Chapter 23 of Love and Lucy is here in full — 220 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Love and Lucy is here in full — 220 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
JAMES AND JIMMY Macartney found him lying very still; nothing, in fact, seemed to be alive but his eyes, which were wide open and missed nothing. "You're hurt, I'm afraid. Can you tell me anything?" Urquhart spoke in a curiously level tone. It seemed to give impartiality to what he said, as if he had been discussing the troubles of a man he hardly knew.
Chapter 23 of Love and Lucy is here in full — 220 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/44 · 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.
in a manner differing from the usual or expected
From this reading “Urquhart spoke in a curiously level tone.”
-ing form of “discuss” — to consider or examine in speech or writing
From this reading “It seemed to give impartiality to what he said, as if he had been discussing the troubles of a man he hardly knew.”
an inclination to weigh both views or opinions equally
From this reading “It seemed to give impartiality to what he said, as if he had been discussing the troubles of a man he hardly knew.”
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading “JAMES AND JIMMY Macartney found him lying very still; nothing, in fact, seemed to be alive but his eyes, which were wide open and missed nothing.”
to move or force, especially in an effort to get something open
From this reading “JAMES AND JIMMY Macartney found him lying very still; nothing, in fact, seemed to be alive but his eyes, which were wide open and missed nothing.”
a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading “Urquhart spoke in a curiously level tone.”
not caught with the senses or the mind
From this reading “JAMES AND JIMMY Macartney found him lying very still; nothing, in fact, seemed to be alive but his eyes, which were wide open and missed nothing.”
plural of “trouble” — a source of difficulty
From this reading “It seemed to give impartiality to what he said, as if he had been discussing the troubles of a man he hardly knew.”
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 “Urquhart spoke in a curiously level tone.”
in reality or actuality
In this reading “JAMES AND JIMMY Macartney found him lying very still; nothing, in fact, seemed to be alive but his eyes, which were wide open and missed nothing.”
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 Urquhart spoke in a curiously level tone.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading "You're hurt, I'm afraid.
possessing life
From this reading JAMES AND JIMMY Macartney found him lying very still; nothing, in fact, seemed to be alive but his eyes, which were wide open and missed nothing.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading JAMES AND JIMMY Macartney found him lying very still; nothing, in fact, seemed to be alive but his eyes, which were wide open and missed nothing.
any thing at all
From this reading Can you tell me anything?"
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It seemed to give impartiality to what he said, as if he had been discussing the troubles of a man he hardly knew.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading JAMES AND JIMMY Macartney found him lying very still; nothing, in fact, seemed to be alive but his eyes, which were wide open and missed nothing.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It seemed to give impartiality to what he said, as if he had been discussing the troubles of a man he hardly knew.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading JAMES AND JIMMY Macartney found him lying very still; nothing, in fact, seemed to be alive but his eyes, which were wide open and missed nothing.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Can you tell me anything?"
in a manner differing from the usual or expected
From this reading Urquhart spoke in a curiously level tone.
-ing form of “discuss” — to consider or examine in speech or writing
From this reading It seemed to give impartiality to what he said, as if he had been discussing the troubles of a man he hardly knew.
opinion or judgment
From this reading JAMES AND JIMMY Macartney found him lying very still; nothing, in fact, seemed to be alive but his eyes, which were wide open and missed nothing.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading JAMES AND JIMMY Macartney found him lying very still; nothing, in fact, seemed to be alive but his eyes, which were wide open and missed nothing.
set up or found
From this reading JAMES AND JIMMY Macartney found him lying very still; nothing, in fact, seemed to be alive but his eyes, which were wide open and missed nothing.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading It seemed to give impartiality to what he said, as if he had been discussing the troubles of a man he hardly knew.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It seemed to give impartiality to what he said, as if he had been discussing the troubles of a man he hardly knew.
only a very short time before
From this reading It seemed to give impartiality to what he said, as if he had been discussing the troubles of a man he hardly knew.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It seemed to give impartiality to what he said, as if he had been discussing the troubles of a man he hardly knew.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading JAMES AND JIMMY Macartney found him lying very still; nothing, in fact, seemed to be alive but his eyes, which were wide open and missed nothing.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading JAMES AND JIMMY Macartney found him lying very still; nothing, in fact, seemed to be alive but his eyes, which were wide open and missed nothing.
