Chapter 21 of Amusement Only is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of Amusement Only is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE PROMISE. "An old-fashioned Christmas.--A lively family will accept a gentleman as paying guest to join them in spending an old-fashioned Christmas in the heart of the country." That was the advertisement. It had its points. I was not sure what, in this case, an old-fashioned Christmas might happen to mean.
Chapter 21 of Amusement Only is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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.
a public promotion of some product or service
From this reading “That was the advertisement.”
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading “"An old-fashioned Christmas.--A lively family will accept a gentleman as paying guest to join them in spending an old-fashioned Christmas in the heart of the country."”
a visitor to whom hospitality is extended
From this reading “"An old-fashioned Christmas.--A lively family will accept a gentleman as paying guest to join them in spending an old-fashioned Christmas in the heart of the country."”
full of life and energy
From this reading “"An old-fashioned Christmas.--A lively family will accept a gentleman as paying guest to join them in spending an old-fashioned Christmas in the heart of the country."”
out of fashion
From this reading “"An old-fashioned Christmas.--A lively family will accept a gentleman as paying guest to join them in spending an old-fashioned Christmas in the heart of the country."”
yielding a fair profit
From this reading “"An old-fashioned Christmas.--A lively family will accept a gentleman as paying guest to join them in spending an old-fashioned Christmas in the heart of the country."”
plural of “point” — a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading “It had its points.”
the act of spending or disbursing money
From this reading “"An old-fashioned Christmas.--A lively family will accept a gentleman as paying guest to join them in spending an old-fashioned Christmas in the heart of the country."”
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.
In this reading “"An old-fashioned Christmas.--A lively family will accept a gentleman as paying guest to join them in spending an old-fashioned Christmas in the heart of the country."”
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 "An old-fashioned Christmas.--A lively family will accept a gentleman as paying guest to join them in spending an old-fashioned Christmas in the heart of the country."
consider or hold as true
From this reading "An old-fashioned Christmas.--A lively family will accept a gentleman as paying guest to join them in spending an old-fashioned Christmas in the heart of the country."
a public promotion of some product or service
From this reading That was the advertisement.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "An old-fashioned Christmas.--A lively family will accept a gentleman as paying guest to join them in spending an old-fashioned Christmas in the heart of the country."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "An old-fashioned Christmas.--A lively family will accept a gentleman as paying guest to join them in spending an old-fashioned Christmas in the heart of the country."
an occurrence of something
From this reading I was not sure what, in this case, an old-fashioned Christmas might happen to mean.
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading "An old-fashioned Christmas.--A lively family will accept a gentleman as paying guest to join them in spending an old-fashioned Christmas in the heart of the country."
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading "An old-fashioned Christmas.--A lively family will accept a gentleman as paying guest to join them in spending an old-fashioned Christmas in the heart of the country."
a social unit living together
From this reading "An old-fashioned Christmas.--A lively family will accept a gentleman as paying guest to join them in spending an old-fashioned Christmas in the heart of the country."
a man of refinement
From this reading "An old-fashioned Christmas.--A lively family will accept a gentleman as paying guest to join them in spending an old-fashioned Christmas in the heart of the country."
a visitor to whom hospitality is extended
From this reading "An old-fashioned Christmas.--A lively family will accept a gentleman as paying guest to join them in spending an old-fashioned Christmas in the heart of the country."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It had its points.
come to pass
From this reading I was not sure what, in this case, an old-fashioned Christmas might happen to mean.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading "An old-fashioned Christmas.--A lively family will accept a gentleman as paying guest to join them in spending an old-fashioned Christmas in the heart of the country."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I was not sure what, in this case, an old-fashioned Christmas might happen to mean.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "An old-fashioned Christmas.--A lively family will accept a gentleman as paying guest to join them in spending an old-fashioned Christmas in the heart of the country."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It had its points.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading It had its points.
become part of; become a member of a group or organization
From this reading "An old-fashioned Christmas.--A lively family will accept a gentleman as paying guest to join them in spending an old-fashioned Christmas in the heart of the country."
full of life and energy
From this reading "An old-fashioned Christmas.--A lively family will accept a gentleman as paying guest to join them in spending an old-fashioned Christmas in the heart of the country."
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading I was not sure what, in this case, an old-fashioned Christmas might happen to mean.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading I was not sure what, in this case, an old-fashioned Christmas might happen to mean.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I was not sure what, in this case, an old-fashioned Christmas might happen to mean.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "An old-fashioned Christmas.--A lively family will accept a gentleman as paying guest to join them in spending an old-fashioned Christmas in the heart of the country."
out of fashion
From this reading "An old-fashioned Christmas.--A lively family will accept a gentleman as paying guest to join them in spending an old-fashioned Christmas in the heart of the country."
yielding a fair profit
From this reading "An old-fashioned Christmas.--A lively family will accept a gentleman as paying guest to join them in spending an old-fashioned Christmas in the heart of the country."
plural of “point” — a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading It had its points.
make a promise or commitment
From this reading THE PROMISE.
the act of spending or disbursing money
From this reading "An old-fashioned Christmas.--A lively family will accept a gentleman as paying guest to join them in spending an old-fashioned Christmas in the heart of the country."
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading I was not sure what, in this case, an old-fashioned Christmas might happen to mean.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That was the advertisement.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE PROMISE.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "An old-fashioned Christmas.--A lively family will accept a gentleman as paying guest to join them in spending an old-fashioned Christmas in the heart of the country."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading I was not sure what, in this case, an old-fashioned Christmas might happen to mean.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "An old-fashioned Christmas.--A lively family will accept a gentleman as paying guest to join them in spending an old-fashioned Christmas in the heart of the country."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading That was the advertisement.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I was not sure what, in this case, an old-fashioned Christmas might happen to mean.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "An old-fashioned Christmas.--A lively family will accept a gentleman as paying guest to join them in spending an old-fashioned Christmas in the heart of the country."
Chapter 21 of Amusement Only by Richard Marsh holds 160 sentences, grouped into 32 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 21 holds 160 sentences of Amusement Only, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of Amusement Only by Richard Marsh exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 160 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 Amusement Only by Richard Marsh on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6699 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #38188 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #38188, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 558 minutes of reading across 1340 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Amusement Only section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of Amusement Only 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 Amusement Only, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
