Chapter 35 of Hard Pressed is here in full — 112 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXV
Chapter 35 of Hard Pressed is here in full — 112 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BETWEEN TWO FIRES Sir George Haredale pulled himself together. "You will excuse me," he said, "but I don't follow you. I have had much trouble and worry lately and I am not myself this morning. Did you say that the Blenheim colt belonged to you? If this is a joke I cannot say I admire it."
Chapter 35 of Hard Pressed is here in full — 112 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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.
feel admiration for
From this reading “If this is a joke I cannot say I admire it."”
past form of “belong” — be owned by; be in the possession of
From this reading “Did you say that the Blenheim colt belonged to you?”
the First Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy defeated the French in 1704 during the War of the Spanish Succession
From this reading “Did you say that the Blenheim colt belonged to you?”
a young male horse under the age of four
From this reading “Did you say that the Blenheim colt belonged to you?”
plural of “fire” — the event of something burning (often destructive)
From this reading “BETWEEN TWO FIRES Sir George Haredale pulled himself together.”
a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading “If this is a joke I cannot say I admire it."”
in the recent past
From this reading “I have had much trouble and worry lately and I am not myself this morning.”
be worried, concerned, anxious, troubled, or uneasy
From this reading “I have had much trouble and worry lately and I am not myself this morning.”
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 “BETWEEN TWO FIRES Sir George Haredale pulled himself together.”
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 If this is a joke I cannot say I admire it."
feel admiration for
From this reading If this is a joke I cannot say I admire it."
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I have had much trouble and worry lately and I am not myself this morning.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I have had much trouble and worry lately and I am not myself this morning.
past form of “belong” — be owned by; be in the possession of
From this reading Did you say that the Blenheim colt belonged to you?
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading BETWEEN TWO FIRES Sir George Haredale pulled himself together.
the First Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene of Savoy defeated the French in 1704 during the War of the Spanish Succession
From this reading Did you say that the Blenheim colt belonged to you?
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "You will excuse me," he said, "but I don't follow you.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If this is a joke I cannot say I admire it."
a young male horse under the age of four
From this reading Did you say that the Blenheim colt belonged to you?
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Did you say that the Blenheim colt belonged to you?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You will excuse me," he said, "but I don't follow you.
accept an excuse for
From this reading "You will excuse me," he said, "but I don't follow you.
plural of “fire” — the event of something burning (often destructive)
From this reading BETWEEN TWO FIRES Sir George Haredale pulled himself together.
to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading "You will excuse me," he said, "but I don't follow you.
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading BETWEEN TWO FIRES Sir George Haredale pulled himself together.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I have had much trouble and worry lately and I am not myself this morning.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading BETWEEN TWO FIRES Sir George Haredale pulled himself together.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I have had much trouble and worry lately and I am not myself this morning.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "You will excuse me," he said, "but I don't follow you.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading BETWEEN TWO FIRES Sir George Haredale pulled himself together.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "You will excuse me," he said, "but I don't follow you.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If this is a joke I cannot say I admire it."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading If this is a joke I cannot say I admire it."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading If this is a joke I cannot say I admire it."
a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading If this is a joke I cannot say I admire it."
in the recent past
From this reading I have had much trouble and worry lately and I am not myself this morning.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "You will excuse me," he said, "but I don't follow you.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading I have had much trouble and worry lately and I am not myself this morning.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading I have had much trouble and worry lately and I am not myself this morning.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading I have had much trouble and worry lately and I am not myself this morning.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I have had much trouble and worry lately and I am not myself this morning.
past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling
From this reading BETWEEN TWO FIRES Sir George Haredale pulled himself together.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You will excuse me," he said, "but I don't follow you.
express in words
From this reading Did you say that the Blenheim colt belonged to you?
term of address for a man
From this reading BETWEEN TWO FIRES Sir George Haredale pulled himself together.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Did you say that the Blenheim colt belonged to you?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Did you say that the Blenheim colt belonged to you?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading I have had much trouble and worry lately and I am not myself this morning.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Did you say that the Blenheim colt belonged to you?
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading BETWEEN TWO FIRES Sir George Haredale pulled himself together.
a source of difficulty
From this reading I have had much trouble and worry lately and I am not myself this morning.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading BETWEEN TWO FIRES Sir George Haredale pulled himself together.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "You will excuse me," he said, "but I don't follow you.
be worried, concerned, anxious, troubled, or uneasy
From this reading I have had much trouble and worry lately and I am not myself this morning.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You will excuse me," he said, "but I don't follow you.
Chapter 35 of Hard Pressed by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White holds 112 sentences, grouped into 23 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 35 holds 112 sentences of Hard Pressed, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 35 of Hard Pressed by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 112 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 35 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 Hard Pressed by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5056 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33512 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #33512, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 421 minutes of reading across 1012 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Hard Pressed section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Hard Pressed 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 Hard Pressed, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
