Chapter 39 of Hard Pressed is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXIX
Chapter 39 of Hard Pressed is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
HOME AGAIN "What do you mean by this?" Copley demanded. The intruders were not in the least abashed. On the contrary, they had every evidence of being very sure of their ground. The foremost touched Copley on the shoulder.
Chapter 39 of Hard Pressed is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
feeling or caused to feel ill at ease or self-conscious or ashamed
From this reading “The intruders were not in the least abashed.”
very opposed in nature or character or purpose
From this reading “On the contrary, they had every evidence of being very sure of their ground.”
American painter who did portraits of Paul Revere and John Hancock before fleeing to England to avoid the American Revolution (1738-1815)
From this reading “Copley demanded.”
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading “Copley demanded.”
your basis for belief or disbelief; knowledge on which to base belief
From this reading “On the contrary, they had every evidence of being very sure of their ground.”
ranking above all others
From this reading “The foremost touched Copley on the shoulder.”
plural of “intruder” — someone who intrudes on the privacy or property of another without permission
From this reading “The intruders were not in the least abashed.”
having come into contact
From this reading “The foremost touched Copley on the shoulder.”
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 “HOME AGAIN "What do you mean by this?"”
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.
feeling or caused to feel ill at ease or self-conscious or ashamed
From this reading The intruders were not in the least abashed.
anew
From this reading HOME AGAIN "What do you mean by this?"
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading On the contrary, they had every evidence of being very sure of their ground.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading HOME AGAIN "What do you mean by this?"
very opposed in nature or character or purpose
From this reading On the contrary, they had every evidence of being very sure of their ground.
American painter who did portraits of Paul Revere and John Hancock before fleeing to England to avoid the American Revolution (1738-1815)
From this reading Copley demanded.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading Copley demanded.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading HOME AGAIN "What do you mean by this?"
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading On the contrary, they had every evidence of being very sure of their ground.
your basis for belief or disbelief; knowledge on which to base belief
From this reading On the contrary, they had every evidence of being very sure of their ground.
ranking above all others
From this reading The foremost touched Copley on the shoulder.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading On the contrary, they had every evidence of being very sure of their ground.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading On the contrary, they had every evidence of being very sure of their ground.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading HOME AGAIN "What do you mean by this?"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The intruders were not in the least abashed.
plural of “intruder” — someone who intrudes on the privacy or property of another without permission
From this reading The intruders were not in the least abashed.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading The intruders were not in the least abashed.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading HOME AGAIN "What do you mean by this?"
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The intruders were not in the least abashed.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading On the contrary, they had every evidence of being very sure of their ground.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On the contrary, they had every evidence of being very sure of their ground.
lift onto one's shoulders
From this reading The foremost touched Copley on the shoulder.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading On the contrary, they had every evidence of being very sure of their ground.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The intruders were not in the least abashed.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading On the contrary, they had every evidence of being very sure of their ground.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading On the contrary, they had every evidence of being very sure of their ground.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading HOME AGAIN "What do you mean by this?"
having come into contact
From this reading The foremost touched Copley on the shoulder.
precisely as stated
From this reading On the contrary, they had every evidence of being very sure of their ground.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The intruders were not in the least abashed.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading HOME AGAIN "What do you mean by this?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading HOME AGAIN "What do you mean by this?"
Chapter 39 of Hard Pressed by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White holds 119 sentences, grouped into 24 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 39 holds 119 sentences of Hard Pressed, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 39 of Hard Pressed by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 119 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 39 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.
