Chapter 1 of Young Captain Jack is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Young Captain Jack is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DARCY GILBERT'S STORY. "He said I didn't belong to the Ruthven family?" said Jack slowly, when he felt able to speak. "He did, and I told him I didn't believe him." "But--but--I don't understand you, Darcy. Am I not Jack Ruthven, the son of the late Colonel Martin Ruthven?"
Chapter 1 of Young Captain Jack is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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 “"He said I didn't belong to the Ruthven family?" said Jack slowly, when he felt able to speak.”
be owned by; be in the possession of
From this reading “"He said I didn't belong to the Ruthven family?" said Jack slowly, when he felt able to speak.”
a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
From this reading “Am I not Jack Ruthven, the son of the late Colonel Martin Ruthven?"”
possessive form of “gilbert” — a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns
From this reading “DARCY GILBERT'S STORY.”
a small worthless amount
From this reading “"He said I didn't belong to the Ruthven family?" said Jack slowly, when he felt able to speak.”
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading “Am I not Jack Ruthven, the son of the late Colonel Martin Ruthven?"”
French bishop who is a patron saint of France (died in 397)
From this reading “Am I not Jack Ruthven, the son of the late Colonel Martin Ruthven?"”
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading “"He said I didn't belong to the Ruthven family?" said Jack slowly, when he felt able to speak.”
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.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading "He said I didn't belong to the Ruthven family?" said Jack slowly, when he felt able to speak.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading Am I not Jack Ruthven, the son of the late Colonel Martin Ruthven?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "He did, and I told him I didn't believe him."
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading "He did, and I told him I didn't believe him."
be owned by; be in the possession of
From this reading "He said I didn't belong to the Ruthven family?" said Jack slowly, when he felt able to speak.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But--but--I don't understand you, Darcy.
a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
From this reading Am I not Jack Ruthven, the son of the late Colonel Martin Ruthven?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DARCY GILBERT'S STORY.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "He did, and I told him I didn't believe him."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He said I didn't belong to the Ruthven family?" said Jack slowly, when he felt able to speak.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But--but--I don't understand you, Darcy.
a social unit living together
From this reading "He said I didn't belong to the Ruthven family?" said Jack slowly, when he felt able to speak.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading "He said I didn't belong to the Ruthven family?" said Jack slowly, when he felt able to speak.
possessive form of “gilbert” — a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns
From this reading DARCY GILBERT'S STORY.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "He said I didn't belong to the Ruthven family?" said Jack slowly, when he felt able to speak.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "He did, and I told him I didn't believe him."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "He said I didn't belong to the Ruthven family?" said Jack slowly, when he felt able to speak.
a small worthless amount
From this reading "He said I didn't belong to the Ruthven family?" said Jack slowly, when he felt able to speak.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading Am I not Jack Ruthven, the son of the late Colonel Martin Ruthven?"
French bishop who is a patron saint of France (died in 397)
From this reading Am I not Jack Ruthven, the son of the late Colonel Martin Ruthven?"
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Am I not Jack Ruthven, the son of the late Colonel Martin Ruthven?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Am I not Jack Ruthven, the son of the late Colonel Martin Ruthven?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He said I didn't belong to the Ruthven family?" said Jack slowly, when he felt able to speak.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "He said I didn't belong to the Ruthven family?" said Jack slowly, when he felt able to speak.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading "He said I didn't belong to the Ruthven family?" said Jack slowly, when he felt able to speak.
a male human offspring
From this reading Am I not Jack Ruthven, the son of the late Colonel Martin Ruthven?"
express in speech
From this reading "He said I didn't belong to the Ruthven family?" said Jack slowly, when he felt able to speak.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading DARCY GILBERT'S STORY.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "He said I didn't belong to the Ruthven family?" said Jack slowly, when he felt able to speak.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "He said I didn't belong to the Ruthven family?" said Jack slowly, when he felt able to speak.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading "He did, and I told him I didn't believe him."
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading "But--but--I don't understand you, Darcy.
at the time that
From this reading "He said I didn't belong to the Ruthven family?" said Jack slowly, when he felt able to speak.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "But--but--I don't understand you, Darcy.
Chapter 1 of Young Captain Jack by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 116 sentences, grouped into 24 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 116 sentences of Young Captain Jack, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Young Captain Jack by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 116 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 Young Captain Jack by Horatio, Jr. Alger on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4204 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20432 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20432, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 350 minutes of reading across 841 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Young Captain Jack section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of Young Captain Jack 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 Young Captain Jack, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
