Chapter 5 of The Yarn of Old Harbour Town is here in full — 246 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Yarn of Old Harbour Town is here in full — 246 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
PAUL Captain Acton paused for a few moments at the foot of the companion ladder with a grave smile on his face. "This is the first time you have been in this cabin, Lucy, I think," he said. "Yes, sir." "Well, and what do you think of the accommodation offered by the _Minorca_?" "I hope Miss Acton thinks well of it," said Mr Lawrence.
Chapter 5 of The Yarn of Old Harbour Town is here in full — 246 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/49 · 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.
making or becoming suitable; adjusting to circumstances
From this reading “"Well, and what do you think of the accommodation offered by the _Minorca_?"”
small room on a ship or boat where people sleep
From this reading “"This is the first time you have been in this cabin, Lucy, I think," he said.”
steps consisting of two parallel members connected by rungs; for climbing up or down
From this reading “PAUL Captain Acton paused for a few moments at the foot of the companion ladder with a grave smile on his face.”
Roman martyr; supposedly Lawrence was ordered by the police to give up the church's treasure and when he responded by presenting the poor people of Rome he was roasted to death on a gridiron (died in 258)
From this reading “"I hope Miss Acton thinks well of it," said Mr Lawrence.”
incomplete skeleton of female found in eastern Ethiopia in 1974
From this reading “"This is the first time you have been in this cabin, Lucy, I think," he said.”
plural of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading “PAUL Captain Acton paused for a few moments at the foot of the companion ladder with a grave smile on his face.”
United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading “PAUL Captain Acton paused for a few moments at the foot of the companion ladder with a grave smile on his face.”
plural of “think” — an instance of deliberate thinking
From this reading “"I hope Miss Acton thinks well of it," said Mr Lawrence.”
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.
In this reading “PAUL Captain Acton paused for a few moments at the foot of the companion ladder with a grave smile on his face.”
In this reading “PAUL Captain Acton paused for a few moments at the foot of the companion ladder with a grave smile on his face.”
In this reading “"This is the first time you have been in this cabin, Lucy, I think," he said.”
In this reading “PAUL Captain Acton paused for a few moments at the foot of the companion ladder with a grave smile on his face.”
keep in mind for attention or consideration
In this reading “"Well, and what do you think of the accommodation offered by the _Minorca_?"”
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 PAUL Captain Acton paused for a few moments at the foot of the companion ladder with a grave smile on his face.
making or becoming suitable; adjusting to circumstances
From this reading "Well, and what do you think of the accommodation offered by the _Minorca_?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading PAUL Captain Acton paused for a few moments at the foot of the companion ladder with a grave smile on his face.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Well, and what do you think of the accommodation offered by the _Minorca_?"
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading PAUL Captain Acton paused for a few moments at the foot of the companion ladder with a grave smile on his face.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "This is the first time you have been in this cabin, Lucy, I think," he said.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "Well, and what do you think of the accommodation offered by the _Minorca_?"
small room on a ship or boat where people sleep
From this reading "This is the first time you have been in this cabin, Lucy, I think," he said.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading PAUL Captain Acton paused for a few moments at the foot of the companion ladder with a grave smile on his face.
a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading PAUL Captain Acton paused for a few moments at the foot of the companion ladder with a grave smile on his face.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Well, and what do you think of the accommodation offered by the _Minorca_?"
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading PAUL Captain Acton paused for a few moments at the foot of the companion ladder with a grave smile on his face.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading PAUL Captain Acton paused for a few moments at the foot of the companion ladder with a grave smile on his face.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading "This is the first time you have been in this cabin, Lucy, I think," he said.
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading PAUL Captain Acton paused for a few moments at the foot of the companion ladder with a grave smile on his face.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading PAUL Captain Acton paused for a few moments at the foot of the companion ladder with a grave smile on his face.
death of a person
From this reading PAUL Captain Acton paused for a few moments at the foot of the companion ladder with a grave smile on his face.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "This is the first time you have been in this cabin, Lucy, I think," he said.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "This is the first time you have been in this cabin, Lucy, I think," he said.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading PAUL Captain Acton paused for a few moments at the foot of the companion ladder with a grave smile on his face.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading "I hope Miss Acton thinks well of it," said Mr Lawrence.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "This is the first time you have been in this cabin, Lucy, I think," he said.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "This is the first time you have been in this cabin, Lucy, I think," he said.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "This is the first time you have been in this cabin, Lucy, I think," he said.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I hope Miss Acton thinks well of it," said Mr Lawrence.
steps consisting of two parallel members connected by rungs; for climbing up or down
From this reading PAUL Captain Acton paused for a few moments at the foot of the companion ladder with a grave smile on his face.
Roman martyr; supposedly Lawrence was ordered by the police to give up the church's treasure and when he responded by presenting the poor people of Rome he was roasted to death on a gridiron (died in 258)
From this reading "I hope Miss Acton thinks well of it," said Mr Lawrence.
incomplete skeleton of female found in eastern Ethiopia in 1974
From this reading "This is the first time you have been in this cabin, Lucy, I think," he said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, and what do you think of the accommodation offered by the _Minorca_?"
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading "I hope Miss Acton thinks well of it," said Mr Lawrence.
plural of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading PAUL Captain Acton paused for a few moments at the foot of the companion ladder with a grave smile on his face.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "I hope Miss Acton thinks well of it," said Mr Lawrence.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading PAUL Captain Acton paused for a few moments at the foot of the companion ladder with a grave smile on his face.
past form of “offer” — make available or accessible, provide or furnish
From this reading "Well, and what do you think of the accommodation offered by the _Minorca_?"
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading PAUL Captain Acton paused for a few moments at the foot of the companion ladder with a grave smile on his face.
United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading PAUL Captain Acton paused for a few moments at the foot of the companion ladder with a grave smile on his face.
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading PAUL Captain Acton paused for a few moments at the foot of the companion ladder with a grave smile on his face.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "This is the first time you have been in this cabin, Lucy, I think," he said.
term of address for a man
From this reading "Yes, sir."
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading PAUL Captain Acton paused for a few moments at the foot of the companion ladder with a grave smile on his face.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading PAUL Captain Acton paused for a few moments at the foot of the companion ladder with a grave smile on his face.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "This is the first time you have been in this cabin, Lucy, I think," he said.
plural of “think” — an instance of deliberate thinking
From this reading "I hope Miss Acton thinks well of it," said Mr Lawrence.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "This is the first time you have been in this cabin, Lucy, I think," he said.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "This is the first time you have been in this cabin, Lucy, I think," he said.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, and what do you think of the accommodation offered by the _Minorca_?"
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Well, and what do you think of the accommodation offered by the _Minorca_?"
in the company of; together with
From this reading PAUL Captain Acton paused for a few moments at the foot of the companion ladder with a grave smile on his face.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, sir."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "This is the first time you have been in this cabin, Lucy, I think," he said.
Chapter 5 of The Yarn of Old Harbour Town by William Clark Russell holds 246 sentences, grouped into 50 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 5 holds 246 sentences of The Yarn of Old Harbour Town, unabridged, divided into 50 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Yarn of Old Harbour Town by William Clark Russell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 246 sentences, grouped into 50 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 50 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 50 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 5 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 Yarn of Old Harbour Town by William Clark Russell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4067 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63076 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #63076, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 338 minutes of reading across 814 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Yarn of Old Harbour Town section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of The Yarn of Old Harbour Town 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 Yarn of Old Harbour Town, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
