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Active Service
Active Service

Chapter XXIII · Chapter 23

Chapter 23 of Active Service is here in full — 154 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Active Service
Context Illustration Reading 1/30 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"Om," said Coleman, " I was thinking of starting."
"Why? " asked Marjory, unconcernedly.
Coleman shot her a quick glance.
" I believe my period of usefulness is quite ended," he said. with just a small betrayal of bitter feeling.
" It is certainly true that you have had a remark- able period of usefulness to us," said Marjory with a slow smile, "but if it is ended, you should not run away from us."
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Active Service

Chapter XXIII · Chapter 23

Chapter 23 of Active Service is here in full — 154 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/30 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"Om," said Coleman, " I was thinking of starting."
Line 2
"Why? " asked Marjory, unconcernedly.
Line 3
Coleman shot her a quick glance.
Line 4
" I believe my period of usefulness is quite ended," he said. with just a small betrayal of bitter feeling.
Line 5
" It is certainly true that you have had a remark- able period of usefulness to us," said Marjory with a slow smile, "but if it is ended, you should not run away from us."

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.

Betrayal noun US /bɪˈtreɪ.əl/

The action of betraying one's country, a group, or a person; breach of trust.

From this reading “" I believe my period of usefulness is quite ended," he said. with just a small betrayal of bitter feeling.”

All words in this reading · 51

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.

a

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

From this reading Coleman shot her a quick glance.

able

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

From this reading " It is certainly true that you have had a remark- able period of usefulness to us," said Marjory with a slow smile, "but if it is ended, you should not run away from us."

asked

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

From this reading "Why? " asked Marjory, unconcernedly.

away

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

From this reading " It is certainly true that you have had a remark- able period of usefulness to us," said Marjory with a slow smile, "but if it is ended, you should not run away from us."

believe

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

From this reading " I believe my period of usefulness is quite ended," he said. with just a small betrayal of bitter feeling.

betrayalnounUS /bɪˈtreɪ.əl/

The action of betraying one's country, a group, or a person; breach of trust.

From this reading " I believe my period of usefulness is quite ended," he said. with just a small betrayal of bitter feeling.

bitter

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

From this reading " I believe my period of usefulness is quite ended," he said. with just a small betrayal of bitter feeling.

but

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

From this reading " It is certainly true that you have had a remark- able period of usefulness to us," said Marjory with a slow smile, "but if it is ended, you should not run away from us."

certainly

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

From this reading " It is certainly true that you have had a remark- able period of usefulness to us," said Marjory with a slow smile, "but if it is ended, you should not run away from us."

Coleman

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

From this reading "Om," said Coleman, " I was thinking of starting."

ended

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

From this reading " I believe my period of usefulness is quite ended," he said. with just a small betrayal of bitter feeling.

feeling

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

From this reading " I believe my period of usefulness is quite ended," he said. with just a small betrayal of bitter feeling.

from

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

From this reading " It is certainly true that you have had a remark- able period of usefulness to us," said Marjory with a slow smile, "but if it is ended, you should not run away from us."

glance

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

From this reading Coleman shot her a quick glance.

had

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

From this reading " It is certainly true that you have had a remark- able period of usefulness to us," said Marjory with a slow smile, "but if it is ended, you should not run away from us."

have

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

From this reading " It is certainly true that you have had a remark- able period of usefulness to us," said Marjory with a slow smile, "but if it is ended, you should not run away from us."

he

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

From this reading " I believe my period of usefulness is quite ended," he said. with just a small betrayal of bitter feeling.

her

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

From this reading Coleman shot her a quick glance.

I

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

From this reading "Om," said Coleman, " I was thinking of starting."

if

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

From this reading " It is certainly true that you have had a remark- able period of usefulness to us," said Marjory with a slow smile, "but if it is ended, you should not run away from us."

is

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

From this reading " I believe my period of usefulness is quite ended," he said. with just a small betrayal of bitter feeling.

It

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

From this reading " It is certainly true that you have had a remark- able period of usefulness to us," said Marjory with a slow smile, "but if it is ended, you should not run away from us."

just

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

From this reading " I believe my period of usefulness is quite ended," he said. with just a small betrayal of bitter feeling.

