Chapter 31 of A Gamble with Life is here in full — 238 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXI
Chapter 31 of A Gamble with Life is here in full — 238 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
OLD FRIENDS "Well, I never! If this ain't the greatest surprise of the trip!" Madeline looked up with a start. She recognised the American accent, before she had any idea she was being spoken to. "Well, now, who _would_ have thought it?
Chapter 31 of A Gamble with Life is here in full — 238 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/47 · 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.
distinctive manner of oral expression
From this reading “She recognised the American accent, before she had any idea she was being spoken to.”
a native or inhabitant of the United States
From this reading “She recognised the American accent, before she had any idea she was being spoken to.”
highest in quality
From this reading “If this ain't the greatest surprise of the trip!"”
provided with a secure reputation
From this reading “She recognised the American accent, before she had any idea she was being spoken to.”
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading “She recognised the American accent, before she had any idea she was being spoken to.”
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “Madeline looked up with a start.”
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading “If this ain't the greatest surprise of the trip!"”
a journey for some purpose (usually including the return)
From this reading “If this ain't the greatest surprise of the trip!"”
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 “OLD FRIENDS "Well, I never!”
In this reading “If this ain't the greatest surprise of the trip!"”
seek information from
In this reading “Madeline looked up with a start.”
In this reading “She recognised the American accent, before she had any idea she was being spoken to.”
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 Madeline looked up with a start.
distinctive manner of oral expression
From this reading She recognised the American accent, before she had any idea she was being spoken to.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If this ain't the greatest surprise of the trip!"
a native or inhabitant of the United States
From this reading She recognised the American accent, before she had any idea she was being spoken to.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading She recognised the American accent, before she had any idea she was being spoken to.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading She recognised the American accent, before she had any idea she was being spoken to.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading She recognised the American accent, before she had any idea she was being spoken to.
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading OLD FRIENDS "Well, I never!
highest in quality
From this reading If this ain't the greatest surprise of the trip!"
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She recognised the American accent, before she had any idea she was being spoken to.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Well, now, who _would_ have thought it?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading OLD FRIENDS "Well, I never!
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading She recognised the American accent, before she had any idea she was being spoken to.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If this ain't the greatest surprise of the trip!"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Well, now, who _would_ have thought it?
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Madeline looked up with a start.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Madeline looked up with a start.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading OLD FRIENDS "Well, I never!
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Well, now, who _would_ have thought it?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading If this ain't the greatest surprise of the trip!"
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading OLD FRIENDS "Well, I never!
provided with a secure reputation
From this reading She recognised the American accent, before she had any idea she was being spoken to.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She recognised the American accent, before she had any idea she was being spoken to.
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading She recognised the American accent, before she had any idea she was being spoken to.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Madeline looked up with a start.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading If this ain't the greatest surprise of the trip!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading If this ain't the greatest surprise of the trip!"
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading If this ain't the greatest surprise of the trip!"
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "Well, now, who _would_ have thought it?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She recognised the American accent, before she had any idea she was being spoken to.
a journey for some purpose (usually including the return)
From this reading If this ain't the greatest surprise of the trip!"
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Madeline looked up with a start.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She recognised the American accent, before she had any idea she was being spoken to.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading OLD FRIENDS "Well, I never!
which person or people
From this reading "Well, now, who _would_ have thought it?
in the company of; together with
From this reading Madeline looked up with a start.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "Well, now, who _would_ have thought it?
Chapter 31 of A Gamble with Life by Silas K. (Silas Kitto) Hocking holds 238 sentences, grouped into 48 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 31 holds 238 sentences of A Gamble with Life, unabridged, divided into 48 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of A Gamble with Life by Silas K. (Silas Kitto) Hocking exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 238 sentences, grouped into 48 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 48 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 48 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 31 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.
