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Dorrien of Cranston
Dorrien of Cranston

Chapter XVII

Chapter 17 of Dorrien of Cranston is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/82 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"Well, sir, yes.
It warn't no business of mine."
"Well!" said Mr Windgate in a tone which said, "Alter that--anything."
"A very natural fear, my lord," explained Mr Benham.
"A poor man like the witness would naturally think a good many times before bringing a grave charge of this sort against a gentleman in the prisoner's position."
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Dorrien of Cranston

Chapter XVII

Chapter 17 of Dorrien of Cranston is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/82 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"Well, sir, yes.
/wel sɜːr jes/
Line 2
It warn't no business of mine."
Line 3
"Well!" said Mr Windgate in a tone which said, "Alter that--anything."
Line 4
"A very natural fear, my lord," explained Mr Benham.
Line 5
"A poor man like the witness would naturally think a good many times before bringing a grave charge of this sort against a gentleman in the prisoner's position."
/ə puːr mæn laɪk ðə ˈwɪtnəs wʊd ˈnætʃərəli θɪŋk ə ɡʊd ˈmeni taɪmz bɪˈfɔːr ˈbrɪŋɪŋ ə ɡreɪv tʃɑːrdʒ ʌv ðɪs sɔːrt əˈɡenst ə ˈdʒentəlmən ɪn ðə ˈprɪzənərz pəˈzɪʃən/

Learner Dictionary

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.

Alter verb US /ˈɔːltər/

cause to change; make different; cause a transformation

From this reading “"Well!" said Mr Windgate in a tone which said, "Alter that--anything."”

bringing noun US /ˈbrɪŋɪŋ/

the act of delivering or distributing something (as goods or mail)

From this reading “"A poor man like the witness would naturally think a good many times before bringing a grave charge of this sort against a gentleman in the prisoner's position."”

charge verb US /tʃɑːrdʒ/

to make a rush at or sudden attack upon, as in battle

From this reading “"A poor man like the witness would naturally think a good many times before bringing a grave charge of this sort against a gentleman in the prisoner's position."”

explained verb US /ɪkˈspleɪnd/

past form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible

From this reading “"A very natural fear, my lord," explained Mr Benham.”

grave noun US /ɡreɪv/

death of a person

From this reading “"A poor man like the witness would naturally think a good many times before bringing a grave charge of this sort against a gentleman in the prisoner's position."”

naturally adverb US /ˈnætʃərəli/

as might be expected

From this reading “"A poor man like the witness would naturally think a good many times before bringing a grave charge of this sort against a gentleman in the prisoner's position."”

prisoner's noun US /ˈprɪzənərz/

possessive form of “prisoner” — a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war

From this reading “"A poor man like the witness would naturally think a good many times before bringing a grave charge of this sort against a gentleman in the prisoner's position."”

witness noun US /ˈwɪtnəs/

someone who sees an event and reports what happened

From this reading “"A poor man like the witness would naturally think a good many times before bringing a grave charge of this sort against a gentleman in the prisoner's position."”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

many times adjective + noun

In this reading “"A poor man like the witness would naturally think a good many times before bringing a grave charge of this sort against a gentleman in the prisoner's position."”

poor man adjective + noun

In this reading “"A poor man like the witness would naturally think a good many times before bringing a grave charge of this sort against a gentleman in the prisoner's position."”

charge of verb + particle

In this reading “"A poor man like the witness would naturally think a good many times before bringing a grave charge of this sort against a gentleman in the prisoner's position."”

in a tone preposition + article + noun counted as “in … tone”

In this reading “"Well!" said Mr Windgate in a tone which said, "Alter that--anything."”

All words in this reading · 47

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading "Well!" said Mr Windgate in a tone which said, "Alter that--anything."

againstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading "A poor man like the witness would naturally think a good many times before bringing a grave charge of this sort against a gentleman in the prisoner's position."

AlterverbUS /ˈɔːltər/

cause to change; make different; cause a transformation

From this reading "Well!" said Mr Windgate in a tone which said, "Alter that--anything."

anythingpronounUS /ˈeniθɪŋ/

any thing at all

From this reading "Well!" said Mr Windgate in a tone which said, "Alter that--anything."

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading "A poor man like the witness would naturally think a good many times before bringing a grave charge of this sort against a gentleman in the prisoner's position."

Benham

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "A very natural fear, my lord," explained Mr Benham.

bringingnounUS /ˈbrɪŋɪŋ/

the act of delivering or distributing something (as goods or mail)

From this reading "A poor man like the witness would naturally think a good many times before bringing a grave charge of this sort against a gentleman in the prisoner's position."

businessnounUS /ˈbɪznəs/

a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it

From this reading It warn't no business of mine."

chargeverbUS /tʃɑːrdʒ/

to make a rush at or sudden attack upon, as in battle

From this reading "A poor man like the witness would naturally think a good many times before bringing a grave charge of this sort against a gentleman in the prisoner's position."

explainedverbUS /ɪkˈspleɪnd/

past form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible

From this reading "A very natural fear, my lord," explained Mr Benham.

fearverbUS /fɪr/

be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event

From this reading "A very natural fear, my lord," explained Mr Benham.

gentlemannounUS /ˈdʒentəlmən/

a man of refinement

From this reading "A poor man like the witness would naturally think a good many times before bringing a grave charge of this sort against a gentleman in the prisoner's position."

