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In Search of a Son
In Search of a Son

Chapter XXI

Chapter 21 of In Search of a Son is here in full — 85 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for In Search of a Son
Context Illustration Reading 1/17 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
A PROOF?
Monsieur Dalize took his friend Roger by the arm, and they walked together down one of the solitary pathways of the park.
When they were some distance off from Madame Dalize and the children, Monsieur Dalize stopped, looked his friend squarely in the eyes, and said, in a faltering tone,-- "Then you still think it?
You have retained that foolish idea?
You think that Paul----?"
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

In Search of a Son

Chapter XXI

Chapter 21 of In Search of a Son is here in full — 85 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/17 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
A PROOF?
/ə pruːf/
Line 2
Monsieur Dalize took his friend Roger by the arm, and they walked together down one of the solitary pathways of the park.
Line 3
When they were some distance off from Madame Dalize and the children, Monsieur Dalize stopped, looked his friend squarely in the eyes, and said, in a faltering tone,-- "Then you still think it?
Line 4
You have retained that foolish idea?
/juː hæv rɪˈteɪnd ðæt ˈfuːlɪʃ aɪˈdiːə/
Line 5
You think that Paul----?"
/juː θɪŋk ðæt pɔːl/

Learner Dictionary

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.

faltering noun US /ˈfɔːltərɪŋ/

the act of pausing uncertainly

From this reading “When they were some distance off from Madame Dalize and the children, Monsieur Dalize stopped, looked his friend squarely in the eyes, and said, in a faltering tone,-- "Then you still think it?”

foolish adjective US /ˈfuːlɪʃ/

devoid of good sense or judgment

From this reading “You have retained that foolish idea?”

park noun US /pɑːrk/

a large area of land preserved in its natural state as public property

From this reading “Monsieur Dalize took his friend Roger by the arm, and they walked together down one of the solitary pathways of the park.”

pathways noun US /ˈpæθweɪz/

plural of “pathway” — a bundle of myelinated nerve fibers following a path through the brain

From this reading “Monsieur Dalize took his friend Roger by the arm, and they walked together down one of the solitary pathways of the park.”

proof noun US /pruːf/

any factual evidence that helps to establish the truth of something

From this reading “A PROOF?”

retained adjective US /rɪˈteɪnd/

continued in your keeping or use or memory

From this reading “You have retained that foolish idea?”

solitary adjective US /ˈsɑːləteri/

characterized by or preferring solitude

From this reading “Monsieur Dalize took his friend Roger by the arm, and they walked together down one of the solitary pathways of the park.”

squarely adverb US /ˈskwerli/

directly and without evasion; not roundabout

From this reading “When they were some distance off from Madame Dalize and the children, Monsieur Dalize stopped, looked his friend squarely in the eyes, and said, in a faltering tone,-- "Then you still think it?”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

some distance adjective + noun

In this reading “When they were some distance off from Madame Dalize and the children, Monsieur Dalize stopped, looked his friend squarely in the eyes, and said, in a faltering tone,-- "Then you still think it?”

foolish idea adjective + noun

In this reading “You have retained that foolish idea?”

by the arm preposition + article + noun counted as “by … arm”

In this reading “Monsieur Dalize took his friend Roger by the arm, and they walked together down one of the solitary pathways of the park.”

All words in this reading · 48

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.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading A PROOF?

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Monsieur Dalize took his friend Roger by the arm, and they walked together down one of the solitary pathways of the park.

armnounUS /ɑːrm/

a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb

From this reading Monsieur Dalize took his friend Roger by the arm, and they walked together down one of the solitary pathways of the park.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Monsieur Dalize took his friend Roger by the arm, and they walked together down one of the solitary pathways of the park.

childrennounUS /ˈtʃɪldrən/

plural of “child” — a young person of either sex

From this reading When they were some distance off from Madame Dalize and the children, Monsieur Dalize stopped, looked his friend squarely in the eyes, and said, in a faltering tone,-- "Then you still think it?

