The Last of the Flatboats

Chapter XXIV

Chapter 24 of The Last of the Flatboats is here in full — 93 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By George Cary Eggleston • Curated US English Learning Edition

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A LITTLE AMATEUR SURGERY “The first thing to be done now,” said Phil, “is to find out what damage we have suffered, and repair as much of it as we can.”

“Better begin with your head then,” said Will.

“It seems to have sustained more damage than anything else in sight.”

The cut Phil had received had covered his face and shoulders with blood, and his head was aching severely.

But he was not ready to think of himself yet.

Narrator

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LEARNER DICTIONARY

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XXIV Reading 1/18

The Last of the Flatboats

Chapter XXIV

Chapter 24 of The Last of the Flatboats is here in full — 93 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/18 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

A LITTLE AMATEUR SURGERY “The first thing to be done now,” said Phil, “is to find out what damage we have suffered, and repair as much of it as we can.”

Line 2

“Better begin with your head then,” said Will.

/ˈbetər bɪˈɡɪn wɪð jɔːr hed ðen sed wɪl/

Line 3

“It seems to have sustained more damage than anything else in sight.”

Line 4

The cut Phil had received had covered his face and shoulders with blood, and his head was aching severely.

Line 5

But he was not ready to think of himself yet.

/bʌt hiː wɑːz nɑːt ˈredi tuː θɪŋk ʌv hɪmˈself jet/

Learner Dictionary

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.

aching adjective US /ˈeɪkɪŋ/

causing a dull and steady pain

From this reading “The cut Phil had received had covered his face and shoulders with blood, and his head was aching severely.”

amateur noun US /ˈæmətɜːr/

someone who pursues a study or sport as a pastime

From this reading “A LITTLE AMATEUR SURGERY “The first thing to be done now,” said Phil, “is to find out what damage we have suffered, and repair as much of it as we can.””

damage noun US /ˈdæmədʒ/

the occurrence of a change for the worse

From this reading “A LITTLE AMATEUR SURGERY “The first thing to be done now,” said Phil, “is to find out what damage we have suffered, and repair as much of it as we can.””

repair noun US /rɪˈper/

the act of putting something in working order again

From this reading “A LITTLE AMATEUR SURGERY “The first thing to be done now,” said Phil, “is to find out what damage we have suffered, and repair as much of it as we can.””

severely adverb US /səˈvɪrli/

to a severe or serious degree

From this reading “The cut Phil had received had covered his face and shoulders with blood, and his head was aching severely.”

suffered verb US /ˈsʌfərd/

past form of “suffer” — undergo or be subjected to

From this reading “A LITTLE AMATEUR SURGERY “The first thing to be done now,” said Phil, “is to find out what damage we have suffered, and repair as much of it as we can.””

surgery noun US /ˈsɜːrdʒəri/

the branch of medical science that treats disease or injury by operative procedures

From this reading “A LITTLE AMATEUR SURGERY “The first thing to be done now,” said Phil, “is to find out what damage we have suffered, and repair as much of it as we can.””

sustained adjective US /səˈsteɪnd/

maintained at length without interruption or weakening

From this reading ““It seems to have sustained more damage than anything else in sight.””

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

find out verb + adjective

establish after a calculation, investigation, experiment, survey, or study

In this reading “A LITTLE AMATEUR SURGERY “The first thing to be done now,” said Phil, “is to find out what damage we have suffered, and repair as much of it as we can.””

first thing adjective + noun

In this reading “A LITTLE AMATEUR SURGERY “The first thing to be done now,” said Phil, “is to find out what damage we have suffered, and repair as much of it as we can.””

in sight preposition + noun

at or within a reasonable distance for seeing

In this reading ““It seems to have sustained more damage than anything else in sight.””

with blood preposition + noun

In this reading “The cut Phil had received had covered his face and shoulders with blood, and his head was aching severely.”

think of verb + particle

keep in mind for attention or consideration

In this reading “But he was not ready to think of himself yet.”

All words in this reading · 61

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.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading A LITTLE AMATEUR SURGERY “The first thing to be done now,” said Phil, “is to find out what damage we have suffered, and repair as much of it as we can.”

achingadjectiveUS /ˈeɪkɪŋ/

causing a dull and steady pain

From this reading The cut Phil had received had covered his face and shoulders with blood, and his head was aching severely.

