Chapter 21 of Anna St. Ives is here in full — 315 sentences across 63 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of Anna St. Ives is here in full — 315 sentences across 63 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Abimelech Henley to Frank Henley_ _Wenbourne-Hill_ Why what be all a this here? What is it that a be about, dolt? Here's a rumpus! Here's a fine to do! You be a pretty squire Nicodemus Nincompoop!
Chapter 21 of Anna St. Ives is here in full — 315 sentences across 63 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/63 · 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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “What is it that a be about, dolt?”
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading “Here's a fine to do!”
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading “_Abimelech Henley to Frank Henley_ _Wenbourne-Hill_ Why what be all a this here?”
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “_Abimelech Henley to Frank Henley_ _Wenbourne-Hill_ Why what be all a this here?”
a stupid foolish person
From this reading “You be a pretty squire Nicodemus Nincompoop!”
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading “You be a pretty squire Nicodemus Nincompoop!”
young nobleman attendant on a knight
From this reading “You be a pretty squire Nicodemus Nincompoop!”
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 _Abimelech Henley to Frank Henley_ _Wenbourne-Hill_ Why what be all a this here?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Abimelech Henley to Frank Henley_ _Wenbourne-Hill_ Why what be all a this here?
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading What is it that a be about, dolt?
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading _Abimelech Henley to Frank Henley_ _Wenbourne-Hill_ Why what be all a this here?
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading _Abimelech Henley to Frank Henley_ _Wenbourne-Hill_ Why what be all a this here?
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Here's a fine to do!
a person who is not very bright
From this reading What is it that a be about, dolt?
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading Here's a fine to do!
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading _Abimelech Henley to Frank Henley_ _Wenbourne-Hill_ Why what be all a this here?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Abimelech Henley to Frank Henley_ _Wenbourne-Hill_ Why what be all a this here?
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading _Abimelech Henley to Frank Henley_ _Wenbourne-Hill_ Why what be all a this here?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Here's a rumpus!
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading What is it that a be about, dolt?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading What is it that a be about, dolt?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You be a pretty squire Nicodemus Nincompoop!
a stupid foolish person
From this reading You be a pretty squire Nicodemus Nincompoop!
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading You be a pretty squire Nicodemus Nincompoop!
the act of making a noisy disturbance
From this reading Here's a rumpus!
young nobleman attendant on a knight
From this reading You be a pretty squire Nicodemus Nincompoop!
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading What is it that a be about, dolt?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading _Abimelech Henley to Frank Henley_ _Wenbourne-Hill_ Why what be all a this here?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading _Abimelech Henley to Frank Henley_ _Wenbourne-Hill_ Why what be all a this here?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Abimelech Henley to Frank Henley_ _Wenbourne-Hill_ Why what be all a this here?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading _Abimelech Henley to Frank Henley_ _Wenbourne-Hill_ Why what be all a this here?
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading _Abimelech Henley to Frank Henley_ _Wenbourne-Hill_ Why what be all a this here?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You be a pretty squire Nicodemus Nincompoop!
Chapter 21 of Anna St. Ives by Thomas Holcroft holds 315 sentences, grouped into 63 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 315 sentences of Anna St. Ives, unabridged, divided into 63 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of Anna St. Ives by Thomas Holcroft exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 315 sentences, grouped into 63 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 63 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 63 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 Anna St. Ives by Thomas Holcroft on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9630 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9468 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9468, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1926 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Anna St. Ives section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Anna St. Ives 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 Anna St. Ives, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
