Chapter 17 of A Padre in France is here in full — 172 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of A Padre in France is here in full — 172 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A HOLIDAY Holidays, common enough in civil life, are rare joys in the B.E.F. Leave is obtainable occasionally. But nobody speaks of leave as "holidays." It is a thing altogether apart. It is almost sacred. It is too thrilling, too rapturous to be compared to anything we knew before the war.
Chapter 17 of A Padre in France is here in full — 172 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/34 · 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.
past form of “compare” — examine and note the similarities or differences of
From this reading “It is too thrilling, too rapturous to be compared to anything we knew before the war.”
leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure
From this reading “A HOLIDAY Holidays, common enough in civil life, are rare joys in the B.E.F. Leave is obtainable occasionally.”
plural of “holiday” — leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure
From this reading “A HOLIDAY Holidays, common enough in civil life, are rare joys in the B.E.F. Leave is obtainable occasionally.”
plural of “joy” — the emotion of great happiness
From this reading “A HOLIDAY Holidays, common enough in civil life, are rare joys in the B.E.F. Leave is obtainable occasionally.”
capable of being obtained
From this reading “A HOLIDAY Holidays, common enough in civil life, are rare joys in the B.E.F. Leave is obtainable occasionally.”
feeling great rapture or delight
From this reading “It is too thrilling, too rapturous to be compared to anything we knew before the war.”
third-person singular of “speak” — express in speech
From this reading “But nobody speaks of leave as "holidays."”
causing a surge of emotion or excitement
From this reading “It is too thrilling, too rapturous to be compared to anything we knew before the war.”
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 A HOLIDAY Holidays, common enough in civil life, are rare joys in the B.E.F. Leave is obtainable occasionally.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading It is almost sacred.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading It is a thing altogether apart.
any thing at all
From this reading It is too thrilling, too rapturous to be compared to anything we knew before the war.
separated or at a distance in place or position or time
From this reading It is a thing altogether apart.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading A HOLIDAY Holidays, common enough in civil life, are rare joys in the B.E.F. Leave is obtainable occasionally.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading But nobody speaks of leave as "holidays."
aerobic rod-shaped spore-producing bacterium; often occurring in chainlike formations; found primarily in soil
From this reading A HOLIDAY Holidays, common enough in civil life, are rare joys in the B.E.F. Leave is obtainable occasionally.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It is too thrilling, too rapturous to be compared to anything we knew before the war.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading It is too thrilling, too rapturous to be compared to anything we knew before the war.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But nobody speaks of leave as "holidays."
applying to ordinary citizens as contrasted with the military
From this reading A HOLIDAY Holidays, common enough in civil life, are rare joys in the B.E.F. Leave is obtainable occasionally.
belonging to or participated in by a community as a whole; public
From this reading A HOLIDAY Holidays, common enough in civil life, are rare joys in the B.E.F. Leave is obtainable occasionally.
past form of “compare” — examine and note the similarities or differences of
From this reading It is too thrilling, too rapturous to be compared to anything we knew before the war.
a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for normal reproduction; an important antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals in the body
From this reading A HOLIDAY Holidays, common enough in civil life, are rare joys in the B.E.F. Leave is obtainable occasionally.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading A HOLIDAY Holidays, common enough in civil life, are rare joys in the B.E.F. Leave is obtainable occasionally.
a degree on the Fahrenheit scale of temperature
From this reading A HOLIDAY Holidays, common enough in civil life, are rare joys in the B.E.F. Leave is obtainable occasionally.
leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure
From this reading A HOLIDAY Holidays, common enough in civil life, are rare joys in the B.E.F. Leave is obtainable occasionally.
plural of “holiday” — leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure
From this reading A HOLIDAY Holidays, common enough in civil life, are rare joys in the B.E.F. Leave is obtainable occasionally.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A HOLIDAY Holidays, common enough in civil life, are rare joys in the B.E.F. Leave is obtainable occasionally.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A HOLIDAY Holidays, common enough in civil life, are rare joys in the B.E.F. Leave is obtainable occasionally.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is a thing altogether apart.
plural of “joy” — the emotion of great happiness
From this reading A HOLIDAY Holidays, common enough in civil life, are rare joys in the B.E.F. Leave is obtainable occasionally.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading It is too thrilling, too rapturous to be compared to anything we knew before the war.
go away from a place
From this reading A HOLIDAY Holidays, common enough in civil life, are rare joys in the B.E.F. Leave is obtainable occasionally.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading A HOLIDAY Holidays, common enough in civil life, are rare joys in the B.E.F. Leave is obtainable occasionally.
no person; not anyone
From this reading But nobody speaks of leave as "holidays."
capable of being obtained
From this reading A HOLIDAY Holidays, common enough in civil life, are rare joys in the B.E.F. Leave is obtainable occasionally.
sporadically and infrequently
From this reading A HOLIDAY Holidays, common enough in civil life, are rare joys in the B.E.F. Leave is obtainable occasionally.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading But nobody speaks of leave as "holidays."
feeling great rapture or delight
From this reading It is too thrilling, too rapturous to be compared to anything we knew before the war.
not widely known; especially valued for its uncommonness
From this reading A HOLIDAY Holidays, common enough in civil life, are rare joys in the B.E.F. Leave is obtainable occasionally.
concerned with religion or religious purposes
From this reading It is almost sacred.
third-person singular of “speak” — express in speech
From this reading But nobody speaks of leave as "holidays."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A HOLIDAY Holidays, common enough in civil life, are rare joys in the B.E.F. Leave is obtainable occasionally.
a special situation
From this reading It is a thing altogether apart.
causing a surge of emotion or excitement
From this reading It is too thrilling, too rapturous to be compared to anything we knew before the war.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It is too thrilling, too rapturous to be compared to anything we knew before the war.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading It is too thrilling, too rapturous to be compared to anything we knew before the war.
the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading It is too thrilling, too rapturous to be compared to anything we knew before the war.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading It is too thrilling, too rapturous to be compared to anything we knew before the war.
Chapter 17 of A Padre in France by George A. Birmingham holds 172 sentences, grouped into 35 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 17 holds 172 sentences of A Padre in France, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of A Padre in France by George A. Birmingham exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 172 sentences, grouped into 35 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 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 35 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 17 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 Padre in France by George A. Birmingham on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3664 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28241 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28241, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 305 minutes of reading across 733 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Padre in France section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of A Padre in France 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 Padre in France, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
