Chapter 21 of A Simpleton is here in full — 229 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of A Simpleton is here in full — 229 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Phoebe's tears at parting made Staines feel uncomfortable, and he said so. “Pooh, pooh!” said Falcon, “crying for nothing does a woman good.” Christopher stared at him. Falcon's spirits rose as they proceeded. He was like a boy let loose from school.
Chapter 21 of A Simpleton is here in full — 229 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/45 · 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.
Christian martyr and patron saint of travellers (3rd century)
From this reading “Christopher stared at him.”
demanding attention
From this reading ““Pooh, pooh!” said Falcon, “crying for nothing does a woman good.””
diurnal birds of prey having long pointed powerful wings adapted for swift flight
From this reading ““Pooh, pooh!” said Falcon, “crying for nothing does a woman good.””
not compact or dense in structure or arrangement
From this reading “He was like a boy let loose from school.”
the act of departing politely
From this reading “Phoebe's tears at parting made Staines feel uncomfortable, and he said so.”
past form of “proceed” — continue talking
From this reading “Falcon's spirits rose as they proceeded.”
third-person singular of “stain” — color with a liquid dye or tint
From this reading “Phoebe's tears at parting made Staines feel uncomfortable, and he said so.”
conducive to or feeling mental discomfort
From this reading “Phoebe's tears at parting made Staines feel uncomfortable, and he said so.”
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 “Pooh, pooh!” said Falcon, “crying for nothing does a woman good.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Phoebe's tears at parting made Staines feel uncomfortable, and he said so.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Falcon's spirits rose as they proceeded.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Phoebe's tears at parting made Staines feel uncomfortable, and he said so.
a youthful male person
From this reading He was like a boy let loose from school.
Christian martyr and patron saint of travellers (3rd century)
From this reading Christopher stared at him.
demanding attention
From this reading “Pooh, pooh!” said Falcon, “crying for nothing does a woman good.”
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Pooh, pooh!” said Falcon, “crying for nothing does a woman good.”
diurnal birds of prey having long pointed powerful wings adapted for swift flight
From this reading “Pooh, pooh!” said Falcon, “crying for nothing does a woman good.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Falcon's spirits rose as they proceeded.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading Phoebe's tears at parting made Staines feel uncomfortable, and he said so.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “Pooh, pooh!” said Falcon, “crying for nothing does a woman good.”
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He was like a boy let loose from school.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading “Pooh, pooh!” said Falcon, “crying for nothing does a woman good.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Phoebe's tears at parting made Staines feel uncomfortable, and he said so.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Christopher stared at him.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading He was like a boy let loose from school.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading He was like a boy let loose from school.
not compact or dense in structure or arrangement
From this reading He was like a boy let loose from school.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Phoebe's tears at parting made Staines feel uncomfortable, and he said so.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading “Pooh, pooh!” said Falcon, “crying for nothing does a woman good.”
the act of departing politely
From this reading Phoebe's tears at parting made Staines feel uncomfortable, and he said so.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Phoebe's tears at parting made Staines feel uncomfortable, and he said so.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Pooh, pooh!” said Falcon, “crying for nothing does a woman good.”
past form of “proceed” — continue talking
From this reading Falcon's spirits rose as they proceeded.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading Falcon's spirits rose as they proceeded.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Phoebe's tears at parting made Staines feel uncomfortable, and he said so.
an educational institution
From this reading He was like a boy let loose from school.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Phoebe's tears at parting made Staines feel uncomfortable, and he said so.
an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented
From this reading Falcon's spirits rose as they proceeded.
third-person singular of “stain” — color with a liquid dye or tint
From this reading Phoebe's tears at parting made Staines feel uncomfortable, and he said so.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading Christopher stared at him.
the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)
From this reading Phoebe's tears at parting made Staines feel uncomfortable, and he said so.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Falcon's spirits rose as they proceeded.
conducive to or feeling mental discomfort
From this reading Phoebe's tears at parting made Staines feel uncomfortable, and he said so.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was like a boy let loose from school.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading “Pooh, pooh!” said Falcon, “crying for nothing does a woman good.”
Chapter 21 of A Simpleton by Charles Reade holds 229 sentences, grouped into 46 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 21 holds 229 sentences of A Simpleton, unabridged, divided into 46 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of A Simpleton by Charles Reade exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 229 sentences, grouped into 46 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 46 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 46 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 21 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 Simpleton by Charles Reade on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8547 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2301 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2301, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1710 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Simpleton section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of A Simpleton 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 Simpleton, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