Marjory

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

From this reading "Why? " asked Marjory, unconcernedly.

my

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

From this reading " I believe my period of usefulness is quite ended," he said. with just a small betrayal of bitter feeling.

not

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

From this reading " It is certainly true that you have had a remark- able period of usefulness to us," said Marjory with a slow smile, "but if it is ended, you should not run away from us."

of

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

From this reading "Om," said Coleman, " I was thinking of starting."

Om

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

From this reading "Om," said Coleman, " I was thinking of starting."

period

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

From this reading " I believe my period of usefulness is quite ended," he said. with just a small betrayal of bitter feeling.

quick

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

From this reading Coleman shot her a quick glance.

quite

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

From this reading " I believe my period of usefulness is quite ended," he said. with just a small betrayal of bitter feeling.

remark

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

From this reading " It is certainly true that you have had a remark- able period of usefulness to us," said Marjory with a slow smile, "but if it is ended, you should not run away from us."

run

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

From this reading " It is certainly true that you have had a remark- able period of usefulness to us," said Marjory with a slow smile, "but if it is ended, you should not run away from us."

said

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

From this reading "Om," said Coleman, " I was thinking of starting."

shot

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

From this reading Coleman shot her a quick glance.

should

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

From this reading " It is certainly true that you have had a remark- able period of usefulness to us," said Marjory with a slow smile, "but if it is ended, you should not run away from us."

slow

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

From this reading " It is certainly true that you have had a remark- able period of usefulness to us," said Marjory with a slow smile, "but if it is ended, you should not run away from us."

small

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

From this reading " I believe my period of usefulness is quite ended," he said. with just a small betrayal of bitter feeling.

smile

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

From this reading " It is certainly true that you have had a remark- able period of usefulness to us," said Marjory with a slow smile, "but if it is ended, you should not run away from us."

starting

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

From this reading "Om," said Coleman, " I was thinking of starting."

that

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

From this reading " It is certainly true that you have had a remark- able period of usefulness to us," said Marjory with a slow smile, "but if it is ended, you should not run away from us."

thinking

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

From this reading "Om," said Coleman, " I was thinking of starting."

to

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

From this reading " It is certainly true that you have had a remark- able period of usefulness to us," said Marjory with a slow smile, "but if it is ended, you should not run away from us."

true

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

From this reading " It is certainly true that you have had a remark- able period of usefulness to us," said Marjory with a slow smile, "but if it is ended, you should not run away from us."

unconcernedly

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

From this reading "Why? " asked Marjory, unconcernedly.

us

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

From this reading " It is certainly true that you have had a remark- able period of usefulness to us," said Marjory with a slow smile, "but if it is ended, you should not run away from us."

usefulness

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

From this reading " I believe my period of usefulness is quite ended," he said. with just a small betrayal of bitter feeling.

was

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

From this reading "Om," said Coleman, " I was thinking of starting."

Why

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

From this reading "Why? " asked Marjory, unconcernedly.

with

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

From this reading " I believe my period of usefulness is quite ended," he said. with just a small betrayal of bitter feeling.

you

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

From this reading " It is certainly true that you have had a remark- able period of usefulness to us," said Marjory with a slow smile, "but if it is ended, you should not run away from us."

Chapter 23 of Active Service by Stephen Crane holds 154 sentences, grouped into 31 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.

What does chapter 23 of Active Service contain?

Chapter 23 holds 154 sentences of Active Service, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 23 of Active Service by Stephen Crane exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 154 sentences, grouped into 31 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 23 of Active Service?

Work through the 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 31 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 23 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Active Service

Common questions about reading Active Service by Stephen Crane on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Active Service?

Yes. All 5592 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2364 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Active Service is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #2364, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Active Service take to read?

About 466 minutes of reading across 1119 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Active Service section by section

How to work through Active Service section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 30 chapters of Active Service to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Active Service

Words and structures a reader meets early in Active Service, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Marjory
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Active Service; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Walked
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Active Service; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Pensively
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Active Service; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Along
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Active Service; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.