Chapter 7 of Swamp Island is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of Swamp Island is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"We couldn't tell. Salt and I heard the sound soon after we had passed the Hawkins' place on our way toward the swamp." "What sort of sound was it?" "Just a metallic tap-tap-tap. It may not have been on a dishpan."
Chapter 7 of Swamp Island is here in full — 432 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
English privateer involved in the slave trade; later helped build the fleet that in 1588 defeated the Spanish Armada (1532-1595)
From this reading “Salt and I heard the sound soon after we had passed the Hawkins' place on our way toward the swamp."”
containing or made of or resembling or characteristic of a metal
From this reading “"Just a metallic tap-tap-tap.”
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading “Salt and I heard the sound soon after we had passed the Hawkins' place on our way toward the swamp."”
a compound formed by replacing hydrogen in an acid by a metal (or a radical that acts like a metal)
From this reading “Salt and I heard the sound soon after we had passed the Hawkins' place on our way toward the swamp."”
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading “"What sort of sound was it?"”
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading “Salt and I heard the sound soon after we had passed the Hawkins' place on our way toward the swamp."”
drench or submerge or be drenched or submerged
From this reading “Salt and I heard the sound soon after we had passed the Hawkins' place on our way toward the swamp."”
in the direction of
From this reading “Salt and I heard the sound soon after we had passed the Hawkins' place on our way toward the swamp."”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "Just a metallic tap-tap-tap.
later than; following
From this reading Salt and I heard the sound soon after we had passed the Hawkins' place on our way toward the swamp."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Salt and I heard the sound soon after we had passed the Hawkins' place on our way toward the swamp."
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It may not have been on a dishpan."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "We couldn't tell.
large pan for washing dishes
From this reading It may not have been on a dishpan."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Salt and I heard the sound soon after we had passed the Hawkins' place on our way toward the swamp."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It may not have been on a dishpan."
English privateer involved in the slave trade; later helped build the fleet that in 1588 defeated the Spanish Armada (1532-1595)
From this reading Salt and I heard the sound soon after we had passed the Hawkins' place on our way toward the swamp."
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Salt and I heard the sound soon after we had passed the Hawkins' place on our way toward the swamp."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Salt and I heard the sound soon after we had passed the Hawkins' place on our way toward the swamp."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "What sort of sound was it?"
and nothing more
From this reading "Just a metallic tap-tap-tap.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading It may not have been on a dishpan."
containing or made of or resembling or characteristic of a metal
From this reading "Just a metallic tap-tap-tap.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It may not have been on a dishpan."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "What sort of sound was it?"
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Salt and I heard the sound soon after we had passed the Hawkins' place on our way toward the swamp."
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Salt and I heard the sound soon after we had passed the Hawkins' place on our way toward the swamp."
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading Salt and I heard the sound soon after we had passed the Hawkins' place on our way toward the swamp."
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading Salt and I heard the sound soon after we had passed the Hawkins' place on our way toward the swamp."
a compound formed by replacing hydrogen in an acid by a metal (or a radical that acts like a metal)
From this reading Salt and I heard the sound soon after we had passed the Hawkins' place on our way toward the swamp."
in the near future
From this reading Salt and I heard the sound soon after we had passed the Hawkins' place on our way toward the swamp."
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading "What sort of sound was it?"
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading Salt and I heard the sound soon after we had passed the Hawkins' place on our way toward the swamp."
drench or submerge or be drenched or submerged
From this reading Salt and I heard the sound soon after we had passed the Hawkins' place on our way toward the swamp."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Just a metallic tap-tap-tap.
express in words
From this reading "We couldn't tell.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Salt and I heard the sound soon after we had passed the Hawkins' place on our way toward the swamp."
in the direction of
From this reading Salt and I heard the sound soon after we had passed the Hawkins' place on our way toward the swamp."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What sort of sound was it?"
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Salt and I heard the sound soon after we had passed the Hawkins' place on our way toward the swamp."
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "We couldn't tell.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What sort of sound was it?"
Chapter 7 of Swamp Island by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt holds 432 sentences, grouped into 87 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 7 holds 432 sentences of Swamp Island, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of Swamp Island by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 432 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 7 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 Swamp Island by Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3884 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35083 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #35083, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 323 minutes of reading across 777 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Swamp Island section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of Swamp Island 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 Swamp Island, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
