Chapter 14 of Ancestors: A Novel is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of Ancestors: A Novel is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"At least you could beat me if I did not behave." He laughed. "I don't doubt I should want to. No, I'll never let myself go like that again; but I should be sure first that my will was the stronger of the two." "You carefully abstain from proposing so that I cannot make the retort I should like to."
Chapter 14 of Ancestors: A Novel is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
refrain from voting
From this reading “"You carefully abstain from proposing so that I cannot make the retort I should like to."”
come out better in a competition, race, or conflict
From this reading “"At least you could beat me if I did not behave."”
behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself
From this reading “"At least you could beat me if I did not behave."”
taking care or paying attention
From this reading “"You carefully abstain from proposing so that I cannot make the retort I should like to."”
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading “He laughed.”
-ing form of “propose” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading “"You carefully abstain from proposing so that I cannot make the retort I should like to."”
a quick reply to a question or remark (especially a witty or critical one)
From this reading “"You carefully abstain from proposing so that I cannot make the retort I should like to."”
comparative of “strong” — having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading “No, I'll never let myself go like that again; but I should be sure first that my will was the stronger of the two."”
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 “"You carefully abstain from proposing so that I cannot make the retort I should like to."”
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.
refrain from voting
From this reading "You carefully abstain from proposing so that I cannot make the retort I should like to."
anew
From this reading No, I'll never let myself go like that again; but I should be sure first that my will was the stronger of the two."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "At least you could beat me if I did not behave."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading No, I'll never let myself go like that again; but I should be sure first that my will was the stronger of the two."
come out better in a competition, race, or conflict
From this reading "At least you could beat me if I did not behave."
behave in a certain manner; show a certain behavior; conduct or comport oneself
From this reading "At least you could beat me if I did not behave."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading No, I'll never let myself go like that again; but I should be sure first that my will was the stronger of the two."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You carefully abstain from proposing so that I cannot make the retort I should like to."
taking care or paying attention
From this reading "You carefully abstain from proposing so that I cannot make the retort I should like to."
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "At least you could beat me if I did not behave."
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "At least you could beat me if I did not behave."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't doubt I should want to.
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading "I don't doubt I should want to.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading No, I'll never let myself go like that again; but I should be sure first that my will was the stronger of the two."
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "You carefully abstain from proposing so that I cannot make the retort I should like to."
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading No, I'll never let myself go like that again; but I should be sure first that my will was the stronger of the two."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He laughed.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "At least you could beat me if I did not behave."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No, I'll never let myself go like that again; but I should be sure first that my will was the stronger of the two."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "At least you could beat me if I did not behave."
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading He laughed.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading "At least you could beat me if I did not behave."
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading No, I'll never let myself go like that again; but I should be sure first that my will was the stronger of the two."
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading No, I'll never let myself go like that again; but I should be sure first that my will was the stronger of the two."
engage in
From this reading "You carefully abstain from proposing so that I cannot make the retort I should like to."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "At least you could beat me if I did not behave."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading No, I'll never let myself go like that again; but I should be sure first that my will was the stronger of the two."
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading No, I'll never let myself go like that again; but I should be sure first that my will was the stronger of the two."
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading No, I'll never let myself go like that again; but I should be sure first that my will was the stronger of the two."
not any; not one
From this reading No, I'll never let myself go like that again; but I should be sure first that my will was the stronger of the two."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "At least you could beat me if I did not behave."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading No, I'll never let myself go like that again; but I should be sure first that my will was the stronger of the two."
-ing form of “propose” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading "You carefully abstain from proposing so that I cannot make the retort I should like to."
a quick reply to a question or remark (especially a witty or critical one)
From this reading "You carefully abstain from proposing so that I cannot make the retort I should like to."
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "I don't doubt I should want to.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "You carefully abstain from proposing so that I cannot make the retort I should like to."
comparative of “strong” — having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading No, I'll never let myself go like that again; but I should be sure first that my will was the stronger of the two."
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading No, I'll never let myself go like that again; but I should be sure first that my will was the stronger of the two."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading No, I'll never let myself go like that again; but I should be sure first that my will was the stronger of the two."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading No, I'll never let myself go like that again; but I should be sure first that my will was the stronger of the two."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I don't doubt I should want to.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading No, I'll never let myself go like that again; but I should be sure first that my will was the stronger of the two."
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "I don't doubt I should want to.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading No, I'll never let myself go like that again; but I should be sure first that my will was the stronger of the two."
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading No, I'll never let myself go like that again; but I should be sure first that my will was the stronger of the two."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "At least you could beat me if I did not behave."
Chapter 14 of Ancestors: A Novel by Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton holds 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 14 holds 405 sentences of Ancestors: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of Ancestors: A Novel by Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 14 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.
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Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Ancestors: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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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 Ancestors: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
