Chapter 7 of The Ocean Waifs is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of The Ocean Waifs is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
One of these things a whale would undoubtedly have done. So believed Ben Brace; and therefore the creature that had come so near capsizing them could not be a whale. What was it, then? A shark? No. It could not be a shark.
Chapter 7 of The Ocean Waifs is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
past form of “believe” — accept as true; take to be true
From this reading “So believed Ben Brace; and therefore the creature that had come so near capsizing them could not be a whale.”
a mountain or tall hill
From this reading “So believed Ben Brace; and therefore the creature that had come so near capsizing them could not be a whale.”
prepare (oneself) for something unpleasant or difficult
From this reading “So believed Ben Brace; and therefore the creature that had come so near capsizing them could not be a whale.”
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading “So believed Ben Brace; and therefore the creature that had come so near capsizing them could not be a whale.”
any of numerous elongate mostly marine carnivorous fishes with heterocercal caudal fins and tough skin covered with small toothlike scales
From this reading “A shark?”
for that reason; as a result
From this reading “So believed Ben Brace; and therefore the creature that had come so near capsizing them could not be a whale.”
without doubt; certainly
From this reading “One of these things a whale would undoubtedly have done.”
a very large person; impressive in size or qualities
From this reading “One of these things a whale would undoubtedly have done.”
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 One of these things a whale would undoubtedly have done.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading So believed Ben Brace; and therefore the creature that had come so near capsizing them could not be a whale.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading So believed Ben Brace; and therefore the creature that had come so near capsizing them could not be a whale.
past form of “believe” — accept as true; take to be true
From this reading So believed Ben Brace; and therefore the creature that had come so near capsizing them could not be a whale.
a mountain or tall hill
From this reading So believed Ben Brace; and therefore the creature that had come so near capsizing them could not be a whale.
prepare (oneself) for something unpleasant or difficult
From this reading So believed Ben Brace; and therefore the creature that had come so near capsizing them could not be a whale.
(nautical) the event of a boat accidentally turning over in the water
From this reading So believed Ben Brace; and therefore the creature that had come so near capsizing them could not be a whale.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading So believed Ben Brace; and therefore the creature that had come so near capsizing them could not be a whale.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading So believed Ben Brace; and therefore the creature that had come so near capsizing them could not be a whale.
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading So believed Ben Brace; and therefore the creature that had come so near capsizing them could not be a whale.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading One of these things a whale would undoubtedly have done.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading So believed Ben Brace; and therefore the creature that had come so near capsizing them could not be a whale.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading One of these things a whale would undoubtedly have done.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading What was it, then?
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading So believed Ben Brace; and therefore the creature that had come so near capsizing them could not be a whale.
not any; not one
From this reading No. It could not be a shark.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading So believed Ben Brace; and therefore the creature that had come so near capsizing them could not be a whale.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading One of these things a whale would undoubtedly have done.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One of these things a whale would undoubtedly have done.
any of numerous elongate mostly marine carnivorous fishes with heterocercal caudal fins and tough skin covered with small toothlike scales
From this reading A shark?
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So believed Ben Brace; and therefore the creature that had come so near capsizing them could not be a whale.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading So believed Ben Brace; and therefore the creature that had come so near capsizing them could not be a whale.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading So believed Ben Brace; and therefore the creature that had come so near capsizing them could not be a whale.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading So believed Ben Brace; and therefore the creature that had come so near capsizing them could not be a whale.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading What was it, then?
for that reason; as a result
From this reading So believed Ben Brace; and therefore the creature that had come so near capsizing them could not be a whale.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading One of these things a whale would undoubtedly have done.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading One of these things a whale would undoubtedly have done.
without doubt; certainly
From this reading One of these things a whale would undoubtedly have done.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading What was it, then?
a very large person; impressive in size or qualities
From this reading One of these things a whale would undoubtedly have done.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What was it, then?
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading One of these things a whale would undoubtedly have done.
Chapter 7 of The Ocean Waifs by Mayne Reid holds 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 7 holds 426 sentences of The Ocean Waifs, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of The Ocean Waifs by Mayne Reid exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 426 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 7 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 Ocean Waifs by Mayne Reid on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5101 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #27982 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #27982, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 425 minutes of reading across 1021 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Ocean Waifs section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of The Ocean Waifs 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 Ocean Waifs, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
