Chapter 8 of Up the River is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Up the River is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A PORT IN A STORM. "Washburn, you have a long head; can you make anything of the situation, for I suppose you know all about it?" I asked, as I joined the mate on the forecastle. "I know what I have heard about the pilot-house and on the forecastle," replied Washburn. "I have not been able to make anything out of it, so far," I continued.
Chapter 8 of Up the River is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/25 · 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.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading “"I have not been able to make anything out of it, so far," I continued.”
without stop or interruption
From this reading “"I have not been able to make anything out of it, so far," I continued.”
of or relating to two people who are married to each other
From this reading “I asked, as I joined the mate on the forecastle.”
the officer below the master on a commercial ship
From this reading “I asked, as I joined the mate on the forecastle.”
a place (seaport or airport) where people and merchandise can enter or leave a country
From this reading “A PORT IN A STORM.”
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading “"Washburn, you have a long head; can you make anything of the situation, for I suppose you know all about it?"”
behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading “A PORT IN A STORM.”
express a supposition
From this reading “"Washburn, you have a long head; can you make anything of the situation, for I suppose you know all about it?"”
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 PORT IN A STORM.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading "I have not been able to make anything out of it, so far," I continued.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "Washburn, you have a long head; can you make anything of the situation, for I suppose you know all about it?"
(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 "Washburn, you have a long head; can you make anything of the situation, for I suppose you know all about it?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "I know what I have heard about the pilot-house and on the forecastle," replied Washburn.
any thing at all
From this reading "Washburn, you have a long head; can you make anything of the situation, for I suppose you know all about it?"
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I asked, as I joined the mate on the forecastle.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading I asked, as I joined the mate on the forecastle.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "I have not been able to make anything out of it, so far," I continued.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "Washburn, you have a long head; can you make anything of the situation, for I suppose you know all about it?"
without stop or interruption
From this reading "I have not been able to make anything out of it, so far," I continued.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading "I have not been able to make anything out of it, so far," I continued.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Washburn, you have a long head; can you make anything of the situation, for I suppose you know all about it?"
living quarters consisting of a superstructure in the bow of a merchant ship where the crew is housed
From this reading I asked, as I joined the mate on the forecastle.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Washburn, you have a long head; can you make anything of the situation, for I suppose you know all about it?"
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading "Washburn, you have a long head; can you make anything of the situation, for I suppose you know all about it?"
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading "I know what I have heard about the pilot-house and on the forecastle," replied Washburn.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Washburn, you have a long head; can you make anything of the situation, for I suppose you know all about it?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A PORT IN A STORM.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Washburn, you have a long head; can you make anything of the situation, for I suppose you know all about it?"
of or relating to two people who are married to each other
From this reading I asked, as I joined the mate on the forecastle.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Washburn, you have a long head; can you make anything of the situation, for I suppose you know all about it?"
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading "Washburn, you have a long head; can you make anything of the situation, for I suppose you know all about it?"
engage in
From this reading "Washburn, you have a long head; can you make anything of the situation, for I suppose you know all about it?"
the officer below the master on a commercial ship
From this reading I asked, as I joined the mate on the forecastle.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "I have not been able to make anything out of it, so far," I continued.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Washburn, you have a long head; can you make anything of the situation, for I suppose you know all about it?"
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I asked, as I joined the mate on the forecastle.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "I have not been able to make anything out of it, so far," I continued.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I know what I have heard about the pilot-house and on the forecastle," replied Washburn.
a place (seaport or airport) where people and merchandise can enter or leave a country
From this reading A PORT IN A STORM.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "I know what I have heard about the pilot-house and on the forecastle," replied Washburn.
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading "Washburn, you have a long head; can you make anything of the situation, for I suppose you know all about it?"
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "I have not been able to make anything out of it, so far," I continued.
behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading A PORT IN A STORM.
express a supposition
From this reading "Washburn, you have a long head; can you make anything of the situation, for I suppose you know all about it?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Washburn, you have a long head; can you make anything of the situation, for I suppose you know all about it?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I have not been able to make anything out of it, so far," I continued.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Washburn, you have a long head; can you make anything of the situation, for I suppose you know all about it?"
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "I know what I have heard about the pilot-house and on the forecastle," replied Washburn.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Washburn, you have a long head; can you make anything of the situation, for I suppose you know all about it?"
Chapter 8 of Up the River by Oliver Optic holds 129 sentences, grouped into 26 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 8 holds 129 sentences of Up the River, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Up the River by Oliver Optic exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 129 sentences, grouped into 26 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 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 26 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 8 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 Up the River by Oliver Optic on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4015 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24775 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #24775, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 334 minutes of reading across 803 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Up the River section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of Up the River 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 Up the River, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
