Chapter 31 of In the Van is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXI
Chapter 31 of In the Van is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Half an hour later, the Sergeant again had charge of the Captain. He was weak and pallid, but his mind was clear, and he fixed his eyes on the Sergeant's face. "Now, I can tell you," he said at last, with some difficulty. "You had better not," returned the man. "The doctor says you must sleep before you try to talk again."
Chapter 31 of In the Van is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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.
to make a rush at or sudden attack upon, as in battle
From this reading “Half an hour later, the Sergeant again had charge of the Captain.”
rid of obstructions
From this reading “He was weak and pallid, but his mind was clear, and he fixed his eyes on the Sergeant's face.”
an effort that is inconvenient
From this reading “"Now, I can tell you," he said at last, with some difficulty.”
(of a number) having a fixed and unchanging value
From this reading “He was weak and pallid, but his mind was clear, and he fixed his eyes on the Sergeant's face.”
abnormally deficient in color as suggesting physical or emotional distress
From this reading “He was weak and pallid, but his mind was clear, and he fixed his eyes on the Sergeant's face.”
any of several noncommissioned officer ranks in the Army or Air Force or Marines ranking above a corporal
From this reading “Half an hour later, the Sergeant again had charge of the Captain.”
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading “"The doctor says you must sleep before you try to talk again."”
wanting in physical strength
From this reading “He was weak and pallid, but his mind was clear, and he fixed his eyes on the Sergeant's face.”
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 “"Now, I can tell you," he said at last, with some difficulty.”
In this reading “Half an hour later, the Sergeant again had charge of the Captain.”
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.
anew
From this reading Half an hour later, the Sergeant again had charge of the Captain.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Half an hour later, the Sergeant again had charge of the Captain.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He was weak and pallid, but his mind was clear, and he fixed his eyes on the Sergeant's face.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Now, I can tell you," he said at last, with some difficulty.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading "The doctor says you must sleep before you try to talk again."
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "You had better not," returned the man.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He was weak and pallid, but his mind was clear, and he fixed his eyes on the Sergeant's face.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "Now, I can tell you," he said at last, with some difficulty.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading Half an hour later, the Sergeant again had charge of the Captain.
to make a rush at or sudden attack upon, as in battle
From this reading Half an hour later, the Sergeant again had charge of the Captain.
rid of obstructions
From this reading He was weak and pallid, but his mind was clear, and he fixed his eyes on the Sergeant's face.
an effort that is inconvenient
From this reading "Now, I can tell you," he said at last, with some difficulty.
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading "The doctor says you must sleep before you try to talk again."
opinion or judgment
From this reading He was weak and pallid, but his mind was clear, and he fixed his eyes on the Sergeant's face.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading He was weak and pallid, but his mind was clear, and he fixed his eyes on the Sergeant's face.
(of a number) having a fixed and unchanging value
From this reading He was weak and pallid, but his mind was clear, and he fixed his eyes on the Sergeant's face.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Half an hour later, the Sergeant again had charge of the Captain.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading Half an hour later, the Sergeant again had charge of the Captain.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was weak and pallid, but his mind was clear, and he fixed his eyes on the Sergeant's face.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He was weak and pallid, but his mind was clear, and he fixed his eyes on the Sergeant's face.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading Half an hour later, the Sergeant again had charge of the Captain.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Now, I can tell you," he said at last, with some difficulty.
immediately past
From this reading "Now, I can tell you," he said at last, with some difficulty.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading Half an hour later, the Sergeant again had charge of the Captain.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "You had better not," returned the man.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading He was weak and pallid, but his mind was clear, and he fixed his eyes on the Sergeant's face.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "The doctor says you must sleep before you try to talk again."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "You had better not," returned the man.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Now, I can tell you," he said at last, with some difficulty.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Half an hour later, the Sergeant again had charge of the Captain.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He was weak and pallid, but his mind was clear, and he fixed his eyes on the Sergeant's face.
abnormally deficient in color as suggesting physical or emotional distress
From this reading He was weak and pallid, but his mind was clear, and he fixed his eyes on the Sergeant's face.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading "You had better not," returned the man.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Now, I can tell you," he said at last, with some difficulty.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading "The doctor says you must sleep before you try to talk again."
any of several noncommissioned officer ranks in the Army or Air Force or Marines ranking above a corporal
From this reading Half an hour later, the Sergeant again had charge of the Captain.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was weak and pallid, but his mind was clear, and he fixed his eyes on the Sergeant's face.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading "The doctor says you must sleep before you try to talk again."
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "Now, I can tell you," he said at last, with some difficulty.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading "The doctor says you must sleep before you try to talk again."
express in words
From this reading "Now, I can tell you," he said at last, with some difficulty.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Half an hour later, the Sergeant again had charge of the Captain.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "The doctor says you must sleep before you try to talk again."
make an effort or attempt
From this reading "The doctor says you must sleep before you try to talk again."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was weak and pallid, but his mind was clear, and he fixed his eyes on the Sergeant's face.
wanting in physical strength
From this reading He was weak and pallid, but his mind was clear, and he fixed his eyes on the Sergeant's face.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Now, I can tell you," he said at last, with some difficulty.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Now, I can tell you," he said at last, with some difficulty.
Chapter 31 of In the Van by John Price-Brown holds 162 sentences, grouped into 33 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 31 holds 162 sentences of In the Van, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of In the Van by John Price-Brown exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 162 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 31 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 In the Van by John Price-Brown on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5208 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35203 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #35203, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 434 minutes of reading across 1042 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through In the Van section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of In the Van 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 In the Van, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
