Chapter 2 of The Queen of the Pirate Isle is here in full — 178 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The Queen of the Pirate Isle is here in full — 178 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“He's made the Evil Spirit orful sick,” said Hickory in a loud whisper. A slight laugh, that to the children seemed demoniacal, followed. “See!” said Wan Lee. “Evil Spillet he likee Chinee; try talkee him.” The Pirates looked at Wan Lee, not without a certain envy of this manifest favoritism.
Chapter 2 of The Queen of the Pirate Isle is here in full — 178 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 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.
a feeling of grudging admiration and desire to have something that is possessed by another
From this reading “The Pirates looked at Wan Lee, not without a certain envy of this manifest favoritism.”
an inclination to favor some person or group
From this reading “The Pirates looked at Wan Lee, not without a certain envy of this manifest favoritism.”
valuable tough heavy hardwood from various hickory trees
From this reading ““He's made the Evil Spirit orful sick,” said Hickory in a loud whisper.”
United States filmmaker whose works explore the richness of black culture in America (born in 1957)
From this reading ““See!” said Wan Lee.”
provide evidence for; stand as proof of; show by one's behavior, attitude, or external attributes
From this reading “The Pirates looked at Wan Lee, not without a certain envy of this manifest favoritism.”
plural of “pirate” — someone who uses another person's words or ideas as if they were his own
From this reading “The Pirates looked at Wan Lee, not without a certain envy of this manifest favoritism.”
(of light) lacking in intensity or brightness; dim or feeble
From this reading ““See!” said Wan Lee.”
speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
From this reading ““He's made the Evil Spirit orful sick,” said Hickory in a loud whisper.”
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 “He's made the Evil Spirit orful sick,” said Hickory in a loud whisper.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The Pirates looked at Wan Lee, not without a certain envy of this manifest favoritism.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading The Pirates looked at Wan Lee, not without a certain envy of this manifest favoritism.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading A slight laugh, that to the children seemed demoniacal, followed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Evil Spillet he likee Chinee; try talkee him.”
of, pertaining to, or like a demon or possession by a demon
From this reading A slight laugh, that to the children seemed demoniacal, followed.
a feeling of grudging admiration and desire to have something that is possessed by another
From this reading The Pirates looked at Wan Lee, not without a certain envy of this manifest favoritism.
morally objectionable behavior
From this reading “He's made the Evil Spirit orful sick,” said Hickory in a loud whisper.
an inclination to favor some person or group
From this reading The Pirates looked at Wan Lee, not without a certain envy of this manifest favoritism.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading A slight laugh, that to the children seemed demoniacal, followed.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Evil Spillet he likee Chinee; try talkee him.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “He's made the Evil Spirit orful sick,” said Hickory in a loud whisper.
valuable tough heavy hardwood from various hickory trees
From this reading “He's made the Evil Spirit orful sick,” said Hickory in a loud whisper.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Evil Spillet he likee Chinee; try talkee him.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “He's made the Evil Spirit orful sick,” said Hickory in a loud whisper.
the sound of laughing
From this reading A slight laugh, that to the children seemed demoniacal, followed.
United States filmmaker whose works explore the richness of black culture in America (born in 1957)
From this reading “See!” said Wan Lee.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Evil Spillet he likee Chinee; try talkee him.”
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The Pirates looked at Wan Lee, not without a certain envy of this manifest favoritism.
characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
From this reading “He's made the Evil Spirit orful sick,” said Hickory in a loud whisper.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading “He's made the Evil Spirit orful sick,” said Hickory in a loud whisper.
provide evidence for; stand as proof of; show by one's behavior, attitude, or external attributes
From this reading The Pirates looked at Wan Lee, not without a certain envy of this manifest favoritism.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The Pirates looked at Wan Lee, not without a certain envy of this manifest favoritism.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The Pirates looked at Wan Lee, not without a certain envy of this manifest favoritism.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “He's made the Evil Spirit orful sick,” said Hickory in a loud whisper.
plural of “pirate” — someone who uses another person's words or ideas as if they were his own
From this reading The Pirates looked at Wan Lee, not without a certain envy of this manifest favoritism.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “He's made the Evil Spirit orful sick,” said Hickory in a loud whisper.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “See!” said Wan Lee.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading A slight laugh, that to the children seemed demoniacal, followed.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading “He's made the Evil Spirit orful sick,” said Hickory in a loud whisper.
a deliberate discourteous act (usually as an expression of anger or disapproval)
From this reading A slight laugh, that to the children seemed demoniacal, followed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Evil Spillet he likee Chinee; try talkee him.”
the vital principle or animating force within living things
From this reading “He's made the Evil Spirit orful sick,” said Hickory in a loud whisper.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Evil Spillet he likee Chinee; try talkee him.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading A slight laugh, that to the children seemed demoniacal, followed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “He's made the Evil Spirit orful sick,” said Hickory in a loud whisper.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading The Pirates looked at Wan Lee, not without a certain envy of this manifest favoritism.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A slight laugh, that to the children seemed demoniacal, followed.
make an effort or attempt
From this reading “Evil Spillet he likee Chinee; try talkee him.”
(of light) lacking in intensity or brightness; dim or feeble
From this reading “See!” said Wan Lee.
speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
From this reading “He's made the Evil Spirit orful sick,” said Hickory in a loud whisper.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading The Pirates looked at Wan Lee, not without a certain envy of this manifest favoritism.
Chapter 2 of The Queen of the Pirate Isle by Bret Harte holds 178 sentences, grouped into 36 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 2 holds 178 sentences of The Queen of the Pirate Isle, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The Queen of the Pirate Isle by Bret Harte exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 178 sentences, grouped into 36 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 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 36 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 2 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 Queen of the Pirate Isle by Bret Harte on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 358 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2798 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2798, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 29 minutes of reading across 72 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Queen of the Pirate Isle section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 2 chapters of The Queen of the Pirate Isle 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 Queen of the Pirate Isle, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
