Chapter 4 of Historical vignettes, 1st series is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Historical vignettes, 1st series is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The Benedictine crossed himself. “_Ostende nobis, Domine, misericordium tuam_,” he murmured. “Direct our stumbling feet who seek the light by dubious ways. Give me the key, soldier. It were well that I ascended first to report if the children sleep.
Chapter 4 of Historical vignettes, 1st series is here in full — 431 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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 “ascend” — travel up
From this reading “It were well that I ascended first to report if the children sleep.”
a monk or nun belonging to the order founded by Saint Benedict
From this reading “The Benedictine crossed himself.”
command with authority
From this reading ““Direct our stumbling feet who seek the light by dubious ways.”
a clergyman; especially a settled minister or parson
From this reading ““_Ostende nobis, Domine, misericordium tuam_,” he murmured.”
fraught with uncertainty or doubt
From this reading ““Direct our stumbling feet who seek the light by dubious ways.”
metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated
From this reading “Give me the key, soldier.”
to give an account or representation of in words
From this reading “It were well that I ascended first to report if the children sleep.”
-ing form of “stumble” — walk unsteadily
From this reading ““Direct our stumbling feet who seek the light by dubious ways.”
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.
past form of “ascend” — travel up
From this reading It were well that I ascended first to report if the children sleep.
a monk or nun belonging to the order founded by Saint Benedict
From this reading The Benedictine crossed himself.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading “Direct our stumbling feet who seek the light by dubious ways.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading It were well that I ascended first to report if the children sleep.
placed crosswise
From this reading The Benedictine crossed himself.
command with authority
From this reading “Direct our stumbling feet who seek the light by dubious ways.
a clergyman; especially a settled minister or parson
From this reading “_Ostende nobis, Domine, misericordium tuam_,” he murmured.
fraught with uncertainty or doubt
From this reading “Direct our stumbling feet who seek the light by dubious ways.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading “Direct our stumbling feet who seek the light by dubious ways.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading It were well that I ascended first to report if the children sleep.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Give me the key, soldier.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “_Ostende nobis, Domine, misericordium tuam_,” he murmured.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading The Benedictine crossed himself.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading It were well that I ascended first to report if the children sleep.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading It were well that I ascended first to report if the children sleep.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It were well that I ascended first to report if the children sleep.
metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated
From this reading Give me the key, soldier.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading “Direct our stumbling feet who seek the light by dubious ways.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Give me the key, soldier.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “_Ostende nobis, Domine, misericordium tuam_,” he murmured.
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading “_Ostende nobis, Domine, misericordium tuam_,” he murmured.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “_Ostende nobis, Domine, misericordium tuam_,” he murmured.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “_Ostende nobis, Domine, misericordium tuam_,” he murmured.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading “Direct our stumbling feet who seek the light by dubious ways.
to give an account or representation of in words
From this reading It were well that I ascended first to report if the children sleep.
try to get or reach
From this reading “Direct our stumbling feet who seek the light by dubious ways.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading It were well that I ascended first to report if the children sleep.
an enlisted man or woman who serves in an army
From this reading Give me the key, soldier.
-ing form of “stumble” — walk unsteadily
From this reading “Direct our stumbling feet who seek the light by dubious ways.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It were well that I ascended first to report if the children sleep.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Benedictine crossed himself.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It were well that I ascended first to report if the children sleep.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “_Ostende nobis, Domine, misericordium tuam_,” he murmured.
structure consisting of a sloping way down to the water from the place where ships are built or repaired
From this reading “Direct our stumbling feet who seek the light by dubious ways.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading It were well that I ascended first to report if the children sleep.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading It were well that I ascended first to report if the children sleep.
which person or people
From this reading “Direct our stumbling feet who seek the light by dubious ways.
Chapter 4 of Historical vignettes, 1st series by Bernard Capes holds 431 sentences, grouped into 87 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 4 holds 431 sentences of Historical vignettes, 1st series, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Historical vignettes, 1st series by Bernard Capes exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 431 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 4 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.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in Historical vignettes, 1st series, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
