Chapter 42 of Condensed Novels is here in full — 22 sentences across 5 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XLII
Chapter 42 of Condensed Novels is here in full — 22 sentences across 5 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE DWELLER OF THE THRESHOLD. "ADON AI, appear! appear!" And as the Seer spoke, the awful Presence glided out of Nothingness, and sat, sphinx-like, at the feet of the Alchemist. "I am come!" said the Thing. "You should say, 'I have come,'--it's better grammar," said the Boy-Neophyte, thoughtfully accenting the substituted expression.
Chapter 42 of Condensed Novels is here in full — 22 sentences across 5 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/4 · 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.
the act of giving special importance or significance to something
From this reading “"You should say, 'I have come,'--it's better grammar," said the Boy-Neophyte, thoughtfully accenting the substituted expression.”
one who was versed in the practice of alchemy and who sought an elixir of life and a panacea and an alkahest and the philosopher's stone
From this reading “And as the Seer spoke, the awful Presence glided out of Nothingness, and sat, sphinx-like, at the feet of the Alchemist.”
a person who inhabits a particular place
From this reading “THE DWELLER OF THE THRESHOLD.”
past form of “glide” — move smoothly and effortlessly
From this reading “And as the Seer spoke, the awful Presence glided out of Nothingness, and sat, sphinx-like, at the feet of the Alchemist.”
the branch of linguistics that deals with syntax and morphology (and sometimes also deals with semantics)
From this reading “"You should say, 'I have come,'--it's better grammar," said the Boy-Neophyte, thoughtfully accenting the substituted expression.”
the state of nonexistence
From this reading “And as the Seer spoke, the awful Presence glided out of Nothingness, and sat, sphinx-like, at the feet of the Alchemist.”
a person with unusual powers of foresight
From this reading “And as the Seer spoke, the awful Presence glided out of Nothingness, and sat, sphinx-like, at the feet of the Alchemist.”
past form of “substitute” — put in the place of another; switch seemingly equivalent items
From this reading “"You should say, 'I have come,'--it's better grammar," said the Boy-Neophyte, thoughtfully accenting the substituted expression.”
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.
the act of giving special importance or significance to something
From this reading "You should say, 'I have come,'--it's better grammar," said the Boy-Neophyte, thoughtfully accenting the substituted expression.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "ADON AI, appear! appear!"
an agency of the United States Army responsible for providing timely and relevant and accurate and synchronized intelligence to tactical and operational and strategic level commanders
From this reading "ADON AI, appear! appear!"
one who was versed in the practice of alchemy and who sought an elixir of life and a panacea and an alkahest and the philosopher's stone
From this reading And as the Seer spoke, the awful Presence glided out of Nothingness, and sat, sphinx-like, at the feet of the Alchemist.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "I am come!" said the Thing.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And as the Seer spoke, the awful Presence glided out of Nothingness, and sat, sphinx-like, at the feet of the Alchemist.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading "ADON AI, appear! appear!"
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading And as the Seer spoke, the awful Presence glided out of Nothingness, and sat, sphinx-like, at the feet of the Alchemist.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading And as the Seer spoke, the awful Presence glided out of Nothingness, and sat, sphinx-like, at the feet of the Alchemist.
exceptionally bad or displeasing
From this reading And as the Seer spoke, the awful Presence glided out of Nothingness, and sat, sphinx-like, at the feet of the Alchemist.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "You should say, 'I have come,'--it's better grammar," said the Boy-Neophyte, thoughtfully accenting the substituted expression.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You should say, 'I have come,'--it's better grammar," said the Boy-Neophyte, thoughtfully accenting the substituted expression.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "I am come!" said the Thing.
a person who inhabits a particular place
From this reading THE DWELLER OF THE THRESHOLD.
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading "You should say, 'I have come,'--it's better grammar," said the Boy-Neophyte, thoughtfully accenting the substituted expression.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading And as the Seer spoke, the awful Presence glided out of Nothingness, and sat, sphinx-like, at the feet of the Alchemist.
past form of “glide” — move smoothly and effortlessly
From this reading And as the Seer spoke, the awful Presence glided out of Nothingness, and sat, sphinx-like, at the feet of the Alchemist.
the branch of linguistics that deals with syntax and morphology (and sometimes also deals with semantics)
From this reading "You should say, 'I have come,'--it's better grammar," said the Boy-Neophyte, thoughtfully accenting the substituted expression.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "You should say, 'I have come,'--it's better grammar," said the Boy-Neophyte, thoughtfully accenting the substituted expression.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I am come!" said the Thing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You should say, 'I have come,'--it's better grammar," said the Boy-Neophyte, thoughtfully accenting the substituted expression.
the state of nonexistence
From this reading And as the Seer spoke, the awful Presence glided out of Nothingness, and sat, sphinx-like, at the feet of the Alchemist.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE DWELLER OF THE THRESHOLD.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading And as the Seer spoke, the awful Presence glided out of Nothingness, and sat, sphinx-like, at the feet of the Alchemist.
the state of being present; current existence
From this reading And as the Seer spoke, the awful Presence glided out of Nothingness, and sat, sphinx-like, at the feet of the Alchemist.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I am come!" said the Thing.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading And as the Seer spoke, the awful Presence glided out of Nothingness, and sat, sphinx-like, at the feet of the Alchemist.
express in words
From this reading "You should say, 'I have come,'--it's better grammar," said the Boy-Neophyte, thoughtfully accenting the substituted expression.
a person with unusual powers of foresight
From this reading And as the Seer spoke, the awful Presence glided out of Nothingness, and sat, sphinx-like, at the feet of the Alchemist.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "You should say, 'I have come,'--it's better grammar," said the Boy-Neophyte, thoughtfully accenting the substituted expression.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And as the Seer spoke, the awful Presence glided out of Nothingness, and sat, sphinx-like, at the feet of the Alchemist.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading And as the Seer spoke, the awful Presence glided out of Nothingness, and sat, sphinx-like, at the feet of the Alchemist.
past form of “substitute” — put in the place of another; switch seemingly equivalent items
From this reading "You should say, 'I have come,'--it's better grammar," said the Boy-Neophyte, thoughtfully accenting the substituted expression.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE DWELLER OF THE THRESHOLD.
a special situation
From this reading "I am come!" said the Thing.
in a thoughtful manner
From this reading "You should say, 'I have come,'--it's better grammar," said the Boy-Neophyte, thoughtfully accenting the substituted expression.
the starting point for a new state or experience
From this reading THE DWELLER OF THE THRESHOLD.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You should say, 'I have come,'--it's better grammar," said the Boy-Neophyte, thoughtfully accenting the substituted expression.
Chapter 42 of Condensed Novels by Bret Harte holds 22 sentences, grouped into 5 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 42 holds 22 sentences of Condensed Novels, unabridged, divided into 5 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 42 of Condensed Novels by Bret Harte exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 22 sentences, grouped into 5 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 5 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 5 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 42 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.
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Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 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 0 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.
