Vocabulary ladder
Treasure Island
Part ONE--The Old Buccaneer, I
2,233 words. Everyday vocabulary (band A) covers 64% of the text; the hard 4% is 69 entries — all of them below.
A 64.2% (390 types) B 5.9% (105 types) C 3.1% (49 entries) D 2.3% (40 entries) E 0.5% (11 entries) N 1.4% (18 entries)
Band B — common reading vocabulary
A sample of 24 of 105 — you will meet these often; they are explained only at the fullest help level.
- filthy
- louder
- obeyed
- surf
- haunted
- neighbours ×2
- upstairs ×2
- whistling
- chorus
- ditch
- fury
- stare
- fierce ×2
- leap
- terrified
- cheek
- oath ×2
- pirate
- admire
- handy
- slap
- pity
- neat
- wicked · wickedest ×2
Band C — recognition checklist
All 49 upper-intermediate words in this chapter. Tick the ones you know; the rest are explained at the fullest help level.
- matey
- hawker
- hasten
- overriding
- scarecrow
- agreeable
- seaman
- mingle
- knuckle
- brighten
- scarred
- tremble
- rout
- annoyance
- scarcely
- angrily
- glare
- barrow
- inquire
- monstrous
- linger
- berth
- lodging
- plank
- stormy
- suffice
- flap
- gardener
- stocking
- mast
- skipper
- stroll
- rag
- rum
- accustom
- cove
- hamlet
- dreadful
- remark
- reel
- sleepy
- roar
- magistrate
- frighten
- hedge
- telescope
- sailor
- deed
- loudly
Band D — advanced (40 entries)
- hand-barrow
- a stretcher-like frame carried by two men
- handspike
- a wooden bar used as a lever
- one-legged
- having one leg
- sea-chest ×2
- a chest for clothes and gear kept aboard ship
- sea-song
- a song sung at sea
- sea-songs
- sailors' songs
- weather-eye
- a sharp lookout kept for danger
- fourpenny · four-penny ×3
- a small silver coin worth four pence
- nut-brown
- brown as a nut
- coltish
- frisky like a young horse
- sea-dog ×2
- an old experienced sailor
- curtained
- hung with curtains
- capstan
- the upright drum turned to haul up an anchor
- signboard
- a shop's hanging sign
- stabling
- shelter for horses
- sharer
- one who shares
- pigtail
- a length of hair worn twisted behind; a rope of tobacco
- fog-horn
- the deep horn sounded in fog
- rebuff
- a blunt refusal
- personage
- a person of importance
- tarry
- to stay longer; to wait
- coarsely
- roughly; rudely
- trundled
- trundled: rolled along
- desirous
- wishing
- rheumatics
- rheumatics: aches in the joints
- plodding
- to walk on slowly and heavily
- briskly
- with quick energy
- seafaring ×5
- sailing the sea for a living
- wringing
- to twist and squeeze
- scoundrel
- a shameless villain
- villainous
- wicked
- abominable
- hateful; disgusting
- connoisseur
- an expert judge of fine things
- grumbling
- to complain in a low voice
- diabolical
- devilish
- livid
- gray-blue as a bruise
- sabre ×2
- a heavy curved cavalry sword
- parlour ×3
- the sitting room
- shivering
- trembling with cold or fever
- plucked
- fleeced at cards; robbed
Band E — rare & archaic (11 entries)
- bleared
- dim and watery
- clasp-knife
- a folding pocket knife
- grog-shop
- a low drinking house
- mought ×2
- explained by the text itself
- sittyated
- explained by the text itself
- tyrannized
- tyrannized: ruled harshly
- incivility
- rudeness
- tottering
- shaky and unsteady
- assizes
- assizes: the periodic county court
- effectual
- sure to have effect
- ruffian
- a brutal rough
False friends — common words wearing old senses (1)
- awful
- full of awe — the old sense here
Names (7)
- trelawney
- Squire Trelawney, the rich, hot-tempered gentleman who buys the ship
- livesey ×5
- Dr Livesey, the doctor and magistrate, cool and brave
- Admiral Benbow
- the seaside inn kept by Jim's family
- Dead Man's Chest
- the island in the pirate song
- Squire Trelawney
- the rich, rash gentleman who fits out the voyage
- Treasure Island
- the island where Flint buried his hoard
- Yo-ho-ho
- the refrain of the pirates' drinking song