Chapter 14 of Dorrien of Cranston is here in full — 395 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of Dorrien of Cranston is here in full — 395 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"No. But I think we should have broken the ice, anyhow, Mrs Dorrien," he answered with a laugh. "Break the ice? No you don't," cried the irrepressible Eustace. "At least not till this evening, when we flood it. And now, look sharp and finish the oats, good people, for we've come to pick you up, and Spelder Fields is over two miles off."
Chapter 14 of Dorrien of Cranston is here in full — 395 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading “"No. But I think we should have broken the ice, anyhow, Mrs Dorrien," he answered with a laugh.”
United States comedian and film actor (1880-1946)
From this reading “And now, look sharp and finish the oats, good people, for we've come to pick you up, and Spelder Fields is over two miles off."”
come or bring to a finish or an end
From this reading “And now, look sharp and finish the oats, good people, for we've come to pick you up, and Spelder Fields is over two miles off."”
the rising of a body of water and its overflowing onto normally dry land
From this reading “"At least not till this evening, when we flood it.”
water frozen in the solid state
From this reading “"No. But I think we should have broken the ice, anyhow, Mrs Dorrien," he answered with a laugh.”
impossible to repress or control
From this reading “No you don't," cried the irrepressible Eustace.”
plural of “oat” — annual grass of Europe and North Africa; grains used as food and fodder (referred to primarily in the plural: “oats”)
From this reading “And now, look sharp and finish the oats, good people, for we've come to pick you up, and Spelder Fields is over two miles off."”
select carefully from a group
From this reading “And now, look sharp and finish the oats, good people, for we've come to pick you up, and Spelder Fields is over two miles off."”
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 “"Break the ice?”
In this reading “And now, look sharp and finish the oats, good people, for we've come to pick you up, and Spelder Fields is over two miles off."”
act or move at high speed
In this reading “And now, look sharp and finish the oats, good people, for we've come to pick you up, and Spelder Fields is over two miles off."”
In this reading “And now, look sharp and finish the oats, good people, for we've come to pick you up, and Spelder Fields is over two miles off."”
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 "No. But I think we should have broken the ice, anyhow, Mrs Dorrien," he answered with a laugh.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And now, look sharp and finish the oats, good people, for we've come to pick you up, and Spelder Fields is over two miles off."
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "No. But I think we should have broken the ice, anyhow, Mrs Dorrien," he answered with a laugh.
used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement
From this reading "No. But I think we should have broken the ice, anyhow, Mrs Dorrien," he answered with a laugh.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "At least not till this evening, when we flood it.
terminate
From this reading "Break the ice?
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading "No. But I think we should have broken the ice, anyhow, Mrs Dorrien," he answered with a laugh.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "No. But I think we should have broken the ice, anyhow, Mrs Dorrien," he answered with a laugh.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading And now, look sharp and finish the oats, good people, for we've come to pick you up, and Spelder Fields is over two miles off."
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading No you don't," cried the irrepressible Eustace.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No you don't," cried the irrepressible Eustace.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No. But I think we should have broken the ice, anyhow, Mrs Dorrien," he answered with a laugh.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No you don't," cried the irrepressible Eustace.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading "At least not till this evening, when we flood it.
United States comedian and film actor (1880-1946)
From this reading And now, look sharp and finish the oats, good people, for we've come to pick you up, and Spelder Fields is over two miles off."
come or bring to a finish or an end
From this reading And now, look sharp and finish the oats, good people, for we've come to pick you up, and Spelder Fields is over two miles off."
the rising of a body of water and its overflowing onto normally dry land
From this reading "At least not till this evening, when we flood it.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading And now, look sharp and finish the oats, good people, for we've come to pick you up, and Spelder Fields is over two miles off."
