Common Cause: A Novel of the War in America

Chapter XXXVIII

Chapter 38 of Common Cause: A Novel of the War in America is here in full — 234 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Samuel Hopkins Adams • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for Common Cause: A Novel of the War in America

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

CLICK-CLICK!

Click-click!

Clickety-click!

One hundred pairs of knitting needles furnished a subdued castanet accompaniment to the voice of a long, lean lady-droner who stood upon the platform of the Fenchester Club Auditorium, and read from a typed list.

At times she referred to various issues of The Guardian ranged on a flag-bedecked table.

Narrator

Speed 0.75x

AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XXXVIII Reading 1/46

Common Cause: A Novel of the War in America

Chapter XXXVIII

Chapter 38 of Common Cause: A Novel of the War in America is here in full — 234 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/46 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

CLICK-CLICK!

Line 2

Click-click!

Line 3

Clickety-click!

Line 4

Line 5

At times she referred to various issues of The Guardian ranged on a flag-bedecked table.

Learner Dictionary

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.

accompaniment noun US /əˈkʌmpnɪmənt/

an event or situation that happens at the same time as or in connection with another

From this reading “One hundred pairs of knitting needles furnished a subdued castanet accompaniment to the voice of a long, lean lady-droner who stood upon the platform of the Fenchester Club Auditorium, and read from a typed list.”

Auditorium noun US /ˌɔːdəˈtɔːriəm/

the area of a theater or concert hall where the audience sits

issues noun US /ˈɪʃuːz/

plural of “issue” — an important question that is in dispute and must be settled

From this reading “At times she referred to various issues of The Guardian ranged on a flag-bedecked table.”

knitting noun US /ˈnɪtɪŋ/

needlework created by interlacing yarn in a series of connected loops using straight eyeless needles or by machine

needles noun US /ˈniːdəlz/

plural of “needle” — the leaf of a conifer

pairs noun US /perz/

plural of “pair” — a set of two similar things considered as a unit

ranged verb US /reɪndʒd/

past form of “range” — change or be different within limits

From this reading “At times she referred to various issues of The Guardian ranged on a flag-bedecked table.”

typed verb US /taɪpt/

past form of “type” — write by means of a keyboard with types

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

knitting needles noun + noun counted as “knitting needle”

needle consisting of a slender rod with pointed ends; usually used in pairs

In this reading “One hundred pairs of knitting needles furnished a subdued castanet accompaniment to the voice of a long, lean lady-droner who stood upon the platform of the Fenchester Club Auditorium, and read from a typed list.”

upon the platform preposition + article + noun counted as “upon … platform”

At times preposition + noun

sporadically and infrequently

In this reading “At times she referred to various issues of The Guardian ranged on a flag-bedecked table.”

stood upon verb + particle

All words in this reading · 42

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading One hundred pairs of knitting needles furnished a subdued castanet accompaniment to the voice of a long, lean lady-droner who stood upon the platform of the Fenchester Club Auditorium, and read from a typed list.

accompanimentnounUS /əˈkʌmpnɪmənt/

an event or situation that happens at the same time as or in connection with another

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

AtprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading At times she referred to various issues of The Guardian ranged on a flag-bedecked table.

AuditoriumnounUS /ˌɔːdəˈtɔːriəm/

the area of a theater or concert hall where the audience sits

castanet

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

CLICK-CLICK

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CLICK-CLICK!

Clickety-clicknoun

a fast and rhythmic click-clack

From this reading Clickety-click!

ClubnounUS /klʌb/

a team of professional baseball players who play and travel together

Fenchester

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

flag-bedecked

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading At times she referred to various issues of The Guardian ranged on a flag-bedecked table.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

furnishedadjectiveUS /ˈfɜːrnɪʃt/

provided with whatever is necessary for a purpose (as furniture or equipment or authority)

GuardiannounUS /ˈɡɑːrdiən/

a person who cares for persons or property

From this reading At times she referred to various issues of The Guardian ranged on a flag-bedecked table.

hundrednounUS /ˈhʌndrəd/

ten 10s

issuesnounUS /ˈɪʃuːz/

plural of “issue” — an important question that is in dispute and must be settled

From this reading At times she referred to various issues of The Guardian ranged on a flag-bedecked table.

knittingnounUS /ˈnɪtɪŋ/

needlework created by interlacing yarn in a series of connected loops using straight eyeless needles or by machine

lady-droner

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

leanverbUS /liːn/

to incline or bend from a vertical position

listverbUS /lɪst/

give or make a list of; name individually; give the names of

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

needlesnounUS /ˈniːdəlz/

plural of “needle” — the leaf of a conifer

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading At times she referred to various issues of The Guardian ranged on a flag-bedecked table.

OnepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

pairsnounUS /perz/

plural of “pair” — a set of two similar things considered as a unit

platformnounUS /ˈplætfɔːrm/

a raised horizontal surface

rangedverbUS /reɪndʒd/

past form of “range” — change or be different within limits

From this reading At times she referred to various issues of The Guardian ranged on a flag-bedecked table.

readverbUS /red/

interpret something that is written or printed

referredverbUS /rəˈfɜːrd/

inflected form of “refer” — make reference to

From this reading At times she referred to various issues of The Guardian ranged on a flag-bedecked table.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading At times she referred to various issues of The Guardian ranged on a flag-bedecked table.

stoodverbUS /stʊd/

Maintained an upright posture.

subduedadjectiveUS /səbˈduːd/

in a softened tone

tablenounUS /ˈteɪbəl/

a set of data arranged in rows and columns

From this reading At times she referred to various issues of The Guardian ranged on a flag-bedecked table.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

timesnounUS /taɪmz/

a more or less definite period of time now or previously present

From this reading At times she referred to various issues of The Guardian ranged on a flag-bedecked table.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

typedverbUS /taɪpt/

past form of “type” — write by means of a keyboard with types

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

variousadjectiveUS /ˈveriəs/

of many different kinds purposefully arranged but lacking any uniformity

From this reading At times she referred to various issues of The Guardian ranged on a flag-bedecked table.

voicenounUS /vɔɪs/

the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

Chapter 38 of Common Cause: A Novel of the War in America by Samuel Hopkins Adams holds 234 sentences, grouped into 47 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.

What does chapter 38 of Common Cause: A Novel of the War in America contain?

Chapter 38 holds 234 sentences of Common Cause: A Novel of the War in America, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 38 of Common Cause: A Novel of the War in America by Samuel Hopkins Adams exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 234 sentences, grouped into 47 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.

How do I study chapter 38 of Common Cause: A Novel of the War in America?

Work through the 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 47 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.

Can chapter 38 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 38 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.

Questions about reading Common Cause: A Novel of the War in America

Common questions about reading Common Cause: A Novel of the War in America by Samuel Hopkins Adams on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Common Cause: A Novel of the War in America?

Yes. All 10323 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55400 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Common Cause: A Novel of the War in America is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #55400, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Common Cause: A Novel of the War in America take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 2065 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in Common Cause: A Novel of the War in America

Words and structures a reader meets early in Common Cause: A Novel of the War in America, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Novel: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Common Cause: A Novel of the War in America; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
America: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Common Cause: A Novel of the War in America; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Illustrations: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Common Cause: A Novel of the War in America; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Arthur: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Common Cause: A Novel of the War in America; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter XXXVIII

What does chapter 38 of Common Cause: A Novel of the War in America contain?

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Questions about reading Common Cause: A Novel of the War in America

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Vocabulary met early in Common Cause: A Novel of the War in America