Chapter 14 of Dad is here in full — 138 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of Dad is here in full — 138 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DAD THE PALADIN The ground-shell of the driveway below resounded thickly to the thudding of hard-ridden horses. Then, with a multifold shuffle, the hoofs came to a standstill. There were heavy steps on the porch. A hammering broke out, as of gunbutt or sword hilt against the front door panels. And a voice shouted “Let us in!”
Chapter 14 of Dad is here in full — 138 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
a road leading up to a private house
From this reading “DAD THE PALADIN The ground-shell of the driveway below resounded thickly to the thudding of hard-ridden horses.”
the act of pounding (delivering repeated heavy blows)
From this reading “A hammering broke out, as of gunbutt or sword hilt against the front door panels.”
the handle of a sword or dagger
From this reading “A hammering broke out, as of gunbutt or sword hilt against the front door panels.”
someone who fights for a cause
From this reading “DAD THE PALADIN The ground-shell of the driveway below resounded thickly to the thudding of hard-ridden horses.”
plural of “panel” — sheet that forms a distinct (usually flat and rectangular) section or component of something
From this reading “A hammering broke out, as of gunbutt or sword hilt against the front door panels.”
walk by dragging one's feet
From this reading “Then, with a multifold shuffle, the hoofs came to a standstill.”
a situation in which no progress can be made or no advancement is possible
From this reading “Then, with a multifold shuffle, the hoofs came to a standstill.”
spoken with poor articulation as if with a thick tongue
From this reading “DAD THE PALADIN The ground-shell of the driveway below resounded thickly to the thudding of hard-ridden horses.”
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.
In this reading “A hammering broke out, as of gunbutt or sword hilt against the front door panels.”
exterior door (at the entrance) at the front of a building
In this reading “A hammering broke out, as of gunbutt or sword hilt against the front door panels.”
In this reading “There were heavy steps on the porch.”
In this reading “There were heavy steps on the porch.”
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 Then, with a multifold shuffle, the hoofs came to a standstill.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading A hammering broke out, as of gunbutt or sword hilt against the front door panels.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And a voice shouted “Let us in!”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading A hammering broke out, as of gunbutt or sword hilt against the front door panels.
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading DAD THE PALADIN The ground-shell of the driveway below resounded thickly to the thudding of hard-ridden horses.
lacking funds
From this reading A hammering broke out, as of gunbutt or sword hilt against the front door panels.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Then, with a multifold shuffle, the hoofs came to a standstill.
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading DAD THE PALADIN The ground-shell of the driveway below resounded thickly to the thudding of hard-ridden horses.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading A hammering broke out, as of gunbutt or sword hilt against the front door panels.
a road leading up to a private house
From this reading DAD THE PALADIN The ground-shell of the driveway below resounded thickly to the thudding of hard-ridden horses.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading A hammering broke out, as of gunbutt or sword hilt against the front door panels.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DAD THE PALADIN The ground-shell of the driveway below resounded thickly to the thudding of hard-ridden horses.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A hammering broke out, as of gunbutt or sword hilt against the front door panels.
the act of pounding (delivering repeated heavy blows)
From this reading A hammering broke out, as of gunbutt or sword hilt against the front door panels.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DAD THE PALADIN The ground-shell of the driveway below resounded thickly to the thudding of hard-ridden horses.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading There were heavy steps on the porch.
the handle of a sword or dagger
From this reading A hammering broke out, as of gunbutt or sword hilt against the front door panels.
plural of “hoof” — the foot of an ungulate mammal
From this reading Then, with a multifold shuffle, the hoofs came to a standstill.
plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading DAD THE PALADIN The ground-shell of the driveway below resounded thickly to the thudding of hard-ridden horses.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading And a voice shouted “Let us in!”
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading And a voice shouted “Let us in!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then, with a multifold shuffle, the hoofs came to a standstill.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading DAD THE PALADIN The ground-shell of the driveway below resounded thickly to the thudding of hard-ridden horses.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading There were heavy steps on the porch.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading A hammering broke out, as of gunbutt or sword hilt against the front door panels.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading A hammering broke out, as of gunbutt or sword hilt against the front door panels.
someone who fights for a cause
From this reading DAD THE PALADIN The ground-shell of the driveway below resounded thickly to the thudding of hard-ridden horses.
plural of “panel” — sheet that forms a distinct (usually flat and rectangular) section or component of something
From this reading A hammering broke out, as of gunbutt or sword hilt against the front door panels.
a structure attached to the exterior of a building often forming a covered entrance
From this reading There were heavy steps on the porch.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DAD THE PALADIN The ground-shell of the driveway below resounded thickly to the thudding of hard-ridden horses.
in a vehement outcry
From this reading And a voice shouted “Let us in!”
walk by dragging one's feet
From this reading Then, with a multifold shuffle, the hoofs came to a standstill.
a situation in which no progress can be made or no advancement is possible
From this reading Then, with a multifold shuffle, the hoofs came to a standstill.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading There were heavy steps on the porch.
a cutting or thrusting weapon that has a long metal blade and a hilt with a hand guard
From this reading A hammering broke out, as of gunbutt or sword hilt against the front door panels.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading DAD THE PALADIN The ground-shell of the driveway below resounded thickly to the thudding of hard-ridden horses.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then, with a multifold shuffle, the hoofs came to a standstill.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were heavy steps on the porch.
spoken with poor articulation as if with a thick tongue
From this reading DAD THE PALADIN The ground-shell of the driveway below resounded thickly to the thudding of hard-ridden horses.
not clear and resonant; sounding as if striking with or against something relatively soft
From this reading DAD THE PALADIN The ground-shell of the driveway below resounded thickly to the thudding of hard-ridden horses.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading DAD THE PALADIN The ground-shell of the driveway below resounded thickly to the thudding of hard-ridden horses.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading And a voice shouted “Let us in!”
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading And a voice shouted “Let us in!”
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There were heavy steps on the porch.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Then, with a multifold shuffle, the hoofs came to a standstill.
Chapter 14 of Dad by Albert Payson Terhune holds 138 sentences, grouped into 28 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 138 sentences of Dad, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of Dad by Albert Payson Terhune exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 138 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 Dad by Albert Payson Terhune on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4988 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #65641 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #65641, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 415 minutes of reading across 998 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Dad section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of Dad 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 Dad, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
