Chapter 22 of A crown of straw is here in full — 134 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXII
Chapter 22 of A crown of straw is here in full — 134 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE BLOW FALLS “I WANT to see what it is like to be mad.” The words struck on Maximilian’s ear like the grinding crash of a collision upon the ear of the sailor sleeping peacefully in his berth, far out upon the waste of waters. He sprang to his feet, and confronted the young Prince with terrible eyes. “What are you saying? Who taught you that?”
Chapter 22 of A crown of straw is here in full — 134 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/26 · 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 job in an organization
From this reading “The words struck on Maximilian’s ear like the grinding crash of a collision upon the ear of the sailor sleeping peacefully in his berth, far out upon the waste of waters.”
(physics) a brief event in which two or more bodies come together
From this reading “The words struck on Maximilian’s ear like the grinding crash of a collision upon the ear of the sailor sleeping peacefully in his berth, far out upon the waste of waters.”
past form of “confront” — oppose, as in hostility or a competition
From this reading “He sprang to his feet, and confronted the young Prince with terrible eyes.”
fall or come down violently
From this reading “The words struck on Maximilian’s ear like the grinding crash of a collision upon the ear of the sailor sleeping peacefully in his berth, far out upon the waste of waters.”
the petals or sepals of a flower that bend downward (especially the outer perianth of an iris)
From this reading “THE BLOW FALLS “I WANT to see what it is like to be mad.””
material resulting from the process of grinding
From this reading “The words struck on Maximilian’s ear like the grinding crash of a collision upon the ear of the sailor sleeping peacefully in his berth, far out upon the waste of waters.”
in a peaceful manner
From this reading “The words struck on Maximilian’s ear like the grinding crash of a collision upon the ear of the sailor sleeping peacefully in his berth, far out upon the waste of waters.”
any member of a ship's crew
From this reading “The words struck on Maximilian’s ear like the grinding crash of a collision upon the ear of the sailor sleeping peacefully in his berth, far out upon the waste of waters.”
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.
In this reading “He sprang to his feet, and confronted the young Prince with terrible eyes.”
In this reading “The words struck on Maximilian’s ear like the grinding crash of a collision upon the ear of the sailor sleeping peacefully in his berth, far out upon the waste of waters.”
In this reading “The words struck on Maximilian’s ear like the grinding crash of a collision upon the ear of the sailor sleeping peacefully in his berth, far out upon the waste of waters.”
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 The words struck on Maximilian’s ear like the grinding crash of a collision upon the ear of the sailor sleeping peacefully in his berth, far out upon the waste of waters.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He sprang to his feet, and confronted the young Prince with terrible eyes.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “What are you saying?
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading THE BLOW FALLS “I WANT to see what it is like to be mad.”
a job in an organization
From this reading The words struck on Maximilian’s ear like the grinding crash of a collision upon the ear of the sailor sleeping peacefully in his berth, far out upon the waste of waters.
exhale hard
From this reading THE BLOW FALLS “I WANT to see what it is like to be mad.”
(physics) a brief event in which two or more bodies come together
From this reading The words struck on Maximilian’s ear like the grinding crash of a collision upon the ear of the sailor sleeping peacefully in his berth, far out upon the waste of waters.
past form of “confront” — oppose, as in hostility or a competition
From this reading He sprang to his feet, and confronted the young Prince with terrible eyes.
fall or come down violently
From this reading The words struck on Maximilian’s ear like the grinding crash of a collision upon the ear of the sailor sleeping peacefully in his berth, far out upon the waste of waters.
the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading The words struck on Maximilian’s ear like the grinding crash of a collision upon the ear of the sailor sleeping peacefully in his berth, far out upon the waste of waters.
opinion or judgment
From this reading He sprang to his feet, and confronted the young Prince with terrible eyes.
the petals or sepals of a flower that bend downward (especially the outer perianth of an iris)
From this reading THE BLOW FALLS “I WANT to see what it is like to be mad.”
