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Watch and Wait
Watch and Wait

Chapter X · Chapter 10

Chapter 10 of Watch and Wait is here in full — 124 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Watch and Wait
Context Illustration Reading 1/24 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
BREAKFAST ON BOARD THE ISABEL.
"Now, Cyd, get up the furnace, and make a fire," said Dan, as soon as the sails of the Isabel had been furled, and the boat carefully secured to a tree on the shore.
"Sartin," replied Cyd, as he took off the hatch of the stow-hold.
"Who's gwine to be de cook, Dan?"
"Do you know how to cook, Cyd?"
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Watch and Wait

Chapter X · Chapter 10

Chapter 10 of Watch and Wait is here in full — 124 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/24 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
BREAKFAST ON BOARD THE ISABEL.
Line 2
"Now, Cyd, get up the furnace, and make a fire," said Dan, as soon as the sails of the Isabel had been furled, and the boat carefully secured to a tree on the shore.
Line 3
"Sartin," replied Cyd, as he took off the hatch of the stow-hold.
Line 4
"Who's gwine to be de cook, Dan?"
Line 5
"Do you know how to cook, Cyd?"

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.

board noun US /bɔːrd/

a committee having supervisory powers

From this reading “BREAKFAST ON BOARD THE ISABEL.”

breakfast verb US /ˈbrekfəst/

eat an early morning meal

From this reading “BREAKFAST ON BOARD THE ISABEL.”

carefully adverb US /ˈkerfəli/

taking care or paying attention

From this reading “"Now, Cyd, get up the furnace, and make a fire," said Dan, as soon as the sails of the Isabel had been furled, and the boat carefully secured to a tree on the shore.”

cook verb US /kʊk/

prepare a hot meal

From this reading “"Who's gwine to be de cook, Dan?"”

furnace noun US /ˈfɜːrnəs/

an enclosed chamber in which heat is produced to heat buildings, destroy refuse, smelt or refine ores, etc.

From this reading “"Now, Cyd, get up the furnace, and make a fire," said Dan, as soon as the sails of the Isabel had been furled, and the boat carefully secured to a tree on the shore.”

hatch verb US /hætʃ/

emerge from the eggs

From this reading “"Sartin," replied Cyd, as he took off the hatch of the stow-hold.”

sails noun US /seɪlz/

plural of “sail” — a large piece of fabric (usually canvas fabric) by means of which wind is used to propel a sailing vessel

From this reading “"Now, Cyd, get up the furnace, and make a fire," said Dan, as soon as the sails of the Isabel had been furled, and the boat carefully secured to a tree on the shore.”

secured verb US /sɪˈkjʊrd/

past form of “secure” — get by special effort

From this reading “"Now, Cyd, get up the furnace, and make a fire," said Dan, as soon as the sails of the Isabel had been furled, and the boat carefully secured to a tree on the shore.”

All words in this reading · 45

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 "Now, Cyd, get up the furnace, and make a fire," said Dan, as soon as the sails of the Isabel had been furled, and the boat carefully secured to a tree on the shore.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading "Now, Cyd, get up the furnace, and make a fire," said Dan, as soon as the sails of the Isabel had been furled, and the boat carefully secured to a tree on the shore.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading "Now, Cyd, get up the furnace, and make a fire," said Dan, as soon as the sails of the Isabel had been furled, and the boat carefully secured to a tree on the shore.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading "Who's gwine to be de cook, Dan?"

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading "Now, Cyd, get up the furnace, and make a fire," said Dan, as soon as the sails of the Isabel had been furled, and the boat carefully secured to a tree on the shore.

BOARDnounUS /bɔːrd/

a committee having supervisory powers

From this reading BREAKFAST ON BOARD THE ISABEL.

boatnounUS /boʊt/

a small vessel for travel on water

From this reading "Now, Cyd, get up the furnace, and make a fire," said Dan, as soon as the sails of the Isabel had been furled, and the boat carefully secured to a tree on the shore.

BREAKFASTverbUS /ˈbrekfəst/

eat an early morning meal

From this reading BREAKFAST ON BOARD THE ISABEL.

carefullyadverbUS /ˈkerfəli/

taking care or paying attention

From this reading "Now, Cyd, get up the furnace, and make a fire," said Dan, as soon as the sails of the Isabel had been furled, and the boat carefully secured to a tree on the shore.

cookverbUS /kʊk/

prepare a hot meal

From this reading "Who's gwine to be de cook, Dan?"

Cyd

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

From this reading "Now, Cyd, get up the furnace, and make a fire," said Dan, as soon as the sails of the Isabel had been furled, and the boat carefully secured to a tree on the shore.

Dan

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

From this reading "Now, Cyd, get up the furnace, and make a fire," said Dan, as soon as the sails of the Isabel had been furled, and the boat carefully secured to a tree on the shore.

denounUS /diː/

a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies

From this reading "Who's gwine to be de cook, Dan?"

Doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading "Do you know how to cook, Cyd?"

fireverbUS /ˈfaɪər/

start firing a weapon

From this reading "Now, Cyd, get up the furnace, and make a fire," said Dan, as soon as the sails of the Isabel had been furled, and the boat carefully secured to a tree on the shore.

furledadjective

rolled up and secured

From this reading "Now, Cyd, get up the furnace, and make a fire," said Dan, as soon as the sails of the Isabel had been furled, and the boat carefully secured to a tree on the shore.

furnacenounUS /ˈfɜːrnəs/

an enclosed chamber in which heat is produced to heat buildings, destroy refuse, smelt or refine ores, etc.

