Chapter 6 of The boys of the "Puffin" is here in full — 90 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of The boys of the "Puffin" is here in full — 90 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
TO SCUTTLE HIS SHIP "I DON'T understand, sir," stammered Captain Josiah Quelch, fumbling with the peak of his cap. "You don't understand," repeated Mr. Fiandersole, head of the shipping firm that bore his name. "You don't understand, eh? Do you want me to put the proposition any plainer? I don't think there's need for that, Captain Quelch."
Chapter 6 of The boys of the "Puffin" is here in full — 90 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/18 · 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.
a tight-fitting headdress
From this reading “TO SCUTTLE HIS SHIP "I DON'T understand, sir," stammered Captain Josiah Quelch, fumbling with the peak of his cap.”
marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable
From this reading “"You don't understand," repeated Mr. Fiandersole, head of the shipping firm that bore his name.”
showing lack of skill or aptitude
From this reading “TO SCUTTLE HIS SHIP "I DON'T understand, sir," stammered Captain Josiah Quelch, fumbling with the peak of his cap.”
the most extreme possible amount or value
From this reading “TO SCUTTLE HIS SHIP "I DON'T understand, sir," stammered Captain Josiah Quelch, fumbling with the peak of his cap.”
comparative of “plain” — clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading “Do you want me to put the proposition any plainer?”
(logic) a statement that affirms or denies something and is either true or false
From this reading “Do you want me to put the proposition any plainer?”
to move about or proceed hurriedly
From this reading “TO SCUTTLE HIS SHIP "I DON'T understand, sir," stammered Captain Josiah Quelch, fumbling with the peak of his cap.”
the commercial enterprise of moving goods and materials
From this reading “"You don't understand," repeated Mr. Fiandersole, head of the shipping firm that bore his name.”
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.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Do you want me to put the proposition any plainer?
cause to be bored
From this reading "You don't understand," repeated Mr. Fiandersole, head of the shipping firm that bore his name.
a tight-fitting headdress
From this reading TO SCUTTLE HIS SHIP "I DON'T understand, sir," stammered Captain Josiah Quelch, fumbling with the peak of his cap.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading TO SCUTTLE HIS SHIP "I DON'T understand, sir," stammered Captain Josiah Quelch, fumbling with the peak of his cap.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Do you want me to put the proposition any plainer?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading TO SCUTTLE HIS SHIP "I DON'T understand, sir," stammered Captain Josiah Quelch, fumbling with the peak of his cap.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You don't understand, eh?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You don't understand," repeated Mr. Fiandersole, head of the shipping firm that bore his name.
marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable
From this reading "You don't understand," repeated Mr. Fiandersole, head of the shipping firm that bore his name.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I don't think there's need for that, Captain Quelch."
showing lack of skill or aptitude
From this reading TO SCUTTLE HIS SHIP "I DON'T understand, sir," stammered Captain Josiah Quelch, fumbling with the peak of his cap.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading "You don't understand," repeated Mr. Fiandersole, head of the shipping firm that bore his name.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading TO SCUTTLE HIS SHIP "I DON'T understand, sir," stammered Captain Josiah Quelch, fumbling with the peak of his cap.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading TO SCUTTLE HIS SHIP "I DON'T understand, sir," stammered Captain Josiah Quelch, fumbling with the peak of his cap.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading TO SCUTTLE HIS SHIP "I DON'T understand, sir," stammered Captain Josiah Quelch, fumbling with the peak of his cap.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Do you want me to put the proposition any plainer?
a form of address for a man
From this reading "You don't understand," repeated Mr. Fiandersole, head of the shipping firm that bore his name.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "You don't understand," repeated Mr. Fiandersole, head of the shipping firm that bore his name.
a condition requiring relief
From this reading I don't think there's need for that, Captain Quelch."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading TO SCUTTLE HIS SHIP "I DON'T understand, sir," stammered Captain Josiah Quelch, fumbling with the peak of his cap.
the most extreme possible amount or value
From this reading TO SCUTTLE HIS SHIP "I DON'T understand, sir," stammered Captain Josiah Quelch, fumbling with the peak of his cap.
comparative of “plain” — clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading Do you want me to put the proposition any plainer?
(logic) a statement that affirms or denies something and is either true or false
From this reading Do you want me to put the proposition any plainer?
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Do you want me to put the proposition any plainer?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading TO SCUTTLE HIS SHIP "I DON'T understand, sir," stammered Captain Josiah Quelch, fumbling with the peak of his cap.
recurring again and again
From this reading "You don't understand," repeated Mr. Fiandersole, head of the shipping firm that bore his name.
to move about or proceed hurriedly
From this reading TO SCUTTLE HIS SHIP "I DON'T understand, sir," stammered Captain Josiah Quelch, fumbling with the peak of his cap.
transport commercially
From this reading TO SCUTTLE HIS SHIP "I DON'T understand, sir," stammered Captain Josiah Quelch, fumbling with the peak of his cap.
the commercial enterprise of moving goods and materials
From this reading "You don't understand," repeated Mr. Fiandersole, head of the shipping firm that bore his name.
term of address for a man
From this reading TO SCUTTLE HIS SHIP "I DON'T understand, sir," stammered Captain Josiah Quelch, fumbling with the peak of his cap.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading TO SCUTTLE HIS SHIP "I DON'T understand, sir," stammered Captain Josiah Quelch, fumbling with the peak of his cap.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "You don't understand," repeated Mr. Fiandersole, head of the shipping firm that bore his name.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading TO SCUTTLE HIS SHIP "I DON'T understand, sir," stammered Captain Josiah Quelch, fumbling with the peak of his cap.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don't think there's need for that, Captain Quelch."
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading I don't think there's need for that, Captain Quelch."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading TO SCUTTLE HIS SHIP "I DON'T understand, sir," stammered Captain Josiah Quelch, fumbling with the peak of his cap.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading TO SCUTTLE HIS SHIP "I DON'T understand, sir," stammered Captain Josiah Quelch, fumbling with the peak of his cap.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading Do you want me to put the proposition any plainer?
in the company of; together with
From this reading TO SCUTTLE HIS SHIP "I DON'T understand, sir," stammered Captain Josiah Quelch, fumbling with the peak of his cap.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You don't understand," repeated Mr. Fiandersole, head of the shipping firm that bore his name.
Chapter 6 of The boys of the "Puffin" by Percy F. (Percy Francis) Westerman holds 90 sentences, grouped into 18 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 6 holds 90 sentences of The boys of the "Puffin", unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of The boys of the "Puffin" by Percy F. (Percy Francis) Westerman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 90 sentences, grouped into 18 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 18 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 18 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 6 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 The boys of the "Puffin" by Percy F. (Percy Francis) Westerman on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2231 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #74975 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #74975, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 185 minutes of reading across 447 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The boys of the "Puffin" section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of The boys of the "Puffin" 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 The boys of the "Puffin", each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