Dalize

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Monsieur Dalize took his friend Roger by the arm, and they walked together down one of the solitary pathways of the park.

distancenounUS /ˈdɪstəns/

the property created by the space between two objects or points

From this reading When they were some distance off from Madame Dalize and the children, Monsieur Dalize stopped, looked his friend squarely in the eyes, and said, in a faltering tone,-- "Then you still think it?

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading Monsieur Dalize took his friend Roger by the arm, and they walked together down one of the solitary pathways of the park.

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

From this reading When they were some distance off from Madame Dalize and the children, Monsieur Dalize stopped, looked his friend squarely in the eyes, and said, in a faltering tone,-- "Then you still think it?

falteringnounUS /ˈfɔːltərɪŋ/

the act of pausing uncertainly

From this reading When they were some distance off from Madame Dalize and the children, Monsieur Dalize stopped, looked his friend squarely in the eyes, and said, in a faltering tone,-- "Then you still think it?

foolishadjectiveUS /ˈfuːlɪʃ/

devoid of good sense or judgment

From this reading You have retained that foolish idea?

friendnounUS /frend/

a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

From this reading Monsieur Dalize took his friend Roger by the arm, and they walked together down one of the solitary pathways of the park.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading When they were some distance off from Madame Dalize and the children, Monsieur Dalize stopped, looked his friend squarely in the eyes, and said, in a faltering tone,-- "Then you still think it?

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading You have retained that foolish idea?

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Monsieur Dalize took his friend Roger by the arm, and they walked together down one of the solitary pathways of the park.

ideanounUS /aɪˈdiːə/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading You have retained that foolish idea?

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading When they were some distance off from Madame Dalize and the children, Monsieur Dalize stopped, looked his friend squarely in the eyes, and said, in a faltering tone,-- "Then you still think it?

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading When they were some distance off from Madame Dalize and the children, Monsieur Dalize stopped, looked his friend squarely in the eyes, and said, in a faltering tone,-- "Then you still think it?

lookedverbUS /lʊkt/

past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading When they were some distance off from Madame Dalize and the children, Monsieur Dalize stopped, looked his friend squarely in the eyes, and said, in a faltering tone,-- "Then you still think it?

MadamenounUS /ˈmædəm/

title used for a married Frenchwoman

From this reading When they were some distance off from Madame Dalize and the children, Monsieur Dalize stopped, looked his friend squarely in the eyes, and said, in a faltering tone,-- "Then you still think it?

MonsieurnounUS /məˈsjɜːr/

used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”

From this reading Monsieur Dalize took his friend Roger by the arm, and they walked together down one of the solitary pathways of the park.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Monsieur Dalize took his friend Roger by the arm, and they walked together down one of the solitary pathways of the park.

offadverbUS /ɔːf/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading When they were some distance off from Madame Dalize and the children, Monsieur Dalize stopped, looked his friend squarely in the eyes, and said, in a faltering tone,-- "Then you still think it?

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Monsieur Dalize took his friend Roger by the arm, and they walked together down one of the solitary pathways of the park.

parknounUS /pɑːrk/

a large area of land preserved in its natural state as public property

From this reading Monsieur Dalize took his friend Roger by the arm, and they walked together down one of the solitary pathways of the park.

pathwaysnounUS /ˈpæθweɪz/

plural of “pathway” — a bundle of myelinated nerve fibers following a path through the brain

From this reading Monsieur Dalize took his friend Roger by the arm, and they walked together down one of the solitary pathways of the park.

PaulnounUS /pɔːl/

United States feminist (1885-1977)

From this reading You think that Paul----?"

PROOFnounUS /pruːf/

any factual evidence that helps to establish the truth of something

From this reading A PROOF?

retainedadjectiveUS /rɪˈteɪnd/

continued in your keeping or use or memory

From this reading You have retained that foolish idea?

