Chapter 16 of John Brent is here in full — 214 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of John Brent is here in full — 214 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
ARMSTRONG. I awoke in the solemn quiet dawn of the next morning with my forebodings of ill gone, and in their stead what I could not but deem a baseless hopefulness for our new friends’ welfare. Brent did not share it. His usual gay matin-song was dumb. He cowered, chilled and spiritless, by our camp-fire.
Chapter 16 of John Brent is here in full — 214 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/42 · 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.
United States astronaut; the first man to set foot on the Moon (July 20, 1969) (1930-)
From this reading “ARMSTRONG.”
without a basis in reason or fact
From this reading “I awoke in the solemn quiet dawn of the next morning with my forebodings of ill gone, and in their stead what I could not but deem a baseless hopefulness for our new friends’ welfare.”
small dark geese that breed in the north and migrate southward
From this reading “Brent did not share it.”
past form of “chill” — depress or discourage
From this reading “He cowered, chilled and spiritless, by our camp-fire.”
keep in mind or convey as a conviction or view
From this reading “I awoke in the solemn quiet dawn of the next morning with my forebodings of ill gone, and in their stead what I could not but deem a baseless hopefulness for our new friends’ welfare.”
full of hope
From this reading “I awoke in the solemn quiet dawn of the next morning with my forebodings of ill gone, and in their stead what I could not but deem a baseless hopefulness for our new friends’ welfare.”
the post or function properly or customarily occupied or served by another
From this reading “I awoke in the solemn quiet dawn of the next morning with my forebodings of ill gone, and in their stead what I could not but deem a baseless hopefulness for our new friends’ welfare.”
governmental provision of economic assistance to persons in need
From this reading “I awoke in the solemn quiet dawn of the next morning with my forebodings of ill gone, and in their stead what I could not but deem a baseless hopefulness for our new friends’ welfare.”
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 “I awoke in the solemn quiet dawn of the next morning with my forebodings of ill gone, and in their stead what I could not but deem a baseless hopefulness for our new friends’ welfare.”
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 I awoke in the solemn quiet dawn of the next morning with my forebodings of ill gone, and in their stead what I could not but deem a baseless hopefulness for our new friends’ welfare.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I awoke in the solemn quiet dawn of the next morning with my forebodings of ill gone, and in their stead what I could not but deem a baseless hopefulness for our new friends’ welfare.
United States astronaut; the first man to set foot on the Moon (July 20, 1969) (1930-)
From this reading ARMSTRONG.
inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping
From this reading I awoke in the solemn quiet dawn of the next morning with my forebodings of ill gone, and in their stead what I could not but deem a baseless hopefulness for our new friends’ welfare.
without a basis in reason or fact
From this reading I awoke in the solemn quiet dawn of the next morning with my forebodings of ill gone, and in their stead what I could not but deem a baseless hopefulness for our new friends’ welfare.
small dark geese that breed in the north and migrate southward
From this reading Brent did not share it.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I awoke in the solemn quiet dawn of the next morning with my forebodings of ill gone, and in their stead what I could not but deem a baseless hopefulness for our new friends’ welfare.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He cowered, chilled and spiritless, by our camp-fire.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He cowered, chilled and spiritless, by our camp-fire.
past form of “chill” — depress or discourage
From this reading He cowered, chilled and spiritless, by our camp-fire.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading I awoke in the solemn quiet dawn of the next morning with my forebodings of ill gone, and in their stead what I could not but deem a baseless hopefulness for our new friends’ welfare.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He cowered, chilled and spiritless, by our camp-fire.
the first light of day
From this reading I awoke in the solemn quiet dawn of the next morning with my forebodings of ill gone, and in their stead what I could not but deem a baseless hopefulness for our new friends’ welfare.
keep in mind or convey as a conviction or view
From this reading I awoke in the solemn quiet dawn of the next morning with my forebodings of ill gone, and in their stead what I could not but deem a baseless hopefulness for our new friends’ welfare.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Brent did not share it.
slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity
From this reading His usual gay matin-song was dumb.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I awoke in the solemn quiet dawn of the next morning with my forebodings of ill gone, and in their stead what I could not but deem a baseless hopefulness for our new friends’ welfare.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I awoke in the solemn quiet dawn of the next morning with my forebodings of ill gone, and in their stead what I could not but deem a baseless hopefulness for our new friends’ welfare.
