Chapter 23 of Barren Ground is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Barren Ground is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
John Abner looked back. "Am I going too fast? He coughs as if he were choking." She turned to Jason and replaced a pillow which had slipped from under his head. His boots, with lumps of red clay still clinging to them, were stretched out stiffly on the pile of rugs.
Chapter 23 of Barren Ground is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
Causing difficulty in breathing.
From this reading “He coughs as if he were choking."”
-ing form of “cling” — come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation
From this reading “His boots, with lumps of red clay still clinging to them, were stretched out stiffly on the pile of rugs.”
plural of “cough” — a sudden noisy expulsion of air from the lungs that clears the air passages; a common symptom of upper respiratory infection or bronchitis or pneumonia or tuberculosis
From this reading “He coughs as if he were choking."”
(Greek mythology) the husband of Medea and leader of the Argonauts who sailed in quest of the Golden Fleece
From this reading “She turned to Jason and replaced a pillow which had slipped from under his head.”
plural of “lump” — a compact mass
From this reading “His boots, with lumps of red clay still clinging to them, were stretched out stiffly on the pile of rugs.”
past form of “replace” — substitute a person or thing for (another that is broken or inefficient or lost or no longer working or yielding what is expected)
From this reading “She turned to Jason and replaced a pillow which had slipped from under his head.”
plural of “rug” — floor covering consisting of a piece of thick heavy fabric (usually with nap or pile)
From this reading “His boots, with lumps of red clay still clinging to them, were stretched out stiffly on the pile of rugs.”
in a stiff manner
From this reading “His boots, with lumps of red clay still clinging to them, were stretched out stiffly on the pile of rugs.”
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.
clay whose redness results from iron oxide
In this reading “His boots, with lumps of red clay still clinging to them, were stretched out stiffly on the pile of rugs.”
In this reading “She turned to Jason and replaced a pillow which had slipped from under his head.”
look towards one's back
In this reading “John Abner looked back.”
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 She turned to Jason and replaced a pillow which had slipped from under his head.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading John Abner looked back.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "Am I going too fast?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She turned to Jason and replaced a pillow which had slipped from under his head.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He coughs as if he were choking."
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading John Abner looked back.
plural of “boot” — footwear that covers the whole foot and lower leg
From this reading His boots, with lumps of red clay still clinging to them, were stretched out stiffly on the pile of rugs.
Causing difficulty in breathing.
From this reading He coughs as if he were choking."
a very fine-grained soil that is plastic when moist but hard when fired
From this reading His boots, with lumps of red clay still clinging to them, were stretched out stiffly on the pile of rugs.
-ing form of “cling” — come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation
From this reading His boots, with lumps of red clay still clinging to them, were stretched out stiffly on the pile of rugs.
plural of “cough” — a sudden noisy expulsion of air from the lungs that clears the air passages; a common symptom of upper respiratory infection or bronchitis or pneumonia or tuberculosis
From this reading He coughs as if he were choking."
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading "Am I going too fast?
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading She turned to Jason and replaced a pillow which had slipped from under his head.
the act of departing
From this reading "Am I going too fast?
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She turned to Jason and replaced a pillow which had slipped from under his head.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He coughs as if he were choking."
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading She turned to Jason and replaced a pillow which had slipped from under his head.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading She turned to Jason and replaced a pillow which had slipped from under his head.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Am I going too fast?
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading He coughs as if he were choking."
(Greek mythology) the husband of Medea and leader of the Argonauts who sailed in quest of the Golden Fleece
From this reading She turned to Jason and replaced a pillow which had slipped from under his head.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading John Abner looked back.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading John Abner looked back.
plural of “lump” — a compact mass
From this reading His boots, with lumps of red clay still clinging to them, were stretched out stiffly on the pile of rugs.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading His boots, with lumps of red clay still clinging to them, were stretched out stiffly on the pile of rugs.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading His boots, with lumps of red clay still clinging to them, were stretched out stiffly on the pile of rugs.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading His boots, with lumps of red clay still clinging to them, were stretched out stiffly on the pile of rugs.
a collection of objects laid on top of each other
From this reading His boots, with lumps of red clay still clinging to them, were stretched out stiffly on the pile of rugs.
a cushion to support the head of a sleeping person
From this reading She turned to Jason and replaced a pillow which had slipped from under his head.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading His boots, with lumps of red clay still clinging to them, were stretched out stiffly on the pile of rugs.
past form of “replace” — substitute a person or thing for (another that is broken or inefficient or lost or no longer working or yielding what is expected)
From this reading She turned to Jason and replaced a pillow which had slipped from under his head.
plural of “rug” — floor covering consisting of a piece of thick heavy fabric (usually with nap or pile)
From this reading His boots, with lumps of red clay still clinging to them, were stretched out stiffly on the pile of rugs.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She turned to Jason and replaced a pillow which had slipped from under his head.
inflected form of “slip” — move stealthily
From this reading She turned to Jason and replaced a pillow which had slipped from under his head.
in a stiff manner
From this reading His boots, with lumps of red clay still clinging to them, were stretched out stiffly on the pile of rugs.
not in physical motion
From this reading His boots, with lumps of red clay still clinging to them, were stretched out stiffly on the pile of rugs.
(of muscles) relieved of stiffness by stretching
From this reading His boots, with lumps of red clay still clinging to them, were stretched out stiffly on the pile of rugs.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading His boots, with lumps of red clay still clinging to them, were stretched out stiffly on the pile of rugs.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading His boots, with lumps of red clay still clinging to them, were stretched out stiffly on the pile of rugs.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She turned to Jason and replaced a pillow which had slipped from under his head.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "Am I going too fast?
moved around an axis or center
From this reading She turned to Jason and replaced a pillow which had slipped from under his head.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading She turned to Jason and replaced a pillow which had slipped from under his head.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading He coughs as if he were choking."
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading She turned to Jason and replaced a pillow which had slipped from under his head.
in the company of; together with
From this reading His boots, with lumps of red clay still clinging to them, were stretched out stiffly on the pile of rugs.
Chapter 23 of Barren Ground by Ellen Anderson Gholson Glasgow holds 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 23 holds 411 sentences of Barren Ground, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Barren Ground by Ellen Anderson Gholson Glasgow exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 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.
Common questions about reading Barren Ground by Ellen Anderson Gholson Glasgow on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9424 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #66191 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #66191, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1885 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Barren Ground section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of Barren Ground 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 Barren Ground, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
