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A Yankee from the West: A Novel
A Yankee from the West: A Novel

Chapter XXI

Chapter 21 of A Yankee from the West: A Novel is here in full — 165 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Opie Percival Read • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for A Yankee from the West: A Novel
Context Illustration Reading 1/33 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
FROM HER.
Early the next morning Milford was leading a horse out of the barn when he met the Professor at the door.
For a moment the scholar stood puffing the short breath of his haste; he had not picked his way, for his clothes were bespattered with mud, as if in his eagerness he had split the middle of the road.
"You're out early," said Milford.
"But not early enough.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

A Yankee from the West: A Novel

Chapter XXI

Chapter 21 of A Yankee from the West: A Novel is here in full — 165 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/33 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
FROM HER.
/frʌm hɜːr/
Line 2
Early the next morning Milford was leading a horse out of the barn when he met the Professor at the door.
Line 3
For a moment the scholar stood puffing the short breath of his haste; he had not picked his way, for his clothes were bespattered with mud, as if in his eagerness he had split the middle of the road.
Line 4
"You're out early," said Milford.
Line 5
"But not early enough.
/bʌt nɑːt ˈɜːrli ɪˈnʌf/

Learner Dictionary

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.

barn noun US /bɑːrn/

an outlying farm building for storing grain or animal feed and housing farm animals

From this reading “Early the next morning Milford was leading a horse out of the barn when he met the Professor at the door.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
eagerness noun US /ˈiːɡərnəs/

a positive feeling of wanting to push ahead with something

From this reading “For a moment the scholar stood puffing the short breath of his haste; he had not picked his way, for his clothes were bespattered with mud, as if in his eagerness he had split the middle of the road.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
haste noun US /heɪst/

overly eager speed (and possible carelessness)

From this reading “For a moment the scholar stood puffing the short breath of his haste; he had not picked his way, for his clothes were bespattered with mud, as if in his eagerness he had split the middle of the road.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mud noun US /mʌd/

water soaked soil; soft wet earth

From this reading “For a moment the scholar stood puffing the short breath of his haste; he had not picked his way, for his clothes were bespattered with mud, as if in his eagerness he had split the middle of the road.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Professor noun US /prəˈfesər/

someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university

From this reading “Early the next morning Milford was leading a horse out of the barn when he met the Professor at the door.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
puffing noun US /ˈpʌfɪŋ/

blowing tobacco smoke out into the air

From this reading “For a moment the scholar stood puffing the short breath of his haste; he had not picked his way, for his clothes were bespattered with mud, as if in his eagerness he had split the middle of the road.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
scholar noun US /ˈskɒl.ər/

A specialist in a particular branch of study; a distinguished student.

From this reading “For a moment the scholar stood puffing the short breath of his haste; he had not picked his way, for his clothes were bespattered with mud, as if in his eagerness he had split the middle of the road.”

Velmora curated lexicon
split verb US /splɪt/

separate into parts or portions

From this reading “For a moment the scholar stood puffing the short breath of his haste; he had not picked his way, for his clothes were bespattered with mud, as if in his eagerness he had split the middle of the road.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

next morning adjective + noun

In this reading “Early the next morning Milford was leading a horse out of the barn when he met the Professor at the door.”

52,521 times in 225,867 chapters
For a moment preposition + article + noun counted as “for … moment”

temporarily

In this reading “For a moment the scholar stood puffing the short breath of his haste; he had not picked his way, for his clothes were bespattered with mud, as if in his eagerness he had split the middle of the road.”

130,343 times in 225,867 chapters
at the door preposition + article + noun counted as “at … door”

In this reading “Early the next morning Milford was leading a horse out of the barn when he met the Professor at the door.”

53,016 times in 225,867 chapters
with mud preposition + noun

In this reading “For a moment the scholar stood puffing the short breath of his haste; he had not picked his way, for his clothes were bespattered with mud, as if in his eagerness he had split the middle of the road.”