From this reading "Now, Cyd, get up the furnace, and make a fire," said Dan, as soon as the sails of the Isabel had been furled, and the boat carefully secured to a tree on the shore.

getverbUS /ɡet/

come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading "Now, Cyd, get up the furnace, and make a fire," said Dan, as soon as the sails of the Isabel had been furled, and the boat carefully secured to a tree on the shore.

gwine

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

From this reading "Who's gwine to be de cook, Dan?"

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading "Now, Cyd, get up the furnace, and make a fire," said Dan, as soon as the sails of the Isabel had been furled, and the boat carefully secured to a tree on the shore.

hatchverbUS /hætʃ/

emerge from the eggs

From this reading "Sartin," replied Cyd, as he took off the hatch of the stow-hold.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "Sartin," replied Cyd, as he took off the hatch of the stow-hold.

how

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

From this reading "Do you know how to cook, Cyd?"

ISABEL

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

From this reading BREAKFAST ON BOARD THE ISABEL.

knowverbUS /noʊ/

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading "Do you know how to cook, Cyd?"

makeverbUS /meɪk/

engage in

From this reading "Now, Cyd, get up the furnace, and make a fire," said Dan, as soon as the sails of the Isabel had been furled, and the boat carefully secured to a tree on the shore.

NowadverbUS /naʊ/

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

From this reading "Now, Cyd, get up the furnace, and make a fire," said Dan, as soon as the sails of the Isabel had been furled, and the boat carefully secured to a tree on the shore.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading "Now, Cyd, get up the furnace, and make a fire," said Dan, as soon as the sails of the Isabel had been furled, and the boat carefully secured to a tree on the shore.

offadverbUS /ɔːf/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading "Sartin," replied Cyd, as he took off the hatch of the stow-hold.

ONprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading BREAKFAST ON BOARD THE ISABEL.

repliedverbUS /rɪˈplaɪd/

inflected form of “reply” — react verbally

From this reading "Sartin," replied Cyd, as he took off the hatch of the stow-hold.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "Now, Cyd, get up the furnace, and make a fire," said Dan, as soon as the sails of the Isabel had been furled, and the boat carefully secured to a tree on the shore.

sailsnounUS /seɪlz/

plural of “sail” — a large piece of fabric (usually canvas fabric) by means of which wind is used to propel a sailing vessel

From this reading "Now, Cyd, get up the furnace, and make a fire," said Dan, as soon as the sails of the Isabel had been furled, and the boat carefully secured to a tree on the shore.

Sartin

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

From this reading "Sartin," replied Cyd, as he took off the hatch of the stow-hold.

securedverbUS /sɪˈkjʊrd/

past form of “secure” — get by special effort

From this reading "Now, Cyd, get up the furnace, and make a fire," said Dan, as soon as the sails of the Isabel had been furled, and the boat carefully secured to a tree on the shore.

shorenounUS /ʃɔːr/

the land along the edge of a body of water

From this reading "Now, Cyd, get up the furnace, and make a fire," said Dan, as soon as the sails of the Isabel had been furled, and the boat carefully secured to a tree on the shore.

soonadverbUS /suːn/

in the near future

From this reading "Now, Cyd, get up the furnace, and make a fire," said Dan, as soon as the sails of the Isabel had been furled, and the boat carefully secured to a tree on the shore.

stow-hold

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

From this reading "Sartin," replied Cyd, as he took off the hatch of the stow-hold.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading BREAKFAST ON BOARD THE ISABEL.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading "Now, Cyd, get up the furnace, and make a fire," said Dan, as soon as the sails of the Isabel had been furled, and the boat carefully secured to a tree on the shore.

tookverbUS /tʊk/

inflected form of “take” — carry out

From this reading "Sartin," replied Cyd, as he took off the hatch of the stow-hold.

treenounUS /triː/

a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms

From this reading "Now, Cyd, get up the furnace, and make a fire," said Dan, as soon as the sails of the Isabel had been furled, and the boat carefully secured to a tree on the shore.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading "Now, Cyd, get up the furnace, and make a fire," said Dan, as soon as the sails of the Isabel had been furled, and the boat carefully secured to a tree on the shore.

Who's

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

From this reading "Who's gwine to be de cook, Dan?"

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "Do you know how to cook, Cyd?"

Chapter 10 of Watch and Wait by Oliver Optic holds 124 sentences, grouped into 25 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 10 of Watch and Wait contain?

Chapter 10 holds 124 sentences of Watch and Wait, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 10 of Watch and Wait by Oliver Optic exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 124 sentences, grouped into 25 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 10 of Watch and Wait?

Work through the 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 25 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 10 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Watch and Wait

Common questions about reading Watch and Wait by Oliver Optic on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Watch and Wait?

Yes. All 2908 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28038 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Watch and Wait is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #28038, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Watch and Wait take to read?

About 242 minutes of reading across 582 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Watch and Wait section by section

How to work through Watch and Wait section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 24 chapters of Watch and Wait to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Watch and Wait

Words and structures a reader meets early in Watch and Wait, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Plantation
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Watch and Wait; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Redlawn
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Watch and Wait; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Summer
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Watch and Wait; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Evening
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Watch and Wait; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.