Chapter 15 of South Sea Tales is here in full — 210 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of South Sea Tales is here in full — 210 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
McCoy measured the distance of the land away, and nodded. “Yes, it is six now. I won't get ashore till nine. The people cannot be assembled earlier than ten. As the breeze freshens up tonight, you can begin to work up against it, and pick me up at daylight tomorrow morning.”
Chapter 15 of South Sea Tales is here in full — 210 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/42 · 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.
towards the shore from the water
From this reading “I won't get ashore till nine.”
past form of “assemble” — create by putting components or members together
From this reading “The people cannot be assembled earlier than ten.”
a slight wind (usually refreshing)
From this reading “As the breeze freshens up tonight, you can begin to work up against it, and pick me up at daylight tomorrow morning.””
earlier in time; previously
From this reading “The people cannot be assembled earlier than ten.”
third-person singular of “freshen” — make (to feel) fresh
From this reading “As the breeze freshens up tonight, you can begin to work up against it, and pick me up at daylight tomorrow morning.””
having notes of fixed rhythmic value
From this reading “McCoy measured the distance of the land away, and nodded.”
the day after today
From this reading “As the breeze freshens up tonight, you can begin to work up against it, and pick me up at daylight tomorrow morning.””
On the present night.
From this reading “As the breeze freshens up tonight, you can begin to work up against it, and pick me up at daylight tomorrow morning.””
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.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading As the breeze freshens up tonight, you can begin to work up against it, and pick me up at daylight tomorrow morning.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading McCoy measured the distance of the land away, and nodded.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As the breeze freshens up tonight, you can begin to work up against it, and pick me up at daylight tomorrow morning.”
towards the shore from the water
From this reading I won't get ashore till nine.
past form of “assemble” — create by putting components or members together
From this reading The people cannot be assembled earlier than ten.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading As the breeze freshens up tonight, you can begin to work up against it, and pick me up at daylight tomorrow morning.”
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading McCoy measured the distance of the land away, and nodded.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The people cannot be assembled earlier than ten.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading As the breeze freshens up tonight, you can begin to work up against it, and pick me up at daylight tomorrow morning.”
a slight wind (usually refreshing)
From this reading As the breeze freshens up tonight, you can begin to work up against it, and pick me up at daylight tomorrow morning.”
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading As the breeze freshens up tonight, you can begin to work up against it, and pick me up at daylight tomorrow morning.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The people cannot be assembled earlier than ten.
the time after sunrise and before sunset while it is light outside
From this reading As the breeze freshens up tonight, you can begin to work up against it, and pick me up at daylight tomorrow morning.”
the property created by the space between two objects or points
From this reading McCoy measured the distance of the land away, and nodded.
earlier in time; previously
From this reading The people cannot be assembled earlier than ten.
third-person singular of “freshen” — make (to feel) fresh
From this reading As the breeze freshens up tonight, you can begin to work up against it, and pick me up at daylight tomorrow morning.”
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading I won't get ashore till nine.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I won't get ashore till nine.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Yes, it is six now.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Yes, it is six now.
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading McCoy measured the distance of the land away, and nodded.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading McCoy measured the distance of the land away, and nodded.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading As the breeze freshens up tonight, you can begin to work up against it, and pick me up at daylight tomorrow morning.”
having notes of fixed rhythmic value
From this reading McCoy measured the distance of the land away, and nodded.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading As the breeze freshens up tonight, you can begin to work up against it, and pick me up at daylight tomorrow morning.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one
From this reading I won't get ashore till nine.
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading McCoy measured the distance of the land away, and nodded.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “Yes, it is six now.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading McCoy measured the distance of the land away, and nodded.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading The people cannot be assembled earlier than ten.
select carefully from a group
From this reading As the breeze freshens up tonight, you can begin to work up against it, and pick me up at daylight tomorrow morning.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading “Yes, it is six now.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading The people cannot be assembled earlier than ten.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading The people cannot be assembled earlier than ten.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading McCoy measured the distance of the land away, and nodded.
up to a particular time
From this reading I won't get ashore till nine.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading As the breeze freshens up tonight, you can begin to work up against it, and pick me up at daylight tomorrow morning.”
the day after today
From this reading As the breeze freshens up tonight, you can begin to work up against it, and pick me up at daylight tomorrow morning.”
On the present night.
From this reading As the breeze freshens up tonight, you can begin to work up against it, and pick me up at daylight tomorrow morning.”
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading As the breeze freshens up tonight, you can begin to work up against it, and pick me up at daylight tomorrow morning.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I won't get ashore till nine.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading As the breeze freshens up tonight, you can begin to work up against it, and pick me up at daylight tomorrow morning.”
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes, it is six now.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading As the breeze freshens up tonight, you can begin to work up against it, and pick me up at daylight tomorrow morning.”
Chapter 15 of South Sea Tales by Jack London holds 210 sentences, grouped into 42 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 15 holds 210 sentences of South Sea Tales, unabridged, divided into 42 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of South Sea Tales by Jack London exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 210 sentences, grouped into 42 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 42 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 42 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 15 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 South Sea Tales by Jack London on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3580 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1208 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1208, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 298 minutes of reading across 716 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through South Sea Tales section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of South Sea Tales 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 South Sea Tales, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
