Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Seafarers is here in full — 140 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A Bitter Heritage. Fortune's My Foe. The Scourge of God. Across the Salt Seas. The Clash of Arms.
The Seafarers
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Seafarers is here in full — 140 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
English subtitles · tap any word to listen
1 / 5
A
Bitter
Heritage.
Fortune's
My
Foe.
The
Scourge
of
God.
Across
the
Salt
Seas.
The
Clash
of
Arms.
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
The Seafarers
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Seafarers is here in full — 140 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/28 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
Line 1
A
Bitter
Heritage.
/ə ˈbɪtər ˈherətədʒ/
Line 2
Fortune's
My
Foe.
/ˈfɔːrtʃənz maɪ foʊ/
Line 3
The
Scourge
of
God.
/ðə skɜːrdʒ ʌv ɡɑːd/
Line 4
Across
the
Salt
Seas.
/əˈkrɔːs ðə sɔːlt siːz/
Line 5
The
Clash
of
Arms.
/ðə klæʃ ʌv ɑːrmz/
Learner Dictionary
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.
marked by strong resentment or cynicism
From this reading “A Bitter Heritage.”
Clash
noun
US /klæʃ/
A violent confrontation or disagreement between opposing forces or factions.
From this reading “The Clash of Arms.”
Foe
noun
US /foʊ/
an armed adversary (especially a member of an opposing military force)
From this reading “Fortune's My Foe.”
Fortune's
noun
US /ˈfɔːrtʃənz/
possessive form of “fortune” — an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
From this reading “Fortune's My Foe.”
Heritage
noun
US /ˈherətədʒ/
practices that are handed down from the past by tradition
From this reading “A Bitter Heritage.”
a compound formed by replacing hydrogen in an acid by a metal (or a radical that acts like a metal)
From this reading “Across the Salt Seas.”
Scourge
noun
US /skɜːrdʒ/
a whip used to inflict punishment (often used for pedantic humor)
From this reading “The Scourge of God.”
plural of “sea” — a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading “Across the Salt Seas.”
Word partnerships in these lines
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.
Salt Seas
noun + noun
counted as “salt sea”
In this reading “Across the Salt Seas.”
All words in this reading · 15
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 A Bitter Heritage.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Across the Salt Seas.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading The Clash of Arms.
marked by strong resentment or cynicism
From this reading A Bitter Heritage.
ClashnounUS /klæʃ/
A violent confrontation or disagreement between opposing forces or factions.
From this reading The Clash of Arms.
FoenounUS /foʊ/
an armed adversary (especially a member of an opposing military force)
From this reading Fortune's My Foe.
Fortune'snounUS /ˈfɔːrtʃənz/
possessive form of “fortune” — an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another
From this reading Fortune's My Foe.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading The Scourge of God.
HeritagenounUS /ˈherətədʒ/
practices that are handed down from the past by tradition
From this reading A Bitter Heritage.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Fortune's My Foe.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The Scourge of God.
a compound formed by replacing hydrogen in an acid by a metal (or a radical that acts like a metal)
From this reading Across the Salt Seas.
ScourgenounUS /skɜːrdʒ/
a whip used to inflict punishment (often used for pedantic humor)
From this reading The Scourge of God.
plural of “sea” — a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading Across the Salt Seas.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Scourge of God.
Chapter 1 of The Seafarers by John Bloundelle-Burton holds 140 sentences, grouped into 28 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.
What does chapter 1 of The Seafarers contain?
Chapter 1 holds 140 sentences of The Seafarers, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Seafarers by John Bloundelle-Burton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 140 sentences, grouped into 28 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.
How do I study chapter 1 of The Seafarers?
Work through the 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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.
Can chapter 1 be read aloud to me?
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.
Questions about reading The Seafarers
Common questions about reading The Seafarers by John Bloundelle-Burton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Is this the complete text of The Seafarers?
Yes. All 2482 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #52548 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Which edition of The Seafarers is used?
Project Gutenberg eBook #52548, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
How long does The Seafarers take to read?
About 206 minutes of reading across 497 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to read The Seafarers section by section
How to work through The Seafarers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
-
Open a chapter
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Seafarers to begin.
-
Read one section
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
-
Listen and tap
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Vocabulary met early in The Seafarers
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Seafarers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
- Bitter
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Seafarers; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Heritage
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Seafarers; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Fortune's
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Seafarers; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Scourge
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Seafarers; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.