Chapter 6 of The Madman and the Pirate is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter VI
Chapter 6 of The Madman and the Pirate is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I didn't say he wagged it, Betsy," returned Marie, repressing a laugh, "but--you'll never get to understand what a wag means, so I won't try to explain. Look! Zariffa is venturesome. You'd better call her back." Zariffa was indeed venturesome.
Chapter 6 of The Madman and the Pirate is here in full — 396 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
make plain and comprehensible
From this reading “"I didn't say he wagged it, Betsy," returned Marie, repressing a laugh, "but--you'll never get to understand what a wag means, so I won't try to explain.”
the sound of laughing
From this reading “"I didn't say he wagged it, Betsy," returned Marie, repressing a laugh, "but--you'll never get to understand what a wag means, so I won't try to explain.”
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading “"I didn't say he wagged it, Betsy," returned Marie, repressing a laugh, "but--you'll never get to understand what a wag means, so I won't try to explain.”
restrictive of action
From this reading “"I didn't say he wagged it, Betsy," returned Marie, repressing a laugh, "but--you'll never get to understand what a wag means, so I won't try to explain.”
make an effort or attempt
From this reading “"I didn't say he wagged it, Betsy," returned Marie, repressing a laugh, "but--you'll never get to understand what a wag means, so I won't try to explain.”
disposed to venture or take risks
From this reading “Zariffa is venturesome.”
a witty amusing person who makes jokes
From this reading “"I didn't say he wagged it, Betsy," returned Marie, repressing a laugh, "but--you'll never get to understand what a wag means, so I won't try to explain.”
inflected form of “wag” — move from side to side
From this reading “"I didn't say he wagged it, Betsy," returned Marie, repressing a laugh, "but--you'll never get to understand what a wag means, so I won't try to explain.”
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 didn't say he wagged it, Betsy," returned Marie, repressing a laugh, "but--you'll never get to understand what a wag means, so I won't try to explain.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading You'd better call her back."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I didn't say he wagged it, Betsy," returned Marie, repressing a laugh, "but--you'll never get to understand what a wag means, so I won't try to explain.
(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 You'd better call her back."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "I didn't say he wagged it, Betsy," returned Marie, repressing a laugh, "but--you'll never get to understand what a wag means, so I won't try to explain.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading You'd better call her back."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I didn't say he wagged it, Betsy," returned Marie, repressing a laugh, "but--you'll never get to understand what a wag means, so I won't try to explain.
make plain and comprehensible
From this reading "I didn't say he wagged it, Betsy," returned Marie, repressing a laugh, "but--you'll never get to understand what a wag means, so I won't try to explain.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "I didn't say he wagged it, Betsy," returned Marie, repressing a laugh, "but--you'll never get to understand what a wag means, so I won't try to explain.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I didn't say he wagged it, Betsy," returned Marie, repressing a laugh, "but--you'll never get to understand what a wag means, so I won't try to explain.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading You'd better call her back."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I didn't say he wagged it, Betsy," returned Marie, repressing a laugh, "but--you'll never get to understand what a wag means, so I won't try to explain.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading Zariffa was indeed venturesome.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Zariffa is venturesome.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I didn't say he wagged it, Betsy," returned Marie, repressing a laugh, "but--you'll never get to understand what a wag means, so I won't try to explain.
the sound of laughing
From this reading "I didn't say he wagged it, Betsy," returned Marie, repressing a laugh, "but--you'll never get to understand what a wag means, so I won't try to explain.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Look!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I didn't say he wagged it, Betsy," returned Marie, repressing a laugh, "but--you'll never get to understand what a wag means, so I won't try to explain.
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading "I didn't say he wagged it, Betsy," returned Marie, repressing a laugh, "but--you'll never get to understand what a wag means, so I won't try to explain.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "I didn't say he wagged it, Betsy," returned Marie, repressing a laugh, "but--you'll never get to understand what a wag means, so I won't try to explain.
restrictive of action
From this reading "I didn't say he wagged it, Betsy," returned Marie, repressing a laugh, "but--you'll never get to understand what a wag means, so I won't try to explain.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading "I didn't say he wagged it, Betsy," returned Marie, repressing a laugh, "but--you'll never get to understand what a wag means, so I won't try to explain.
express in words
From this reading "I didn't say he wagged it, Betsy," returned Marie, repressing a laugh, "but--you'll never get to understand what a wag means, so I won't try to explain.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "I didn't say he wagged it, Betsy," returned Marie, repressing a laugh, "but--you'll never get to understand what a wag means, so I won't try to explain.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I didn't say he wagged it, Betsy," returned Marie, repressing a laugh, "but--you'll never get to understand what a wag means, so I won't try to explain.
make an effort or attempt
From this reading "I didn't say he wagged it, Betsy," returned Marie, repressing a laugh, "but--you'll never get to understand what a wag means, so I won't try to explain.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading "I didn't say he wagged it, Betsy," returned Marie, repressing a laugh, "but--you'll never get to understand what a wag means, so I won't try to explain.
disposed to venture or take risks
From this reading Zariffa is venturesome.
a witty amusing person who makes jokes
From this reading "I didn't say he wagged it, Betsy," returned Marie, repressing a laugh, "but--you'll never get to understand what a wag means, so I won't try to explain.
inflected form of “wag” — move from side to side
From this reading "I didn't say he wagged it, Betsy," returned Marie, repressing a laugh, "but--you'll never get to understand what a wag means, so I won't try to explain.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Zariffa was indeed venturesome.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "I didn't say he wagged it, Betsy," returned Marie, repressing a laugh, "but--you'll never get to understand what a wag means, so I won't try to explain.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I didn't say he wagged it, Betsy," returned Marie, repressing a laugh, "but--you'll never get to understand what a wag means, so I won't try to explain.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You'd better call her back."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I didn't say he wagged it, Betsy," returned Marie, repressing a laugh, "but--you'll never get to understand what a wag means, so I won't try to explain.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Zariffa is venturesome.
Chapter 6 of The Madman and the Pirate by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne holds 396 sentences, grouped into 80 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 6 holds 396 sentences of The Madman and the Pirate, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 6 of The Madman and the Pirate by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 396 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 6 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 Madman and the Pirate by R. M. (Robert Michael) Ballantyne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2493 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21813 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21813, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 207 minutes of reading across 499 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Madman and the Pirate section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of The Madman and the Pirate 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 Madman and the Pirate, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
