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The adventures of Captain O'Shea
The adventures of Captain O'Shea

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of The adventures of Captain O'Shea is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The adventures of Captain O'Shea
Context Illustration Reading 1/81 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Van Steen was honestly amazed.
This lowering, flinty-faced young skipper must be crazy.
Professional filibusters were a kind of criminal recruited from the roughest classes.
They could have no morals, no manners, none of the sentiments of a gentleman.
He ventured a final attempt and said with a nervous laugh:
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The adventures of Captain O'Shea

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of The adventures of Captain O'Shea is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/81 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Van Steen was honestly amazed.
/væn stiːn wɑːz ˈɑːnəstli əˈmeɪzd/
Line 2
This lowering, flinty-faced young skipper must be crazy.
Line 3
Professional filibusters were a kind of criminal recruited from the roughest classes.
/prəˈfeʃənəl ˈfɪləbʌstərz wɜːr ə kaɪnd ʌv ˈkrɪmənəl rɪˈkruːtɪd frʌm ðə ˈrʌfəst ˈklæsəz/
Line 4
They could have no morals, no manners, none of the sentiments of a gentleman.
/ðeɪ kʊd hæv noʊ ˈmɔːrəlz noʊ ˈmænərz nʌn ʌv ðə ˈsentəmənts ʌv ə ˈdʒentəlmən/
Line 5
He ventured a final attempt and said with a nervous laugh:
/hiː ˈventʃərd ə ˈfaɪnəl əˈtempt ənd sed wɪð ə ˈnɜːrvəs læf/

Learner Dictionary

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.

filibusters noun US /ˈfɪləbʌstərz/

plural of “filibuster” — a legislator who gives long speeches in an effort to delay or obstruct legislation that he (or she) opposes

From this reading “Professional filibusters were a kind of criminal recruited from the roughest classes.”

honestly adverb US /ˈɑːnəstli/

(used as intensives reflecting the speaker's attitude) it is sincerely the case that

From this reading “Van Steen was honestly amazed.”

lowering adjective US /ˈloʊərɪŋ/

darkened by clouds

From this reading “This lowering, flinty-faced young skipper must be crazy.”

morals noun US /ˈmɔːrəlz/

motivation based on ideas of right and wrong

From this reading “They could have no morals, no manners, none of the sentiments of a gentleman.”

recruited verb US /rɪˈkruːtɪd/

past form of “recruit” — register formally as a participant or member

From this reading “Professional filibusters were a kind of criminal recruited from the roughest classes.”

roughest adjective US /ˈrʌfəst/

superlative of “rough” — having or caused by an irregular surface

From this reading “Professional filibusters were a kind of criminal recruited from the roughest classes.”

sentiments noun US /ˈsentəmənts/

plural of “sentiment” — tender, romantic, or nostalgic feeling or emotion

From this reading “They could have no morals, no manners, none of the sentiments of a gentleman.”

Steen noun US /stiːn/

Dutch genre painter (1626-1679)

From this reading “Van Steen was honestly amazed.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

nervous laugh adjective + noun

In this reading “He ventured a final attempt and said with a nervous laugh:”

young skipper adjective + noun

In this reading “This lowering, flinty-faced young skipper must be crazy.”

All words in this reading · 43

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Professional filibusters were a kind of criminal recruited from the roughest classes.

amazedadjectiveUS /əˈmeɪzd/

filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock

From this reading Van Steen was honestly amazed.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading He ventured a final attempt and said with a nervous laugh:

attemptnounUS /əˈtempt/

earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something

From this reading He ventured a final attempt and said with a nervous laugh:

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading This lowering, flinty-faced young skipper must be crazy.

classesnounUS /ˈklæsəz/

plural of “class” — a collection of things sharing a common attribute

From this reading Professional filibusters were a kind of criminal recruited from the roughest classes.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading They could have no morals, no manners, none of the sentiments of a gentleman.

crazyadjectiveUS /ˈkreɪzi/

affected with madness or insanity

From this reading This lowering, flinty-faced young skipper must be crazy.

criminaladjectiveUS /ˈkrɪmənəl/

bringing or deserving severe rebuke or censure

From this reading Professional filibusters were a kind of criminal recruited from the roughest classes.

filibustersnounUS /ˈfɪləbʌstərz/

plural of “filibuster” — a legislator who gives long speeches in an effort to delay or obstruct legislation that he (or she) opposes

From this reading Professional filibusters were a kind of criminal recruited from the roughest classes.

finaladjectiveUS /ˈfaɪnəl/

occurring at or forming an end or termination

From this reading He ventured a final attempt and said with a nervous laugh:

flinty-faced

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading This lowering, flinty-faced young skipper must be crazy.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Professional filibusters were a kind of criminal recruited from the roughest classes.

gentlemannounUS /ˈdʒentəlmən/

a man of refinement

From this reading They could have no morals, no manners, none of the sentiments of a gentleman.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading They could have no morals, no manners, none of the sentiments of a gentleman.