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading The words struck on Maximilian’s ear like the grinding crash of a collision upon the ear of the sailor sleeping peacefully in his berth, far out upon the waste of waters.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading He sprang to his feet, and confronted the young Prince with terrible eyes.
material resulting from the process of grinding
From this reading The words struck on Maximilian’s ear like the grinding crash of a collision upon the ear of the sailor sleeping peacefully in his berth, far out upon the waste of waters.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He sprang to his feet, and confronted the young Prince with terrible eyes.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The words struck on Maximilian’s ear like the grinding crash of a collision upon the ear of the sailor sleeping peacefully in his berth, far out upon the waste of waters.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading THE BLOW FALLS “I WANT to see what it is like to be mad.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The words struck on Maximilian’s ear like the grinding crash of a collision upon the ear of the sailor sleeping peacefully in his berth, far out upon the waste of waters.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE BLOW FALLS “I WANT to see what it is like to be mad.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading THE BLOW FALLS “I WANT to see what it is like to be mad.”
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading THE BLOW FALLS “I WANT to see what it is like to be mad.”
roused to anger
From this reading THE BLOW FALLS “I WANT to see what it is like to be mad.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The words struck on Maximilian’s ear like the grinding crash of a collision upon the ear of the sailor sleeping peacefully in his berth, far out upon the waste of waters.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The words struck on Maximilian’s ear like the grinding crash of a collision upon the ear of the sailor sleeping peacefully in his berth, far out upon the waste of waters.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The words struck on Maximilian’s ear like the grinding crash of a collision upon the ear of the sailor sleeping peacefully in his berth, far out upon the waste of waters.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The words struck on Maximilian’s ear like the grinding crash of a collision upon the ear of the sailor sleeping peacefully in his berth, far out upon the waste of waters.
in a peaceful manner
From this reading The words struck on Maximilian’s ear like the grinding crash of a collision upon the ear of the sailor sleeping peacefully in his berth, far out upon the waste of waters.
a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign (especially the son of a sovereign)
From this reading He sprang to his feet, and confronted the young Prince with terrible eyes.
any member of a ship's crew
From this reading The words struck on Maximilian’s ear like the grinding crash of a collision upon the ear of the sailor sleeping peacefully in his berth, far out upon the waste of waters.
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading “What are you saying?
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading THE BLOW FALLS “I WANT to see what it is like to be mad.”
the state of being asleep
From this reading The words struck on Maximilian’s ear like the grinding crash of a collision upon the ear of the sailor sleeping peacefully in his berth, far out upon the waste of waters.
inflected form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading He sprang to his feet, and confronted the young Prince with terrible eyes.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading The words struck on Maximilian’s ear like the grinding crash of a collision upon the ear of the sailor sleeping peacefully in his berth, far out upon the waste of waters.
inflected form of “teach” — impart skills or knowledge to
From this reading Who taught you that?”
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading He sprang to his feet, and confronted the young Prince with terrible eyes.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Who taught you that?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE BLOW FALLS “I WANT to see what it is like to be mad.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE BLOW FALLS “I WANT to see what it is like to be mad.”
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The words struck on Maximilian’s ear like the grinding crash of a collision upon the ear of the sailor sleeping peacefully in his berth, far out upon the waste of waters.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading THE BLOW FALLS “I WANT to see what it is like to be mad.”
any materials unused and rejected as worthless or unwanted
From this reading The words struck on Maximilian’s ear like the grinding crash of a collision upon the ear of the sailor sleeping peacefully in his berth, far out upon the waste of waters.
United States actress and singer (1896-1977)
From this reading The words struck on Maximilian’s ear like the grinding crash of a collision upon the ear of the sailor sleeping peacefully in his berth, far out upon the waste of waters.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading THE BLOW FALLS “I WANT to see what it is like to be mad.”
which person or people
From this reading Who taught you that?”
in the company of; together with
From this reading He sprang to his feet, and confronted the young Prince with terrible eyes.
the words that are spoken
From this reading The words struck on Maximilian’s ear like the grinding crash of a collision upon the ear of the sailor sleeping peacefully in his berth, far out upon the waste of waters.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “What are you saying?
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading He sprang to his feet, and confronted the young Prince with terrible eyes.
Chapter 22 of A crown of straw by Allen Upward holds 134 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 22 holds 134 sentences of A crown of straw, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 22 of A crown of straw by Allen Upward exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 134 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 22 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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Project Gutenberg eBook #73325, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 406 minutes of reading across 977 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A crown of straw section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of A crown of straw 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 A crown of straw, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
