Chapter 23 of Free Air is here in full — 90 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Free Air is here in full — 90 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE GRAEL IN A BACK YARD IN YAKIMA "I must say that you two have chosen a fine pastoral scene!" observed Mr. Boltwood. "Hhhhhhhhow did you get here?" gasped Claire. "Auto 'bus over Blewett Pass, train here from Ellensburg. That woman--everything all right?" "Yes, everything's fine.
Chapter 23 of Free Air is here in full — 90 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/18 · 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 motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading “"Auto 'bus over Blewett Pass, train here from Ellensburg.”
a vehicle carrying many passengers; used for public transport
From this reading “"Auto 'bus over Blewett Pass, train here from Ellensburg.”
one who is the object of choice; who is given preference
From this reading “THE GRAEL IN A BACK YARD IN YAKIMA "I must say that you two have chosen a fine pastoral scene!" observed Mr. Boltwood.”
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading “"Hhhhhhhhow did you get here?" gasped Claire.”
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading “THE GRAEL IN A BACK YARD IN YAKIMA "I must say that you two have chosen a fine pastoral scene!" observed Mr. Boltwood.”
of or relating to a pastor
From this reading “THE GRAEL IN A BACK YARD IN YAKIMA "I must say that you two have chosen a fine pastoral scene!" observed Mr. Boltwood.”
a town in south central Washington
From this reading “THE GRAEL IN A BACK YARD IN YAKIMA "I must say that you two have chosen a fine pastoral scene!" observed Mr. Boltwood.”
a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading “THE GRAEL IN A BACK YARD IN YAKIMA "I must say that you two have chosen a fine pastoral scene!" observed Mr. Boltwood.”
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.
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 THE GRAEL IN A BACK YARD IN YAKIMA "I must say that you two have chosen a fine pastoral scene!" observed Mr. Boltwood.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading That woman--everything all right?"
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading "Auto 'bus over Blewett Pass, train here from Ellensburg.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading THE GRAEL IN A BACK YARD IN YAKIMA "I must say that you two have chosen a fine pastoral scene!" observed Mr. Boltwood.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Auto 'bus over Blewett Pass, train here from Ellensburg.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE GRAEL IN A BACK YARD IN YAKIMA "I must say that you two have chosen a fine pastoral scene!" observed Mr. Boltwood.
a vehicle carrying many passengers; used for public transport
From this reading "Auto 'bus over Blewett Pass, train here from Ellensburg.
one who is the object of choice; who is given preference
From this reading THE GRAEL IN A BACK YARD IN YAKIMA "I must say that you two have chosen a fine pastoral scene!" observed Mr. Boltwood.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Hhhhhhhhow did you get here?" gasped Claire.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "Hhhhhhhhow did you get here?" gasped Claire.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Auto 'bus over Blewett Pass, train here from Ellensburg.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading That woman--everything all right?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes, everything's fine.
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading THE GRAEL IN A BACK YARD IN YAKIMA "I must say that you two have chosen a fine pastoral scene!" observed Mr. Boltwood.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "Auto 'bus over Blewett Pass, train here from Ellensburg.
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading "Hhhhhhhhow did you get here?" gasped Claire.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "Hhhhhhhhow did you get here?" gasped Claire.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE GRAEL IN A BACK YARD IN YAKIMA "I must say that you two have chosen a fine pastoral scene!" observed Mr. Boltwood.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading THE GRAEL IN A BACK YARD IN YAKIMA "I must say that you two have chosen a fine pastoral scene!" observed Mr. Boltwood.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "Hhhhhhhhow did you get here?" gasped Claire.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Hhhhhhhhow did you get here?" gasped Claire.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading THE GRAEL IN A BACK YARD IN YAKIMA "I must say that you two have chosen a fine pastoral scene!" observed Mr. Boltwood.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE GRAEL IN A BACK YARD IN YAKIMA "I must say that you two have chosen a fine pastoral scene!" observed Mr. Boltwood.
a form of address for a man
From this reading THE GRAEL IN A BACK YARD IN YAKIMA "I must say that you two have chosen a fine pastoral scene!" observed Mr. Boltwood.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading THE GRAEL IN A BACK YARD IN YAKIMA "I must say that you two have chosen a fine pastoral scene!" observed Mr. Boltwood.
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading THE GRAEL IN A BACK YARD IN YAKIMA "I must say that you two have chosen a fine pastoral scene!" observed Mr. Boltwood.
above and across; more than
From this reading "Auto 'bus over Blewett Pass, train here from Ellensburg.
go across or through
From this reading "Auto 'bus over Blewett Pass, train here from Ellensburg.
of or relating to a pastor
From this reading THE GRAEL IN A BACK YARD IN YAKIMA "I must say that you two have chosen a fine pastoral scene!" observed Mr. Boltwood.
precisely, exactly
From this reading That woman--everything all right?"
express in words
From this reading THE GRAEL IN A BACK YARD IN YAKIMA "I must say that you two have chosen a fine pastoral scene!" observed Mr. Boltwood.
the place where some action occurs
From this reading THE GRAEL IN A BACK YARD IN YAKIMA "I must say that you two have chosen a fine pastoral scene!" observed Mr. Boltwood.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading THE GRAEL IN A BACK YARD IN YAKIMA "I must say that you two have chosen a fine pastoral scene!" observed Mr. Boltwood.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE GRAEL IN A BACK YARD IN YAKIMA "I must say that you two have chosen a fine pastoral scene!" observed Mr. Boltwood.
create by training and teaching
From this reading "Auto 'bus over Blewett Pass, train here from Ellensburg.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading THE GRAEL IN A BACK YARD IN YAKIMA "I must say that you two have chosen a fine pastoral scene!" observed Mr. Boltwood.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading That woman--everything all right?"
a town in south central Washington
From this reading THE GRAEL IN A BACK YARD IN YAKIMA "I must say that you two have chosen a fine pastoral scene!" observed Mr. Boltwood.
a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading THE GRAEL IN A BACK YARD IN YAKIMA "I must say that you two have chosen a fine pastoral scene!" observed Mr. Boltwood.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, everything's fine.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading THE GRAEL IN A BACK YARD IN YAKIMA "I must say that you two have chosen a fine pastoral scene!" observed Mr. Boltwood.
Chapter 23 of Free Air by Sinclair Lewis holds 90 sentences, grouped into 18 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 23 holds 90 sentences of Free Air, unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Free Air by Sinclair Lewis exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 90 sentences, grouped into 18 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 18 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 18 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 23 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 Free Air by Sinclair Lewis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6146 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26732 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26732, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 512 minutes of reading across 1230 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Free Air section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of Free Air 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 Free Air, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
