Chapter 2 of Wappin' Wharf: A Frightful Comedy of Pirates is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Wappin' Wharf: A Frightful Comedy of Pirates is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_And now we hush the melancholy fiddlers. If this comedy can stir the croaking bass-viol to any show of mirth, our work tops Falstaff. Glum folk with beards had best withdraw. Only the young in heart will catch the slender meaning of our play. Let's light the candles and draw the curtain!_ PATCH: Darlin'!
Chapter 2 of Wappin' Wharf: A Frightful Comedy of Pirates is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
plural of “beard” — the hair growing on the lower part of a man's face
From this reading “Glum folk with beards had best withdraw.”
light and humorous drama with a happy ending
From this reading “If this comedy can stir the croaking bass-viol to any show of mirth, our work tops Falstaff.”
a harsh hoarse utterance (as of a frog)
From this reading “If this comedy can stir the croaking bass-viol to any show of mirth, our work tops Falstaff.”
a dissolute character in Shakespeare's plays
From this reading “If this comedy can stir the croaking bass-viol to any show of mirth, our work tops Falstaff.”
plural of “fiddler” — a musician who plays the violin
From this reading “_And now we hush the melancholy fiddlers.”
moody and melancholic
From this reading “Glum folk with beards had best withdraw.”
a small contrasting part of something
From this reading “Let's light the candles and draw the curtain!_ PATCH: Darlin'!”
of the highest quality
From this reading “If this comedy can stir the croaking bass-viol to any show of mirth, our work tops Falstaff.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading _And now we hush the melancholy fiddlers.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading If this comedy can stir the croaking bass-viol to any show of mirth, our work tops Falstaff.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If this comedy can stir the croaking bass-viol to any show of mirth, our work tops Falstaff.
plural of “beard” — the hair growing on the lower part of a man's face
From this reading Glum folk with beards had best withdraw.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading Glum folk with beards had best withdraw.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading If this comedy can stir the croaking bass-viol to any show of mirth, our work tops Falstaff.
plural of “candle” — stick of wax with a wick in the middle
From this reading Let's light the candles and draw the curtain!_ PATCH: Darlin'!
discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading Only the young in heart will catch the slender meaning of our play.
light and humorous drama with a happy ending
From this reading If this comedy can stir the croaking bass-viol to any show of mirth, our work tops Falstaff.
a harsh hoarse utterance (as of a frog)
From this reading If this comedy can stir the croaking bass-viol to any show of mirth, our work tops Falstaff.
hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading Let's light the candles and draw the curtain!_ PATCH: Darlin'!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Let's light the candles and draw the curtain!_ PATCH: Darlin'!
cause to move by pulling
From this reading Let's light the candles and draw the curtain!_ PATCH: Darlin'!
a dissolute character in Shakespeare's plays
From this reading If this comedy can stir the croaking bass-viol to any show of mirth, our work tops Falstaff.
plural of “fiddler” — a musician who plays the violin
From this reading _And now we hush the melancholy fiddlers.
people in general (often used in the plural)
From this reading Glum folk with beards had best withdraw.
moody and melancholic
From this reading Glum folk with beards had best withdraw.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Glum folk with beards had best withdraw.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading Only the young in heart will catch the slender meaning of our play.
become quiet or still; fall silent
From this reading _And now we hush the melancholy fiddlers.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If this comedy can stir the croaking bass-viol to any show of mirth, our work tops Falstaff.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Only the young in heart will catch the slender meaning of our play.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Let's light the candles and draw the curtain!_ PATCH: Darlin'!
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading Let's light the candles and draw the curtain!_ PATCH: Darlin'!
the message that is intended or expressed or signified
From this reading Only the young in heart will catch the slender meaning of our play.
a feeling of thoughtful sadness
From this reading _And now we hush the melancholy fiddlers.
great merriment
From this reading If this comedy can stir the croaking bass-viol to any show of mirth, our work tops Falstaff.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading _And now we hush the melancholy fiddlers.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading If this comedy can stir the croaking bass-viol to any show of mirth, our work tops Falstaff.
and nothing more
From this reading Only the young in heart will catch the slender meaning of our play.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading If this comedy can stir the croaking bass-viol to any show of mirth, our work tops Falstaff.
a small contrasting part of something
From this reading Let's light the candles and draw the curtain!_ PATCH: Darlin'!
participate in games or sport
From this reading Only the young in heart will catch the slender meaning of our play.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading If this comedy can stir the croaking bass-viol to any show of mirth, our work tops Falstaff.
being of delicate or slender build
From this reading Only the young in heart will catch the slender meaning of our play.
move an implement through
From this reading If this comedy can stir the croaking bass-viol to any show of mirth, our work tops Falstaff.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _And now we hush the melancholy fiddlers.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading If this comedy can stir the croaking bass-viol to any show of mirth, our work tops Falstaff.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading If this comedy can stir the croaking bass-viol to any show of mirth, our work tops Falstaff.
of the highest quality
From this reading If this comedy can stir the croaking bass-viol to any show of mirth, our work tops Falstaff.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading _And now we hush the melancholy fiddlers.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Only the young in heart will catch the slender meaning of our play.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Glum folk with beards had best withdraw.
pull back or move away or backward
From this reading Glum folk with beards had best withdraw.
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading If this comedy can stir the croaking bass-viol to any show of mirth, our work tops Falstaff.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading Only the young in heart will catch the slender meaning of our play.
Chapter 2 of Wappin' Wharf: A Frightful Comedy of Pirates by Charles S. (Charles Stephen) Brooks holds 402 sentences, grouped into 81 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 2 holds 402 sentences of Wappin' Wharf: A Frightful Comedy of Pirates, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Wappin' Wharf: A Frightful Comedy of Pirates by Charles S. (Charles Stephen) Brooks exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 402 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 2 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 Wappin' Wharf: A Frightful Comedy of Pirates by Charles S. (Charles Stephen) Brooks on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2395 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24914 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #24914, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 199 minutes of reading across 479 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Wappin' Wharf: A Frightful Comedy of Pirates section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 6 chapters of Wappin' Wharf: A Frightful Comedy of Pirates 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 Wappin' Wharf: A Frightful Comedy of Pirates, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
