Chapter 21 of As It Was in the Beginning is here in full — 146 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of As It Was in the Beginning is here in full — 146 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AN IRREPARABLE LOSS Elaine was dumbly appalled for a moment by the words that Grenville had uttered. She finally found her voice. "But--why? I don't believe I understand. It isn't someone--some horrible men who hunt human heads for trophies?"
Chapter 21 of As It Was in the Beginning is here in full — 146 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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.
struck with fear, dread, or consternation
From this reading “AN IRREPARABLE LOSS Elaine was dumbly appalled for a moment by the words that Grenville had uttered.”
provoking horror
From this reading “It isn't someone--some horrible men who hunt human heads for trophies?"”
pursue for food or sport (as of wild animals)
From this reading “It isn't someone--some horrible men who hunt human heads for trophies?"”
impossible to repair, rectify, or amend
From this reading “AN IRREPARABLE LOSS Elaine was dumbly appalled for a moment by the words that Grenville had uttered.”
something that is lost
From this reading “AN IRREPARABLE LOSS Elaine was dumbly appalled for a moment by the words that Grenville had uttered.”
a person, without saying who
From this reading “It isn't someone--some horrible men who hunt human heads for trophies?"”
plural of “trophy” — an award for success in war or hunting
From this reading “It isn't someone--some horrible men who hunt human heads for trophies?"”
communicated in words
From this reading “AN IRREPARABLE LOSS Elaine was dumbly appalled for a moment by the words that Grenville had uttered.”
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 IRREPARABLE LOSS Elaine was dumbly appalled for a moment by the words that Grenville had uttered.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN IRREPARABLE LOSS Elaine was dumbly appalled for a moment by the words that Grenville had uttered.
struck with fear, dread, or consternation
From this reading AN IRREPARABLE LOSS Elaine was dumbly appalled for a moment by the words that Grenville had uttered.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading I don't believe I understand.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But--why?
showing who or what does the action
From this reading AN IRREPARABLE LOSS Elaine was dumbly appalled for a moment by the words that Grenville had uttered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don't believe I understand.
in a stupid manner
From this reading AN IRREPARABLE LOSS Elaine was dumbly appalled for a moment by the words that Grenville had uttered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AN IRREPARABLE LOSS Elaine was dumbly appalled for a moment by the words that Grenville had uttered.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading She finally found her voice.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading AN IRREPARABLE LOSS Elaine was dumbly appalled for a moment by the words that Grenville had uttered.
set up or found
From this reading She finally found her voice.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AN IRREPARABLE LOSS Elaine was dumbly appalled for a moment by the words that Grenville had uttered.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading AN IRREPARABLE LOSS Elaine was dumbly appalled for a moment by the words that Grenville had uttered.
plural of “head” — the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading It isn't someone--some horrible men who hunt human heads for trophies?"
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She finally found her voice.
provoking horror
From this reading It isn't someone--some horrible men who hunt human heads for trophies?"
characteristic of humanity
From this reading It isn't someone--some horrible men who hunt human heads for trophies?"
pursue for food or sport (as of wild animals)
From this reading It isn't someone--some horrible men who hunt human heads for trophies?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I don't believe I understand.
impossible to repair, rectify, or amend
From this reading AN IRREPARABLE LOSS Elaine was dumbly appalled for a moment by the words that Grenville had uttered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It isn't someone--some horrible men who hunt human heads for trophies?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It isn't someone--some horrible men who hunt human heads for trophies?"
something that is lost
From this reading AN IRREPARABLE LOSS Elaine was dumbly appalled for a moment by the words that Grenville had uttered.
the force of workers available
From this reading It isn't someone--some horrible men who hunt human heads for trophies?"
a particular point in time
From this reading AN IRREPARABLE LOSS Elaine was dumbly appalled for a moment by the words that Grenville had uttered.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She finally found her voice.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading It isn't someone--some horrible men who hunt human heads for trophies?"
a person, without saying who
From this reading It isn't someone--some horrible men who hunt human heads for trophies?"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading AN IRREPARABLE LOSS Elaine was dumbly appalled for a moment by the words that Grenville had uttered.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AN IRREPARABLE LOSS Elaine was dumbly appalled for a moment by the words that Grenville had uttered.
plural of “trophy” — an award for success in war or hunting
From this reading It isn't someone--some horrible men who hunt human heads for trophies?"
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading I don't believe I understand.
communicated in words
From this reading AN IRREPARABLE LOSS Elaine was dumbly appalled for a moment by the words that Grenville had uttered.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading She finally found her voice.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading AN IRREPARABLE LOSS Elaine was dumbly appalled for a moment by the words that Grenville had uttered.
which person or people
From this reading It isn't someone--some horrible men who hunt human heads for trophies?"
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "But--why?
the words that are spoken
From this reading AN IRREPARABLE LOSS Elaine was dumbly appalled for a moment by the words that Grenville had uttered.
Chapter 21 of As It Was in the Beginning by Philip Verrill Mighels holds 146 sentences, grouped into 30 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 146 sentences of As It Was in the Beginning, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of As It Was in the Beginning by Philip Verrill Mighels exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 146 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 As It Was in the Beginning by Philip Verrill Mighels on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5140 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22554 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #22554, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 428 minutes of reading across 1028 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through As It Was in the Beginning section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of As It Was in the Beginning 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 As It Was in the Beginning, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
