Chapter 2 of The Brassbounder: A Tale of the Sea is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Brassbounder: A Tale of the Sea is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Not the Gaelic, surely?" said I. "Aye, Gaelic. That's it. They speak that lingo out there, black an' w'ite. Knowed lots o' niggers wot spoke it ... an' chows too!"
Chapter 2 of The Brassbounder: A Tale of the Sea is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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 of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading “They speak that lingo out there, black an' w'ite.”
plural of “chow” — the imperial dynasty of China from 1122 to 221 BC; notable for the rise of Confucianism and Taoism
From this reading “Knowed lots o' niggers wot spoke it ... an' chows too!"”
relating to or characteristic of the Celts
From this reading “"Not the Gaelic, surely?" said I.”
past form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “Knowed lots o' niggers wot spoke it ... an' chows too!"”
a characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves)
From this reading “They speak that lingo out there, black an' w'ite.”
a large number or amount
From this reading “Knowed lots o' niggers wot spoke it ... an' chows too!"”
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading “Knowed lots o' niggers wot spoke it ... an' chows too!"”
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading “"Not the Gaelic, surely?" said I.”
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.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading They speak that lingo out there, black an' w'ite.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Aye, Gaelic.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading They speak that lingo out there, black an' w'ite.
plural of “chow” — the imperial dynasty of China from 1122 to 221 BC; notable for the rise of Confucianism and Taoism
From this reading Knowed lots o' niggers wot spoke it ... an' chows too!"
relating to or characteristic of the Celts
From this reading "Not the Gaelic, surely?" said I.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Not the Gaelic, surely?" said I.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading That's it.
past form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Knowed lots o' niggers wot spoke it ... an' chows too!"
a characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves)
From this reading They speak that lingo out there, black an' w'ite.
a large number or amount
From this reading Knowed lots o' niggers wot spoke it ... an' chows too!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Knowed lots o' niggers wot spoke it ... an' chows too!"
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Not the Gaelic, surely?" said I.
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading Knowed lots o' niggers wot spoke it ... an' chows too!"
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading They speak that lingo out there, black an' w'ite.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Not the Gaelic, surely?" said I.
express in speech
From this reading They speak that lingo out there, black an' w'ite.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading Knowed lots o' niggers wot spoke it ... an' chows too!"
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading "Not the Gaelic, surely?" said I.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading They speak that lingo out there, black an' w'ite.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That's it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Not the Gaelic, surely?" said I.
in or at that place or location
From this reading They speak that lingo out there, black an' w'ite.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They speak that lingo out there, black an' w'ite.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Knowed lots o' niggers wot spoke it ... an' chows too!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They speak that lingo out there, black an' w'ite.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Knowed lots o' niggers wot spoke it ... an' chows too!"
Chapter 2 of The Brassbounder: A Tale of the Sea by David W. (David William) Bone holds 402 sentences, grouped into 81 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 2 holds 402 sentences of The Brassbounder: A Tale of the Sea, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Brassbounder: A Tale of the Sea by David W. (David William) Bone exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 402 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 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.
Common questions about reading The Brassbounder: A Tale of the Sea by David W. (David William) Bone on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3732 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31497 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31497, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 311 minutes of reading across 747 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Brassbounder: A Tale of the Sea section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The Brassbounder: A Tale of the 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 The Brassbounder: A Tale of the Sea, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
