Chapter 18 of Captain Desmond, V.C. is here in full — 222 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of Captain Desmond, V.C. is here in full — 222 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
YOU WANT TO GO! "White hands cling to the tightened rein, Slipping the spur from the booted heel, Tenderest voices cry 'Turn again!' Red lips tarnish the scabbarded steel. High hopes faint on a warm hearth-stone; He travels the fastest who travels alone." --KIPLING.
Chapter 18 of Captain Desmond, V.C. is here in full — 222 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/44 · 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.
wearing boots
From this reading “"White hands cling to the tightened rein, Slipping the spur from the booted heel, Tenderest voices cry 'Turn again!'”
come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation
From this reading “"White hands cling to the tightened rein, Slipping the spur from the booted heel, Tenderest voices cry 'Turn again!'”
most quickly
From this reading “High hopes faint on a warm hearth-stone; He travels the fastest who travels alone."”
English author of novels and poetry who was born in India (1865-1936)
From this reading “--KIPLING.”
control and direct with or as if by reins
From this reading “"White hands cling to the tightened rein, Slipping the spur from the booted heel, Tenderest voices cry 'Turn again!'”
a verbalization that encourages you to attempt something
From this reading “"White hands cling to the tightened rein, Slipping the spur from the booted heel, Tenderest voices cry 'Turn again!'”
make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically
From this reading “Red lips tarnish the scabbarded steel.”
past form of “tighten” — make tight or tighter
From this reading “"White hands cling to the tightened rein, Slipping the spur from the booted heel, Tenderest voices cry 'Turn again!'”
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 High hopes faint on a warm hearth-stone; He travels the fastest who travels alone."
anew
From this reading "White hands cling to the tightened rein, Slipping the spur from the booted heel, Tenderest voices cry 'Turn again!'
Having no one else present.
From this reading High hopes faint on a warm hearth-stone; He travels the fastest who travels alone."
wearing boots
From this reading "White hands cling to the tightened rein, Slipping the spur from the booted heel, Tenderest voices cry 'Turn again!'
come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation
From this reading "White hands cling to the tightened rein, Slipping the spur from the booted heel, Tenderest voices cry 'Turn again!'
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "White hands cling to the tightened rein, Slipping the spur from the booted heel, Tenderest voices cry 'Turn again!'
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading High hopes faint on a warm hearth-stone; He travels the fastest who travels alone."
most quickly
From this reading High hopes faint on a warm hearth-stone; He travels the fastest who travels alone."
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "White hands cling to the tightened rein, Slipping the spur from the booted heel, Tenderest voices cry 'Turn again!'
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading YOU WANT TO GO!
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading "White hands cling to the tightened rein, Slipping the spur from the booted heel, Tenderest voices cry 'Turn again!'
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading High hopes faint on a warm hearth-stone; He travels the fastest who travels alone."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading High hopes faint on a warm hearth-stone; He travels the fastest who travels alone."
the bottom of a shoe or boot; the back part of a shoe or boot that touches the ground and provides elevation
From this reading "White hands cling to the tightened rein, Slipping the spur from the booted heel, Tenderest voices cry 'Turn again!'
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading High hopes faint on a warm hearth-stone; He travels the fastest who travels alone."
plural of “hope” — a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading High hopes faint on a warm hearth-stone; He travels the fastest who travels alone."
English author of novels and poetry who was born in India (1865-1936)
From this reading --KIPLING.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading Red lips tarnish the scabbarded steel.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading High hopes faint on a warm hearth-stone; He travels the fastest who travels alone."
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading Red lips tarnish the scabbarded steel.
control and direct with or as if by reins
From this reading "White hands cling to the tightened rein, Slipping the spur from the booted heel, Tenderest voices cry 'Turn again!'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Red lips tarnish the scabbarded steel.
moving as on a slippery surface
From this reading "White hands cling to the tightened rein, Slipping the spur from the booted heel, Tenderest voices cry 'Turn again!'
a verbalization that encourages you to attempt something
From this reading "White hands cling to the tightened rein, Slipping the spur from the booted heel, Tenderest voices cry 'Turn again!'
an alloy of iron with small amounts of carbon; widely used in construction; mechanical properties can be varied over a wide range
From this reading Red lips tarnish the scabbarded steel.
make dirty or spotty, as by exposure to air; also used metaphorically
From this reading Red lips tarnish the scabbarded steel.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "White hands cling to the tightened rein, Slipping the spur from the booted heel, Tenderest voices cry 'Turn again!'
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "White hands cling to the tightened rein, Slipping the spur from the booted heel, Tenderest voices cry 'Turn again!'
past form of “tighten” — make tight or tighter
From this reading "White hands cling to the tightened rein, Slipping the spur from the booted heel, Tenderest voices cry 'Turn again!'
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading YOU WANT TO GO!
plural of “travel” — the act of going from one place to another
From this reading High hopes faint on a warm hearth-stone; He travels the fastest who travels alone."
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading "White hands cling to the tightened rein, Slipping the spur from the booted heel, Tenderest voices cry 'Turn again!'
plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading "White hands cling to the tightened rein, Slipping the spur from the booted heel, Tenderest voices cry 'Turn again!'
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading YOU WANT TO GO!
having or producing a comfortable and agreeable degree of heat or imparting or maintaining heat
From this reading High hopes faint on a warm hearth-stone; He travels the fastest who travels alone."
a Caucasian
From this reading "White hands cling to the tightened rein, Slipping the spur from the booted heel, Tenderest voices cry 'Turn again!'
which person or people
From this reading High hopes faint on a warm hearth-stone; He travels the fastest who travels alone."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading YOU WANT TO GO!
Chapter 18 of Captain Desmond, V.C. by Maud Diver holds 222 sentences, grouped into 45 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 18 holds 222 sentences of Captain Desmond, V.C., unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of Captain Desmond, V.C. by Maud Diver exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 222 sentences, grouped into 45 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 45 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 45 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 18 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 Captain Desmond, V.C. by Maud Diver on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7168 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #27629 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #27629, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 597 minutes of reading across 1434 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Captain Desmond, V.C. section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 35 chapters of Captain Desmond, V.C. 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 Captain Desmond, V.C., each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
