Chapter 14 of Condensed Novels is here in full — 42 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of Condensed Novels is here in full — 42 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Edgardo galloped rapidly towards Sloperton. When the outline of the Grange had faded away in the darkness, he reined his magnificent steed beside the ruins of Guy's Keep. "It wants but a few minutes of the hour," he said, consulting his watch by the light of the moon. "He dare not break his word. He will come."
Chapter 14 of Condensed Novels is here in full — 42 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/8 · 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.
-ing form of “consult” — get or ask advice from
From this reading “"It wants but a few minutes of the hour," he said, consulting his watch by the light of the moon.”
past form of “gallop” — ride at a galloping pace
From this reading “Edgardo galloped rapidly towards Sloperton.”
an outlying farm
From this reading “When the outline of the Grange had faded away in the darkness, he reined his magnificent steed beside the ruins of Guy's Keep.”
possessive form of “guy” — an informal term for a youth or man
From this reading “When the outline of the Grange had faded away in the darkness, he reined his magnificent steed beside the ruins of Guy's Keep.”
the line that appears to bound an object
From this reading “When the outline of the Grange had faded away in the darkness, he reined his magnificent steed beside the ruins of Guy's Keep.”
past form of “rein” — control and direct with or as if by reins
From this reading “When the outline of the Grange had faded away in the darkness, he reined his magnificent steed beside the ruins of Guy's Keep.”
plural of “ruin” — an irrecoverable state of devastation and destruction
From this reading “When the outline of the Grange had faded away in the darkness, he reined his magnificent steed beside the ruins of Guy's Keep.”
(literary) a spirited horse for state of war
From this reading “When the outline of the Grange had faded away in the darkness, he reined his magnificent steed beside the ruins of Guy's Keep.”
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 "It wants but a few minutes of the hour," he said, consulting his watch by the light of the moon.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading When the outline of the Grange had faded away in the darkness, he reined his magnificent steed beside the ruins of Guy's Keep.
next to; at the side of
From this reading When the outline of the Grange had faded away in the darkness, he reined his magnificent steed beside the ruins of Guy's Keep.
terminate
From this reading "He dare not break his word.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "It wants but a few minutes of the hour," he said, consulting his watch by the light of the moon.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "It wants but a few minutes of the hour," he said, consulting his watch by the light of the moon.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading He will come."
-ing form of “consult” — get or ask advice from
From this reading "It wants but a few minutes of the hour," he said, consulting his watch by the light of the moon.
take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading "He dare not break his word.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading When the outline of the Grange had faded away in the darkness, he reined his magnificent steed beside the ruins of Guy's Keep.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Edgardo galloped rapidly towards Sloperton.
having lost freshness or brilliance of color
From this reading When the outline of the Grange had faded away in the darkness, he reined his magnificent steed beside the ruins of Guy's Keep.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading "It wants but a few minutes of the hour," he said, consulting his watch by the light of the moon.
past form of “gallop” — ride at a galloping pace
From this reading Edgardo galloped rapidly towards Sloperton.
an outlying farm
From this reading When the outline of the Grange had faded away in the darkness, he reined his magnificent steed beside the ruins of Guy's Keep.
possessive form of “guy” — an informal term for a youth or man
From this reading When the outline of the Grange had faded away in the darkness, he reined his magnificent steed beside the ruins of Guy's Keep.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading When the outline of the Grange had faded away in the darkness, he reined his magnificent steed beside the ruins of Guy's Keep.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When the outline of the Grange had faded away in the darkness, he reined his magnificent steed beside the ruins of Guy's Keep.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading When the outline of the Grange had faded away in the darkness, he reined his magnificent steed beside the ruins of Guy's Keep.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading "It wants but a few minutes of the hour," he said, consulting his watch by the light of the moon.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading When the outline of the Grange had faded away in the darkness, he reined his magnificent steed beside the ruins of Guy's Keep.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It wants but a few minutes of the hour," he said, consulting his watch by the light of the moon.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading When the outline of the Grange had faded away in the darkness, he reined his magnificent steed beside the ruins of Guy's Keep.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading "It wants but a few minutes of the hour," he said, consulting his watch by the light of the moon.
characterized by grandeur
From this reading When the outline of the Grange had faded away in the darkness, he reined his magnificent steed beside the ruins of Guy's Keep.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading "It wants but a few minutes of the hour," he said, consulting his watch by the light of the moon.
the natural satellite of the Earth
From this reading "It wants but a few minutes of the hour," he said, consulting his watch by the light of the moon.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "He dare not break his word.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When the outline of the Grange had faded away in the darkness, he reined his magnificent steed beside the ruins of Guy's Keep.
the line that appears to bound an object
From this reading When the outline of the Grange had faded away in the darkness, he reined his magnificent steed beside the ruins of Guy's Keep.
with speed
From this reading Edgardo galloped rapidly towards Sloperton.
past form of “rein” — control and direct with or as if by reins
From this reading When the outline of the Grange had faded away in the darkness, he reined his magnificent steed beside the ruins of Guy's Keep.
plural of “ruin” — an irrecoverable state of devastation and destruction
From this reading When the outline of the Grange had faded away in the darkness, he reined his magnificent steed beside the ruins of Guy's Keep.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "It wants but a few minutes of the hour," he said, consulting his watch by the light of the moon.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Edgardo galloped rapidly towards Sloperton.
(literary) a spirited horse for state of war
From this reading When the outline of the Grange had faded away in the darkness, he reined his magnificent steed beside the ruins of Guy's Keep.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When the outline of the Grange had faded away in the darkness, he reined his magnificent steed beside the ruins of Guy's Keep.
in the direction of
From this reading Edgardo galloped rapidly towards Sloperton.
plural of “want” — a state of extreme poverty
From this reading "It wants but a few minutes of the hour," he said, consulting his watch by the light of the moon.
look attentively
From this reading "It wants but a few minutes of the hour," he said, consulting his watch by the light of the moon.
at the time that
From this reading When the outline of the Grange had faded away in the darkness, he reined his magnificent steed beside the ruins of Guy's Keep.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading He will come."
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading "He dare not break his word.
Chapter 14 of Condensed Novels by Bret Harte holds 42 sentences, grouped into 9 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 42 sentences of Condensed Novels, unabridged, divided into 9 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of Condensed Novels by Bret Harte exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 42 sentences, grouped into 9 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 9 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 9 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 Condensed Novels by Bret Harte on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1918 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2277 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2277, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 159 minutes of reading across 384 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Condensed Novels section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 35 chapters of Condensed Novels 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 Condensed Novels, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
