Chapter 13 of A Maker of History is here in full — 176 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of A Maker of History is here in full — 176 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"HER VOICE." "You have heard now," Duncombe said, finally, "the whole history of my wanderings. I feel like a man who has been beating the air, who has been at war with unseen and irresistible forces. I never seemed to have a chance. In plain words, I have failed utterly!"
Chapter 13 of A Maker of History is here in full — 176 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 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.
the act of overcoming or outdoing
From this reading “I feel like a man who has been beating the air, who has been at war with unseen and irresistible forces.”
past form of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading “In plain words, I have failed utterly!"”
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading “"You have heard now," Duncombe said, finally, "the whole history of my wanderings.”
plural of “force” — a powerful effect or influence
From this reading “I feel like a man who has been beating the air, who has been at war with unseen and irresistible forces.”
impossible to resist; overpowering
From this reading “I feel like a man who has been beating the air, who has been at war with unseen and irresistible forces.”
not seen or perceived
From this reading “I feel like a man who has been beating the air, who has been at war with unseen and irresistible forces.”
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading “In plain words, I have failed utterly!"”
plural of “wandering” — travelling about without any clear destination
From this reading “"You have heard now," Duncombe said, finally, "the whole history of my wanderings.”
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 feel like a man who has been beating the air, who has been at war with unseen and irresistible forces.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading I feel like a man who has been beating the air, who has been at war with unseen and irresistible forces.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I feel like a man who has been beating the air, who has been at war with unseen and irresistible forces.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I feel like a man who has been beating the air, who has been at war with unseen and irresistible forces.
the act of overcoming or outdoing
From this reading I feel like a man who has been beating the air, who has been at war with unseen and irresistible forces.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading I feel like a man who has been beating the air, who has been at war with unseen and irresistible forces.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading I never seemed to have a chance.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You have heard now," Duncombe said, finally, "the whole history of my wanderings.
past form of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading In plain words, I have failed utterly!"
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading I feel like a man who has been beating the air, who has been at war with unseen and irresistible forces.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading "You have heard now," Duncombe said, finally, "the whole history of my wanderings.
plural of “force” — a powerful effect or influence
From this reading I feel like a man who has been beating the air, who has been at war with unseen and irresistible forces.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I feel like a man who has been beating the air, who has been at war with unseen and irresistible forces.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "You have heard now," Duncombe said, finally, "the whole history of my wanderings.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading "You have heard now," Duncombe said, finally, "the whole history of my wanderings.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "HER VOICE."
the aggregate of past events
From this reading "You have heard now," Duncombe said, finally, "the whole history of my wanderings.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I feel like a man who has been beating the air, who has been at war with unseen and irresistible forces.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In plain words, I have failed utterly!"
impossible to resist; overpowering
From this reading I feel like a man who has been beating the air, who has been at war with unseen and irresistible forces.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading I feel like a man who has been beating the air, who has been at war with unseen and irresistible forces.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading I feel like a man who has been beating the air, who has been at war with unseen and irresistible forces.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "You have heard now," Duncombe said, finally, "the whole history of my wanderings.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I never seemed to have a chance.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "You have heard now," Duncombe said, finally, "the whole history of my wanderings.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "You have heard now," Duncombe said, finally, "the whole history of my wanderings.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading In plain words, I have failed utterly!"
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You have heard now," Duncombe said, finally, "the whole history of my wanderings.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading I never seemed to have a chance.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "You have heard now," Duncombe said, finally, "the whole history of my wanderings.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I never seemed to have a chance.
not seen or perceived
From this reading I feel like a man who has been beating the air, who has been at war with unseen and irresistible forces.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading In plain words, I have failed utterly!"
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading "HER VOICE."
plural of “wandering” — travelling about without any clear destination
From this reading "You have heard now," Duncombe said, finally, "the whole history of my wanderings.
the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading I feel like a man who has been beating the air, who has been at war with unseen and irresistible forces.
which person or people
From this reading I feel like a man who has been beating the air, who has been at war with unseen and irresistible forces.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading "You have heard now," Duncombe said, finally, "the whole history of my wanderings.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I feel like a man who has been beating the air, who has been at war with unseen and irresistible forces.
the words that are spoken
From this reading In plain words, I have failed utterly!"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You have heard now," Duncombe said, finally, "the whole history of my wanderings.
Chapter 13 of A Maker of History by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim holds 176 sentences, grouped into 36 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 13 holds 176 sentences of A Maker of History, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of A Maker of History by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 176 sentences, grouped into 36 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 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 36 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 13 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 Maker of History by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Maker of History section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of A Maker of History 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 Maker of History, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
