Chapter 1 of Under Drake's Flag is here in full — 144 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Under Drake's Flag is here in full — 144 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The sun was already high, but there were no signs whatever of the ship; they floated, alone, in the mid-ocean. With blank amazement they looked at each other. "This is a stroke of misfortune, indeed," Gerald said. "We have lost the ship, and I fear our lives, as well. "What do you say, Otter?"
Chapter 1 of Under Drake's Flag is here in full — 144 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 24/28 · 5 reading units · Lines 116–120
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.
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading “With blank amazement they looked at each other.”
(of a surface) not written or printed on
From this reading “With blank amazement they looked at each other.”
past form of “float” — be in motion due to some air or water current
From this reading “The sun was already high, but there were no signs whatever of the ship; they floated, alone, in the mid-ocean.”
plural of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading “"We have lost the ship, and I fear our lives, as well.”
unnecessary and unforeseen trouble resulting from an unfortunate event
From this reading “"This is a stroke of misfortune, indeed," Gerald said.”
the fur of an otter
From this reading “"What do you say, Otter?"”
plural of “sign” — a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading “The sun was already high, but there were no signs whatever of the ship; they floated, alone, in the mid-ocean.”
(sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand
From this reading “"This is a stroke of misfortune, indeed," Gerald said.”
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 "This is a stroke of misfortune, indeed," Gerald said.
Having no one else present.
From this reading The sun was already high, but there were no signs whatever of the ship; they floated, alone, in the mid-ocean.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading The sun was already high, but there were no signs whatever of the ship; they floated, alone, in the mid-ocean.
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading With blank amazement they looked at each other.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "We have lost the ship, and I fear our lives, as well.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "We have lost the ship, and I fear our lives, as well.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading With blank amazement they looked at each other.
(of a surface) not written or printed on
From this reading With blank amazement they looked at each other.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The sun was already high, but there were no signs whatever of the ship; they floated, alone, in the mid-ocean.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "What do you say, Otter?"
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading With blank amazement they looked at each other.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading "We have lost the ship, and I fear our lives, as well.
past form of “float” — be in motion due to some air or water current
From this reading The sun was already high, but there were no signs whatever of the ship; they floated, alone, in the mid-ocean.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "This is a stroke of misfortune, indeed," Gerald said.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "We have lost the ship, and I fear our lives, as well.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading The sun was already high, but there were no signs whatever of the ship; they floated, alone, in the mid-ocean.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "We have lost the ship, and I fear our lives, as well.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The sun was already high, but there were no signs whatever of the ship; they floated, alone, in the mid-ocean.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading "This is a stroke of misfortune, indeed," Gerald said.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "This is a stroke of misfortune, indeed," Gerald said.
plural of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading "We have lost the ship, and I fear our lives, as well.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading With blank amazement they looked at each other.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading "We have lost the ship, and I fear our lives, as well.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The sun was already high, but there were no signs whatever of the ship; they floated, alone, in the mid-ocean.
unnecessary and unforeseen trouble resulting from an unfortunate event
From this reading "This is a stroke of misfortune, indeed," Gerald said.
not any; not one
From this reading The sun was already high, but there were no signs whatever of the ship; they floated, alone, in the mid-ocean.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The sun was already high, but there were no signs whatever of the ship; they floated, alone, in the mid-ocean.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading With blank amazement they looked at each other.
the fur of an otter
From this reading "What do you say, Otter?"
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading "We have lost the ship, and I fear our lives, as well.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "This is a stroke of misfortune, indeed," Gerald said.
express in words
From this reading "What do you say, Otter?"
transport commercially
From this reading The sun was already high, but there were no signs whatever of the ship; they floated, alone, in the mid-ocean.
plural of “sign” — a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading The sun was already high, but there were no signs whatever of the ship; they floated, alone, in the mid-ocean.
(sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand
From this reading "This is a stroke of misfortune, indeed," Gerald said.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading The sun was already high, but there were no signs whatever of the ship; they floated, alone, in the mid-ocean.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The sun was already high, but there were no signs whatever of the ship; they floated, alone, in the mid-ocean.
in or at that place or location
From this reading The sun was already high, but there were no signs whatever of the ship; they floated, alone, in the mid-ocean.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The sun was already high, but there were no signs whatever of the ship; they floated, alone, in the mid-ocean.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "This is a stroke of misfortune, indeed," Gerald said.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The sun was already high, but there were no signs whatever of the ship; they floated, alone, in the mid-ocean.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "We have lost the ship, and I fear our lives, as well.
(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 "We have lost the ship, and I fear our lives, as well.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The sun was already high, but there were no signs whatever of the ship; they floated, alone, in the mid-ocean.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What do you say, Otter?"
any or all of a kind, it does not matter which
From this reading The sun was already high, but there were no signs whatever of the ship; they floated, alone, in the mid-ocean.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With blank amazement they looked at each other.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What do you say, Otter?"
Chapter 1 of Under Drake's Flag by G. A. (George Alfred) Henty holds 144 sentences, grouped into 29 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 1 holds 144 sentences of Under Drake's Flag, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Under Drake's Flag by G. A. (George Alfred) Henty exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 144 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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 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.
Common questions about reading Under Drake's Flag by G. A. (George Alfred) Henty on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4131 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19206 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #19206, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 344 minutes of reading across 827 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Under Drake's Flag section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of Under Drake's Flag 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 Under Drake's Flag, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
