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The young naval captain
The young naval captain

Chapter XIV

Chapter 14 of The young naval captain is here in full — 90 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Edward Stratemeyer • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The young naval captain
Context Illustration Reading 1/18 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE CENTRAL AMERICAN CANAL.
The great canal, in Central America, had just been completed by the United States at a cost of thirty-six millions of dollars.
Other nations, especially France, had tried to push a canal through for years, but had failed.
The United States now controlled all the land in the vicinity of the canal, and, as previously stated, thought seriously of taking these Central American States into our glorious union.
"Can we get through the canal?" questioned Andy.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The young naval captain

Chapter XIV

Chapter 14 of The young naval captain is here in full — 90 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/18 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE CENTRAL AMERICAN CANAL.
/ðə ˈsentrəl əˈmerəkən kəˈnæl/
Line 2
The great canal, in Central America, had just been completed by the United States at a cost of thirty-six millions of dollars.
Line 3
Other nations, especially France, had tried to push a canal through for years, but had failed.
/ˈʌðər ˈneɪʃənz əˈspeʃli fræns hæd traɪd tuː pʊʃ ə kəˈnæl θruː fɔːr jɪrz bʌt hæd feɪld/
Line 4
The United States now controlled all the land in the vicinity of the canal, and, as previously stated, thought seriously of taking these Central American States into our glorious union.
/ðə juːˈnaɪtɪd steɪts naʊ kənˈtroʊld ɔːl ðə lænd ɪn ðə vəˈsɪnəti ʌv ðə kəˈnæl ənd æz ˈpriːviəsli ˈsteɪtɪd θɔːt ˈsɪriəsli ʌv ˈteɪkɪŋ ðiːz ˈsentrəl əˈmerəkən steɪts ˈɪntuː ˈaʊər ˈɡlɔːriəs ˈjuːnjən/
Line 5
"Can we get through the canal?" questioned Andy.

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.

canal noun US /kəˈnæl/

(astronomy) an indistinct surface feature of Mars once thought to be a system of channels; they are now believed to be an optical illusion

From this reading “THE CENTRAL AMERICAN CANAL.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
central adjective US /ˈsentrəl/

serving as an essential component

From this reading “THE CENTRAL AMERICAN CANAL.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
controlled adjective US /kənˈtroʊld/

restrained or managed or kept within certain bounds

From this reading “The United States now controlled all the land in the vicinity of the canal, and, as previously stated, thought seriously of taking these Central American States into our glorious union.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
millions noun US /ˈmɪljənz/

plural of “million” — the number that is represented as a one followed by 6 zeros

From this reading “The great canal, in Central America, had just been completed by the United States at a cost of thirty-six millions of dollars.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
previously adverb US /ˈpriːviəsli/

at an earlier time or formerly

From this reading “The United States now controlled all the land in the vicinity of the canal, and, as previously stated, thought seriously of taking these Central American States into our glorious union.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
push verb US /pʊʃ/

move with force

From this reading “Other nations, especially France, had tried to push a canal through for years, but had failed.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
stated adjective US /ˈsteɪtɪd/

declared as fact; explicitly stated

From this reading “The United States now controlled all the land in the vicinity of the canal, and, as previously stated, thought seriously of taking these Central American States into our glorious union.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
vicinity noun US /vəˈsɪnəti/

a surrounding or nearby region

From this reading “The United States now controlled all the land in the vicinity of the canal, and, as previously stated, thought seriously of taking these Central American States into our glorious union.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

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.

Other nations adjective + noun counted as “other nation”

In this reading “Other nations, especially France, had tried to push a canal through for years, but had failed.”

2,298 times in 225,867 chapters
in the vicinity preposition + article + noun counted as “in … vicinity”

In this reading “The United States now controlled all the land in the vicinity of the canal, and, as previously stated, thought seriously of taking these Central American States into our glorious union.”

4,647 times in 225,867 chapters
get through verb + particle

finish a task completely

In this reading “"Can we get through the canal?" questioned Andy.”

14,277 times in 225,867 chapters
at a cost preposition + article + noun counted as “at … cost”

In this reading “The great canal, in Central America, had just been completed by the United States at a cost of thirty-six millions of dollars.”

