A Bitter Heritage

Chapter V

Chapter 5 of A Bitter Heritage is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By John Bloundelle-Burton • Curated US English Learning Edition

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"A HALF-BREED NAMED ZARA."

To describe Julian as being startled--amazed--would not convey the actual state of mind into which the answer given by the man who said that his name was Sebastian Leigh Ritherdon, plunged him.

It was indeed something more than that; something more resembling a shock of consternation which now took possession of him.

What did it mean?--he asked himself, even as he stood face to face with that other bearer of the name of Ritherdon.

What?

Narrator

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LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter V Reading 1/23

A Bitter Heritage

Chapter V

Chapter 5 of A Bitter Heritage 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

Line 1

"A HALF-BREED NAMED ZARA."

Line 2

To describe Julian as being startled--amazed--would not convey the actual state of mind into which the answer given by the man who said that his name was Sebastian Leigh Ritherdon, plunged him.

Line 3

It was indeed something more than that; something more resembling a shock of consternation which now took possession of him.

/ɪt wɑːz ˌɪnˈdiːd ˈsʌmθɪŋ mɔːr ðæn ðæt ˈsʌmθɪŋ mɔːr rɪˈzembəlɪŋ ə ʃɑːk ʌv ˌkɑːnstərˈneɪʃən wɪtʃ naʊ tʊk pəˈzeʃən ʌv hɪm/

Line 4

What did it mean?--he asked himself, even as he stood face to face with that other bearer of the name of Ritherdon.

Line 5

What?

/wʌt/

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.

amazed adjective US /əˈmeɪzd/

filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock

From this reading “To describe Julian as being startled--amazed--would not convey the actual state of mind into which the answer given by the man who said that his name was Sebastian Leigh Ritherdon, plunged him.”

bearer noun US /ˈberər/

someone whose employment involves carrying something

From this reading “What did it mean?--he asked himself, even as he stood face to face with that other bearer of the name of Ritherdon.”

consternation noun US /ˌkɑːnstərˈneɪʃən/

fear resulting from the awareness of danger

From this reading “It was indeed something more than that; something more resembling a shock of consternation which now took possession of him.”

convey verb US /kənˈveɪ/

(of information) make known; pass on

describe verb US /dɪˈskraɪb/

give a description of

Julian noun US /ˈdʒuːliən/

Roman Emperor and nephew of Constantine; he restored paganism as the official religion of the Roman Empire and destroyed Christian temples but his decision was reversed after his death (331?-363)

Leigh noun US /liː/

English film actress (1913-1967)

resembling verb US /rɪˈzembəlɪŋ/

-ing form of “resemble” — appear like; be similar or bear a likeness to

From this reading “It was indeed something more than that; something more resembling a shock of consternation which now took possession of him.”

Word partnerships in these lines

English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.

Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.

took possession verb + noun counted as “take possession”

In this reading “It was indeed something more than that; something more resembling a shock of consternation which now took possession of him.”

actual state adjective + noun

In this reading “To describe Julian as being startled--amazed--would not convey the actual state of mind into which the answer given by the man who said that his name was Sebastian Leigh Ritherdon, plunged him.”

name of verb + particle

In this reading “What did it mean?--he asked himself, even as he stood face to face with that other bearer of the name of Ritherdon.”

All words in this reading · 59

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 "A HALF-BREED NAMED ZARA."

actualadjectiveUS /ˈæktʃəwəl/

presently existing in fact and not merely potential or possible

From this reading To describe Julian as being startled--amazed--would not convey the actual state of mind into which the answer given by the man who said that his name was Sebastian Leigh Ritherdon, plunged him.

amazedadjectiveUS /əˈmeɪzd/

filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock

answerverbUS /ˈænsər/

react verbally

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

askedverbUS /æskt/

past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading What did it mean?--he asked himself, even as he stood face to face with that other bearer of the name of Ritherdon.

bearernounUS /ˈberər/

someone whose employment involves carrying something

From this reading What did it mean?--he asked himself, even as he stood face to face with that other bearer of the name of Ritherdon.

beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

consternationnounUS /ˌkɑːnstərˈneɪʃən/

fear resulting from the awareness of danger

From this reading It was indeed something more than that; something more resembling a shock of consternation which now took possession of him.

