Chapter 3 of The King's Esquires is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The King's Esquires is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Yes, I can see that," said the bluff skipper. "It'd do him good to be six months aboard my vessel under me. I'd make another man of him. Ah, you may laugh, my young sharper. You think I'm a quiet, good-tempered sort of an old chap, but a ship's captain has to be a bit of a Tartar too.
Chapter 3 of The King's Esquires is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
on a ship, train, plane or other vehicle
From this reading “"It'd do him good to be six months aboard my vessel under me.”
a high steep bank (usually formed by river erosion)
From this reading “"Yes, I can see that," said the bluff skipper.”
a boy or man
From this reading “You think I'm a quiet, good-tempered sort of an old chap, but a ship's captain has to be a bit of a Tartar too.”
a professional card player who makes a living by cheating at card games
From this reading “Ah, you may laugh, my young sharper.”
possessive form of “ship” — a vessel that carries passengers or freight
From this reading “You think I'm a quiet, good-tempered sort of an old chap, but a ship's captain has to be a bit of a Tartar too.”
a student who fails to attend classes
From this reading “"Yes, I can see that," said the bluff skipper.”
a salt used especially in baking powder
From this reading “You think I'm a quiet, good-tempered sort of an old chap, but a ship's captain has to be a bit of a Tartar too.”
a tube in which a body fluid circulates
From this reading “"It'd do him good to be six months aboard my vessel under me.”
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 You think I'm a quiet, good-tempered sort of an old chap, but a ship's captain has to be a bit of a Tartar too.
on a ship, train, plane or other vehicle
From this reading "It'd do him good to be six months aboard my vessel under me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ah, you may laugh, my young sharper.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading You think I'm a quiet, good-tempered sort of an old chap, but a ship's captain has to be a bit of a Tartar too.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading I'd make another man of him.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "It'd do him good to be six months aboard my vessel under me.
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading You think I'm a quiet, good-tempered sort of an old chap, but a ship's captain has to be a bit of a Tartar too.
a high steep bank (usually formed by river erosion)
From this reading "Yes, I can see that," said the bluff skipper.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading You think I'm a quiet, good-tempered sort of an old chap, but a ship's captain has to be a bit of a Tartar too.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "Yes, I can see that," said the bluff skipper.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading You think I'm a quiet, good-tempered sort of an old chap, but a ship's captain has to be a bit of a Tartar too.
a boy or man
From this reading You think I'm a quiet, good-tempered sort of an old chap, but a ship's captain has to be a bit of a Tartar too.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "It'd do him good to be six months aboard my vessel under me.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "It'd do him good to be six months aboard my vessel under me.
not easily irritated
From this reading You think I'm a quiet, good-tempered sort of an old chap, but a ship's captain has to be a bit of a Tartar too.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading You think I'm a quiet, good-tempered sort of an old chap, but a ship's captain has to be a bit of a Tartar too.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "It'd do him good to be six months aboard my vessel under me.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Yes, I can see that," said the bluff skipper.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'd make another man of him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You think I'm a quiet, good-tempered sort of an old chap, but a ship's captain has to be a bit of a Tartar too.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It'd do him good to be six months aboard my vessel under me.
the sound of laughing
From this reading Ah, you may laugh, my young sharper.
engage in
From this reading I'd make another man of him.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading I'd make another man of him.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading Ah, you may laugh, my young sharper.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "It'd do him good to be six months aboard my vessel under me.
plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading "It'd do him good to be six months aboard my vessel under me.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "It'd do him good to be six months aboard my vessel under me.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I'd make another man of him.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading You think I'm a quiet, good-tempered sort of an old chap, but a ship's captain has to be a bit of a Tartar too.
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading You think I'm a quiet, good-tempered sort of an old chap, but a ship's captain has to be a bit of a Tartar too.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Yes, I can see that," said the bluff skipper.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Yes, I can see that," said the bluff skipper.
a professional card player who makes a living by cheating at card games
From this reading Ah, you may laugh, my young sharper.
possessive form of “ship” — a vessel that carries passengers or freight
From this reading You think I'm a quiet, good-tempered sort of an old chap, but a ship's captain has to be a bit of a Tartar too.
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading "It'd do him good to be six months aboard my vessel under me.
a student who fails to attend classes
From this reading "Yes, I can see that," said the bluff skipper.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading You think I'm a quiet, good-tempered sort of an old chap, but a ship's captain has to be a bit of a Tartar too.
a salt used especially in baking powder
From this reading You think I'm a quiet, good-tempered sort of an old chap, but a ship's captain has to be a bit of a Tartar too.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Yes, I can see that," said the bluff skipper.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Yes, I can see that," said the bluff skipper.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading You think I'm a quiet, good-tempered sort of an old chap, but a ship's captain has to be a bit of a Tartar too.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "It'd do him good to be six months aboard my vessel under me.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading You think I'm a quiet, good-tempered sort of an old chap, but a ship's captain has to be a bit of a Tartar too.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading "It'd do him good to be six months aboard my vessel under me.
a tube in which a body fluid circulates
From this reading "It'd do him good to be six months aboard my vessel under me.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, I can see that," said the bluff skipper.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Ah, you may laugh, my young sharper.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading Ah, you may laugh, my young sharper.
Chapter 3 of The King's Esquires by George Manville Fenn holds 413 sentences, grouped into 83 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 3 holds 413 sentences of The King's Esquires, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The King's Esquires by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 413 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 3 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 King's Esquires by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4851 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23128 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #23128, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 404 minutes of reading across 971 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The King's Esquires section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The King's Esquires 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 King's Esquires, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