2,463 times in 225,867 chapters
for years preposition + noun

In this reading “Other nations, especially France, had tried to push a canal through for years, but had failed.”

21,596 times in 225,867 chapters

All words in this reading · 55

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading The great canal, in Central America, had just been completed by the United States at a cost of thirty-six millions of dollars.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading The United States now controlled all the land in the vicinity of the canal, and, as previously stated, thought seriously of taking these Central American States into our glorious union.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
AmericanounUS /əˈmerəkə/

North American republic containing 50 states - 48 conterminous states in North America plus Alaska in northwest North America and the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean; achieved independence in 1776

From this reading The great canal, in Central America, had just been completed by the United States at a cost of thirty-six millions of dollars.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
AMERICANnounUS /əˈmerəkən/

a native or inhabitant of the United States

From this reading THE CENTRAL AMERICAN CANAL.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading The United States now controlled all the land in the vicinity of the canal, and, as previously stated, thought seriously of taking these Central American States into our glorious union.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Andy

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Can we get through the canal?" questioned Andy.

Pending verification
asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading The United States now controlled all the land in the vicinity of the canal, and, as previously stated, thought seriously of taking these Central American States into our glorious union.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading The great canal, in Central America, had just been completed by the United States at a cost of thirty-six millions of dollars.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading The great canal, in Central America, had just been completed by the United States at a cost of thirty-six millions of dollars.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Other nations, especially France, had tried to push a canal through for years, but had failed.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading The great canal, in Central America, had just been completed by the United States at a cost of thirty-six millions of dollars.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading "Can we get through the canal?" questioned Andy.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
CANALnounUS /kəˈnæl/

(astronomy) an indistinct surface feature of Mars once thought to be a system of channels; they are now believed to be an optical illusion

From this reading THE CENTRAL AMERICAN CANAL.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
CENTRALadjectiveUS /ˈsentrəl/

serving as an essential component

From this reading THE CENTRAL AMERICAN CANAL.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
completedadjectiveUS /kəmˈpliːtəd/

successfully completed or brought to an end

From this reading The great canal, in Central America, had just been completed by the United States at a cost of thirty-six millions of dollars.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
controlledadjectiveUS /kənˈtroʊld/

restrained or managed or kept within certain bounds

From this reading The United States now controlled all the land in the vicinity of the canal, and, as previously stated, thought seriously of taking these Central American States into our glorious union.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
costnounUS /kɑːst/

the total spent for goods or services including money and time and labor

From this reading The great canal, in Central America, had just been completed by the United States at a cost of thirty-six millions of dollars.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
dollarsnounUS /ˈdɑːlərz/

plural of “dollar” — the basic monetary unit in many countries; equal to 100 cents

From this reading The great canal, in Central America, had just been completed by the United States at a cost of thirty-six millions of dollars.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
especiallyadverbUS /əˈspeʃli/

to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common

From this reading Other nations, especially France, had tried to push a canal through for years, but had failed.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
failedverbUS /feɪld/

past form of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone

From this reading Other nations, especially France, had tried to push a canal through for years, but had failed.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Other nations, especially France, had tried to push a canal through for years, but had failed.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
FrancenounUS /fræns/

a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe

From this reading Other nations, especially France, had tried to push a canal through for years, but had failed.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
getverbUS /ɡet/

come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading "Can we get through the canal?" questioned Andy.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
gloriousadjectiveUS /ˈɡlɔːriəs/

having or deserving or conferring glory

From this reading The United States now controlled all the land in the vicinity of the canal, and, as previously stated, thought seriously of taking these Central American States into our glorious union.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading The great canal, in Central America, had just been completed by the United States at a cost of thirty-six millions of dollars.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading The great canal, in Central America, had just been completed by the United States at a cost of thirty-six millions of dollars.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading The great canal, in Central America, had just been completed by the United States at a cost of thirty-six millions of dollars.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading The United States now controlled all the land in the vicinity of the canal, and, as previously stated, thought seriously of taking these Central American States into our glorious union.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
justadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading The great canal, in Central America, had just been completed by the United States at a cost of thirty-six millions of dollars.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
landnounUS /lænd/

the land on which real estate is located

From this reading The United States now controlled all the land in the vicinity of the canal, and, as previously stated, thought seriously of taking these Central American States into our glorious union.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
millionsnounUS /ˈmɪljənz/

plural of “million” — the number that is represented as a one followed by 6 zeros

