Chapter 4 of The Great Frozen Sea is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Great Frozen Sea is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE VOYAGE TO DISCO. "Now from the sight of land, our galleys move; With only seas around, and skies above. When o'er our heads descends a cloud of rain, And night with sable clouds involves the main, The ruffling winds the foaming billows raise, The scattered fleet is forced to several ways.
Chapter 4 of The Great Frozen Sea is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/26 · 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.
plural of “billow” — a large sea wave
From this reading “When o'er our heads descends a cloud of rain, And night with sable clouds involves the main, The ruffling winds the foaming billows raise, The scattered fleet is forced to several ways.”
third-person singular of “descend” — move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading “When o'er our heads descends a cloud of rain, And night with sable clouds involves the main, The ruffling winds the foaming billows raise, The scattered fleet is forced to several ways.”
popular dance music (especially in the late 1970s); melodic with a regular bass beat; intended mainly for dancing at discotheques
From this reading “THE VOYAGE TO DISCO.”
emitting or filled with bubbles as from carbonation or fermentation
From this reading “When o'er our heads descends a cloud of rain, And night with sable clouds involves the main, The ruffling winds the foaming billows raise, The scattered fleet is forced to several ways.”
plural of “galley” — a large medieval vessel with a single deck propelled by sails and oars with guns at stern and prow; a complement of 1,000 men; used mainly in the Mediterranean for war and trading
From this reading “"Now from the sight of land, our galleys move; With only seas around, and skies above.”
third-person singular of “involve” — connect closely and often incriminatingly
From this reading “When o'er our heads descends a cloud of rain, And night with sable clouds involves the main, The ruffling winds the foaming billows raise, The scattered fleet is forced to several ways.”
-ing form of “ruffle” — stir up (water) so as to form ripples
From this reading “When o'er our heads descends a cloud of rain, And night with sable clouds involves the main, The ruffling winds the foaming billows raise, The scattered fleet is forced to several ways.”
an artist's brush made of sable hairs
From this reading “When o'er our heads descends a cloud of rain, And night with sable clouds involves the main, The ruffling winds the foaming billows raise, The scattered fleet is forced to several ways.”
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.
In this reading “When o'er our heads descends a cloud of rain, And night with sable clouds involves the main, The ruffling winds the foaming billows raise, The scattered fleet is forced to several ways.”
In this reading “When o'er our heads descends a cloud of rain, And night with sable clouds involves the main, The ruffling winds the foaming billows raise, The scattered fleet is forced to several ways.”
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 When o'er our heads descends a cloud of rain, And night with sable clouds involves the main, The ruffling winds the foaming billows raise, The scattered fleet is forced to several ways.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading "Now from the sight of land, our galleys move; With only seas around, and skies above.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Now from the sight of land, our galleys move; With only seas around, and skies above.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading "Now from the sight of land, our galleys move; With only seas around, and skies above.
plural of “billow” — a large sea wave
From this reading When o'er our heads descends a cloud of rain, And night with sable clouds involves the main, The ruffling winds the foaming billows raise, The scattered fleet is forced to several ways.
make overcast or cloudy
From this reading When o'er our heads descends a cloud of rain, And night with sable clouds involves the main, The ruffling winds the foaming billows raise, The scattered fleet is forced to several ways.
plural of “cloud” — any collection of particles (e.g., smoke or dust) or gases that is visible
From this reading When o'er our heads descends a cloud of rain, And night with sable clouds involves the main, The ruffling winds the foaming billows raise, The scattered fleet is forced to several ways.
third-person singular of “descend” — move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading When o'er our heads descends a cloud of rain, And night with sable clouds involves the main, The ruffling winds the foaming billows raise, The scattered fleet is forced to several ways.
popular dance music (especially in the late 1970s); melodic with a regular bass beat; intended mainly for dancing at discotheques
From this reading THE VOYAGE TO DISCO.
group of aircraft operating together under the same ownership
From this reading When o'er our heads descends a cloud of rain, And night with sable clouds involves the main, The ruffling winds the foaming billows raise, The scattered fleet is forced to several ways.
emitting or filled with bubbles as from carbonation or fermentation
From this reading When o'er our heads descends a cloud of rain, And night with sable clouds involves the main, The ruffling winds the foaming billows raise, The scattered fleet is forced to several ways.
produced by or subjected to forcing
From this reading When o'er our heads descends a cloud of rain, And night with sable clouds involves the main, The ruffling winds the foaming billows raise, The scattered fleet is forced to several ways.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "Now from the sight of land, our galleys move; With only seas around, and skies above.