be the source of pain
From this reading "You're hurt, I'm afraid.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You're hurt, I'm afraid.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading It seemed to give impartiality to what he said, as if he had been discussing the troubles of a man he hardly knew.
an inclination to weigh both views or opinions equally
From this reading It seemed to give impartiality to what he said, as if he had been discussing the troubles of a man he hardly knew.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading JAMES AND JIMMY Macartney found him lying very still; nothing, in fact, seemed to be alive but his eyes, which were wide open and missed nothing.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It seemed to give impartiality to what he said, as if he had been discussing the troubles of a man he hardly knew.
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading JAMES AND JIMMY Macartney found him lying very still; nothing, in fact, seemed to be alive but his eyes, which were wide open and missed nothing.
to move or force, especially in an effort to get something open
From this reading JAMES AND JIMMY Macartney found him lying very still; nothing, in fact, seemed to be alive but his eyes, which were wide open and missed nothing.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading It seemed to give impartiality to what he said, as if he had been discussing the troubles of a man he hardly knew.
a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading Urquhart spoke in a curiously level tone.
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading JAMES AND JIMMY Macartney found him lying very still; nothing, in fact, seemed to be alive but his eyes, which were wide open and missed nothing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JAMES AND JIMMY Macartney found him lying very still; nothing, in fact, seemed to be alive but his eyes, which were wide open and missed nothing.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading It seemed to give impartiality to what he said, as if he had been discussing the troubles of a man he hardly knew.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Can you tell me anything?"
not caught with the senses or the mind
From this reading JAMES AND JIMMY Macartney found him lying very still; nothing, in fact, seemed to be alive but his eyes, which were wide open and missed nothing.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading JAMES AND JIMMY Macartney found him lying very still; nothing, in fact, seemed to be alive but his eyes, which were wide open and missed nothing.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It seemed to give impartiality to what he said, as if he had been discussing the troubles of a man he hardly knew.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading JAMES AND JIMMY Macartney found him lying very still; nothing, in fact, seemed to be alive but his eyes, which were wide open and missed nothing.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading It seemed to give impartiality to what he said, as if he had been discussing the troubles of a man he hardly knew.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading JAMES AND JIMMY Macartney found him lying very still; nothing, in fact, seemed to be alive but his eyes, which were wide open and missed nothing.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading Urquhart spoke in a curiously level tone.
not in physical motion
From this reading JAMES AND JIMMY Macartney found him lying very still; nothing, in fact, seemed to be alive but his eyes, which were wide open and missed nothing.
express in words
From this reading Can you tell me anything?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It seemed to give impartiality to what he said, as if he had been discussing the troubles of a man he hardly knew.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading JAMES AND JIMMY Macartney found him lying very still; nothing, in fact, seemed to be alive but his eyes, which were wide open and missed nothing.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading Urquhart spoke in a curiously level tone.
plural of “trouble” — a source of difficulty
From this reading It seemed to give impartiality to what he said, as if he had been discussing the troubles of a man he hardly knew.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Urquhart spoke in a curiously level tone.
precisely as stated
From this reading JAMES AND JIMMY Macartney found him lying very still; nothing, in fact, seemed to be alive but his eyes, which were wide open and missed nothing.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading JAMES AND JIMMY Macartney found him lying very still; nothing, in fact, seemed to be alive but his eyes, which were wide open and missed nothing.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading It seemed to give impartiality to what he said, as if he had been discussing the troubles of a man he hardly knew.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading JAMES AND JIMMY Macartney found him lying very still; nothing, in fact, seemed to be alive but his eyes, which were wide open and missed nothing.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading JAMES AND JIMMY Macartney found him lying very still; nothing, in fact, seemed to be alive but his eyes, which were wide open and missed nothing.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Can you tell me anything?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You're hurt, I'm afraid.
Chapter 23 of Love and Lucy by Maurice Hewlett holds 220 sentences, grouped into 44 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 220 sentences of Love and Lucy, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Love and Lucy by Maurice Hewlett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 220 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 Love and Lucy by Maurice Hewlett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5397 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29868 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #29868, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 449 minutes of reading across 1080 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Love and Lucy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of Love and Lucy 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 Love and Lucy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