2,317 times in 225,867 chapters

All words in this reading · 49

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Early the next morning Milford was leading a horse out of the barn when he met the Professor at the door.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading For a moment the scholar stood puffing the short breath of his haste; he had not picked his way, for his clothes were bespattered with mud, as if in his eagerness he had split the middle of the road.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Early the next morning Milford was leading a horse out of the barn when he met the Professor at the door.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
barnnounUS /bɑːrn/

an outlying farm building for storing grain or animal feed and housing farm animals

From this reading Early the next morning Milford was leading a horse out of the barn when he met the Professor at the door.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
bespattered

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading For a moment the scholar stood puffing the short breath of his haste; he had not picked his way, for his clothes were bespattered with mud, as if in his eagerness he had split the middle of the road.

Pending verification
breathnounUS /breθ/

the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing

From this reading For a moment the scholar stood puffing the short breath of his haste; he had not picked his way, for his clothes were bespattered with mud, as if in his eagerness he had split the middle of the road.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading "But not early enough.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
clothesnounUS /kloʊðz/

clothing in general

From this reading For a moment the scholar stood puffing the short breath of his haste; he had not picked his way, for his clothes were bespattered with mud, as if in his eagerness he had split the middle of the road.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
doornounUS /dɔːr/

a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle

From this reading Early the next morning Milford was leading a horse out of the barn when he met the Professor at the door.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
eagernessnounUS /ˈiːɡərnəs/

a positive feeling of wanting to push ahead with something

From this reading For a moment the scholar stood puffing the short breath of his haste; he had not picked his way, for his clothes were bespattered with mud, as if in his eagerness he had split the middle of the road.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
EarlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/

at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time

From this reading Early the next morning Milford was leading a horse out of the barn when he met the Professor at the door.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
enoughnounUS /ɪˈnʌf/

an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose

From this reading "But not early enough.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading For a moment the scholar stood puffing the short breath of his haste; he had not picked his way, for his clothes were bespattered with mud, as if in his eagerness he had split the middle of the road.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
FROMprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading FROM HER.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading For a moment the scholar stood puffing the short breath of his haste; he had not picked his way, for his clothes were bespattered with mud, as if in his eagerness he had split the middle of the road.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hastenounUS /heɪst/

overly eager speed (and possible carelessness)

From this reading For a moment the scholar stood puffing the short breath of his haste; he had not picked his way, for his clothes were bespattered with mud, as if in his eagerness he had split the middle of the road.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Early the next morning Milford was leading a horse out of the barn when he met the Professor at the door.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
HERdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading FROM HER.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading For a moment the scholar stood puffing the short breath of his haste; he had not picked his way, for his clothes were bespattered with mud, as if in his eagerness he had split the middle of the road.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
horsenounUS /hɔːrs/

solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times

From this reading Early the next morning Milford was leading a horse out of the barn when he met the Professor at the door.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading For a moment the scholar stood puffing the short breath of his haste; he had not picked his way, for his clothes were bespattered with mud, as if in his eagerness he had split the middle of the road.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading For a moment the scholar stood puffing the short breath of his haste; he had not picked his way, for his clothes were bespattered with mud, as if in his eagerness he had split the middle of the road.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
leadingadjectiveUS /ˈliːdɪŋ/

indicating the most important performer or role

From this reading Early the next morning Milford was leading a horse out of the barn when he met the Professor at the door.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
metverbUS /met/

inflected form of “meet” — come together

From this reading Early the next morning Milford was leading a horse out of the barn when he met the Professor at the door.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
middlenounUS /ˈmɪdəl/

an area that is approximately central within some larger region

From this reading For a moment the scholar stood puffing the short breath of his haste; he had not picked his way, for his clothes were bespattered with mud, as if in his eagerness he had split the middle of the road.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Milford

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Early the next morning Milford was leading a horse out of the barn when he met the Professor at the door.

