Chapter 24 of John Brent is here in full — 180 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIV
Chapter 24 of John Brent is here in full — 180 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DRAPETOMANIA. For the last hour I had ridden close to Brent. I saw that it was almost up with him. He swayed in his saddle. His eye was glazed and dull.
Chapter 24 of John Brent is here in full — 180 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/36 · 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.
small dark geese that breed in the north and migrate southward
From this reading “For the last hour I had ridden close to Brent.”
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading “For the last hour I had ridden close to Brent.”
lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading “His eye was glazed and dull.”
the organ of sight
From this reading “His eye was glazed and dull.”
(used of eyes) lacking liveliness
From this reading “His eye was glazed and dull.”
inflected form of “ride” — sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading “For the last hour I had ridden close to Brent.”
put a saddle on
From this reading “He swayed in his saddle.”
past form of “sway” — move back and forth or sideways
From this reading “He swayed in his saddle.”
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 “For the last hour I had ridden close to Brent.”
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.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading I saw that it was almost up with him.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading His eye was glazed and dull.
small dark geese that breed in the north and migrate southward
From this reading For the last hour I had ridden close to Brent.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading For the last hour I had ridden close to Brent.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DRAPETOMANIA.
lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading His eye was glazed and dull.
the organ of sight
From this reading His eye was glazed and dull.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For the last hour I had ridden close to Brent.
(used of eyes) lacking liveliness
From this reading His eye was glazed and dull.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading For the last hour I had ridden close to Brent.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He swayed in his saddle.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I saw that it was almost up with him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He swayed in his saddle.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading For the last hour I had ridden close to Brent.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading For the last hour I had ridden close to Brent.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He swayed in his saddle.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I saw that it was almost up with him.
immediately past
From this reading For the last hour I had ridden close to Brent.
inflected form of “ride” — sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading For the last hour I had ridden close to Brent.
put a saddle on
From this reading He swayed in his saddle.
cut with a saw
From this reading I saw that it was almost up with him.
past form of “sway” — move back and forth or sideways
From this reading He swayed in his saddle.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I saw that it was almost up with him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading For the last hour I had ridden close to Brent.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading For the last hour I had ridden close to Brent.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I saw that it was almost up with him.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I saw that it was almost up with him.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I saw that it was almost up with him.
Chapter 24 of John Brent by Theodore Winthrop holds 180 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 24 holds 180 sentences of John Brent, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 24 of John Brent by Theodore Winthrop exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 180 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 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 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.
