Chapter 8 of Young Captain Jack is here in full — 135 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Young Captain Jack is here in full — 135 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DR. MACKEY INVESTIGATES. A few days later Old Ben was just preparing to go out in his boat when a visitor appeared at the boathouse. The man was clad in the faded uniform of a Confederate surgeon, and proved to be Dr. Mackey. "Good-mornin', sah," said Old Ben politely, as the doctor leaped from the saddle and came forward.
Chapter 8 of Young Captain Jack is here in full — 135 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
a shed at the edge of a river or lake; used to store boats
From this reading “A few days later Old Ben was just preparing to go out in his boat when a visitor appeared at the boathouse.”
wearing or provided with clothing; sometimes used in combination
From this reading “The man was clad in the faded uniform of a Confederate surgeon, and proved to be Dr. Mackey.”
a supporter of the Confederate States of America
From this reading “The man was clad in the faded uniform of a Confederate surgeon, and proved to be Dr. Mackey.”
third-person singular of “investigate” — investigate scientifically
From this reading “MACKEY INVESTIGATES.”
in a polite manner
From this reading “"Good-mornin', sah," said Old Ben politely, as the doctor leaped from the saddle and came forward.”
-ing form of “prepare” — make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc
From this reading “A few days later Old Ben was just preparing to go out in his boat when a visitor appeared at the boathouse.”
a physician who specializes in surgery
From this reading “The man was clad in the faded uniform of a Confederate surgeon, and proved to be Dr. Mackey.”
always the same; showing a single form or character in all occurrences
From this reading “The man was clad in the faded uniform of a Confederate surgeon, and proved to be Dr. Mackey.”
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 few days later Old Ben was just preparing to go out in his boat when a visitor appeared at the boathouse.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The man was clad in the faded uniform of a Confederate surgeon, and proved to be Dr. Mackey.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading A few days later Old Ben was just preparing to go out in his boat when a visitor appeared at the boathouse.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Good-mornin', sah," said Old Ben politely, as the doctor leaped from the saddle and came forward.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading A few days later Old Ben was just preparing to go out in his boat when a visitor appeared at the boathouse.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The man was clad in the faded uniform of a Confederate surgeon, and proved to be Dr. Mackey.
a mountain or tall hill
From this reading A few days later Old Ben was just preparing to go out in his boat when a visitor appeared at the boathouse.
a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading A few days later Old Ben was just preparing to go out in his boat when a visitor appeared at the boathouse.
a shed at the edge of a river or lake; used to store boats
From this reading A few days later Old Ben was just preparing to go out in his boat when a visitor appeared at the boathouse.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Good-mornin', sah," said Old Ben politely, as the doctor leaped from the saddle and came forward.
wearing or provided with clothing; sometimes used in combination
From this reading The man was clad in the faded uniform of a Confederate surgeon, and proved to be Dr. Mackey.
a supporter of the Confederate States of America
From this reading The man was clad in the faded uniform of a Confederate surgeon, and proved to be Dr. Mackey.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading A few days later Old Ben was just preparing to go out in his boat when a visitor appeared at the boathouse.
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading "Good-mornin', sah," said Old Ben politely, as the doctor leaped from the saddle and came forward.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DR.
having lost freshness or brilliance of color
From this reading The man was clad in the faded uniform of a Confederate surgeon, and proved to be Dr. Mackey.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading A few days later Old Ben was just preparing to go out in his boat when a visitor appeared at the boathouse.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading "Good-mornin', sah," said Old Ben politely, as the doctor leaped from the saddle and came forward.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "Good-mornin', sah," said Old Ben politely, as the doctor leaped from the saddle and came forward.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading A few days later Old Ben was just preparing to go out in his boat when a visitor appeared at the boathouse.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Good-mornin', sah," said Old Ben politely, as the doctor leaped from the saddle and came forward.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A few days later Old Ben was just preparing to go out in his boat when a visitor appeared at the boathouse.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A few days later Old Ben was just preparing to go out in his boat when a visitor appeared at the boathouse.
third-person singular of “investigate” — investigate scientifically
From this reading MACKEY INVESTIGATES.
and nothing more
From this reading A few days later Old Ben was just preparing to go out in his boat when a visitor appeared at the boathouse.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading A few days later Old Ben was just preparing to go out in his boat when a visitor appeared at the boathouse.
past form of “leap” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading "Good-mornin', sah," said Old Ben politely, as the doctor leaped from the saddle and came forward.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MACKEY INVESTIGATES.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The man was clad in the faded uniform of a Confederate surgeon, and proved to be Dr. Mackey.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The man was clad in the faded uniform of a Confederate surgeon, and proved to be Dr. Mackey.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading A few days later Old Ben was just preparing to go out in his boat when a visitor appeared at the boathouse.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading A few days later Old Ben was just preparing to go out in his boat when a visitor appeared at the boathouse.
in a polite manner
From this reading "Good-mornin', sah," said Old Ben politely, as the doctor leaped from the saddle and came forward.
-ing form of “prepare” — make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc
From this reading A few days later Old Ben was just preparing to go out in his boat when a visitor appeared at the boathouse.
established beyond doubt
From this reading The man was clad in the faded uniform of a Confederate surgeon, and proved to be Dr. Mackey.
put a saddle on
From this reading "Good-mornin', sah," said Old Ben politely, as the doctor leaped from the saddle and came forward.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Good-mornin', sah," said Old Ben politely, as the doctor leaped from the saddle and came forward.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Good-mornin', sah," said Old Ben politely, as the doctor leaped from the saddle and came forward.
a physician who specializes in surgery
From this reading The man was clad in the faded uniform of a Confederate surgeon, and proved to be Dr. Mackey.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A few days later Old Ben was just preparing to go out in his boat when a visitor appeared at the boathouse.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A few days later Old Ben was just preparing to go out in his boat when a visitor appeared at the boathouse.
always the same; showing a single form or character in all occurrences
From this reading The man was clad in the faded uniform of a Confederate surgeon, and proved to be Dr. Mackey.
someone who visits
From this reading A few days later Old Ben was just preparing to go out in his boat when a visitor appeared at the boathouse.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A few days later Old Ben was just preparing to go out in his boat when a visitor appeared at the boathouse.
at the time that
From this reading A few days later Old Ben was just preparing to go out in his boat when a visitor appeared at the boathouse.
Chapter 8 of Young Captain Jack by Horatio, Jr. Alger holds 135 sentences, grouped into 27 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 135 sentences of Young Captain Jack, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Young Captain Jack by Horatio, Jr. Alger exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 135 sentences, grouped into 27 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 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 27 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 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.
