Chapter 1 of The Ghost Pirates is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Ghost Pirates is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"What is it?" I asked in an undertone, after a couple of moments' further ineffectual peering. "I can't see anything." "H'sh!" he muttered, hoarsely, without looking in my direction. Then, all at once, with a quick little gasp, he sprang across the wheel-box, and stood beside me, trembling.
Chapter 1 of The Ghost Pirates is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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 pair who associate with one another
From this reading “I asked in an undertone, after a couple of moments' further ineffectual peering.”
a short labored intake of breath with the mouth open
From this reading “Then, all at once, with a quick little gasp, he sprang across the wheel-box, and stood beside me, trembling.”
not producing an intended effect
From this reading “I asked in an undertone, after a couple of moments' further ineffectual peering.”
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading “"H'sh!" he muttered, hoarsely, without looking in my direction.”
-ing form of “peer” — look searchingly
From this reading “I asked in an undertone, after a couple of moments' further ineffectual peering.”
inflected form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading “Then, all at once, with a quick little gasp, he sprang across the wheel-box, and stood beside me, trembling.”
a shaky motion
From this reading “Then, all at once, with a quick little gasp, he sprang across the wheel-box, and stood beside me, trembling.”
a quiet or hushed tone of voice
From this reading “I asked in an undertone, after a couple of moments' further ineffectual peering.”
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 I asked in an undertone, after a couple of moments' further ineffectual peering.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Then, all at once, with a quick little gasp, he sprang across the wheel-box, and stood beside me, trembling.
later than; following
From this reading I asked in an undertone, after a couple of moments' further ineffectual peering.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Then, all at once, with a quick little gasp, he sprang across the wheel-box, and stood beside me, trembling.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading I asked in an undertone, after a couple of moments' further ineffectual peering.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Then, all at once, with a quick little gasp, he sprang across the wheel-box, and stood beside me, trembling.
any thing at all
From this reading "I can't see anything."
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading I asked in an undertone, after a couple of moments' further ineffectual peering.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Then, all at once, with a quick little gasp, he sprang across the wheel-box, and stood beside me, trembling.
next to; at the side of
From this reading Then, all at once, with a quick little gasp, he sprang across the wheel-box, and stood beside me, trembling.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I can't see anything."
a pair who associate with one another
From this reading I asked in an undertone, after a couple of moments' further ineffectual peering.
a line leading to a place or point
From this reading "H'sh!" he muttered, hoarsely, without looking in my direction.
to or at a greater extent or degree or a more advanced stage (“further” is used more often than “farther” in this abstract sense)
From this reading I asked in an undertone, after a couple of moments' further ineffectual peering.
a short labored intake of breath with the mouth open
From this reading Then, all at once, with a quick little gasp, he sprang across the wheel-box, and stood beside me, trembling.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "H'sh!" he muttered, hoarsely, without looking in my direction.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "H'sh!" he muttered, hoarsely, without looking in my direction.
in a hoarse or husky voice
From this reading "H'sh!" he muttered, hoarsely, without looking in my direction.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I asked in an undertone, after a couple of moments' further ineffectual peering.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I asked in an undertone, after a couple of moments' further ineffectual peering.
not producing an intended effect
From this reading I asked in an undertone, after a couple of moments' further ineffectual peering.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What is it?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "What is it?"
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Then, all at once, with a quick little gasp, he sprang across the wheel-box, and stood beside me, trembling.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading "H'sh!" he muttered, hoarsely, without looking in my direction.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Then, all at once, with a quick little gasp, he sprang across the wheel-box, and stood beside me, trembling.
plural of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading I asked in an undertone, after a couple of moments' further ineffectual peering.
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading "H'sh!" he muttered, hoarsely, without looking in my direction.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "H'sh!" he muttered, hoarsely, without looking in my direction.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I asked in an undertone, after a couple of moments' further ineffectual peering.
on one occasion
From this reading Then, all at once, with a quick little gasp, he sprang across the wheel-box, and stood beside me, trembling.
-ing form of “peer” — look searchingly
From this reading I asked in an undertone, after a couple of moments' further ineffectual peering.
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading Then, all at once, with a quick little gasp, he sprang across the wheel-box, and stood beside me, trembling.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "I can't see anything."
inflected form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading Then, all at once, with a quick little gasp, he sprang across the wheel-box, and stood beside me, trembling.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Then, all at once, with a quick little gasp, he sprang across the wheel-box, and stood beside me, trembling.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Then, all at once, with a quick little gasp, he sprang across the wheel-box, and stood beside me, trembling.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then, all at once, with a quick little gasp, he sprang across the wheel-box, and stood beside me, trembling.
a shaky motion
From this reading Then, all at once, with a quick little gasp, he sprang across the wheel-box, and stood beside me, trembling.
a quiet or hushed tone of voice
From this reading I asked in an undertone, after a couple of moments' further ineffectual peering.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What is it?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then, all at once, with a quick little gasp, he sprang across the wheel-box, and stood beside me, trembling.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Then, all at once, with a quick little gasp, he sprang across the wheel-box, and stood beside me, trembling.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading "H'sh!" he muttered, hoarsely, without looking in my direction.
Chapter 1 of The Ghost Pirates by William Hope Hodgson holds 420 sentences, grouped into 84 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 1 holds 420 sentences of The Ghost Pirates, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Ghost Pirates by William Hope Hodgson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 420 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 1 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 Ghost Pirates by William Hope Hodgson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3716 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #10966 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #10966, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 309 minutes of reading across 744 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Ghost Pirates section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The Ghost Pirates 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 Ghost Pirates, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
