Chapter 23 of Jane Allen, Center is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Jane Allen, Center is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“And now for the Barn Swifts.” “Everyone is crazy to come, Dickey. I’m afraid we will have an overflow.” “Oh, yes, of course. I suppose Nell will completely douse all the rest of us.
Chapter 23 of Jane Allen, Center is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 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.
an outlying farm building for storing grain or animal feed and housing farm animals
From this reading ““And now for the Barn Swifts.””
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading “I suppose Nell will completely douse all the rest of us.”
affected with madness or insanity
From this reading ““Everyone is crazy to come, Dickey.”
a small third seat in the back of an old-fashioned two-seater
From this reading ““Everyone is crazy to come, Dickey.”
put out, as of a candle or a light
From this reading “I suppose Nell will completely douse all the rest of us.”
every person
From this reading ““Everyone is crazy to come, Dickey.”
a large flow
From this reading “I’m afraid we will have an overflow.””
plural of “swift” — United States meat-packer who began the use of refrigerated railroad cars (1839-1903)
From this reading ““And now for the Barn Swifts.””
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.
as might be expected
In this reading ““Oh, yes, of course.”
In this reading “I suppose Nell will completely douse all the rest of us.”
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.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading I’m afraid we will have an overflow.”
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading I suppose Nell will completely douse all the rest of us.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading I’m afraid we will have an overflow.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “And now for the Barn Swifts.”
an outlying farm building for storing grain or animal feed and housing farm animals
From this reading “And now for the Barn Swifts.”
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “Everyone is crazy to come, Dickey.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading I suppose Nell will completely douse all the rest of us.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading “Oh, yes, of course.
affected with madness or insanity
From this reading “Everyone is crazy to come, Dickey.
a small third seat in the back of an old-fashioned two-seater
From this reading “Everyone is crazy to come, Dickey.
put out, as of a candle or a light
From this reading I suppose Nell will completely douse all the rest of us.
every person
From this reading “Everyone is crazy to come, Dickey.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “And now for the Barn Swifts.”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I’m afraid we will have an overflow.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I suppose Nell will completely douse all the rest of us.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I’m afraid we will have an overflow.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Everyone is crazy to come, Dickey.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I suppose Nell will completely douse all the rest of us.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “And now for the Barn Swifts.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Oh, yes, of course.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “Oh, yes, of course.
a large flow
From this reading I’m afraid we will have an overflow.”
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading I suppose Nell will completely douse all the rest of us.
express a supposition
From this reading I suppose Nell will completely douse all the rest of us.
plural of “swift” — United States meat-packer who began the use of refrigerated railroad cars (1839-1903)
From this reading “And now for the Barn Swifts.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “And now for the Barn Swifts.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Everyone is crazy to come, Dickey.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I suppose Nell will completely douse all the rest of us.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading I’m afraid we will have an overflow.”
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading I’m afraid we will have an overflow.”
an affirmative
From this reading “Oh, yes, of course.
Chapter 23 of Jane Allen, Center by Edith Bancroft holds 177 sentences, grouped into 36 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 23 holds 177 sentences of Jane Allen, Center, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Jane Allen, Center by Edith Bancroft exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 177 sentences, grouped into 36 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 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 36 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 23 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 Jane Allen, Center by Edith Bancroft on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4325 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40908 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40908, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 360 minutes of reading across 865 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Jane Allen, Center section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of Jane Allen, Center 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 Jane Allen, Center, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
