Chapter 21 of The Captain of the Polestar, and Other Tales is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of The Captain of the Polestar, and Other Tales is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“My dear fellow, what is the matter?” I asked, breaking the silence. “Nothing amiss, I trust? Are you unwell?” “Brandy!” he gasped.
Chapter 21 of The Captain of the Polestar, and Other Tales is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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.
not functioning properly
From this reading ““Nothing amiss, I trust?”
distilled from wine or fermented fruit juice
From this reading ““Brandy!” he gasped.”
the act of breaking something
From this reading “I asked, breaking the silence.”
a boy or man
From this reading ““My dear fellow, what is the matter?””
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading ““Brandy!” he gasped.”
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading “I asked, breaking the silence.”
something (as property) held by one party (the trustee) for the benefit of another (the beneficiary)
From this reading ““Nothing amiss, I trust?”
somewhat ill or prone to illness
From this reading “Are you unwell?””
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.
not functioning properly
From this reading “Nothing amiss, I trust?
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Are you unwell?”
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading I asked, breaking the silence.
distilled from wine or fermented fruit juice
From this reading “Brandy!” he gasped.
the act of breaking something
From this reading I asked, breaking the silence.
dearly loved
From this reading “My dear fellow, what is the matter?”
a boy or man
From this reading “My dear fellow, what is the matter?”
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading “Brandy!” he gasped.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Brandy!” he gasped.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I asked, breaking the silence.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “My dear fellow, what is the matter?”
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading “My dear fellow, what is the matter?”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “My dear fellow, what is the matter?”
not one thing; not anything
From this reading “Nothing amiss, I trust?
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading I asked, breaking the silence.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “My dear fellow, what is the matter?”
something (as property) held by one party (the trustee) for the benefit of another (the beneficiary)
From this reading “Nothing amiss, I trust?
somewhat ill or prone to illness
From this reading Are you unwell?”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “My dear fellow, what is the matter?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Are you unwell?”
Chapter 21 of The Captain of the Polestar, and Other Tales by Arthur Conan Doyle holds 160 sentences, grouped into 32 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 21 holds 160 sentences of The Captain of the Polestar, and Other Tales, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of The Captain of the Polestar, and Other Tales by Arthur Conan Doyle exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 160 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 21 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 Captain of the Polestar, and Other Tales by Arthur Conan Doyle on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4188 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #294 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #294, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 349 minutes of reading across 838 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Captain of the Polestar, and Other Tales section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of The Captain of the Polestar, and Other Tales 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 Captain of the Polestar, and Other Tales, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
