Chapter 21 of For the Term of His Natural Life is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of For the Term of His Natural Life is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“You must try and save him from further punishment,” said Sylvia next day to Frere. “I did not mean to betray the poor creature, but I had made myself nervous by reading that convict's story.” “You shouldn't read such rubbish,” said Frere. “What's the use? I don't suppose a word of it's true.”
Chapter 21 of For the Term of His Natural Life is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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.
reveal unintentionally
From this reading ““I did not mean to betray the poor creature, but I had made myself nervous by reading that convict's story.””
possessive form of “convict” — a person serving a sentence in a jail or prison
From this reading ““I did not mean to betray the poor creature, but I had made myself nervous by reading that convict's story.””
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading ““I did not mean to betray the poor creature, but I had made myself nervous by reading that convict's story.””
to or at a greater extent or degree or a more advanced stage (“further” is used more often than “farther” in this abstract sense)
From this reading ““You must try and save him from further punishment,” said Sylvia next day to Frere.”
easily agitated
From this reading ““I did not mean to betray the poor creature, but I had made myself nervous by reading that convict's story.””
the act of punishing
From this reading ““You must try and save him from further punishment,” said Sylvia next day to Frere.”
the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message
From this reading ““I did not mean to betray the poor creature, but I had made myself nervous by reading that convict's story.””
worthless material that is to be disposed of
From this reading ““You shouldn't read such rubbish,” said Frere.”
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 I don't suppose a word of it's true.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “You must try and save him from further punishment,” said Sylvia next day to Frere.
reveal unintentionally
From this reading “I did not mean to betray the poor creature, but I had made myself nervous by reading that convict's story.”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “I did not mean to betray the poor creature, but I had made myself nervous by reading that convict's story.”
showing who or what does the action
From this reading “I did not mean to betray the poor creature, but I had made myself nervous by reading that convict's story.”
possessive form of “convict” — a person serving a sentence in a jail or prison
From this reading “I did not mean to betray the poor creature, but I had made myself nervous by reading that convict's story.”
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading “I did not mean to betray the poor creature, but I had made myself nervous by reading that convict's story.”
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading “You must try and save him from further punishment,” said Sylvia next day to Frere.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading “I did not mean to betray the poor creature, but I had made myself nervous by reading that convict's story.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don't suppose a word of it's true.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You must try and save him from further punishment,” said Sylvia next day to Frere.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading “You must try and save him from further punishment,” said Sylvia next day to Frere.
to or at a greater extent or degree or a more advanced stage (“further” is used more often than “farther” in this abstract sense)
From this reading “You must try and save him from further punishment,” said Sylvia next day to Frere.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “I did not mean to betray the poor creature, but I had made myself nervous by reading that convict's story.”
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “You must try and save him from further punishment,” said Sylvia next day to Frere.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I did not mean to betray the poor creature, but I had made myself nervous by reading that convict's story.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don't suppose a word of it's true.”
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading “I did not mean to betray the poor creature, but I had made myself nervous by reading that convict's story.”
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “I did not mean to betray the poor creature, but I had made myself nervous by reading that convict's story.”
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “You must try and save him from further punishment,” said Sylvia next day to Frere.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading “I did not mean to betray the poor creature, but I had made myself nervous by reading that convict's story.”
easily agitated
From this reading “I did not mean to betray the poor creature, but I had made myself nervous by reading that convict's story.”
immediately following in time or order
From this reading “You must try and save him from further punishment,” said Sylvia next day to Frere.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “I did not mean to betray the poor creature, but I had made myself nervous by reading that convict's story.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I don't suppose a word of it's true.”
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading “I did not mean to betray the poor creature, but I had made myself nervous by reading that convict's story.”
the act of punishing
From this reading “You must try and save him from further punishment,” said Sylvia next day to Frere.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading “You shouldn't read such rubbish,” said Frere.
the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message
From this reading “I did not mean to betray the poor creature, but I had made myself nervous by reading that convict's story.”
worthless material that is to be disposed of
From this reading “You shouldn't read such rubbish,” said Frere.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “You must try and save him from further punishment,” said Sylvia next day to Frere.
except for; apart from
From this reading “You must try and save him from further punishment,” said Sylvia next day to Frere.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You shouldn't read such rubbish,” said Frere.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading “I did not mean to betray the poor creature, but I had made myself nervous by reading that convict's story.”
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading “You shouldn't read such rubbish,” said Frere.
express a supposition
From this reading I don't suppose a word of it's true.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You must try and save him from further punishment,” said Sylvia next day to Frere.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “I did not mean to betray the poor creature, but I had made myself nervous by reading that convict's story.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I did not mean to betray the poor creature, but I had made myself nervous by reading that convict's story.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “You must try and save him from further punishment,” said Sylvia next day to Frere.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading I don't suppose a word of it's true.”
make an effort or attempt
From this reading “You must try and save him from further punishment,” said Sylvia next day to Frere.
the act of using
From this reading “What's the use?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What's the use?
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading I don't suppose a word of it's true.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You must try and save him from further punishment,” said Sylvia next day to Frere.
Chapter 21 of For the Term of His Natural Life by Marcus Andrew Hislop Clarke holds 194 sentences, grouped into 39 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 194 sentences of For the Term of His Natural Life, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of For the Term of His Natural Life by Marcus Andrew Hislop Clarke exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 194 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 For the Term of His Natural Life by Marcus Andrew Hislop Clarke on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 11369 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3424 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3424, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2274 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through For the Term of His Natural Life section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 38 chapters of For the Term of His Natural Life 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 For the Term of His Natural Life, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