Roger

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Monsieur Dalize took his friend Roger by the arm, and they walked together down one of the solitary pathways of the park.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading When they were some distance off from Madame Dalize and the children, Monsieur Dalize stopped, looked his friend squarely in the eyes, and said, in a faltering tone,-- "Then you still think it?

solitaryadjectiveUS /ˈsɑːləteri/

characterized by or preferring solitude

From this reading Monsieur Dalize took his friend Roger by the arm, and they walked together down one of the solitary pathways of the park.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading When they were some distance off from Madame Dalize and the children, Monsieur Dalize stopped, looked his friend squarely in the eyes, and said, in a faltering tone,-- "Then you still think it?

squarelyadverbUS /ˈskwerli/

directly and without evasion; not roundabout

From this reading When they were some distance off from Madame Dalize and the children, Monsieur Dalize stopped, looked his friend squarely in the eyes, and said, in a faltering tone,-- "Then you still think it?

stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading When they were some distance off from Madame Dalize and the children, Monsieur Dalize stopped, looked his friend squarely in the eyes, and said, in a faltering tone,-- "Then you still think it?

stoppedadjectiveUS /stɑːpt/

(of a nose) blocked

From this reading When they were some distance off from Madame Dalize and the children, Monsieur Dalize stopped, looked his friend squarely in the eyes, and said, in a faltering tone,-- "Then you still think it?

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading You have retained that foolish idea?

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Monsieur Dalize took his friend Roger by the arm, and they walked together down one of the solitary pathways of the park.

ThenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading When they were some distance off from Madame Dalize and the children, Monsieur Dalize stopped, looked his friend squarely in the eyes, and said, in a faltering tone,-- "Then you still think it?

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Monsieur Dalize took his friend Roger by the arm, and they walked together down one of the solitary pathways of the park.

thinkverbUS /θɪŋk/

judge or regard; look upon; judge

From this reading When they were some distance off from Madame Dalize and the children, Monsieur Dalize stopped, looked his friend squarely in the eyes, and said, in a faltering tone,-- "Then you still think it?

togetheradverbUS /təˈɡeðər/

in contact with each other or in proximity

From this reading Monsieur Dalize took his friend Roger by the arm, and they walked together down one of the solitary pathways of the park.

tonenounUS /toʊn/

the quality of a person's voice

From this reading When they were some distance off from Madame Dalize and the children, Monsieur Dalize stopped, looked his friend squarely in the eyes, and said, in a faltering tone,-- "Then you still think it?

tookverbUS /tʊk/

inflected form of “take” — carry out

From this reading Monsieur Dalize took his friend Roger by the arm, and they walked together down one of the solitary pathways of the park.

walkedverbUS /wɔːkt/

past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps

From this reading Monsieur Dalize took his friend Roger by the arm, and they walked together down one of the solitary pathways of the park.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading When they were some distance off from Madame Dalize and the children, Monsieur Dalize stopped, looked his friend squarely in the eyes, and said, in a faltering tone,-- "Then you still think it?

WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading When they were some distance off from Madame Dalize and the children, Monsieur Dalize stopped, looked his friend squarely in the eyes, and said, in a faltering tone,-- "Then you still think it?

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading When they were some distance off from Madame Dalize and the children, Monsieur Dalize stopped, looked his friend squarely in the eyes, and said, in a faltering tone,-- "Then you still think it?

Chapter 21 of In Search of a Son by William S. Walsh holds 85 sentences, grouped into 17 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.

What does chapter 21 of In Search of a Son contain?

Chapter 21 holds 85 sentences of In Search of a Son, unabridged, divided into 17 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 21 of In Search of a Son by William S. Walsh exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 85 sentences, grouped into 17 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.

How do I study chapter 21 of In Search of a Son?

Work through the 17 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 17 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.

Can chapter 21 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 21 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.

Questions about reading In Search of a Son

Common questions about reading In Search of a Son by William S. Walsh on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of In Search of a Son?

Yes. All 2274 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36189 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of In Search of a Son is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #36189, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does In Search of a Son take to read?

About 189 minutes of reading across 455 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read In Search of a Son section by section

How to work through In Search of a Son section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 25 chapters of In Search of a Son to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in In Search of a Son

Words and structures a reader meets early in In Search of a Son, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Despatch
A word that appears in the opening chapter of In Search of a Son; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Great
A word that appears in the opening chapter of In Search of a Son; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Silence
A word that appears in the opening chapter of In Search of a Son; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Fields
A word that appears in the opening chapter of In Search of a Son; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.