plural of “galley” — a large medieval vessel with a single deck propelled by sails and oars with guns at stern and prow; a complement of 1,000 men; used mainly in the Mediterranean for war and trading
From this reading "Now from the sight of land, our galleys move; With only seas around, and skies above.
plural of “head” — the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading When o'er our heads descends a cloud of rain, And night with sable clouds involves the main, The ruffling winds the foaming billows raise, The scattered fleet is forced to several ways.
third-person singular of “involve” — connect closely and often incriminatingly
From this reading When o'er our heads descends a cloud of rain, And night with sable clouds involves the main, The ruffling winds the foaming billows raise, The scattered fleet is forced to several ways.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When o'er our heads descends a cloud of rain, And night with sable clouds involves the main, The ruffling winds the foaming billows raise, The scattered fleet is forced to several ways.
the land on which real estate is located
From this reading "Now from the sight of land, our galleys move; With only seas around, and skies above.
most important element
From this reading When o'er our heads descends a cloud of rain, And night with sable clouds involves the main, The ruffling winds the foaming billows raise, The scattered fleet is forced to several ways.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Now from the sight of land, our galleys move; With only seas around, and skies above.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading When o'er our heads descends a cloud of rain, And night with sable clouds involves the main, The ruffling winds the foaming billows raise, The scattered fleet is forced to several ways.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Now from the sight of land, our galleys move; With only seas around, and skies above.
throughout a period of time
From this reading When o'er our heads descends a cloud of rain, And night with sable clouds involves the main, The ruffling winds the foaming billows raise, The scattered fleet is forced to several ways.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Now from the sight of land, our galleys move; With only seas around, and skies above.
and nothing more
From this reading "Now from the sight of land, our galleys move; With only seas around, and skies above.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading "Now from the sight of land, our galleys move; With only seas around, and skies above.
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading When o'er our heads descends a cloud of rain, And night with sable clouds involves the main, The ruffling winds the foaming billows raise, The scattered fleet is forced to several ways.
raise the level or amount of something
From this reading When o'er our heads descends a cloud of rain, And night with sable clouds involves the main, The ruffling winds the foaming billows raise, The scattered fleet is forced to several ways.
-ing form of “ruffle” — stir up (water) so as to form ripples
From this reading When o'er our heads descends a cloud of rain, And night with sable clouds involves the main, The ruffling winds the foaming billows raise, The scattered fleet is forced to several ways.
an artist's brush made of sable hairs
From this reading When o'er our heads descends a cloud of rain, And night with sable clouds involves the main, The ruffling winds the foaming billows raise, The scattered fleet is forced to several ways.
occurring or distributed over widely spaced and irregular intervals in time or space
From this reading When o'er our heads descends a cloud of rain, And night with sable clouds involves the main, The ruffling winds the foaming billows raise, The scattered fleet is forced to several ways.
plural of “sea” — a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading "Now from the sight of land, our galleys move; With only seas around, and skies above.
(used with count nouns) of an indefinite number more than 2 or 3 but not many
From this reading When o'er our heads descends a cloud of rain, And night with sable clouds involves the main, The ruffling winds the foaming billows raise, The scattered fleet is forced to several ways.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading "Now from the sight of land, our galleys move; With only seas around, and skies above.
plural of “sky” — the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading "Now from the sight of land, our galleys move; With only seas around, and skies above.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE VOYAGE TO DISCO.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE VOYAGE TO DISCO.
an act of traveling by water
From this reading THE VOYAGE TO DISCO.
structure consisting of a sloping way down to the water from the place where ships are built or repaired
From this reading When o'er our heads descends a cloud of rain, And night with sable clouds involves the main, The ruffling winds the foaming billows raise, The scattered fleet is forced to several ways.
at the time that
From this reading When o'er our heads descends a cloud of rain, And night with sable clouds involves the main, The ruffling winds the foaming billows raise, The scattered fleet is forced to several ways.
plural of “wind” — air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading When o'er our heads descends a cloud of rain, And night with sable clouds involves the main, The ruffling winds the foaming billows raise, The scattered fleet is forced to several ways.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Now from the sight of land, our galleys move; With only seas around, and skies above.
Chapter 4 of The Great Frozen Sea by Albert Hastings, Sir Markham holds 132 sentences, grouped into 27 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 4 holds 132 sentences of The Great Frozen Sea, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Great Frozen Sea by Albert Hastings, Sir Markham exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 132 sentences, grouped into 27 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 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 27 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 4 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 Great Frozen Sea by Albert Hastings, Sir Markham on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4212 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43608 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43608, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 351 minutes of reading across 843 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Great Frozen Sea section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of The Great Frozen 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 Great Frozen Sea, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
