Chapter 14 of Watch and Wait is here in full — 146 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of Watch and Wait is here in full — 146 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE BATTLE FOR FREEDOM. "Take the helm, Cyd, and mind how you steer!" said Dan, with earnestness, as he rose from his seat, and seized one of the guns. "Hossifus!" exclaimed Cyd, aghast at the thought. "Wha--wha--wha----" "Take the helm!" repeated the resolute skipper, with a decision which left no alternative for the boy. "Possifus!
Chapter 14 of Watch and Wait is here in full — 146 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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.
struck with fear, dread, or consternation
From this reading “"Hossifus!" exclaimed Cyd, aghast at the thought.”
serving or used in place of another
From this reading “"Wha--wha--wha----" "Take the helm!" repeated the resolute skipper, with a decision which left no alternative for the boy.”
the act of making up your mind about something
From this reading “"Wha--wha--wha----" "Take the helm!" repeated the resolute skipper, with a decision which left no alternative for the boy.”
an earnest and sincere feeling
From this reading “"Take the helm, Cyd, and mind how you steer!" said Dan, with earnestness, as he rose from his seat, and seized one of the guns.”
steering mechanism for a vessel; a mechanical device by which a vessel is steered
From this reading “"Take the helm, Cyd, and mind how you steer!" said Dan, with earnestness, as he rose from his seat, and seized one of the guns.”
firm in purpose or belief; characterized by firmness and determination
From this reading “"Wha--wha--wha----" "Take the helm!" repeated the resolute skipper, with a decision which left no alternative for the boy.”
a student who fails to attend classes
From this reading “"Wha--wha--wha----" "Take the helm!" repeated the resolute skipper, with a decision which left no alternative for the boy.”
direct the course; determine the direction of travelling
From this reading “"Take the helm, Cyd, and mind how you steer!" said Dan, with earnestness, as he rose from his seat, and seized one of the guns.”
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 "Wha--wha--wha----" "Take the helm!" repeated the resolute skipper, with a decision which left no alternative for the boy.
struck with fear, dread, or consternation
From this reading "Hossifus!" exclaimed Cyd, aghast at the thought.
serving or used in place of another
From this reading "Wha--wha--wha----" "Take the helm!" repeated the resolute skipper, with a decision which left no alternative for the boy.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Take the helm, Cyd, and mind how you steer!" said Dan, with earnestness, as he rose from his seat, and seized one of the guns.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Take the helm, Cyd, and mind how you steer!" said Dan, with earnestness, as he rose from his seat, and seized one of the guns.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Hossifus!" exclaimed Cyd, aghast at the thought.
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading THE BATTLE FOR FREEDOM.
a youthful male person
From this reading "Wha--wha--wha----" "Take the helm!" repeated the resolute skipper, with a decision which left no alternative for the boy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Take the helm, Cyd, and mind how you steer!" said Dan, with earnestness, as he rose from his seat, and seized one of the guns.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Take the helm, Cyd, and mind how you steer!" said Dan, with earnestness, as he rose from his seat, and seized one of the guns.
the act of making up your mind about something
From this reading "Wha--wha--wha----" "Take the helm!" repeated the resolute skipper, with a decision which left no alternative for the boy.
an earnest and sincere feeling
From this reading "Take the helm, Cyd, and mind how you steer!" said Dan, with earnestness, as he rose from his seat, and seized one of the guns.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading "Hossifus!" exclaimed Cyd, aghast at the thought.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading THE BATTLE FOR FREEDOM.
the condition of being free; the power to act or speak or think without externally imposed restraints
From this reading THE BATTLE FOR FREEDOM.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "Take the helm, Cyd, and mind how you steer!" said Dan, with earnestness, as he rose from his seat, and seized one of the guns.
plural of “gun” — a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading "Take the helm, Cyd, and mind how you steer!" said Dan, with earnestness, as he rose from his seat, and seized one of the guns.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Take the helm, Cyd, and mind how you steer!" said Dan, with earnestness, as he rose from his seat, and seized one of the guns.
steering mechanism for a vessel; a mechanical device by which a vessel is steered
From this reading "Take the helm, Cyd, and mind how you steer!" said Dan, with earnestness, as he rose from his seat, and seized one of the guns.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Take the helm, Cyd, and mind how you steer!" said Dan, with earnestness, as he rose from his seat, and seized one of the guns.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Hossifus!" exclaimed Cyd, aghast at the thought.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Take the helm, Cyd, and mind how you steer!" said Dan, with earnestness, as he rose from his seat, and seized one of the guns.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading "Wha--wha--wha----" "Take the helm!" repeated the resolute skipper, with a decision which left no alternative for the boy.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading "Take the helm, Cyd, and mind how you steer!" said Dan, with earnestness, as he rose from his seat, and seized one of the guns.
not any; not one
From this reading "Wha--wha--wha----" "Take the helm!" repeated the resolute skipper, with a decision which left no alternative for the boy.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Take the helm, Cyd, and mind how you steer!" said Dan, with earnestness, as he rose from his seat, and seized one of the guns.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "Take the helm, Cyd, and mind how you steer!" said Dan, with earnestness, as he rose from his seat, and seized one of the guns.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Possifus!
recurring again and again
From this reading "Wha--wha--wha----" "Take the helm!" repeated the resolute skipper, with a decision which left no alternative for the boy.
firm in purpose or belief; characterized by firmness and determination
From this reading "Wha--wha--wha----" "Take the helm!" repeated the resolute skipper, with a decision which left no alternative for the boy.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading "Take the helm, Cyd, and mind how you steer!" said Dan, with earnestness, as he rose from his seat, and seized one of the guns.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Take the helm, Cyd, and mind how you steer!" said Dan, with earnestness, as he rose from his seat, and seized one of the guns.
a space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane)
From this reading "Take the helm, Cyd, and mind how you steer!" said Dan, with earnestness, as he rose from his seat, and seized one of the guns.
past form of “seize” — take hold of; grab
From this reading "Take the helm, Cyd, and mind how you steer!" said Dan, with earnestness, as he rose from his seat, and seized one of the guns.
a student who fails to attend classes
From this reading "Wha--wha--wha----" "Take the helm!" repeated the resolute skipper, with a decision which left no alternative for the boy.
direct the course; determine the direction of travelling
From this reading "Take the helm, Cyd, and mind how you steer!" said Dan, with earnestness, as he rose from his seat, and seized one of the guns.
carry out
From this reading "Take the helm, Cyd, and mind how you steer!" said Dan, with earnestness, as he rose from his seat, and seized one of the guns.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE BATTLE FOR FREEDOM.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "Hossifus!" exclaimed Cyd, aghast at the thought.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Wha--wha--wha----" "Take the helm!" repeated the resolute skipper, with a decision which left no alternative for the boy.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading "Wha--wha--wha----" "Take the helm!" repeated the resolute skipper, with a decision which left no alternative for the boy.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Take the helm, Cyd, and mind how you steer!" said Dan, with earnestness, as he rose from his seat, and seized one of the guns.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Take the helm, Cyd, and mind how you steer!" said Dan, with earnestness, as he rose from his seat, and seized one of the guns.
Chapter 14 of Watch and Wait by Oliver Optic holds 146 sentences, grouped into 30 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 14 holds 146 sentences of Watch and Wait, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of Watch and Wait by Oliver Optic exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 146 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 14 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 Watch and Wait by Oliver Optic on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2908 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28038 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28038, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 242 minutes of reading across 582 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Watch and Wait section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of Watch and Wait 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 Watch and Wait, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
