Chapter 15 of The secret of the caves is here in full — 140 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of The secret of the caves is here in full — 140 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE OLD SAILOR Having concluded this verse, the strange old man elevated one arm above his head and danced a couple of steps of a sailor's hornpipe. In the middle of this he caught sight of the boys, and came to an abrupt stop. "Ahoy!" he shouted. "Ahoy!" cried Chet promptly. The man in the straw hat advanced.
Chapter 15 of The secret of the caves 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
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 sudden changes in subject and sharp transitions
From this reading “In the middle of this he caught sight of the boys, and came to an abrupt stop.”
past form of “dance” — move in a graceful and rhythmical way
From this reading “THE OLD SAILOR Having concluded this verse, the strange old man elevated one arm above his head and danced a couple of steps of a sailor's hornpipe.”
raised above the ground
From this reading “THE OLD SAILOR Having concluded this verse, the strange old man elevated one arm above his head and danced a couple of steps of a sailor's hornpipe.”
a British solo dance performed by sailors
From this reading “THE OLD SAILOR Having concluded this verse, the strange old man elevated one arm above his head and danced a couple of steps of a sailor's hornpipe.”
with little or no delay
From this reading “"Ahoy!" cried Chet promptly.”
possessive form of “sailor” — any member of a ship's crew
From this reading “THE OLD SAILOR Having concluded this verse, the strange old man elevated one arm above his head and danced a couple of steps of a sailor's hornpipe.”
plant fiber used e.g. for making baskets and hats or as fodder
From this reading “The man in the straw hat advanced.”
literature in metrical form
From this reading “THE OLD SAILOR Having concluded this verse, the strange old man elevated one arm above his head and danced a couple of steps of a sailor's hornpipe.”
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.
a stiff hat made of straw with a flat crown
In this reading “The man in the straw hat advanced.”
see something for a brief time
In this reading “In the middle of this he caught sight of the boys, and came to an abrupt stop.”
a man who is very old
In this reading “THE OLD SAILOR Having concluded this verse, the strange old man elevated one arm above his head and danced a couple of steps of a sailor's hornpipe.”
In this reading “THE OLD SAILOR Having concluded this verse, the strange old man elevated one arm above his head and danced a couple of steps of a sailor's hornpipe.”
In this reading “In the middle of this he caught sight of the boys, and came to an abrupt stop.”
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 THE OLD SAILOR Having concluded this verse, the strange old man elevated one arm above his head and danced a couple of steps of a sailor's hornpipe.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading THE OLD SAILOR Having concluded this verse, the strange old man elevated one arm above his head and danced a couple of steps of a sailor's hornpipe.
marked by sudden changes in subject and sharp transitions
From this reading In the middle of this he caught sight of the boys, and came to an abrupt stop.
farther along in physical or mental development
From this reading The man in the straw hat advanced.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ahoy!" he shouted.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading In the middle of this he caught sight of the boys, and came to an abrupt stop.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE OLD SAILOR Having concluded this verse, the strange old man elevated one arm above his head and danced a couple of steps of a sailor's hornpipe.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading THE OLD SAILOR Having concluded this verse, the strange old man elevated one arm above his head and danced a couple of steps of a sailor's hornpipe.
plural of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading In the middle of this he caught sight of the boys, and came to an abrupt stop.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading In the middle of this he caught sight of the boys, and came to an abrupt stop.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading In the middle of this he caught sight of the boys, and came to an abrupt stop.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ahoy!" cried Chet promptly.
having come or been brought to a conclusion
From this reading THE OLD SAILOR Having concluded this verse, the strange old man elevated one arm above his head and danced a couple of steps of a sailor's hornpipe.
a pair who associate with one another
From this reading THE OLD SAILOR Having concluded this verse, the strange old man elevated one arm above his head and danced a couple of steps of a sailor's hornpipe.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Ahoy!" cried Chet promptly.
past form of “dance” — move in a graceful and rhythmical way
From this reading THE OLD SAILOR Having concluded this verse, the strange old man elevated one arm above his head and danced a couple of steps of a sailor's hornpipe.
raised above the ground
From this reading THE OLD SAILOR Having concluded this verse, the strange old man elevated one arm above his head and danced a couple of steps of a sailor's hornpipe.
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading The man in the straw hat advanced.
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading THE OLD SAILOR Having concluded this verse, the strange old man elevated one arm above his head and danced a couple of steps of a sailor's hornpipe.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading In the middle of this he caught sight of the boys, and came to an abrupt stop.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading THE OLD SAILOR Having concluded this verse, the strange old man elevated one arm above his head and danced a couple of steps of a sailor's hornpipe.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading THE OLD SAILOR Having concluded this verse, the strange old man elevated one arm above his head and danced a couple of steps of a sailor's hornpipe.
a British solo dance performed by sailors
From this reading THE OLD SAILOR Having concluded this verse, the strange old man elevated one arm above his head and danced a couple of steps of a sailor's hornpipe.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the middle of this he caught sight of the boys, and came to an abrupt stop.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading THE OLD SAILOR Having concluded this verse, the strange old man elevated one arm above his head and danced a couple of steps of a sailor's hornpipe.
an area that is approximately central within some larger region
From this reading In the middle of this he caught sight of the boys, and came to an abrupt stop.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE OLD SAILOR Having concluded this verse, the strange old man elevated one arm above his head and danced a couple of steps of a sailor's hornpipe.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading THE OLD SAILOR Having concluded this verse, the strange old man elevated one arm above his head and danced a couple of steps of a sailor's hornpipe.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading THE OLD SAILOR Having concluded this verse, the strange old man elevated one arm above his head and danced a couple of steps of a sailor's hornpipe.
with little or no delay
From this reading "Ahoy!" cried Chet promptly.
any member of a ship's crew
From this reading THE OLD SAILOR Having concluded this verse, the strange old man elevated one arm above his head and danced a couple of steps of a sailor's hornpipe.
possessive form of “sailor” — any member of a ship's crew
From this reading THE OLD SAILOR Having concluded this verse, the strange old man elevated one arm above his head and danced a couple of steps of a sailor's hornpipe.
in a vehement outcry
From this reading "Ahoy!" he shouted.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading In the middle of this he caught sight of the boys, and came to an abrupt stop.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading THE OLD SAILOR Having concluded this verse, the strange old man elevated one arm above his head and danced a couple of steps of a sailor's hornpipe.
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading In the middle of this he caught sight of the boys, and came to an abrupt stop.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading THE OLD SAILOR Having concluded this verse, the strange old man elevated one arm above his head and danced a couple of steps of a sailor's hornpipe.
plant fiber used e.g. for making baskets and hats or as fodder
From this reading The man in the straw hat advanced.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE OLD SAILOR Having concluded this verse, the strange old man elevated one arm above his head and danced a couple of steps of a sailor's hornpipe.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading THE OLD SAILOR Having concluded this verse, the strange old man elevated one arm above his head and danced a couple of steps of a sailor's hornpipe.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading In the middle of this he caught sight of the boys, and came to an abrupt stop.
literature in metrical form
From this reading THE OLD SAILOR Having concluded this verse, the strange old man elevated one arm above his head and danced a couple of steps of a sailor's hornpipe.
Chapter 15 of The secret of the caves by Franklin W. Dixon 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.
Chapter 15 holds 140 sentences of The secret of the caves, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of The secret of the caves by Franklin W. Dixon 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.
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.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 15 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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