russel Crouse on several musicals (1889-1931)
From this reading ““A boy adrift!” repeated Mr. Lindsay.”
a surrounding or nearby region
From this reading ““There may have been a wreck,” said the captain; “though I can see no other indications of it,” as through his glass he scanned the sea in the neighborhood of Harry.”
inflected form of “scan” — examine minutely or intensely
From this reading ““There may have been a wreck,” said the captain; “though I can see no other indications of it,” as through his glass he scanned the sea in the neighborhood of Harry.”
award-winning United States film actor (1928-1999)
From this reading ““You’ll go after him, won’t you, Captain Scott?” asked Maud, anxiously.”
something or someone that has suffered ruin or dilapidation
From this reading ““There may have been a wreck,” said the captain; “though I can see no other indications of it,” as through his glass he scanned the sea in the neighborhood of Harry.”
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.
In this reading ““There may have been a wreck,” said the captain; “though I can see no other indications of it,” as through his glass he scanned the sea in the neighborhood of Harry.”
In this reading ““There may have been a wreck,” said the captain; “though I can see no other indications of it,” as through his glass he scanned the sea in the neighborhood of Harry.”
get involved in or with
In this reading ““How could he get into such a situation?””
In this reading “NEW FRIENDS.”
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 “A boy adrift!” repeated Mr. Lindsay.
aimlessly drifting
From this reading “A boy adrift!” repeated Mr. Lindsay.
later than; following
From this reading “You’ll go after him, won’t you, Captain Scott?” asked Maud, anxiously.
with anxiety or apprehension
From this reading “You’ll go after him, won’t you, Captain Scott?” asked Maud, anxiously.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “There may have been a wreck,” said the captain; “though I can see no other indications of it,” as through his glass he scanned the sea in the neighborhood of Harry.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “You’ll go after him, won’t you, Captain Scott?” asked Maud, anxiously.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “There may have been a wreck,” said the captain; “though I can see no other indications of it,” as through his glass he scanned the sea in the neighborhood of Harry.
a youthful male person
From this reading “A boy adrift!” repeated Mr. Lindsay.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “There may have been a wreck,” said the captain; “though I can see no other indications of it,” as through his glass he scanned the sea in the neighborhood of Harry.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading “There may have been a wreck,” said the captain; “though I can see no other indications of it,” as through his glass he scanned the sea in the neighborhood of Harry.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading “How could he get into such a situation?”
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading NEW FRIENDS.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “How could he get into such a situation?”
a brittle transparent solid with irregular atomic structure
From this reading “There may have been a wreck,” said the captain; “though I can see no other indications of it,” as through his glass he scanned the sea in the neighborhood of Harry.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “You’ll go after him, won’t you, Captain Scott?” asked Maud, anxiously.
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading “There may have been a wreck,” said the captain; “though I can see no other indications of it,” as through his glass he scanned the sea in the neighborhood of Harry.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “There may have been a wreck,” said the captain; “though I can see no other indications of it,” as through his glass he scanned the sea in the neighborhood of Harry.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “How could he get into such a situation?”
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “You’ll go after him, won’t you, Captain Scott?” asked Maud, anxiously.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “There may have been a wreck,” said the captain; “though I can see no other indications of it,” as through his glass he scanned the sea in the neighborhood of Harry.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How could he get into such a situation?”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “There may have been a wreck,” said the captain; “though I can see no other indications of it,” as through his glass he scanned the sea in the neighborhood of Harry.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “There may have been a wreck,” said the captain; “though I can see no other indications of it,” as through his glass he scanned the sea in the neighborhood of Harry.
plural of “indication” — something that serves to indicate or suggest
From this reading “There may have been a wreck,” said the captain; “though I can see no other indications of it,” as through his glass he scanned the sea in the neighborhood of Harry.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading “How could he get into such a situation?”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “There may have been a wreck,” said the captain; “though I can see no other indications of it,” as through his glass he scanned the sea in the neighborhood of Harry.
United States playwright who collaborated with Russel Crouse on several musicals (1889-1931)
From this reading “A boy adrift!” repeated Mr. Lindsay.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You’ll go after him, won’t you, Captain Scott?” asked Maud, anxiously.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading “There may have been a wreck,” said the captain; “though I can see no other indications of it,” as through his glass he scanned the sea in the neighborhood of Harry.
a form of address for a man
From this reading “A boy adrift!” repeated Mr. Lindsay.
a surrounding or nearby region
From this reading “There may have been a wreck,” said the captain; “though I can see no other indications of it,” as through his glass he scanned the sea in the neighborhood of Harry.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading NEW FRIENDS.
not any; not one
From this reading “There may have been a wreck,” said the captain; “though I can see no other indications of it,” as through his glass he scanned the sea in the neighborhood of Harry.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “There may have been a wreck,” said the captain; “though I can see no other indications of it,” as through his glass he scanned the sea in the neighborhood of Harry.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading “There may have been a wreck,” said the captain; “though I can see no other indications of it,” as through his glass he scanned the sea in the neighborhood of Harry.
recurring again and again
From this reading “A boy adrift!” repeated Mr. Lindsay.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “There may have been a wreck,” said the captain; “though I can see no other indications of it,” as through his glass he scanned the sea in the neighborhood of Harry.
inflected form of “scan” — examine minutely or intensely
From this reading “There may have been a wreck,” said the captain; “though I can see no other indications of it,” as through his glass he scanned the sea in the neighborhood of Harry.
award-winning United States film actor (1928-1999)
From this reading “You’ll go after him, won’t you, Captain Scott?” asked Maud, anxiously.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading “There may have been a wreck,” said the captain; “though I can see no other indications of it,” as through his glass he scanned the sea in the neighborhood of Harry.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “There may have been a wreck,” said the captain; “though I can see no other indications of it,” as through his glass he scanned the sea in the neighborhood of Harry.
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading “How could he get into such a situation?”
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading “How could he get into such a situation?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “There may have been a wreck,” said the captain; “though I can see no other indications of it,” as through his glass he scanned the sea in the neighborhood of Harry.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “There may have been a wreck,” said the captain; “though I can see no other indications of it,” as through his glass he scanned the sea in the neighborhood of Harry.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading “There may have been a wreck,” said the captain; “though I can see no other indications of it,” as through his glass he scanned the sea in the neighborhood of Harry.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading “There may have been a wreck,” said the captain; “though I can see no other indications of it,” as through his glass he scanned the sea in the neighborhood of Harry.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You’ll go after him, won’t you, Captain Scott?” asked Maud, anxiously.
something or someone that has suffered ruin or dilapidation
From this reading “There may have been a wreck,” said the captain; “though I can see no other indications of it,” as through his glass he scanned the sea in the neighborhood of Harry.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You’ll go after him, won’t you, Captain Scott?” asked Maud, anxiously.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You’ll go after him, won’t you, Captain Scott?” asked Maud, anxiously.
Chapter 27 of Sink or Swim by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 143 sentences, grouped into 29 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 27 holds 143 sentences of Sink or Swim, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 27 of Sink or Swim by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 143 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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 27 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 Sink or Swim by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4592 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #59517 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #59517, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 382 minutes of reading across 919 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Sink or Swim section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 36 chapters of Sink or Swim 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 Sink or Swim, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
