Chapter 21 of Death, the Knight, and the Lady is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of Death, the Knight, and the Lady is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE RUBY WINE Oh, the dismal dawn that woke me, it came through the window that I had left wide open. I sat up in bed. I was still dressed. My spurs had torn the coverlet, the trumpet and its blood-red silken cord lay upon the floor. The wind blew in, shaking the curtains mournfully.
Chapter 21 of Death, the Knight, and the Lady is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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 line made of twisted fibers or threads
From this reading “My spurs had torn the coverlet, the trumpet and its blood-red silken cord lay upon the floor.”
plural of “curtain” — hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading “The wind blew in, shaking the curtains mournfully.”
causing dejection
From this reading “THE RUBY WINE Oh, the dismal dawn that woke me, it came through the window that I had left wide open.”
a transparent piece of ruby that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem
From this reading “THE RUBY WINE Oh, the dismal dawn that woke me, it came through the window that I had left wide open.”
having a smooth, gleaming surface reflecting light
From this reading “My spurs had torn the coverlet, the trumpet and its blood-red silken cord lay upon the floor.”
plural of “spur” — a verbalization that encourages you to attempt something
From this reading “My spurs had torn the coverlet, the trumpet and its blood-red silken cord lay upon the floor.”
proclaim on, or as if on, a trumpet
From this reading “My spurs had torn the coverlet, the trumpet and its blood-red silken cord lay upon the floor.”
inflected form of “wake” — be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading “THE RUBY WINE Oh, the dismal dawn that woke me, it came through the window that I had left wide open.”
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 “My spurs had torn the coverlet, the trumpet and its blood-red silken cord lay upon the floor.”
In this reading “THE RUBY WINE Oh, the dismal dawn that woke me, it came through the window that I had left wide open.”
In this reading “My spurs had torn the coverlet, the trumpet and its blood-red silken cord lay upon the floor.”
In this reading “My spurs had torn the coverlet, the trumpet and its blood-red silken cord lay upon the floor.”
In this reading “I sat up in bed.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading My spurs had torn the coverlet, the trumpet and its blood-red silken cord lay upon the floor.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading I sat up in bed.
inflected form of “blow” — exhale hard
From this reading The wind blew in, shaking the curtains mournfully.
of a color at the end of the color spectrum (next to orange); resembling the color of blood or cherries or tomatoes or rubies
From this reading My spurs had torn the coverlet, the trumpet and its blood-red silken cord lay upon the floor.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading THE RUBY WINE Oh, the dismal dawn that woke me, it came through the window that I had left wide open.
a line made of twisted fibers or threads
From this reading My spurs had torn the coverlet, the trumpet and its blood-red silken cord lay upon the floor.
a decorative bedspread (usually quilted)
From this reading My spurs had torn the coverlet, the trumpet and its blood-red silken cord lay upon the floor.
plural of “curtain” — hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading The wind blew in, shaking the curtains mournfully.
the first light of day
From this reading THE RUBY WINE Oh, the dismal dawn that woke me, it came through the window that I had left wide open.
causing dejection
From this reading THE RUBY WINE Oh, the dismal dawn that woke me, it came through the window that I had left wide open.
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading I was still dressed.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading My spurs had torn the coverlet, the trumpet and its blood-red silken cord lay upon the floor.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading THE RUBY WINE Oh, the dismal dawn that woke me, it came through the window that I had left wide open.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading THE RUBY WINE Oh, the dismal dawn that woke me, it came through the window that I had left wide open.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I sat up in bed.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading THE RUBY WINE Oh, the dismal dawn that woke me, it came through the window that I had left wide open.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading My spurs had torn the coverlet, the trumpet and its blood-red silken cord lay upon the floor.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading My spurs had torn the coverlet, the trumpet and its blood-red silken cord lay upon the floor.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading THE RUBY WINE Oh, the dismal dawn that woke me, it came through the window that I had left wide open.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading THE RUBY WINE Oh, the dismal dawn that woke me, it came through the window that I had left wide open.
in a mournful manner
From this reading The wind blew in, shaking the curtains mournfully.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My spurs had torn the coverlet, the trumpet and its blood-red silken cord lay upon the floor.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading THE RUBY WINE Oh, the dismal dawn that woke me, it came through the window that I had left wide open.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading THE RUBY WINE Oh, the dismal dawn that woke me, it came through the window that I had left wide open.
a transparent piece of ruby that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem
From this reading THE RUBY WINE Oh, the dismal dawn that woke me, it came through the window that I had left wide open.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading I sat up in bed.
the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements
From this reading The wind blew in, shaking the curtains mournfully.
having a smooth, gleaming surface reflecting light
From this reading My spurs had torn the coverlet, the trumpet and its blood-red silken cord lay upon the floor.
plural of “spur” — a verbalization that encourages you to attempt something
From this reading My spurs had torn the coverlet, the trumpet and its blood-red silken cord lay upon the floor.
not in physical motion
From this reading I was still dressed.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading THE RUBY WINE Oh, the dismal dawn that woke me, it came through the window that I had left wide open.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE RUBY WINE Oh, the dismal dawn that woke me, it came through the window that I had left wide open.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading THE RUBY WINE Oh, the dismal dawn that woke me, it came through the window that I had left wide open.
having edges that are jagged from injury
From this reading My spurs had torn the coverlet, the trumpet and its blood-red silken cord lay upon the floor.
proclaim on, or as if on, a trumpet
From this reading My spurs had torn the coverlet, the trumpet and its blood-red silken cord lay upon the floor.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I sat up in bed.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading My spurs had torn the coverlet, the trumpet and its blood-red silken cord lay upon the floor.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was still dressed.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading THE RUBY WINE Oh, the dismal dawn that woke me, it came through the window that I had left wide open.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading The wind blew in, shaking the curtains mournfully.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading THE RUBY WINE Oh, the dismal dawn that woke me, it came through the window that I had left wide open.
fermented juice (of grapes especially)
From this reading THE RUBY WINE Oh, the dismal dawn that woke me, it came through the window that I had left wide open.
inflected form of “wake” — be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading THE RUBY WINE Oh, the dismal dawn that woke me, it came through the window that I had left wide open.
Chapter 21 of Death, the Knight, and the Lady by H. De Vere (Henry De Vere) Stacpoole holds 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 holds 103 sentences of Death, the Knight, and the Lady, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of Death, the Knight, and the Lady by H. De Vere (Henry De Vere) Stacpoole exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 21 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 Death, the Knight, and the Lady by H. De Vere (Henry De Vere) Stacpoole on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1494 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55708 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #55708, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 124 minutes of reading across 299 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Death, the Knight, and the Lady section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of Death, the Knight, and the Lady 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 Death, the Knight, and the Lady, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
