Chapter 24 of Idols is here in full — 281 sentences across 57 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIV
Chapter 24 of Idols is here in full — 281 sentences across 57 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Why Minna sent the note of acquiescence she herself could not tell. Her caprices were past accounting for. Vanity had its share. The man whom she had regarded as the most contemptuous and remote of a priggish society was now at her feet. Revenge prompted her to pay her ancient grudge against that society by kicking him as he grovelled.
Chapter 24 of Idols is here in full — 281 sentences across 57 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/56 · 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 convincing explanation that reveals basic causes
From this reading “Her caprices were past accounting for.”
acceptance without protest
From this reading “Why Minna sent the note of acquiescence she herself could not tell.”
plural of “caprice” — a sudden desire
From this reading “Her caprices were past accounting for.”
expressing extreme contempt
From this reading “The man whom she had regarded as the most contemptuous and remote of a priggish society was now at her feet.”
a resentment strong enough to justify retaliation
From this reading “Revenge prompted her to pay her ancient grudge against that society by kicking him as he grovelled.”
a rhythmic thrusting movement of the legs as in swimming or calisthenics
From this reading “Revenge prompted her to pay her ancient grudge against that society by kicking him as he grovelled.”
past form of “prompt” — give an incentive for action
From this reading “Revenge prompted her to pay her ancient grudge against that society by kicking him as he grovelled.”
located far away spatially
From this reading “The man whom she had regarded as the most contemptuous and remote of a priggish society was now at her feet.”
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 man whom she had regarded as the most contemptuous and remote of a priggish society was now at her feet.
a convincing explanation that reveals basic causes
From this reading Her caprices were past accounting for.
acceptance without protest
From this reading Why Minna sent the note of acquiescence she herself could not tell.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Revenge prompted her to pay her ancient grudge against that society by kicking him as he grovelled.
Belonging to the very distant past and no longer in existence or deeply revered.
From this reading Revenge prompted her to pay her ancient grudge against that society by kicking him as he grovelled.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The man whom she had regarded as the most contemptuous and remote of a priggish society was now at her feet.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The man whom she had regarded as the most contemptuous and remote of a priggish society was now at her feet.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The man whom she had regarded as the most contemptuous and remote of a priggish society was now at her feet.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Revenge prompted her to pay her ancient grudge against that society by kicking him as he grovelled.
plural of “caprice” — a sudden desire
From this reading Her caprices were past accounting for.
expressing extreme contempt
From this reading The man whom she had regarded as the most contemptuous and remote of a priggish society was now at her feet.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Why Minna sent the note of acquiescence she herself could not tell.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading The man whom she had regarded as the most contemptuous and remote of a priggish society was now at her feet.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Her caprices were past accounting for.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Revenge prompted her to pay her ancient grudge against that society by kicking him as he grovelled.
a resentment strong enough to justify retaliation
From this reading Revenge prompted her to pay her ancient grudge against that society by kicking him as he grovelled.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Vanity had its share.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Revenge prompted her to pay her ancient grudge against that society by kicking him as he grovelled.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her caprices were past accounting for.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading Why Minna sent the note of acquiescence she herself could not tell.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Revenge prompted her to pay her ancient grudge against that society by kicking him as he grovelled.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Vanity had its share.
a rhythmic thrusting movement of the legs as in swimming or calisthenics
From this reading Revenge prompted her to pay her ancient grudge against that society by kicking him as he grovelled.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The man whom she had regarded as the most contemptuous and remote of a priggish society was now at her feet.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Why Minna sent the note of acquiescence she herself could not tell.
used to form the superlative
From this reading The man whom she had regarded as the most contemptuous and remote of a priggish society was now at her feet.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Why Minna sent the note of acquiescence she herself could not tell.
a brief written record
From this reading Why Minna sent the note of acquiescence she herself could not tell.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading The man whom she had regarded as the most contemptuous and remote of a priggish society was now at her feet.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Why Minna sent the note of acquiescence she herself could not tell.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading Her caprices were past accounting for.
give money, usually in exchange for goods or services
From this reading Revenge prompted her to pay her ancient grudge against that society by kicking him as he grovelled.
exaggeratedly proper
From this reading The man whom she had regarded as the most contemptuous and remote of a priggish society was now at her feet.
past form of “prompt” — give an incentive for action
From this reading Revenge prompted her to pay her ancient grudge against that society by kicking him as he grovelled.
past form of “regard” — deem to be
From this reading The man whom she had regarded as the most contemptuous and remote of a priggish society was now at her feet.
located far away spatially
From this reading The man whom she had regarded as the most contemptuous and remote of a priggish society was now at her feet.
action taken in return for an injury or offense
From this reading Revenge prompted her to pay her ancient grudge against that society by kicking him as he grovelled.
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading Why Minna sent the note of acquiescence she herself could not tell.
have in common
From this reading Vanity had its share.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Why Minna sent the note of acquiescence she herself could not tell.
an extended social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization
From this reading The man whom she had regarded as the most contemptuous and remote of a priggish society was now at her feet.
express in words
From this reading Why Minna sent the note of acquiescence she herself could not tell.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Revenge prompted her to pay her ancient grudge against that society by kicking him as he grovelled.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Why Minna sent the note of acquiescence she herself could not tell.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Revenge prompted her to pay her ancient grudge against that society by kicking him as he grovelled.
feelings of excessive pride
From this reading Vanity had its share.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The man whom she had regarded as the most contemptuous and remote of a priggish society was now at her feet.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Her caprices were past accounting for.
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The man whom she had regarded as the most contemptuous and remote of a priggish society was now at her feet.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why Minna sent the note of acquiescence she herself could not tell.
Chapter 24 of Idols by William John Locke holds 281 sentences, grouped into 57 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 24 holds 281 sentences of Idols, unabridged, divided into 57 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 24 of Idols by William John Locke exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 281 sentences, grouped into 57 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 57 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 57 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 24 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 Idols by William John Locke on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6615 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56015 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #56015, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 551 minutes of reading across 1323 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Idols section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of Idols 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 Idols, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