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading I awoke in the solemn quiet dawn of the next morning with my forebodings of ill gone, and in their stead what I could not but deem a baseless hopefulness for our new friends’ welfare.
bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer
From this reading His usual gay matin-song was dumb.
destroyed or killed
From this reading I awoke in the solemn quiet dawn of the next morning with my forebodings of ill gone, and in their stead what I could not but deem a baseless hopefulness for our new friends’ welfare.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He cowered, chilled and spiritless, by our camp-fire.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His usual gay matin-song was dumb.
full of hope
From this reading I awoke in the solemn quiet dawn of the next morning with my forebodings of ill gone, and in their stead what I could not but deem a baseless hopefulness for our new friends’ welfare.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I awoke in the solemn quiet dawn of the next morning with my forebodings of ill gone, and in their stead what I could not but deem a baseless hopefulness for our new friends’ welfare.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading I awoke in the solemn quiet dawn of the next morning with my forebodings of ill gone, and in their stead what I could not but deem a baseless hopefulness for our new friends’ welfare.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I awoke in the solemn quiet dawn of the next morning with my forebodings of ill gone, and in their stead what I could not but deem a baseless hopefulness for our new friends’ welfare.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Brent did not share it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His usual gay matin-song was dumb.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading I awoke in the solemn quiet dawn of the next morning with my forebodings of ill gone, and in their stead what I could not but deem a baseless hopefulness for our new friends’ welfare.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I awoke in the solemn quiet dawn of the next morning with my forebodings of ill gone, and in their stead what I could not but deem a baseless hopefulness for our new friends’ welfare.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading I awoke in the solemn quiet dawn of the next morning with my forebodings of ill gone, and in their stead what I could not but deem a baseless hopefulness for our new friends’ welfare.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading I awoke in the solemn quiet dawn of the next morning with my forebodings of ill gone, and in their stead what I could not but deem a baseless hopefulness for our new friends’ welfare.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I awoke in the solemn quiet dawn of the next morning with my forebodings of ill gone, and in their stead what I could not but deem a baseless hopefulness for our new friends’ welfare.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I awoke in the solemn quiet dawn of the next morning with my forebodings of ill gone, and in their stead what I could not but deem a baseless hopefulness for our new friends’ welfare.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading I awoke in the solemn quiet dawn of the next morning with my forebodings of ill gone, and in their stead what I could not but deem a baseless hopefulness for our new friends’ welfare.
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading I awoke in the solemn quiet dawn of the next morning with my forebodings of ill gone, and in their stead what I could not but deem a baseless hopefulness for our new friends’ welfare.
have in common
From this reading Brent did not share it.
dignified and somber in manner or character and committed to keeping promises
From this reading I awoke in the solemn quiet dawn of the next morning with my forebodings of ill gone, and in their stead what I could not but deem a baseless hopefulness for our new friends’ welfare.
lacking ardor or vigor or energy
From this reading He cowered, chilled and spiritless, by our camp-fire.
the post or function properly or customarily occupied or served by another
From this reading I awoke in the solemn quiet dawn of the next morning with my forebodings of ill gone, and in their stead what I could not but deem a baseless hopefulness for our new friends’ welfare.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I awoke in the solemn quiet dawn of the next morning with my forebodings of ill gone, and in their stead what I could not but deem a baseless hopefulness for our new friends’ welfare.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading I awoke in the solemn quiet dawn of the next morning with my forebodings of ill gone, and in their stead what I could not but deem a baseless hopefulness for our new friends’ welfare.
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading His usual gay matin-song was dumb.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His usual gay matin-song was dumb.
governmental provision of economic assistance to persons in need
From this reading I awoke in the solemn quiet dawn of the next morning with my forebodings of ill gone, and in their stead what I could not but deem a baseless hopefulness for our new friends’ welfare.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I awoke in the solemn quiet dawn of the next morning with my forebodings of ill gone, and in their stead what I could not but deem a baseless hopefulness for our new friends’ welfare.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I awoke in the solemn quiet dawn of the next morning with my forebodings of ill gone, and in their stead what I could not but deem a baseless hopefulness for our new friends’ welfare.
Chapter 16 of John Brent by Theodore Winthrop holds 214 sentences, grouped into 43 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 16 holds 214 sentences of John Brent, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of John Brent by Theodore Winthrop exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 214 sentences, grouped into 43 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 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 43 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 16 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 John Brent by Theodore Winthrop on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5312 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #73738 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #73738, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 442 minutes of reading across 1063 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through John Brent section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of John Brent 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 John Brent, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