AMATEURnounUS /ˈæmətɜːr/

someone who pursues a study or sport as a pastime

From this reading A LITTLE AMATEUR SURGERY “The first thing to be done now,” said Phil, “is to find out what damage we have suffered, and repair as much of it as we can.”

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading A LITTLE AMATEUR SURGERY “The first thing to be done now,” said Phil, “is to find out what damage we have suffered, and repair as much of it as we can.”

anythingpronounUS /ˈeniθɪŋ/

any thing at all

From this reading “It seems to have sustained more damage than anything else in sight.”

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading A LITTLE AMATEUR SURGERY “The first thing to be done now,” said Phil, “is to find out what damage we have suffered, and repair as much of it as we can.”

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading A LITTLE AMATEUR SURGERY “The first thing to be done now,” said Phil, “is to find out what damage we have suffered, and repair as much of it as we can.”

beginverbUS /bɪˈɡɪn/

take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading “Better begin with your head then,” said Will.

BetteradjectiveUS /ˈbetər/

(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another

From this reading “Better begin with your head then,” said Will.

bloodnounUS /blʌd/

The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.

From this reading The cut Phil had received had covered his face and shoulders with blood, and his head was aching severely.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But he was not ready to think of himself yet.

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading A LITTLE AMATEUR SURGERY “The first thing to be done now,” said Phil, “is to find out what damage we have suffered, and repair as much of it as we can.”

coveredadjectiveUS /ˈkʌvərd/

overlaid or spread or topped with or enclosed within something; sometimes used as a combining form

From this reading The cut Phil had received had covered his face and shoulders with blood, and his head was aching severely.

cutverbUS /kʌt/

separate with or as if with an instrument

From this reading The cut Phil had received had covered his face and shoulders with blood, and his head was aching severely.

damagenounUS /ˈdæmədʒ/

the occurrence of a change for the worse

From this reading A LITTLE AMATEUR SURGERY “The first thing to be done now,” said Phil, “is to find out what damage we have suffered, and repair as much of it as we can.”

doneadjectiveUS /dʌn/

having finished or arrived at completion

From this reading A LITTLE AMATEUR SURGERY “The first thing to be done now,” said Phil, “is to find out what damage we have suffered, and repair as much of it as we can.”

else

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “It seems to have sustained more damage than anything else in sight.”

facenounUS /feɪs/

the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

From this reading The cut Phil had received had covered his face and shoulders with blood, and his head was aching severely.

findverbUS /faɪnd/

come upon, as if by accident; meet with

From this reading A LITTLE AMATEUR SURGERY “The first thing to be done now,” said Phil, “is to find out what damage we have suffered, and repair as much of it as we can.”

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading A LITTLE AMATEUR SURGERY “The first thing to be done now,” said Phil, “is to find out what damage we have suffered, and repair as much of it as we can.”

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading The cut Phil had received had covered his face and shoulders with blood, and his head was aching severely.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading A LITTLE AMATEUR SURGERY “The first thing to be done now,” said Phil, “is to find out what damage we have suffered, and repair as much of it as we can.”

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading But he was not ready to think of himself yet.

headnounUS /hed/

the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains

From this reading “Better begin with your head then,” said Will.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading But he was not ready to think of himself yet.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading The cut Phil had received had covered his face and shoulders with blood, and his head was aching severely.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading “It seems to have sustained more damage than anything else in sight.”

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading A LITTLE AMATEUR SURGERY “The first thing to be done now,” said Phil, “is to find out what damage we have suffered, and repair as much of it as we can.”

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading A LITTLE AMATEUR SURGERY “The first thing to be done now,” said Phil, “is to find out what damage we have suffered, and repair as much of it as we can.”

LITTLEadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading A LITTLE AMATEUR SURGERY “The first thing to be done now,” said Phil, “is to find out what damage we have suffered, and repair as much of it as we can.”

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading “It seems to have sustained more damage than anything else in sight.”

muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

From this reading A LITTLE AMATEUR SURGERY “The first thing to be done now,” said Phil, “is to find out what damage we have suffered, and repair as much of it as we can.”

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading But he was not ready to think of himself yet.

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading A LITTLE AMATEUR SURGERY “The first thing to be done now,” said Phil, “is to find out what damage we have suffered, and repair as much of it as we can.”

