Chapter 17 of Sketches by Seymour — Complete is here in full — 36 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Sketches by Seymour — Complete is here in full — 36 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Starboard, Tom, starboard!"--"Aye, aye-starboard it is!" I found myself quite in a strange land upon parting with my master and his friends. It was war-time, and the place was literally swarming with jack-tars. Taking to the road, for the footway was quite crowded, I soon reached Poplar. Here a large mob impeded my progress.
Chapter 17 of Sketches by Seymour — Complete is here in full — 36 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/7 · 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.
overfilled or compacted or concentrated
From this reading “Taking to the road, for the footway was quite crowded, I soon reached Poplar.”
made difficult or slow
From this reading “Here a large mob impeded my progress.”
in a literal sense
From this reading “It was war-time, and the place was literally swarming with jack-tars.”
a disorderly crowd of people
From this reading “Here a large mob impeded my progress.”
the act of departing politely
From this reading “I found myself quite in a strange land upon parting with my master and his friends.”
soft light-colored non-durable wood of the poplar
From this reading “Taking to the road, for the footway was quite crowded, I soon reached Poplar.”
the right side of a ship or aircraft to someone who is aboard and facing the bow or nose
From this reading “"Starboard, Tom, starboard!"--"Aye, aye-starboard it is!"”
-ing form of “swarm” — be teeming, be abuzz
From this reading “It was war-time, and the place was literally swarming with jack-tars.”
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 I found myself quite in a strange land upon parting with my master and his friends.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I found myself quite in a strange land upon parting with my master and his friends.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Starboard, Tom, starboard!"--"Aye, aye-starboard it is!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Starboard, Tom, starboard!"--"Aye, aye-starboard it is!"
overfilled or compacted or concentrated
From this reading Taking to the road, for the footway was quite crowded, I soon reached Poplar.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Taking to the road, for the footway was quite crowded, I soon reached Poplar.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Taking to the road, for the footway was quite crowded, I soon reached Poplar.
set up or found
From this reading I found myself quite in a strange land upon parting with my master and his friends.
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading I found myself quite in a strange land upon parting with my master and his friends.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Here a large mob impeded my progress.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading I found myself quite in a strange land upon parting with my master and his friends.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I found myself quite in a strange land upon parting with my master and his friends.
made difficult or slow
From this reading Here a large mob impeded my progress.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I found myself quite in a strange land upon parting with my master and his friends.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Starboard, Tom, starboard!"--"Aye, aye-starboard it is!"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Starboard, Tom, starboard!"--"Aye, aye-starboard it is!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was war-time, and the place was literally swarming with jack-tars.
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading I found myself quite in a strange land upon parting with my master and his friends.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Here a large mob impeded my progress.
in a literal sense
From this reading It was war-time, and the place was literally swarming with jack-tars.
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading I found myself quite in a strange land upon parting with my master and his friends.
a disorderly crowd of people
From this reading Here a large mob impeded my progress.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I found myself quite in a strange land upon parting with my master and his friends.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading I found myself quite in a strange land upon parting with my master and his friends.
the act of departing politely
From this reading I found myself quite in a strange land upon parting with my master and his friends.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading It was war-time, and the place was literally swarming with jack-tars.
soft light-colored non-durable wood of the poplar
From this reading Taking to the road, for the footway was quite crowded, I soon reached Poplar.
gradual improvement or growth or development
From this reading Here a large mob impeded my progress.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading I found myself quite in a strange land upon parting with my master and his friends.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading Taking to the road, for the footway was quite crowded, I soon reached Poplar.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading Taking to the road, for the footway was quite crowded, I soon reached Poplar.
in the near future
From this reading Taking to the road, for the footway was quite crowded, I soon reached Poplar.
the right side of a ship or aircraft to someone who is aboard and facing the bow or nose
From this reading "Starboard, Tom, starboard!"--"Aye, aye-starboard it is!"
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading I found myself quite in a strange land upon parting with my master and his friends.
-ing form of “swarm” — be teeming, be abuzz
From this reading It was war-time, and the place was literally swarming with jack-tars.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading Taking to the road, for the footway was quite crowded, I soon reached Poplar.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was war-time, and the place was literally swarming with jack-tars.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Taking to the road, for the footway was quite crowded, I soon reached Poplar.
male cat
From this reading "Starboard, Tom, starboard!"--"Aye, aye-starboard it is!"
a formal word for “on”
From this reading I found myself quite in a strange land upon parting with my master and his friends.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was war-time, and the place was literally swarming with jack-tars.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was war-time, and the place was literally swarming with jack-tars.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I found myself quite in a strange land upon parting with my master and his friends.
Chapter 17 of Sketches by Seymour — Complete by Robert Seymour holds 36 sentences, grouped into 8 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 17 holds 36 sentences of Sketches by Seymour — Complete, unabridged, divided into 8 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Sketches by Seymour — Complete by Robert Seymour exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 36 sentences, grouped into 8 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 8 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 8 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 17 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 Sketches by Seymour — Complete by Robert Seymour on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2097 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5650 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5650, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 174 minutes of reading across 420 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Sketches by Seymour — Complete section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of Sketches by Seymour — Complete 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 Sketches by Seymour — Complete, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