Pending verification
momentnounUS /ˈmoʊmənt/

a particular point in time

From this reading For a moment the scholar stood puffing the short breath of his haste; he had not picked his way, for his clothes were bespattered with mud, as if in his eagerness he had split the middle of the road.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading Early the next morning Milford was leading a horse out of the barn when he met the Professor at the door.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mudnounUS /mʌd/

water soaked soil; soft wet earth

From this reading For a moment the scholar stood puffing the short breath of his haste; he had not picked his way, for his clothes were bespattered with mud, as if in his eagerness he had split the middle of the road.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nextadjectiveUS /nekst/

immediately following in time or order

From this reading Early the next morning Milford was leading a horse out of the barn when he met the Professor at the door.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading For a moment the scholar stood puffing the short breath of his haste; he had not picked his way, for his clothes were bespattered with mud, as if in his eagerness he had split the middle of the road.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Early the next morning Milford was leading a horse out of the barn when he met the Professor at the door.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading Early the next morning Milford was leading a horse out of the barn when he met the Professor at the door.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
pickedverbUS /pɪkt/

past form of “pick” — select carefully from a group

From this reading For a moment the scholar stood puffing the short breath of his haste; he had not picked his way, for his clothes were bespattered with mud, as if in his eagerness he had split the middle of the road.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ProfessornounUS /prəˈfesər/

someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university

From this reading Early the next morning Milford was leading a horse out of the barn when he met the Professor at the door.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
puffingnounUS /ˈpʌfɪŋ/

blowing tobacco smoke out into the air

From this reading For a moment the scholar stood puffing the short breath of his haste; he had not picked his way, for his clothes were bespattered with mud, as if in his eagerness he had split the middle of the road.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
roadnounUS /roʊd/

an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation

From this reading For a moment the scholar stood puffing the short breath of his haste; he had not picked his way, for his clothes were bespattered with mud, as if in his eagerness he had split the middle of the road.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "You're out early," said Milford.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
scholarnounUS /ˈskɒl.ər/

A specialist in a particular branch of study; a distinguished student.

From this reading For a moment the scholar stood puffing the short breath of his haste; he had not picked his way, for his clothes were bespattered with mud, as if in his eagerness he had split the middle of the road.

Velmora curated lexicon
shortadjectiveUS /ʃɔːrt/

primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration

From this reading For a moment the scholar stood puffing the short breath of his haste; he had not picked his way, for his clothes were bespattered with mud, as if in his eagerness he had split the middle of the road.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
splitverbUS /splɪt/

separate into parts or portions

From this reading For a moment the scholar stood puffing the short breath of his haste; he had not picked his way, for his clothes were bespattered with mud, as if in his eagerness he had split the middle of the road.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
stoodverbUS /stʊd/

Maintained an upright posture.

From this reading For a moment the scholar stood puffing the short breath of his haste; he had not picked his way, for his clothes were bespattered with mud, as if in his eagerness he had split the middle of the road.

Velmora curated lexicon
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Early the next morning Milford was leading a horse out of the barn when he met the Professor at the door.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Early the next morning Milford was leading a horse out of the barn when he met the Professor at the door.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
waynounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading For a moment the scholar stood puffing the short breath of his haste; he had not picked his way, for his clothes were bespattered with mud, as if in his eagerness he had split the middle of the road.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading For a moment the scholar stood puffing the short breath of his haste; he had not picked his way, for his clothes were bespattered with mud, as if in his eagerness he had split the middle of the road.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading Early the next morning Milford was leading a horse out of the barn when he met the Professor at the door.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading For a moment the scholar stood puffing the short breath of his haste; he had not picked his way, for his clothes were bespattered with mud, as if in his eagerness he had split the middle of the road.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
You're

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "You're out early," said Milford.

Pending verification

Chapter 21 of A Yankee from the West: A Novel by Opie Percival Read holds 165 sentences, grouped into 33 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.

What does chapter 21 of A Yankee from the West: A Novel contain?

Chapter 21 holds 165 sentences of A Yankee from the West: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 21 of A Yankee from the West: A Novel by Opie Percival Read exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 165 sentences, grouped into 33 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.

How do I study chapter 21 of A Yankee from the West: A Novel?

Work through the 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 33 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.

Can chapter 21 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading A Yankee from the West: A Novel

Common questions about reading A Yankee from the West: A Novel by Opie Percival Read on this page, its source edition and its audio.

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Yes. All 5924 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33773 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of A Yankee from the West: A Novel is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #33773, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does A Yankee from the West: A Novel take to read?

About 493 minutes of reading across 1185 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in A Yankee from the West: A Novel

Words and structures a reader meets early in A Yankee from the West: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Milford
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Yankee from the West: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Traveler
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Yankee from the West: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Holds
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Yankee from the West: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Illinois
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Yankee from the West: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.