conveyverbUS /kənˈveɪ/

(of information) make known; pass on

describeverbUS /dɪˈskraɪb/

give a description of

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading What did it mean?--he asked himself, even as he stood face to face with that other bearer of the name of Ritherdon.

evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

From this reading What did it mean?--he asked himself, even as he stood face to face with that other bearer of the name of Ritherdon.

facenounUS /feɪs/

the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

From this reading What did it mean?--he asked himself, even as he stood face to face with that other bearer of the name of Ritherdon.

givenadjectiveUS /ˈɡɪvən/

acknowledged as a supposition

HALF-BREEDnoun

an offensive term for an offspring of parents of different racial group (especially of Caucasian and American Indian ancestry)

From this reading "A HALF-BREED NAMED ZARA."

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading What did it mean?--he asked himself, even as he stood face to face with that other bearer of the name of Ritherdon.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading What did it mean?--he asked himself, even as he stood face to face with that other bearer of the name of Ritherdon.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

indeedadverbUS /ˌɪnˈdiːd/

in truth (often tends to intensify)

From this reading It was indeed something more than that; something more resembling a shock of consternation which now took possession of him.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was indeed something more than that; something more resembling a shock of consternation which now took possession of him.

JuliannounUS /ˈdʒuːliən/

Roman Emperor and nephew of Constantine; he restored paganism as the official religion of the Roman Empire and destroyed Christian temples but his decision was reversed after his death (331?-363)

LeighnounUS /liː/

English film actress (1913-1967)

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

meanverbUS /miːn/

mean or intend to express or convey

From this reading What did it mean?--he asked himself, even as he stood face to face with that other bearer of the name of Ritherdon.

mindnounUS /maɪnd/

The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading It was indeed something more than that; something more resembling a shock of consternation which now took possession of him.

nameverbUS /neɪm/

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

NAMEDverbUS /neɪmd/

past form of “name” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading "A HALF-BREED NAMED ZARA."

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

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

From this reading It was indeed something more than that; something more resembling a shock of consternation which now took possession of him.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading What did it mean?--he asked himself, even as he stood face to face with that other bearer of the name of Ritherdon.

plungedverbUS /plʌndʒd/

past form of “plunge” — thrust or throw into

possessionnounUS /pəˈzeʃən/

the act of having and controlling property

From this reading It was indeed something more than that; something more resembling a shock of consternation which now took possession of him.

resemblingverbUS /rɪˈzembəlɪŋ/

-ing form of “resemble” — appear like; be similar or bear a likeness to

From this reading It was indeed something more than that; something more resembling a shock of consternation which now took possession of him.

Ritherdon

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

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

Sebastian

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

shocknounUS /ʃɑːk/

the feeling of distress and disbelief that you have when something bad happens accidentally

From this reading It was indeed something more than that; something more resembling a shock of consternation which now took possession of him.

somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading It was indeed something more than that; something more resembling a shock of consternation which now took possession of him.

startledadjectiveUS /ˈstɑːrtəld/

excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement

statenounUS /steɪt/

the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation

stoodverbUS /stʊd/

Maintained an upright posture.

From this reading What did it mean?--he asked himself, even as he stood face to face with that other bearer of the name of Ritherdon.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading It was indeed something more than that; something more resembling a shock of consternation which now took possession of him.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

ToparticleUS /tuː/

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

tookverbUS /tʊk/

inflected form of “take” — carry out

From this reading It was indeed something more than that; something more resembling a shock of consternation which now took possession of him.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

WhatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading What did it mean?--he asked himself, even as he stood face to face with that other bearer of the name of Ritherdon.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading What did it mean?--he asked himself, even as he stood face to face with that other bearer of the name of Ritherdon.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

ZARA

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

From this reading "A HALF-BREED NAMED ZARA."

Chapter 5 of A Bitter Heritage by John Bloundelle-Burton 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.

What does chapter 5 of A Bitter Heritage contain?

Chapter 5 holds 116 sentences of A Bitter Heritage, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 5 of A Bitter Heritage by John Bloundelle-Burton 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.

How do I study chapter 5 of A Bitter Heritage?

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.

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Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 5 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.

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Is this the complete text of A Bitter Heritage?

Yes. All 3778 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #52956 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #52956, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 314 minutes of reading across 756 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Chapter V

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