Chapter 1 of The nigger of the "Narcissus" is here in full — 449 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The nigger of the "Narcissus" is here in full — 449 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The lamplight lit up the man’s body. He was tall. His head was away up in the shadows of lifeboats that stood on skids above the deck. The whites of his eyes and his teeth gleamed distinctly, but the face was indistinguishable. His hands were big and seemed gloved.
Chapter 1 of The nigger of the "Narcissus" is here in full — 449 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 65/89 · 5 reading units · Lines 321–325
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.
clear to the mind; with distinct mental discernment
From this reading “The whites of his eyes and his teeth gleamed distinctly, but the face was indistinguishable.”
past form of “gleam” — be shiny, as if wet
From this reading “The whites of his eyes and his teeth gleamed distinctly, but the face was indistinguishable.”
having the hands covered with gloves
From this reading “His hands were big and seemed gloved.”
exactly alike; incapable of being perceived as different
From this reading “The whites of his eyes and his teeth gleamed distinctly, but the face was indistinguishable.”
plural of “lifeboat” — a strong sea boat designed to rescue people from a sinking ship
From this reading “His head was away up in the shadows of lifeboats that stood on skids above the deck.”
provided with artificial light
From this reading “The lamplight lit up the man’s body.”
plural of “skid” — one of a pair of planks used to make a track for rolling or sliding objects
From this reading “His head was away up in the shadows of lifeboats that stood on skids above the deck.”
plural of “white” — a Caucasian
From this reading “The whites of his eyes and his teeth gleamed distinctly, but the face was indistinguishable.”
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.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading His head was away up in the shadows of lifeboats that stood on skids above the deck.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The whites of his eyes and his teeth gleamed distinctly, but the face was indistinguishable.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading His head was away up in the shadows of lifeboats that stood on skids above the deck.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading His hands were big and seemed gloved.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading The lamplight lit up the man’s body.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The whites of his eyes and his teeth gleamed distinctly, but the face was indistinguishable.
any of various platforms built into a vessel
From this reading His head was away up in the shadows of lifeboats that stood on skids above the deck.
clear to the mind; with distinct mental discernment
From this reading The whites of his eyes and his teeth gleamed distinctly, but the face was indistinguishable.
opinion or judgment
From this reading The whites of his eyes and his teeth gleamed distinctly, but the face was indistinguishable.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading The whites of his eyes and his teeth gleamed distinctly, but the face was indistinguishable.
past form of “gleam” — be shiny, as if wet
From this reading The whites of his eyes and his teeth gleamed distinctly, but the face was indistinguishable.
having the hands covered with gloves
From this reading His hands were big and seemed gloved.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading His hands were big and seemed gloved.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was tall.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading His head was away up in the shadows of lifeboats that stood on skids above the deck.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His head was away up in the shadows of lifeboats that stood on skids above the deck.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading His head was away up in the shadows of lifeboats that stood on skids above the deck.
exactly alike; incapable of being perceived as different
From this reading The whites of his eyes and his teeth gleamed distinctly, but the face was indistinguishable.
light from a lamp
From this reading The lamplight lit up the man’s body.
plural of “lifeboat” — a strong sea boat designed to rescue people from a sinking ship
From this reading His head was away up in the shadows of lifeboats that stood on skids above the deck.
provided with artificial light
From this reading The lamplight lit up the man’s body.
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The lamplight lit up the man’s body.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading His head was away up in the shadows of lifeboats that stood on skids above the deck.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading His head was away up in the shadows of lifeboats that stood on skids above the deck.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading His hands were big and seemed gloved.
plural of “shadow” — shade within clear boundaries
From this reading His head was away up in the shadows of lifeboats that stood on skids above the deck.
plural of “skid” — one of a pair of planks used to make a track for rolling or sliding objects
From this reading His head was away up in the shadows of lifeboats that stood on skids above the deck.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading His head was away up in the shadows of lifeboats that stood on skids above the deck.
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading He was tall.
the kind and number and arrangement of teeth (collectively) in a person or animal
From this reading The whites of his eyes and his teeth gleamed distinctly, but the face was indistinguishable.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading His head was away up in the shadows of lifeboats that stood on skids above the deck.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The lamplight lit up the man’s body.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The lamplight lit up the man’s body.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was tall.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading His hands were big and seemed gloved.
plural of “white” — a Caucasian
From this reading The whites of his eyes and his teeth gleamed distinctly, but the face was indistinguishable.
Chapter 1 of The nigger of the "Narcissus" by Joseph Conrad holds 449 sentences, grouped into 90 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 1 holds 449 sentences of The nigger of the "Narcissus", unabridged, divided into 90 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The nigger of the "Narcissus" by Joseph Conrad exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 449 sentences, grouped into 90 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 90 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 90 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 1 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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Yes. All 3518 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #17731 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #17731, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 293 minutes of reading across 704 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The nigger of the "Narcissus" section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of The nigger of the "Narcissus" 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 nigger of the "Narcissus", each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
