Chapter 20 of Stem to Stern is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of Stem to Stern is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE REBELLIOUS SKIPPER OF THE SLOOP. "What are you going to do with Paul Bristol, Mad Twinker?" inquired Bissell, as they marched him down to the sloop. "We are not going to do anything with him. Major Billcord wants to see him, and we promised to take him over to Sandy Point for him," answered the chief ruffian. "Oh, that's all, is it?" added the skipper.
Chapter 20 of Stem to Stern is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
an industrial city and port in southwestern England near the mouth of the River Avon
From this reading “"What are you going to do with Paul Bristol, Mad Twinker?" inquired Bissell, as they marched him down to the sloop.”
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading “"What are you going to do with Paul Bristol, Mad Twinker?" inquired Bissell, as they marched him down to the sloop.”
of greater importance or stature or rank
From this reading “Major Billcord wants to see him, and we promised to take him over to Sandy Point for him," answered the chief ruffian.”
past form of “march” — march in a procession
From this reading “"What are you going to do with Paul Bristol, Mad Twinker?" inquired Bissell, as they marched him down to the sloop.”
resisting control or authority
From this reading “THE REBELLIOUS SKIPPER OF THE SLOOP.”
of hair color; pale yellowish to yellowish brown
From this reading “Major Billcord wants to see him, and we promised to take him over to Sandy Point for him," answered the chief ruffian.”
a student who fails to attend classes
From this reading “THE REBELLIOUS SKIPPER OF THE SLOOP.”
a sailing vessel with a single mast set about one third of the boat's length aft of the bow
From this reading “THE REBELLIOUS SKIPPER OF THE SLOOP.”
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.
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.
past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading "Oh, that's all, is it?" added the skipper.
(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 "Oh, that's all, is it?" added the skipper.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Major Billcord wants to see him, and we promised to take him over to Sandy Point for him," answered the chief ruffian.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading Major Billcord wants to see him, and we promised to take him over to Sandy Point for him," answered the chief ruffian.
any thing at all
From this reading "We are not going to do anything with him.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "What are you going to do with Paul Bristol, Mad Twinker?" inquired Bissell, as they marched him down to the sloop.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "What are you going to do with Paul Bristol, Mad Twinker?" inquired Bissell, as they marched him down to the sloop.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Major Billcord wants to see him, and we promised to take him over to Sandy Point for him," answered the chief ruffian.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What are you going to do with Paul Bristol, Mad Twinker?" inquired Bissell, as they marched him down to the sloop.
an industrial city and port in southwestern England near the mouth of the River Avon
From this reading "What are you going to do with Paul Bristol, Mad Twinker?" inquired Bissell, as they marched him down to the sloop.
a person who is in charge
From this reading Major Billcord wants to see him, and we promised to take him over to Sandy Point for him," answered the chief ruffian.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "What are you going to do with Paul Bristol, Mad Twinker?" inquired Bissell, as they marched him down to the sloop.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "What are you going to do with Paul Bristol, Mad Twinker?" inquired Bissell, as they marched him down to the sloop.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Major Billcord wants to see him, and we promised to take him over to Sandy Point for him," answered the chief ruffian.
the act of departing
From this reading "What are you going to do with Paul Bristol, Mad Twinker?" inquired Bissell, as they marched him down to the sloop.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "What are you going to do with Paul Bristol, Mad Twinker?" inquired Bissell, as they marched him down to the sloop.
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading "What are you going to do with Paul Bristol, Mad Twinker?" inquired Bissell, as they marched him down to the sloop.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Oh, that's all, is it?" added the skipper.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Oh, that's all, is it?" added the skipper.
roused to anger
From this reading "What are you going to do with Paul Bristol, Mad Twinker?" inquired Bissell, as they marched him down to the sloop.
of greater importance or stature or rank
From this reading Major Billcord wants to see him, and we promised to take him over to Sandy Point for him," answered the chief ruffian.
past form of “march” — march in a procession
From this reading "What are you going to do with Paul Bristol, Mad Twinker?" inquired Bissell, as they marched him down to the sloop.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "We are not going to do anything with him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE REBELLIOUS SKIPPER OF THE SLOOP.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, that's all, is it?" added the skipper.
above and across; more than
From this reading Major Billcord wants to see him, and we promised to take him over to Sandy Point for him," answered the chief ruffian.
United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading "What are you going to do with Paul Bristol, Mad Twinker?" inquired Bissell, as they marched him down to the sloop.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading Major Billcord wants to see him, and we promised to take him over to Sandy Point for him," answered the chief ruffian.
past form of “promise” — make a promise or commitment
From this reading Major Billcord wants to see him, and we promised to take him over to Sandy Point for him," answered the chief ruffian.
resisting control or authority
From this reading THE REBELLIOUS SKIPPER OF THE SLOOP.
a cruel and brutal fellow
From this reading Major Billcord wants to see him, and we promised to take him over to Sandy Point for him," answered the chief ruffian.
of hair color; pale yellowish to yellowish brown
From this reading Major Billcord wants to see him, and we promised to take him over to Sandy Point for him," answered the chief ruffian.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Major Billcord wants to see him, and we promised to take him over to Sandy Point for him," answered the chief ruffian.
a student who fails to attend classes
From this reading THE REBELLIOUS SKIPPER OF THE SLOOP.
a sailing vessel with a single mast set about one third of the boat's length aft of the bow
From this reading THE REBELLIOUS SKIPPER OF THE SLOOP.
carry out
From this reading Major Billcord wants to see him, and we promised to take him over to Sandy Point for him," answered the chief ruffian.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh, that's all, is it?" added the skipper.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE REBELLIOUS SKIPPER OF THE SLOOP.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "What are you going to do with Paul Bristol, Mad Twinker?" inquired Bissell, as they marched him down to the sloop.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "What are you going to do with Paul Bristol, Mad Twinker?" inquired Bissell, as they marched him down to the sloop.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "What are you going to do with Paul Bristol, Mad Twinker?" inquired Bissell, as they marched him down to the sloop.
plural of “want” — a state of extreme poverty
From this reading Major Billcord wants to see him, and we promised to take him over to Sandy Point for him," answered the chief ruffian.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "We are not going to do anything with him.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What are you going to do with Paul Bristol, Mad Twinker?" inquired Bissell, as they marched him down to the sloop.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "What are you going to do with Paul Bristol, Mad Twinker?" inquired Bissell, as they marched him down to the sloop.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What are you going to do with Paul Bristol, Mad Twinker?" inquired Bissell, as they marched him down to the sloop.
Chapter 20 of Stem to Stern by Oliver Optic holds 119 sentences, grouped into 24 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 20 holds 119 sentences of Stem to Stern, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of Stem to Stern by Oliver Optic exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 119 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 20 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.
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Yes. All 3514 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #52978 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #52978, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 292 minutes of reading across 703 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Stem to Stern section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of Stem to Stern 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 Stem to Stern, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