From this reading The great canal, in Central America, had just been completed by the United States at a cost of thirty-six millions of dollars.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nationsnounUS /ˈneɪʃənz/

plural of “nation” — a politically organized body of people under a single government

From this reading Other nations, especially France, had tried to push a canal through for years, but had failed.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading The United States now controlled all the land in the vicinity of the canal, and, as previously stated, thought seriously of taking these Central American States into our glorious union.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The great canal, in Central America, had just been completed by the United States at a cost of thirty-six millions of dollars.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
OtheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading Other nations, especially France, had tried to push a canal through for years, but had failed.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading The United States now controlled all the land in the vicinity of the canal, and, as previously stated, thought seriously of taking these Central American States into our glorious union.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
previouslyadverbUS /ˈpriːviəsli/

at an earlier time or formerly

From this reading The United States now controlled all the land in the vicinity of the canal, and, as previously stated, thought seriously of taking these Central American States into our glorious union.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
pushverbUS /pʊʃ/

move with force

From this reading Other nations, especially France, had tried to push a canal through for years, but had failed.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
questionedverbUS /ˈkwestʃənd/

past form of “question” — challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of

From this reading "Can we get through the canal?" questioned Andy.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
seriouslyadverbUS /ˈsɪriəsli/

in a serious manner

From this reading The United States now controlled all the land in the vicinity of the canal, and, as previously stated, thought seriously of taking these Central American States into our glorious union.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
statedadjectiveUS /ˈsteɪtɪd/

declared as fact; explicitly stated

From this reading The United States now controlled all the land in the vicinity of the canal, and, as previously stated, thought seriously of taking these Central American States into our glorious union.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
StatesnounUS /steɪts/

plural of “state” — the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation

From this reading The great canal, in Central America, had just been completed by the United States at a cost of thirty-six millions of dollars.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
takingnounUS /ˈteɪkɪŋ/

the act of someone who picks up or takes something

From this reading The United States now controlled all the land in the vicinity of the canal, and, as previously stated, thought seriously of taking these Central American States into our glorious union.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading THE CENTRAL AMERICAN CANAL.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading The United States now controlled all the land in the vicinity of the canal, and, as previously stated, thought seriously of taking these Central American States into our glorious union.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thirty-sixadjective

being six more than thirty

From this reading The great canal, in Central America, had just been completed by the United States at a cost of thirty-six millions of dollars.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading The United States now controlled all the land in the vicinity of the canal, and, as previously stated, thought seriously of taking these Central American States into our glorious union.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
throughprepositionUS /θruː/

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading Other nations, especially France, had tried to push a canal through for years, but had failed.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Other nations, especially France, had tried to push a canal through for years, but had failed.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
triedadjectiveUS /traɪd/

tested and proved useful or correct

From this reading Other nations, especially France, had tried to push a canal through for years, but had failed.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
unionnounUS /ˈjuːnjən/

an organization of employees formed to bargain with the employer

From this reading The United States now controlled all the land in the vicinity of the canal, and, as previously stated, thought seriously of taking these Central American States into our glorious union.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
UnitedadjectiveUS /juːˈnaɪtɪd/

characterized by unity; being or joined into a single entity

From this reading The great canal, in Central America, had just been completed by the United States at a cost of thirty-six millions of dollars.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
vicinitynounUS /vəˈsɪnəti/

a surrounding or nearby region

From this reading The United States now controlled all the land in the vicinity of the canal, and, as previously stated, thought seriously of taking these Central American States into our glorious union.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading "Can we get through the canal?" questioned Andy.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
yearsnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

From this reading Other nations, especially France, had tried to push a canal through for years, but had failed.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Chapter 14 of The young naval captain by Edward Stratemeyer holds 90 sentences, grouped into 18 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 14 of The young naval captain contain?

Chapter 14 holds 90 sentences of The young naval captain, unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 14 of The young naval captain by Edward Stratemeyer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 90 sentences, grouped into 18 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 14 of The young naval captain?

Work through the 18 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 18 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 14 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 14 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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