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading "A poor man like the witness would naturally think a good many times before bringing a grave charge of this sort against a gentleman in the prisoner's position."

gravenounUS /ɡreɪv/

death of a person

From this reading "A poor man like the witness would naturally think a good many times before bringing a grave charge of this sort against a gentleman in the prisoner's position."

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading "Well!" said Mr Windgate in a tone which said, "Alter that--anything."

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It warn't no business of mine."

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading "A poor man like the witness would naturally think a good many times before bringing a grave charge of this sort against a gentleman in the prisoner's position."

lordnounUS /lɔːrd/

terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God

From this reading "A very natural fear, my lord," explained Mr Benham.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading "A poor man like the witness would naturally think a good many times before bringing a grave charge of this sort against a gentleman in the prisoner's position."

manyadjectiveUS /ˈmeni/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number

From this reading "A poor man like the witness would naturally think a good many times before bringing a grave charge of this sort against a gentleman in the prisoner's position."

minepronounUS /maɪn/

the one or ones belonging to the person speaking

From this reading It warn't no business of mine."

MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading "Well!" said Mr Windgate in a tone which said, "Alter that--anything."

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading "A very natural fear, my lord," explained Mr Benham.

naturaladjectiveUS /ˈnætʃərəl/

in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature

From this reading "A very natural fear, my lord," explained Mr Benham.

naturallyadverbUS /ˈnætʃərəli/

as might be expected

From this reading "A poor man like the witness would naturally think a good many times before bringing a grave charge of this sort against a gentleman in the prisoner's position."

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading It warn't no business of mine."

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading It warn't no business of mine."

pooradjectiveUS /puːr/

deserving or inciting pity

From this reading "A poor man like the witness would naturally think a good many times before bringing a grave charge of this sort against a gentleman in the prisoner's position."

positionnounUS /pəˈzɪʃən/

the particular portion of space occupied by something

From this reading "A poor man like the witness would naturally think a good many times before bringing a grave charge of this sort against a gentleman in the prisoner's position."

prisoner'snounUS /ˈprɪzənərz/

possessive form of “prisoner” — a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war

From this reading "A poor man like the witness would naturally think a good many times before bringing a grave charge of this sort against a gentleman in the prisoner's position."

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "Well!" said Mr Windgate in a tone which said, "Alter that--anything."

sirnounUS /sɜːr/

term of address for a man

From this reading "Well, sir, yes.

sortnounUS /sɔːrt/

a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality

From this reading "A poor man like the witness would naturally think a good many times before bringing a grave charge of this sort against a gentleman in the prisoner's position."

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "Well!" said Mr Windgate in a tone which said, "Alter that--anything."

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading "A poor man like the witness would naturally think a good many times before bringing a grave charge of this sort against a gentleman in the prisoner's position."

thinkverbUS /θɪŋk/

judge or regard; look upon; judge

From this reading "A poor man like the witness would naturally think a good many times before bringing a grave charge of this sort against a gentleman in the prisoner's position."

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading "A poor man like the witness would naturally think a good many times before bringing a grave charge of this sort against a gentleman in the prisoner's position."

timesnounUS /taɪmz/

a more or less definite period of time now or previously present

From this reading "A poor man like the witness would naturally think a good many times before bringing a grave charge of this sort against a gentleman in the prisoner's position."

tonenounUS /toʊn/

the quality of a person's voice

From this reading "Well!" said Mr Windgate in a tone which said, "Alter that--anything."

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading "A very natural fear, my lord," explained Mr Benham.

warn't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It warn't no business of mine."

WelladverbUS /wel/

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading "Well, sir, yes.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading "Well!" said Mr Windgate in a tone which said, "Alter that--anything."

Windgate

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Well!" said Mr Windgate in a tone which said, "Alter that--anything."

witnessnounUS /ˈwɪtnəs/

someone who sees an event and reports what happened

From this reading "A poor man like the witness would naturally think a good many times before bringing a grave charge of this sort against a gentleman in the prisoner's position."

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading "A poor man like the witness would naturally think a good many times before bringing a grave charge of this sort against a gentleman in the prisoner's position."

yesnounUS /jes/

an affirmative

From this reading "Well, sir, yes.

Chapter 17 of Dorrien of Cranston by Bertram Mitford holds 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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.

What does chapter 17 of Dorrien of Cranston contain?

Chapter 17 holds 412 sentences of Dorrien of Cranston, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 17 of Dorrien of Cranston by Bertram Mitford exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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.

How do I study chapter 17 of Dorrien of Cranston?

Work through the 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 83 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.

Can chapter 17 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 17 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.

Questions about reading Dorrien of Cranston

Common questions about reading Dorrien of Cranston by Bertram Mitford on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Dorrien of Cranston?

Yes. All 7189 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36623 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Dorrien of Cranston is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #36623, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Dorrien of Cranston take to read?

About 599 minutes of reading across 1438 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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  1. Open a chapter

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  3. Listen and tap

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Vocabulary met early in Dorrien of Cranston

Words and structures a reader meets early in Dorrien of Cranston, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Dorrien
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Dorrien of Cranston; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Cranston
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Dorrien of Cranston; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Bertram
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Dorrien of Cranston; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Mitford
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Dorrien of Cranston; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.