Chapter 23 of A Rough Shaking is here in full — 273 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of A Rough Shaking is here in full — 273 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE MAGISTRATE. The dawn came at last, and soon after the dawn footsteps, but they approached only to recede. When the door at length opened, it was but to let a pair of eyes glance round on them, and close again. The hours seemed to be always beginning, and never going on. But at the long last came the big policeman.
Chapter 23 of A Rough Shaking is here in full — 273 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/54 · 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 “approach” — move towards
From this reading “The dawn came at last, and soon after the dawn footsteps, but they approached only to recede.”
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading “The hours seemed to be always beginning, and never going on.”
the first light of day
From this reading “The dawn came at last, and soon after the dawn footsteps, but they approached only to recede.”
plural of “footstep” — the sound of a step of someone walking
From this reading “The dawn came at last, and soon after the dawn footsteps, but they approached only to recede.”
a lay judge or civil authority who administers the law (especially one who conducts a court dealing with minor offenses)
From this reading “THE MAGISTRATE.”
a set of two similar things considered as a unit
From this reading “When the door at length opened, it was but to let a pair of eyes glance round on them, and close again.”
a member of a police force
From this reading “But at the long last came the big policeman.”
pull back or move away or backward
From this reading “The dawn came at last, and soon after the dawn footsteps, but they approached only to recede.”
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 When the door at length opened, it was but to let a pair of eyes glance round on them, and close again.
later than; following
From this reading The dawn came at last, and soon after the dawn footsteps, but they approached only to recede.
anew
From this reading When the door at length opened, it was but to let a pair of eyes glance round on them, and close again.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading The hours seemed to be always beginning, and never going on.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The dawn came at last, and soon after the dawn footsteps, but they approached only to recede.
past form of “approach” — move towards
From this reading The dawn came at last, and soon after the dawn footsteps, but they approached only to recede.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The dawn came at last, and soon after the dawn footsteps, but they approached only to recede.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The hours seemed to be always beginning, and never going on.
the event consisting of the start of something
From this reading The hours seemed to be always beginning, and never going on.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading But at the long last came the big policeman.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The dawn came at last, and soon after the dawn footsteps, but they approached only to recede.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The dawn came at last, and soon after the dawn footsteps, but they approached only to recede.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading When the door at length opened, it was but to let a pair of eyes glance round on them, and close again.
the first light of day
From this reading The dawn came at last, and soon after the dawn footsteps, but they approached only to recede.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading When the door at length opened, it was but to let a pair of eyes glance round on them, and close again.
opinion or judgment
From this reading When the door at length opened, it was but to let a pair of eyes glance round on them, and close again.
plural of “footstep” — the sound of a step of someone walking
From this reading The dawn came at last, and soon after the dawn footsteps, but they approached only to recede.
throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading When the door at length opened, it was but to let a pair of eyes glance round on them, and close again.
the act of departing
From this reading The hours seemed to be always beginning, and never going on.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading The hours seemed to be always beginning, and never going on.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading When the door at length opened, it was but to let a pair of eyes glance round on them, and close again.
immediately past
From this reading The dawn came at last, and soon after the dawn footsteps, but they approached only to recede.
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading When the door at length opened, it was but to let a pair of eyes glance round on them, and close again.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading When the door at length opened, it was but to let a pair of eyes glance round on them, and close again.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading But at the long last came the big policeman.
a lay judge or civil authority who administers the law (especially one who conducts a court dealing with minor offenses)
From this reading THE MAGISTRATE.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading The hours seemed to be always beginning, and never going on.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When the door at length opened, it was but to let a pair of eyes glance round on them, and close again.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading When the door at length opened, it was but to let a pair of eyes glance round on them, and close again.
and nothing more
From this reading The dawn came at last, and soon after the dawn footsteps, but they approached only to recede.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading When the door at length opened, it was but to let a pair of eyes glance round on them, and close again.
a set of two similar things considered as a unit
From this reading When the door at length opened, it was but to let a pair of eyes glance round on them, and close again.
a member of a police force
From this reading But at the long last came the big policeman.
pull back or move away or backward
From this reading The dawn came at last, and soon after the dawn footsteps, but they approached only to recede.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading When the door at length opened, it was but to let a pair of eyes glance round on them, and close again.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The hours seemed to be always beginning, and never going on.
in the near future
From this reading The dawn came at last, and soon after the dawn footsteps, but they approached only to recede.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE MAGISTRATE.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading When the door at length opened, it was but to let a pair of eyes glance round on them, and close again.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The dawn came at last, and soon after the dawn footsteps, but they approached only to recede.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The dawn came at last, and soon after the dawn footsteps, but they approached only to recede.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When the door at length opened, it was but to let a pair of eyes glance round on them, and close again.
at the time that
From this reading When the door at length opened, it was but to let a pair of eyes glance round on them, and close again.
Chapter 23 of A Rough Shaking by George MacDonald holds 273 sentences, grouped into 55 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 273 sentences of A Rough Shaking, unabridged, divided into 55 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of A Rough Shaking by George MacDonald exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 273 sentences, grouped into 55 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 55 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 55 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 Rough Shaking by George MacDonald on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6421 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8886 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8886, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 535 minutes of reading across 1285 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Rough Shaking section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of A Rough Shaking 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 Rough Shaking, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
