Chapter 1 of How The Redoubt Was Taken: 1896 is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of How The Redoubt Was Taken: 1896 is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Who is the oldest captain?" he was asking of a sergeant. The sergeant shrugged his shoulders most expressively. "Who is the oldest lieutenant?" "This gentleman, who came last night," replied the sergeant calmly. The colonel smiled bitterly.
Chapter 1 of How The Redoubt Was Taken: 1896 is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 23/24 · 5 reading units · Lines 111–115
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.
the verbal act of requesting
From this reading “"Who is the oldest captain?" he was asking of a sergeant.”
with bitterness; in a resentful manner
From this reading “The colonel smiled bitterly.”
with self-possession (especially in times of stress)
From this reading “"This gentleman, who came last night," replied the sergeant calmly.”
a commissioned military officer
From this reading “"Who is the oldest lieutenant?"”
superlative of “old” — (used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “"Who is the oldest captain?" he was asking of a sergeant.”
any of several noncommissioned officer ranks in the Army or Air Force or Marines ranking above a corporal
From this reading “"Who is the oldest captain?" he was asking of a sergeant.”
plural of “shoulder” — the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm
From this reading “The sergeant shrugged his shoulders most expressively.”
inflected form of “shrug” — raise one's shoulders to indicate indifference or resignation
From this reading “The sergeant shrugged his shoulders most expressively.”
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 “"This gentleman, who came last night," replied the sergeant calmly.”
In this reading “The colonel smiled bitterly.”
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 "Who is the oldest captain?" he was asking of a sergeant.
the verbal act of requesting
From this reading "Who is the oldest captain?" he was asking of a sergeant.
with bitterness; in a resentful manner
From this reading The colonel smiled bitterly.
with self-possession (especially in times of stress)
From this reading "This gentleman, who came last night," replied the sergeant calmly.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "This gentleman, who came last night," replied the sergeant calmly.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading "Who is the oldest captain?" he was asking of a sergeant.
a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
From this reading The colonel smiled bitterly.
with expression; in an expressive manner
From this reading The sergeant shrugged his shoulders most expressively.
a man of refinement
From this reading "This gentleman, who came last night," replied the sergeant calmly.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Who is the oldest captain?" he was asking of a sergeant.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The sergeant shrugged his shoulders most expressively.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Who is the oldest captain?" he was asking of a sergeant.
immediately past
From this reading "This gentleman, who came last night," replied the sergeant calmly.
a commissioned military officer
From this reading "Who is the oldest lieutenant?"
used to form the superlative
From this reading The sergeant shrugged his shoulders most expressively.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading "This gentleman, who came last night," replied the sergeant calmly.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Who is the oldest captain?" he was asking of a sergeant.
superlative of “old” — (used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "Who is the oldest captain?" he was asking of a sergeant.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "This gentleman, who came last night," replied the sergeant calmly.
any of several noncommissioned officer ranks in the Army or Air Force or Marines ranking above a corporal
From this reading "Who is the oldest captain?" he was asking of a sergeant.
plural of “shoulder” — the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm
From this reading The sergeant shrugged his shoulders most expressively.
inflected form of “shrug” — raise one's shoulders to indicate indifference or resignation
From this reading The sergeant shrugged his shoulders most expressively.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading The colonel smiled bitterly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Who is the oldest captain?" he was asking of a sergeant.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "This gentleman, who came last night," replied the sergeant calmly.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Who is the oldest captain?" he was asking of a sergeant.
which person or people
From this reading "Who is the oldest captain?" he was asking of a sergeant.
Chapter 1 of How The Redoubt Was Taken: 1896 by Prosper Mérimée holds 121 sentences, grouped into 25 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 1 holds 121 sentences of How The Redoubt Was Taken: 1896, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of How The Redoubt Was Taken: 1896 by Prosper Mérimée exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 121 sentences, grouped into 25 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 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 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 1 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 How The Redoubt Was Taken: 1896 by Prosper Mérimée on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 121 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23057 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #23057, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 10 minutes of reading across 25 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through How The Redoubt Was Taken: 1896 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 1 chapters of How The Redoubt Was Taken: 1896 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 How The Redoubt Was Taken: 1896, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
