Chapter 8 of The mystery of the Sea-Lark is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The mystery of the Sea-Lark is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
JACK COUNTS HIS PROFITS “Well, what is it?” asked Jack. “Did our friend turn out to be a detective after all and arrest some one?” “Not so far,” replied the Cap’n. “When he shows me his badge I’ll believe he’s a cop, but not otherwise. You wouldn’t think he could say ‘boo’ to a goose, would you?
Chapter 8 of The mystery of the Sea-Lark is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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.
take into custody
From this reading ““Did our friend turn out to be a detective after all and arrest some one?””
an emblem (a small piece of plastic or cloth or metal) that signifies your status (rank or membership or affiliation etc.)
From this reading ““When he shows me his badge I’ll believe he’s a cop, but not otherwise.”
show displeasure, as after a performance or speech
From this reading “You wouldn’t think he could say ‘boo’ to a goose, would you?”
uncomplimentary terms for a policeman
From this reading ““When he shows me his badge I’ll believe he’s a cop, but not otherwise.”
plural of “count” — the total number counted
From this reading “JACK COUNTS HIS PROFITS “Well, what is it?” asked Jack.”
a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading ““Did our friend turn out to be a detective after all and arrest some one?””
web-footed long-necked typically gregarious migratory aquatic birds usually larger and less aquatic than ducks
From this reading “You wouldn’t think he could say ‘boo’ to a goose, would you?”
the excess of revenues over outlays in a given period of time (including depreciation and other non-cash expenses)
From this reading “JACK COUNTS HIS PROFITS “Well, what is it?” asked Jack.”
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.
be shown or be found to be
In this reading ““Did our friend turn out to be a detective after all and arrest some one?””
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 “Did our friend turn out to be a detective after all and arrest some one?”
later than; following
From this reading “Did our friend turn out to be a detective after all and arrest some one?”
(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 “Did our friend turn out to be a detective after all and arrest some one?”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Did our friend turn out to be a detective after all and arrest some one?”
take into custody
From this reading “Did our friend turn out to be a detective after all and arrest some one?”
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading JACK COUNTS HIS PROFITS “Well, what is it?” asked Jack.
an emblem (a small piece of plastic or cloth or metal) that signifies your status (rank or membership or affiliation etc.)
From this reading “When he shows me his badge I’ll believe he’s a cop, but not otherwise.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “Did our friend turn out to be a detective after all and arrest some one?”
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading “When he shows me his badge I’ll believe he’s a cop, but not otherwise.
show displeasure, as after a performance or speech
From this reading You wouldn’t think he could say ‘boo’ to a goose, would you?
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “When he shows me his badge I’ll believe he’s a cop, but not otherwise.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Not so far,” replied the Cap’n.
uncomplimentary terms for a policeman
From this reading “When he shows me his badge I’ll believe he’s a cop, but not otherwise.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading You wouldn’t think he could say ‘boo’ to a goose, would you?
plural of “count” — the total number counted
From this reading JACK COUNTS HIS PROFITS “Well, what is it?” asked Jack.
a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading “Did our friend turn out to be a detective after all and arrest some one?”
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “Did our friend turn out to be a detective after all and arrest some one?”
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading “Not so far,” replied the Cap’n.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading “Did our friend turn out to be a detective after all and arrest some one?”
web-footed long-necked typically gregarious migratory aquatic birds usually larger and less aquatic than ducks
From this reading You wouldn’t think he could say ‘boo’ to a goose, would you?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “When he shows me his badge I’ll believe he’s a cop, but not otherwise.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “When he shows me his badge I’ll believe he’s a cop, but not otherwise.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading JACK COUNTS HIS PROFITS “Well, what is it?” asked Jack.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “When he shows me his badge I’ll believe he’s a cop, but not otherwise.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading JACK COUNTS HIS PROFITS “Well, what is it?” asked Jack.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading JACK COUNTS HIS PROFITS “Well, what is it?” asked Jack.
a small worthless amount
From this reading JACK COUNTS HIS PROFITS “Well, what is it?” asked Jack.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “When he shows me his badge I’ll believe he’s a cop, but not otherwise.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Not so far,” replied the Cap’n.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “Did our friend turn out to be a detective after all and arrest some one?”
in other respects or ways
From this reading “When he shows me his badge I’ll believe he’s a cop, but not otherwise.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading “Did our friend turn out to be a detective after all and arrest some one?”
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “Did our friend turn out to be a detective after all and arrest some one?”
the excess of revenues over outlays in a given period of time (including depreciation and other non-cash expenses)
From this reading JACK COUNTS HIS PROFITS “Well, what is it?” asked Jack.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading “Not so far,” replied the Cap’n.
express in words
From this reading You wouldn’t think he could say ‘boo’ to a goose, would you?
plural of “show” — the act of publicly exhibiting or entertaining
From this reading “When he shows me his badge I’ll believe he’s a cop, but not otherwise.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “Not so far,” replied the Cap’n.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading “Did our friend turn out to be a detective after all and arrest some one?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Not so far,” replied the Cap’n.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading You wouldn’t think he could say ‘boo’ to a goose, would you?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Did our friend turn out to be a detective after all and arrest some one?”
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading “Did our friend turn out to be a detective after all and arrest some one?”
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading JACK COUNTS HIS PROFITS “Well, what is it?” asked Jack.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading JACK COUNTS HIS PROFITS “Well, what is it?” asked Jack.
at the time that
From this reading “When he shows me his badge I’ll believe he’s a cop, but not otherwise.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading You wouldn’t think he could say ‘boo’ to a goose, would you?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You wouldn’t think he could say ‘boo’ to a goose, would you?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You wouldn’t think he could say ‘boo’ to a goose, would you?
Chapter 8 of The mystery of the Sea-Lark by Ralph Henry Barbour holds 204 sentences, grouped into 41 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 8 holds 204 sentences of The mystery of the Sea-Lark, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The mystery of the Sea-Lark by Ralph Henry Barbour exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 204 sentences, grouped into 41 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 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 41 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 8 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 mystery of the Sea-Lark by Ralph Henry Barbour on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3830 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #72751 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #72751, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 319 minutes of reading across 766 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The mystery of the Sea-Lark section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of The mystery of the Sea-Lark 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 mystery of the Sea-Lark, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
