Chapter 21 of Lightfoot the Deer is here in full — 29 sentences across 6 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of Lightfoot the Deer is here in full — 29 sentences across 6 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The Big River was very wide. It would have been a long swim for Lightfoot had he been fresh and at his best. Strange as it may seem, Lightfoot is a splendid swimmer, despite his small, delicate feet. He enjoys swimming. But now Lightfoot was terribly tired from his long run ahead of the hounds.
Chapter 21 of Lightfoot the Deer is here in full — 29 sentences across 6 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/5 · 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.
at or in the front
From this reading “But now Lightfoot was terribly tired from his long run ahead of the hounds.”
although something is true; in spite of
From this reading “Strange as it may seem, Lightfoot is a splendid swimmer, despite his small, delicate feet.”
third-person singular of “enjoy” — derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in
From this reading “He enjoys swimming.”
plural of “hound” — any of several breeds of dog used for hunting typically having large drooping ears
From this reading “But now Lightfoot was terribly tired from his long run ahead of the hounds.”
travel through water
From this reading “It would have been a long swim for Lightfoot had he been fresh and at his best.”
a trained athlete who participates in swimming meets
From this reading “Strange as it may seem, Lightfoot is a splendid swimmer, despite his small, delicate feet.”
the act of swimming
From this reading “He enjoys swimming.”
used as intensifiers
From this reading “But now Lightfoot was terribly tired from his long run ahead of the hounds.”
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 It would have been a long swim for Lightfoot had he been fresh and at his best.
at or in the front
From this reading But now Lightfoot was terribly tired from his long run ahead of the hounds.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It would have been a long swim for Lightfoot had he been fresh and at his best.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Strange as it may seem, Lightfoot is a splendid swimmer, despite his small, delicate feet.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading It would have been a long swim for Lightfoot had he been fresh and at his best.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It would have been a long swim for Lightfoot had he been fresh and at his best.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading It would have been a long swim for Lightfoot had he been fresh and at his best.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The Big River was very wide.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But now Lightfoot was terribly tired from his long run ahead of the hounds.
exquisitely fine and subtle and pleasing; susceptible to injury
From this reading Strange as it may seem, Lightfoot is a splendid swimmer, despite his small, delicate feet.
although something is true; in spite of
From this reading Strange as it may seem, Lightfoot is a splendid swimmer, despite his small, delicate feet.
third-person singular of “enjoy” — derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in
From this reading He enjoys swimming.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading Strange as it may seem, Lightfoot is a splendid swimmer, despite his small, delicate feet.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It would have been a long swim for Lightfoot had he been fresh and at his best.
recently made, produced, or harvested
From this reading It would have been a long swim for Lightfoot had he been fresh and at his best.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading But now Lightfoot was terribly tired from his long run ahead of the hounds.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It would have been a long swim for Lightfoot had he been fresh and at his best.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading It would have been a long swim for Lightfoot had he been fresh and at his best.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It would have been a long swim for Lightfoot had he been fresh and at his best.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It would have been a long swim for Lightfoot had he been fresh and at his best.
plural of “hound” — any of several breeds of dog used for hunting typically having large drooping ears
From this reading But now Lightfoot was terribly tired from his long run ahead of the hounds.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Strange as it may seem, Lightfoot is a splendid swimmer, despite his small, delicate feet.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It would have been a long swim for Lightfoot had he been fresh and at his best.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It would have been a long swim for Lightfoot had he been fresh and at his best.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading It would have been a long swim for Lightfoot had he been fresh and at his best.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading Strange as it may seem, Lightfoot is a splendid swimmer, despite his small, delicate feet.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading But now Lightfoot was terribly tired from his long run ahead of the hounds.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading But now Lightfoot was terribly tired from his long run ahead of the hounds.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading The Big River was very wide.
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading But now Lightfoot was terribly tired from his long run ahead of the hounds.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Strange as it may seem, Lightfoot is a splendid swimmer, despite his small, delicate feet.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Strange as it may seem, Lightfoot is a splendid swimmer, despite his small, delicate feet.
having great beauty and splendor
From this reading Strange as it may seem, Lightfoot is a splendid swimmer, despite his small, delicate feet.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading Strange as it may seem, Lightfoot is a splendid swimmer, despite his small, delicate feet.
travel through water
From this reading It would have been a long swim for Lightfoot had he been fresh and at his best.
a trained athlete who participates in swimming meets
From this reading Strange as it may seem, Lightfoot is a splendid swimmer, despite his small, delicate feet.
the act of swimming
From this reading He enjoys swimming.
used as intensifiers
From this reading But now Lightfoot was terribly tired from his long run ahead of the hounds.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Big River was very wide.
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading But now Lightfoot was terribly tired from his long run ahead of the hounds.
precisely as stated
From this reading The Big River was very wide.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The Big River was very wide.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading The Big River was very wide.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It would have been a long swim for Lightfoot had he been fresh and at his best.
Chapter 21 of Lightfoot the Deer by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess holds 29 sentences, grouped into 6 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 21 holds 29 sentences of Lightfoot the Deer, unabridged, divided into 6 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of Lightfoot the Deer by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 29 sentences, grouped into 6 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 6 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 6 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 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.
Common questions about reading Lightfoot the Deer by Thornton W. (Thornton Waldo) Burgess on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1304 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4670 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4670, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 108 minutes of reading across 261 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Lightfoot the Deer section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of Lightfoot the Deer 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 Lightfoot the Deer, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