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading A LITTLE AMATEUR SURGERY “The first thing to be done now,” said Phil, “is to find out what damage we have suffered, and repair as much of it as we can.”

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading A LITTLE AMATEUR SURGERY “The first thing to be done now,” said Phil, “is to find out what damage we have suffered, and repair as much of it as we can.”

Phil

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A LITTLE AMATEUR SURGERY “The first thing to be done now,” said Phil, “is to find out what damage we have suffered, and repair as much of it as we can.”

readyadjectiveUS /ˈredi/

completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress

From this reading But he was not ready to think of himself yet.

receivedadjectiveUS /rəˈsiːvd/

conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers

From this reading The cut Phil had received had covered his face and shoulders with blood, and his head was aching severely.

repairnounUS /rɪˈper/

the act of putting something in working order again

From this reading A LITTLE AMATEUR SURGERY “The first thing to be done now,” said Phil, “is to find out what damage we have suffered, and repair as much of it as we can.”

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading A LITTLE AMATEUR SURGERY “The first thing to be done now,” said Phil, “is to find out what damage we have suffered, and repair as much of it as we can.”

seemsverbUS /siːmz/

third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading “It seems to have sustained more damage than anything else in sight.”

severelyadverbUS /səˈvɪrli/

to a severe or serious degree

From this reading The cut Phil had received had covered his face and shoulders with blood, and his head was aching severely.

shouldersnounUS /ˈʃoʊldərz/

plural of “shoulder” — the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm

From this reading The cut Phil had received had covered his face and shoulders with blood, and his head was aching severely.

sightnounUS /saɪt/

an instance of visual perception

From this reading “It seems to have sustained more damage than anything else in sight.”

sufferedverbUS /ˈsʌfərd/

past form of “suffer” — undergo or be subjected to

From this reading A LITTLE AMATEUR SURGERY “The first thing to be done now,” said Phil, “is to find out what damage we have suffered, and repair as much of it as we can.”

SURGERYnounUS /ˈsɜːrdʒəri/

the branch of medical science that treats disease or injury by operative procedures

From this reading A LITTLE AMATEUR SURGERY “The first thing to be done now,” said Phil, “is to find out what damage we have suffered, and repair as much of it as we can.”

sustainedadjectiveUS /səˈsteɪnd/

maintained at length without interruption or weakening

From this reading “It seems to have sustained more damage than anything else in sight.”

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading “It seems to have sustained more damage than anything else in sight.”

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading A LITTLE AMATEUR SURGERY “The first thing to be done now,” said Phil, “is to find out what damage we have suffered, and repair as much of it as we can.”

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading “Better begin with your head then,” said Will.

thingnounUS /θɪŋ/

a special situation

From this reading A LITTLE AMATEUR SURGERY “The first thing to be done now,” said Phil, “is to find out what damage we have suffered, and repair as much of it as we can.”

thinkverbUS /θɪŋk/

judge or regard; look upon; judge

From this reading But he was not ready to think of himself yet.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading A LITTLE AMATEUR SURGERY “The first thing to be done now,” said Phil, “is to find out what damage we have suffered, and repair as much of it as we can.”

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The cut Phil had received had covered his face and shoulders with blood, and his head was aching severely.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading A LITTLE AMATEUR SURGERY “The first thing to be done now,” said Phil, “is to find out what damage we have suffered, and repair as much of it as we can.”

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading A LITTLE AMATEUR SURGERY “The first thing to be done now,” said Phil, “is to find out what damage we have suffered, and repair as much of it as we can.”

Willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading “Better begin with your head then,” said Will.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading “Better begin with your head then,” said Will.

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading But he was not ready to think of himself yet.

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “Better begin with your head then,” said Will.

Chapter 24 of The Last of the Flatboats by George Cary Eggleston holds 93 sentences, grouped into 19 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.

What does chapter 24 of The Last of the Flatboats contain?

Chapter 24 holds 93 sentences of The Last of the Flatboats, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 24 of The Last of the Flatboats by George Cary Eggleston exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 93 sentences, grouped into 19 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.

How do I study chapter 24 of The Last of the Flatboats?

Work through the 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 19 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.

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Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 24 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.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #44922, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 314 minutes of reading across 755 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Chapter XXIV

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