Chapter 10 of Three Sailor Boys is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter X
Chapter 10 of Three Sailor Boys is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A DESPERATE STRUGGLE. “Certain, sir, me speak Englis’; me live along a white man two yam time; me talky all proper.” And then, as if to prove his intimate acquaintance with our language, he gave a volley of oaths, which for piquancy and nautical flavour it would be hard to surpass. “Here, stow that, mate; we want no swearing in this craft.” “Hi! what?
Chapter 10 of Three Sailor Boys is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
relating to or involving ships or shipping or navigation or seamen
From this reading “And then, as if to prove his intimate acquaintance with our language, he gave a volley of oaths, which for piquancy and nautical flavour it would be hard to surpass.”
plural of “oath” — profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger
From this reading “And then, as if to prove his intimate acquaintance with our language, he gave a volley of oaths, which for piquancy and nautical flavour it would be hard to surpass.”
fill by packing tightly
From this reading ““Here, stow that, mate; we want no swearing in this craft.””
distinguish oneself
From this reading “And then, as if to prove his intimate acquaintance with our language, he gave a volley of oaths, which for piquancy and nautical flavour it would be hard to surpass.”
profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger
From this reading ““Here, stow that, mate; we want no swearing in this craft.””
full of trivial conversation
From this reading ““Certain, sir, me speak Englis’; me live along a white man two yam time; me talky all proper.””
rapid simultaneous discharge of firearms
From this reading “And then, as if to prove his intimate acquaintance with our language, he gave a volley of oaths, which for piquancy and nautical flavour it would be hard to surpass.”
edible tuber of any of several yams
From this reading ““Certain, sir, me speak Englis’; me live along a white man two yam time; me talky all proper.””
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 “And then, as if to prove his intimate acquaintance with our language, he gave a volley of oaths, which for piquancy and nautical flavour it would be hard to surpass.”
a man who is White
In this reading ““Certain, sir, me speak Englis’; me live along a white man two yam time; me talky all proper.””
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 DESPERATE STRUGGLE.
personal knowledge or information about someone or something
From this reading And then, as if to prove his intimate acquaintance with our language, he gave a volley of oaths, which for piquancy and nautical flavour it would be hard to surpass.
(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 “Certain, sir, me speak Englis’; me live along a white man two yam time; me talky all proper.”
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading “Certain, sir, me speak Englis’; me live along a white man two yam time; me talky all proper.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And then, as if to prove his intimate acquaintance with our language, he gave a volley of oaths, which for piquancy and nautical flavour it would be hard to surpass.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading And then, as if to prove his intimate acquaintance with our language, he gave a volley of oaths, which for piquancy and nautical flavour it would be hard to surpass.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading And then, as if to prove his intimate acquaintance with our language, he gave a volley of oaths, which for piquancy and nautical flavour it would be hard to surpass.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading “Certain, sir, me speak Englis’; me live along a white man two yam time; me talky all proper.”
the skilled practice of a practical occupation
From this reading “Here, stow that, mate; we want no swearing in this craft.”
arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope
From this reading A DESPERATE STRUGGLE.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Certain, sir, me speak Englis’; me live along a white man two yam time; me talky all proper.”
the general atmosphere of a place or situation and the effect that it has on people
From this reading And then, as if to prove his intimate acquaintance with our language, he gave a volley of oaths, which for piquancy and nautical flavour it would be hard to surpass.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading And then, as if to prove his intimate acquaintance with our language, he gave a volley of oaths, which for piquancy and nautical flavour it would be hard to surpass.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading And then, as if to prove his intimate acquaintance with our language, he gave a volley of oaths, which for piquancy and nautical flavour it would be hard to surpass.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading And then, as if to prove his intimate acquaintance with our language, he gave a volley of oaths, which for piquancy and nautical flavour it would be hard to surpass.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And then, as if to prove his intimate acquaintance with our language, he gave a volley of oaths, which for piquancy and nautical flavour it would be hard to surpass.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “Here, stow that, mate; we want no swearing in this craft.”
an expression of greeting
From this reading “Hi! what?
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading And then, as if to prove his intimate acquaintance with our language, he gave a volley of oaths, which for piquancy and nautical flavour it would be hard to surpass.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading And then, as if to prove his intimate acquaintance with our language, he gave a volley of oaths, which for piquancy and nautical flavour it would be hard to surpass.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Here, stow that, mate; we want no swearing in this craft.”
marked by close acquaintance, association, or familiarity
From this reading And then, as if to prove his intimate acquaintance with our language, he gave a volley of oaths, which for piquancy and nautical flavour it would be hard to surpass.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And then, as if to prove his intimate acquaintance with our language, he gave a volley of oaths, which for piquancy and nautical flavour it would be hard to surpass.
a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols
From this reading And then, as if to prove his intimate acquaintance with our language, he gave a volley of oaths, which for piquancy and nautical flavour it would be hard to surpass.
