Chapter 14 of Complete Poetical Works is here in full — 157 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of Complete Poetical Works is here in full — 157 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Ah, if you did at such times, you might lead him Home by a thread. Good! Again you are smiling: You have no faith in such shrift, and but little In priest or penitent. Bueno! We take no offense, sir; whatever It please you to say, it becomes us, for Church sake, To bear in peace.
Chapter 14 of Complete Poetical Works is here in full — 157 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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.
third-person singular of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading “We take no offense, sir; whatever It please you to say, it becomes us, for Church sake, To bear in peace.”
take somebody somewhere
From this reading “Ah, if you did at such times, you might lead him Home by a thread.”
a lack of politeness; a failure to show regard for others; wounding the feelings or others
From this reading “We take no offense, sir; whatever It please you to say, it becomes us, for Church sake, To bear in peace.”
(Roman Catholic Church) a person who repents for wrongdoing (a Roman Catholic may be admitted to penance under the direction of a confessor)
From this reading “Again you are smiling: You have no faith in such shrift, and but little In priest or penitent.”
a clergyman in Christian churches who has the authority to perform or administer various religious rites; one of the Holy Orders
From this reading “Again you are smiling: You have no faith in such shrift, and but little In priest or penitent.”
the act of being shriven
From this reading “Again you are smiling: You have no faith in such shrift, and but little In priest or penitent.”
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading “Again you are smiling: You have no faith in such shrift, and but little In priest or penitent.”
to move or cause to move in a sinuous, spiral, or circular course
From this reading “Ah, if you did at such times, you might lead him Home by a thread.”
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 Ah, if you did at such times, you might lead him Home by a thread.
anew
From this reading Again you are smiling: You have no faith in such shrift, and but little In priest or penitent.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ah, if you did at such times, you might lead him Home by a thread.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Again you are smiling: You have no faith in such shrift, and but little In priest or penitent.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Again you are smiling: You have no faith in such shrift, and but little In priest or penitent.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Ah, if you did at such times, you might lead him Home by a thread.
have
From this reading We take no offense, sir; whatever It please you to say, it becomes us, for Church sake, To bear in peace.
third-person singular of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading We take no offense, sir; whatever It please you to say, it becomes us, for Church sake, To bear in peace.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Bueno!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Again you are smiling: You have no faith in such shrift, and but little In priest or penitent.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Ah, if you did at such times, you might lead him Home by a thread.
one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship
From this reading We take no offense, sir; whatever It please you to say, it becomes us, for Church sake, To bear in peace.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Ah, if you did at such times, you might lead him Home by a thread.
a strong belief in a supernatural power or powers that control human destiny
From this reading Again you are smiling: You have no faith in such shrift, and but little In priest or penitent.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading We take no offense, sir; whatever It please you to say, it becomes us, for Church sake, To bear in peace.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Good!
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Again you are smiling: You have no faith in such shrift, and but little In priest or penitent.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Ah, if you did at such times, you might lead him Home by a thread.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Ah, if you did at such times, you might lead him Home by a thread.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Ah, if you did at such times, you might lead him Home by a thread.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Again you are smiling: You have no faith in such shrift, and but little In priest or penitent.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading We take no offense, sir; whatever It please you to say, it becomes us, for Church sake, To bear in peace.
take somebody somewhere
From this reading Ah, if you did at such times, you might lead him Home by a thread.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Again you are smiling: You have no faith in such shrift, and but little In priest or penitent.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading Ah, if you did at such times, you might lead him Home by a thread.
not any; not one
From this reading Again you are smiling: You have no faith in such shrift, and but little In priest or penitent.
a lack of politeness; a failure to show regard for others; wounding the feelings or others
From this reading We take no offense, sir; whatever It please you to say, it becomes us, for Church sake, To bear in peace.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Again you are smiling: You have no faith in such shrift, and but little In priest or penitent.
the state prevailing during the absence of war
From this reading We take no offense, sir; whatever It please you to say, it becomes us, for Church sake, To bear in peace.
(Roman Catholic Church) a person who repents for wrongdoing (a Roman Catholic may be admitted to penance under the direction of a confessor)
From this reading Again you are smiling: You have no faith in such shrift, and but little In priest or penitent.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading We take no offense, sir; whatever It please you to say, it becomes us, for Church sake, To bear in peace.
a clergyman in Christian churches who has the authority to perform or administer various religious rites; one of the Holy Orders
From this reading Again you are smiling: You have no faith in such shrift, and but little In priest or penitent.
a reason for wanting something done
From this reading We take no offense, sir; whatever It please you to say, it becomes us, for Church sake, To bear in peace.
express in words
From this reading We take no offense, sir; whatever It please you to say, it becomes us, for Church sake, To bear in peace.
the act of being shriven
From this reading Again you are smiling: You have no faith in such shrift, and but little In priest or penitent.
term of address for a man
From this reading We take no offense, sir; whatever It please you to say, it becomes us, for Church sake, To bear in peace.
a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading Again you are smiling: You have no faith in such shrift, and but little In priest or penitent.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Ah, if you did at such times, you might lead him Home by a thread.
carry out
From this reading We take no offense, sir; whatever It please you to say, it becomes us, for Church sake, To bear in peace.
to move or cause to move in a sinuous, spiral, or circular course
From this reading Ah, if you did at such times, you might lead him Home by a thread.
a more or less definite period of time now or previously present
From this reading Ah, if you did at such times, you might lead him Home by a thread.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading We take no offense, sir; whatever It please you to say, it becomes us, for Church sake, To bear in peace.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading We take no offense, sir; whatever It please you to say, it becomes us, for Church sake, To bear in peace.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We take no offense, sir; whatever It please you to say, it becomes us, for Church sake, To bear in peace.
any or all of a kind, it does not matter which
From this reading We take no offense, sir; whatever It please you to say, it becomes us, for Church sake, To bear in peace.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Ah, if you did at such times, you might lead him Home by a thread.
Chapter 14 of Complete Poetical Works by Bret Harte holds 157 sentences, grouped into 32 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 14 holds 157 sentences of Complete Poetical Works, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of Complete Poetical Works by Bret Harte exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 157 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 14 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 Complete Poetical Works by Bret Harte on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3299 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2507 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2507, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 274 minutes of reading across 660 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Complete Poetical Works section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of Complete Poetical Works 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 Complete Poetical Works, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
