Chapter 23 of A Gamble with Life is here in full — 232 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of A Gamble with Life is here in full — 232 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MEANS TO AN END "Where have you been, Madeline?" Gervase said, quietly. "We have all grown so concerned about you." His voice was quite steady, though there was an unpleasant light in his eyes. "I have been for a walk, that is all," she answered, in a tone of unconcern.
Chapter 23 of A Gamble with Life is here in full — 232 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/46 · 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.
feeling or showing worry or solicitude
From this reading “"We have all grown so concerned about you."”
(of animals) fully developed
From this reading “"We have all grown so concerned about you."”
with low volume
From this reading “Gervase said, quietly.”
make steady
From this reading “His voice was quite steady, though there was an unpleasant light in his eyes.”
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading “"I have been for a walk, that is all," she answered, in a tone of unconcern.”
the trait of remaining calm and seeming not to care; a casual lack of concern
From this reading “"I have been for a walk, that is all," she answered, in a tone of unconcern.”
offensive or disagreeable; causing discomfort or unhappiness
From this reading “His voice was quite steady, though there was an unpleasant light in his eyes.”
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading “"I have been for a walk, that is all," she answered, in a tone of unconcern.”
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 “His voice was quite steady, though there was an unpleasant light in his eyes.”
In this reading “"I have been for a walk, that is all," she answered, in a tone of unconcern.”
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 "I have been for a walk, that is all," she answered, in a tone of unconcern.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "We have all grown so concerned about you."
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading "We have all grown so concerned about you."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading MEANS TO AN END "Where have you been, Madeline?"
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "I have been for a walk, that is all," she answered, in a tone of unconcern.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading MEANS TO AN END "Where have you been, Madeline?"
feeling or showing worry or solicitude
From this reading "We have all grown so concerned about you."
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading MEANS TO AN END "Where have you been, Madeline?"
opinion or judgment
From this reading His voice was quite steady, though there was an unpleasant light in his eyes.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "I have been for a walk, that is all," she answered, in a tone of unconcern.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gervase said, quietly.
(of animals) fully developed
From this reading "We have all grown so concerned about you."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading MEANS TO AN END "Where have you been, Madeline?"
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His voice was quite steady, though there was an unpleasant light in his eyes.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I have been for a walk, that is all," she answered, in a tone of unconcern.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading His voice was quite steady, though there was an unpleasant light in his eyes.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I have been for a walk, that is all," she answered, in a tone of unconcern.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading His voice was quite steady, though there was an unpleasant light in his eyes.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MEANS TO AN END "Where have you been, Madeline?"
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading MEANS TO AN END "Where have you been, Madeline?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "I have been for a walk, that is all," she answered, in a tone of unconcern.
with low volume
From this reading Gervase said, quietly.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading His voice was quite steady, though there was an unpleasant light in his eyes.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Gervase said, quietly.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I have been for a walk, that is all," she answered, in a tone of unconcern.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "We have all grown so concerned about you."
make steady
From this reading His voice was quite steady, though there was an unpleasant light in his eyes.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I have been for a walk, that is all," she answered, in a tone of unconcern.
in or at that place or location
From this reading His voice was quite steady, though there was an unpleasant light in his eyes.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading His voice was quite steady, though there was an unpleasant light in his eyes.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading MEANS TO AN END "Where have you been, Madeline?"
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading "I have been for a walk, that is all," she answered, in a tone of unconcern.
the trait of remaining calm and seeming not to care; a casual lack of concern
From this reading "I have been for a walk, that is all," she answered, in a tone of unconcern.
offensive or disagreeable; causing discomfort or unhappiness
From this reading His voice was quite steady, though there was an unpleasant light in his eyes.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading His voice was quite steady, though there was an unpleasant light in his eyes.
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading "I have been for a walk, that is all," she answered, in a tone of unconcern.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His voice was quite steady, though there was an unpleasant light in his eyes.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "We have all grown so concerned about you."
in or at the place that
From this reading MEANS TO AN END "Where have you been, Madeline?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading MEANS TO AN END "Where have you been, Madeline?"
Chapter 23 of A Gamble with Life by Silas K. (Silas Kitto) Hocking holds 232 sentences, grouped into 47 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 23 holds 232 sentences of A Gamble with Life, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of A Gamble with Life by Silas K. (Silas Kitto) Hocking exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 232 sentences, grouped into 47 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 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 47 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 23 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 A Gamble with Life by Silas K. (Silas Kitto) Hocking on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8150 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39417 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #39417, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1630 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Gamble with Life section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 36 chapters of A Gamble with Life 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 Gamble with Life, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