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He ventured a final attempt and said with a nervous laugh:

honestlyadverbUS /ˈɑːnəstli/

(used as intensives reflecting the speaker's attitude) it is sincerely the case that

From this reading Van Steen was honestly amazed.

kindadjectiveUS /kaɪnd/

having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior

From this reading Professional filibusters were a kind of criminal recruited from the roughest classes.

laughnounUS /læf/

the sound of laughing

From this reading He ventured a final attempt and said with a nervous laugh:

loweringadjectiveUS /ˈloʊərɪŋ/

darkened by clouds

From this reading This lowering, flinty-faced young skipper must be crazy.

mannersnounUS /ˈmænərz/

social deportment

From this reading They could have no morals, no manners, none of the sentiments of a gentleman.

moralsnounUS /ˈmɔːrəlz/

motivation based on ideas of right and wrong

From this reading They could have no morals, no manners, none of the sentiments of a gentleman.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading This lowering, flinty-faced young skipper must be crazy.

nervousadjectiveUS /ˈnɜːrvəs/

easily agitated

From this reading He ventured a final attempt and said with a nervous laugh:

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading They could have no morals, no manners, none of the sentiments of a gentleman.

nonepronounUS /nʌn/

not one, and not any

From this reading They could have no morals, no manners, none of the sentiments of a gentleman.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Professional filibusters were a kind of criminal recruited from the roughest classes.

ProfessionaladjectiveUS /prəˈfeʃənəl/

engaged in a profession or engaging in as a profession or means of livelihood

From this reading Professional filibusters were a kind of criminal recruited from the roughest classes.

recruitedverbUS /rɪˈkruːtɪd/

past form of “recruit” — register formally as a participant or member

From this reading Professional filibusters were a kind of criminal recruited from the roughest classes.

roughestadjectiveUS /ˈrʌfəst/

superlative of “rough” — having or caused by an irregular surface

From this reading Professional filibusters were a kind of criminal recruited from the roughest classes.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading He ventured a final attempt and said with a nervous laugh:

sentimentsnounUS /ˈsentəmənts/

plural of “sentiment” — tender, romantic, or nostalgic feeling or emotion

From this reading They could have no morals, no manners, none of the sentiments of a gentleman.

skippernounUS /ˈskɪpər/

a student who fails to attend classes

From this reading This lowering, flinty-faced young skipper must be crazy.

SteennounUS /stiːn/

Dutch genre painter (1626-1679)

From this reading Van Steen was honestly amazed.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Professional filibusters were a kind of criminal recruited from the roughest classes.

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading They could have no morals, no manners, none of the sentiments of a gentleman.

ThisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading This lowering, flinty-faced young skipper must be crazy.

VannounUS /væn/

any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)

From this reading Van Steen was honestly amazed.

venturedverbUS /ˈventʃərd/

past form of “venture” — proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers

From this reading He ventured a final attempt and said with a nervous laugh:

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Van Steen was honestly amazed.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Professional filibusters were a kind of criminal recruited from the roughest classes.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading He ventured a final attempt and said with a nervous laugh:

youngadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading This lowering, flinty-faced young skipper must be crazy.

Chapter 2 of The adventures of Captain O'Shea by Ralph Delahaye Paine holds 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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.

What does chapter 2 of The adventures of Captain O'Shea contain?

Chapter 2 holds 407 sentences of The adventures of Captain O'Shea, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of The adventures of Captain O'Shea by Ralph Delahaye Paine exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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.

How do I study chapter 2 of The adventures of Captain O'Shea?

Work through the 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 82 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.

Can chapter 2 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 2 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.

Questions about reading The adventures of Captain O'Shea

Common questions about reading The adventures of Captain O'Shea by Ralph Delahaye Paine on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The adventures of Captain O'Shea?

Yes. All 6959 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #73510 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The adventures of Captain O'Shea is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #73510, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The adventures of Captain O'Shea take to read?

About 579 minutes of reading across 1392 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The adventures of Captain O'Shea section by section

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Vocabulary met early in The adventures of Captain O'Shea

Words and structures a reader meets early in The adventures of Captain O'Shea, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

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Notes
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Found
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Ebook
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