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading And now, look sharp and finish the oats, good people, for we've come to pick you up, and Spelder Fields is over two miles off."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "No. But I think we should have broken the ice, anyhow, Mrs Dorrien," he answered with a laugh.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "No. But I think we should have broken the ice, anyhow, Mrs Dorrien," he answered with a laugh.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "No. But I think we should have broken the ice, anyhow, Mrs Dorrien," he answered with a laugh.
water frozen in the solid state
From this reading "No. But I think we should have broken the ice, anyhow, Mrs Dorrien," he answered with a laugh.
impossible to repress or control
From this reading No you don't," cried the irrepressible Eustace.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And now, look sharp and finish the oats, good people, for we've come to pick you up, and Spelder Fields is over two miles off."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "At least not till this evening, when we flood it.
the sound of laughing
From this reading "No. But I think we should have broken the ice, anyhow, Mrs Dorrien," he answered with a laugh.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading "At least not till this evening, when we flood it.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading And now, look sharp and finish the oats, good people, for we've come to pick you up, and Spelder Fields is over two miles off."
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading And now, look sharp and finish the oats, good people, for we've come to pick you up, and Spelder Fields is over two miles off."
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "No. But I think we should have broken the ice, anyhow, Mrs Dorrien," he answered with a laugh.
not any; not one
From this reading "No. But I think we should have broken the ice, anyhow, Mrs Dorrien," he answered with a laugh.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "At least not till this evening, when we flood it.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading And now, look sharp and finish the oats, good people, for we've come to pick you up, and Spelder Fields is over two miles off."
plural of “oat” — annual grass of Europe and North Africa; grains used as food and fodder (referred to primarily in the plural: “oats”)
From this reading And now, look sharp and finish the oats, good people, for we've come to pick you up, and Spelder Fields is over two miles off."
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading And now, look sharp and finish the oats, good people, for we've come to pick you up, and Spelder Fields is over two miles off."
above and across; more than
From this reading And now, look sharp and finish the oats, good people, for we've come to pick you up, and Spelder Fields is over two miles off."
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading And now, look sharp and finish the oats, good people, for we've come to pick you up, and Spelder Fields is over two miles off."
select carefully from a group
From this reading And now, look sharp and finish the oats, good people, for we've come to pick you up, and Spelder Fields is over two miles off."
(of something seen or heard) clearly defined
From this reading And now, look sharp and finish the oats, good people, for we've come to pick you up, and Spelder Fields is over two miles off."
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "No. But I think we should have broken the ice, anyhow, Mrs Dorrien," he answered with a laugh.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And now, look sharp and finish the oats, good people, for we've come to pick you up, and Spelder Fields is over two miles off."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "No. But I think we should have broken the ice, anyhow, Mrs Dorrien," he answered with a laugh.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "No. But I think we should have broken the ice, anyhow, Mrs Dorrien," he answered with a laugh.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "At least not till this evening, when we flood it.
up to a particular time
From this reading "At least not till this evening, when we flood it.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And now, look sharp and finish the oats, good people, for we've come to pick you up, and Spelder Fields is over two miles off."
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading And now, look sharp and finish the oats, good people, for we've come to pick you up, and Spelder Fields is over two miles off."
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading And now, look sharp and finish the oats, good people, for we've come to pick you up, and Spelder Fields is over two miles off."
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "No. But I think we should have broken the ice, anyhow, Mrs Dorrien," he answered with a laugh.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And now, look sharp and finish the oats, good people, for we've come to pick you up, and Spelder Fields is over two miles off."
at the time that
From this reading "At least not till this evening, when we flood it.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "No. But I think we should have broken the ice, anyhow, Mrs Dorrien," he answered with a laugh.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading No you don't," cried the irrepressible Eustace.
Chapter 14 of Dorrien of Cranston by Bertram Mitford holds 395 sentences, grouped into 79 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 395 sentences of Dorrien of Cranston, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of Dorrien of Cranston by Bertram Mitford exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 395 sentences, grouped into 79 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 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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 Dorrien of Cranston by Bertram Mitford on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7189 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36623 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #36623, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 599 minutes of reading across 1438 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Dorrien of Cranston section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of Dorrien of Cranston 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 Dorrien of Cranston, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
