Chapter 3 of Syd Belton: The Boy Who Would Not Go to Sea is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Syd Belton: The Boy Who Would Not Go to Sea is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
That settled it. So evenly was the lad balanced, that a feather-weight was enough to work a change. His dread of the sea sent the scale down heavily. "Wait here," he said. "What for?"
Chapter 3 of Syd Belton: The Boy Who Would Not Go to Sea is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
being in a state of proper equilibrium
From this reading “So evenly was the lad balanced, that a feather-weight was enough to work a change.”
fearful expectation or anticipation
From this reading “His dread of the sea sent the scale down heavily.”
in equal amounts or shares; in a balanced or impartial way
From this reading “So evenly was the lad balanced, that a feather-weight was enough to work a change.”
to a considerable degree
From this reading “His dread of the sea sent the scale down heavily.”
a boy or man
From this reading “So evenly was the lad balanced, that a feather-weight was enough to work a change.”
an ordered reference standard
From this reading “His dread of the sea sent the scale down heavily.”
established or decided beyond dispute or doubt
From this reading “That settled it.”
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading “"Wait here," he said.”
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 So evenly was the lad balanced, that a feather-weight was enough to work a change.
being in a state of proper equilibrium
From this reading So evenly was the lad balanced, that a feather-weight was enough to work a change.
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading So evenly was the lad balanced, that a feather-weight was enough to work a change.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading His dread of the sea sent the scale down heavily.
fearful expectation or anticipation
From this reading His dread of the sea sent the scale down heavily.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading So evenly was the lad balanced, that a feather-weight was enough to work a change.
in equal amounts or shares; in a balanced or impartial way
From this reading So evenly was the lad balanced, that a feather-weight was enough to work a change.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So evenly was the lad balanced, that a feather-weight was enough to work a change.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "What for?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Wait here," he said.
to a considerable degree
From this reading His dread of the sea sent the scale down heavily.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "Wait here," he said.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His dread of the sea sent the scale down heavily.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading That settled it.
a boy or man
From this reading So evenly was the lad balanced, that a feather-weight was enough to work a change.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading His dread of the sea sent the scale down heavily.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Wait here," he said.
an ordered reference standard
From this reading His dread of the sea sent the scale down heavily.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading His dread of the sea sent the scale down heavily.
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading His dread of the sea sent the scale down heavily.
established or decided beyond dispute or doubt
From this reading That settled it.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So evenly was the lad balanced, that a feather-weight was enough to work a change.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That settled it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading So evenly was the lad balanced, that a feather-weight was enough to work a change.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading So evenly was the lad balanced, that a feather-weight was enough to work a change.
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading "Wait here," he said.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading So evenly was the lad balanced, that a feather-weight was enough to work a change.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What for?"
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading So evenly was the lad balanced, that a feather-weight was enough to work a change.
Chapter 3 of Syd Belton: The Boy Who Would Not Go to Sea by George Manville Fenn holds 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 3 holds 414 sentences of Syd Belton: The Boy Who Would Not Go to Sea, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Syd Belton: The Boy Who Would Not Go to Sea by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 3 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 Syd Belton: The Boy Who Would Not Go to Sea by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6856 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21373 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21373, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 571 minutes of reading across 1372 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Syd Belton: The Boy Who Would Not Go to Sea section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of Syd Belton: The Boy Who Would Not Go to Sea 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 Syd Belton: The Boy Who Would Not Go to Sea, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
