Chapter 21 of Footlights is here in full — 361 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of Footlights is here in full — 361 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Across Bryant Park, chilled and damp under a gray sky emptied of stars, a man hurried. His overcoat collar was turned up. His soft hat was pulled down. His eyes between the two were dark-circled and deep-sunk. His feet covered the wet paths with the stumbling haste of one pursued.
Chapter 21 of Footlights is here in full — 361 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/72 · 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.
past form of “chill” — depress or discourage
From this reading “Across Bryant Park, chilled and damp under a gray sky emptied of stars, a man hurried.”
a band that fits around the neck and is usually folded over
From this reading “His overcoat collar was turned up.”
slightly wet
From this reading “Across Bryant Park, chilled and damp under a gray sky emptied of stars, a man hurried.”
inflected form of “empty” — make void or empty of contents
From this reading “Across Bryant Park, chilled and damp under a gray sky emptied of stars, a man hurried.”
a heavy coat worn over clothes in winter
From this reading “His overcoat collar was turned up.”
plural of “path” — a course of conduct
From this reading “His feet covered the wet paths with the stumbling haste of one pursued.”
a person who is being chased
From this reading “His feet covered the wet paths with the stumbling haste of one pursued.”
-ing form of “stumble” — walk unsteadily
From this reading “His feet covered the wet paths with the stumbling haste of one pursued.”
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 “Across Bryant Park, chilled and damp under a gray sky emptied of stars, a man hurried.”
In this reading “His soft hat was pulled down.”
tear down so as to make flat with the ground
In this reading “His soft hat was pulled down.”
In this reading “His eyes between the two were dark-circled and deep-sunk.”
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 Across Bryant Park, chilled and damp under a gray sky emptied of stars, a man hurried.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Across Bryant Park, chilled and damp under a gray sky emptied of stars, a man hurried.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Across Bryant Park, chilled and damp under a gray sky emptied of stars, a man hurried.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading His eyes between the two were dark-circled and deep-sunk.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Across Bryant Park, chilled and damp under a gray sky emptied of stars, a man hurried.
past form of “chill” — depress or discourage
From this reading Across Bryant Park, chilled and damp under a gray sky emptied of stars, a man hurried.
a band that fits around the neck and is usually folded over
From this reading His overcoat collar was turned up.
overlaid or spread or topped with or enclosed within something; sometimes used as a combining form
From this reading His feet covered the wet paths with the stumbling haste of one pursued.
slightly wet
From this reading Across Bryant Park, chilled and damp under a gray sky emptied of stars, a man hurried.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His eyes between the two were dark-circled and deep-sunk.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His eyes between the two were dark-circled and deep-sunk.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading His soft hat was pulled down.
inflected form of “empty” — make void or empty of contents
From this reading Across Bryant Park, chilled and damp under a gray sky emptied of stars, a man hurried.
opinion or judgment
From this reading His eyes between the two were dark-circled and deep-sunk.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading His feet covered the wet paths with the stumbling haste of one pursued.
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading Across Bryant Park, chilled and damp under a gray sky emptied of stars, a man hurried.
overly eager speed (and possible carelessness)
From this reading His feet covered the wet paths with the stumbling haste of one pursued.
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading His soft hat was pulled down.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His overcoat collar was turned up.
moving rapidly or performed quickly or in great haste
From this reading Across Bryant Park, chilled and damp under a gray sky emptied of stars, a man hurried.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Across Bryant Park, chilled and damp under a gray sky emptied of stars, a man hurried.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Across Bryant Park, chilled and damp under a gray sky emptied of stars, a man hurried.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading His feet covered the wet paths with the stumbling haste of one pursued.
a heavy coat worn over clothes in winter
From this reading His overcoat collar was turned up.
a large area of land preserved in its natural state as public property
From this reading Across Bryant Park, chilled and damp under a gray sky emptied of stars, a man hurried.
plural of “path” — a course of conduct
From this reading His feet covered the wet paths with the stumbling haste of one pursued.
past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling
From this reading His soft hat was pulled down.
a person who is being chased
From this reading His feet covered the wet paths with the stumbling haste of one pursued.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading Across Bryant Park, chilled and damp under a gray sky emptied of stars, a man hurried.
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading His soft hat was pulled down.
plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading Across Bryant Park, chilled and damp under a gray sky emptied of stars, a man hurried.
-ing form of “stumble” — walk unsteadily
From this reading His feet covered the wet paths with the stumbling haste of one pursued.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading His eyes between the two were dark-circled and deep-sunk.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading His overcoat collar was turned up.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading His eyes between the two were dark-circled and deep-sunk.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Across Bryant Park, chilled and damp under a gray sky emptied of stars, a man hurried.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading His overcoat collar was turned up.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His overcoat collar was turned up.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading His eyes between the two were dark-circled and deep-sunk.
covered or soaked with a liquid such as water
From this reading His feet covered the wet paths with the stumbling haste of one pursued.
in the company of; together with
From this reading His feet covered the wet paths with the stumbling haste of one pursued.
Chapter 21 of Footlights by Rita Weiman holds 361 sentences, grouped into 73 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 361 sentences of Footlights, unabridged, divided into 73 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of Footlights by Rita Weiman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 361 sentences, grouped into 73 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 73 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 73 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 Footlights by Rita Weiman on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6773 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #60950 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #60950, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 564 minutes of reading across 1355 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Footlights section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of Footlights 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 Footlights, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