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading “Certain, sir, me speak Englis’; me live along a white man two yam time; me talky all proper.”
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “Certain, sir, me speak Englis’; me live along a white man two yam time; me talky all proper.”
the officer below the master on a commercial ship
From this reading “Here, stow that, mate; we want no swearing in this craft.”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Certain, sir, me speak Englis’; me live along a white man two yam time; me talky all proper.”
relating to or involving ships or shipping or navigation or seamen
From this reading And then, as if to prove his intimate acquaintance with our language, he gave a volley of oaths, which for piquancy and nautical flavour it would be hard to surpass.
not any; not one
From this reading “Here, stow that, mate; we want no swearing in this craft.”
plural of “oath” — profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger
From this reading And then, as if to prove his intimate acquaintance with our language, he gave a volley of oaths, which for piquancy and nautical flavour it would be hard to surpass.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And then, as if to prove his intimate acquaintance with our language, he gave a volley of oaths, which for piquancy and nautical flavour it would be hard to surpass.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading And then, as if to prove his intimate acquaintance with our language, he gave a volley of oaths, which for piquancy and nautical flavour it would be hard to surpass.
a tart spicy quality
From this reading And then, as if to prove his intimate acquaintance with our language, he gave a volley of oaths, which for piquancy and nautical flavour it would be hard to surpass.
marked by suitability or rightness or appropriateness
From this reading “Certain, sir, me speak Englis’; me live along a white man two yam time; me talky all proper.”
be shown or be found to be
From this reading And then, as if to prove his intimate acquaintance with our language, he gave a volley of oaths, which for piquancy and nautical flavour it would be hard to surpass.
term of address for a man
From this reading “Certain, sir, me speak Englis’; me live along a white man two yam time; me talky all proper.”
express in speech
From this reading “Certain, sir, me speak Englis’; me live along a white man two yam time; me talky all proper.”
fill by packing tightly
From this reading “Here, stow that, mate; we want no swearing in this craft.”
make a strenuous or labored effort
From this reading A DESPERATE STRUGGLE.
distinguish oneself
From this reading And then, as if to prove his intimate acquaintance with our language, he gave a volley of oaths, which for piquancy and nautical flavour it would be hard to surpass.
profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger
From this reading “Here, stow that, mate; we want no swearing in this craft.”
full of trivial conversation
From this reading “Certain, sir, me speak Englis’; me live along a white man two yam time; me talky all proper.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Here, stow that, mate; we want no swearing in this craft.”
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading And then, as if to prove his intimate acquaintance with our language, he gave a volley of oaths, which for piquancy and nautical flavour it would be hard to surpass.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “Here, stow that, mate; we want no swearing in this craft.”
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading “Certain, sir, me speak Englis’; me live along a white man two yam time; me talky all proper.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And then, as if to prove his intimate acquaintance with our language, he gave a volley of oaths, which for piquancy and nautical flavour it would be hard to surpass.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading “Certain, sir, me speak Englis’; me live along a white man two yam time; me talky all proper.”
rapid simultaneous discharge of firearms
From this reading And then, as if to prove his intimate acquaintance with our language, he gave a volley of oaths, which for piquancy and nautical flavour it would be hard to surpass.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “Here, stow that, mate; we want no swearing in this craft.”
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “Here, stow that, mate; we want no swearing in this craft.”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “Hi! what?
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading And then, as if to prove his intimate acquaintance with our language, he gave a volley of oaths, which for piquancy and nautical flavour it would be hard to surpass.
a Caucasian
From this reading “Certain, sir, me speak Englis’; me live along a white man two yam time; me talky all proper.”
in the company of; together with
From this reading And then, as if to prove his intimate acquaintance with our language, he gave a volley of oaths, which for piquancy and nautical flavour it would be hard to surpass.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading And then, as if to prove his intimate acquaintance with our language, he gave a volley of oaths, which for piquancy and nautical flavour it would be hard to surpass.
edible tuber of any of several yams
From this reading “Certain, sir, me speak Englis’; me live along a white man two yam time; me talky all proper.”
Chapter 10 of Three Sailor Boys by Verney Lovett Cameron holds 119 sentences, grouped into 24 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 10 holds 119 sentences of Three Sailor Boys, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of Three Sailor Boys by Verney Lovett Cameron exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 119 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 10 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 Three Sailor Boys by Verney Lovett Cameron on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1643 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #60227 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #60227, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 136 minutes of reading across 329 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Three Sailor Boys section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Three Sailor Boys 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 Three Sailor Boys, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
