Chapter 23 of Marching Sands is here in full — 268 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Marching Sands is here in full — 268 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE CHALLENGE He slept little. The fate destined for Mary had come as a complete surprise. It was not strange, he reflected, that Gela should want her for a wife. Nor that Bassalor Danek should approve the marriage. He might have foreseen something of the kind.
Chapter 23 of Marching Sands is here in full — 268 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/53 · 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.
give sanction to
From this reading “Nor that Bassalor Danek should approve the marriage.”
take exception to
From this reading “THE CHALLENGE He slept little.”
come or bring to a finish or an end
From this reading “The fate destined for Mary had come as a complete surprise.”
headed or intending to head in a certain direction; often used as a combining form as in “college-bound students”
From this reading “The fate destined for Mary had come as a complete surprise.”
an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading “The fate destined for Mary had come as a complete surprise.”
inflected form of “foresee” — realize beforehand
From this reading “He might have foreseen something of the kind.”
(especially of incident sound or light) bent or sent back
From this reading “It was not strange, he reflected, that Gela should want her for a wife.”
inflected form of “sleep” — be asleep
From this reading “THE CHALLENGE He slept little.”
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 “The fate destined for Mary had come as a complete surprise.”
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 The fate destined for Mary had come as a complete surprise.
give sanction to
From this reading Nor that Bassalor Danek should approve the marriage.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The fate destined for Mary had come as a complete surprise.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nor that Bassalor Danek should approve the marriage.
take exception to
From this reading THE CHALLENGE He slept little.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The fate destined for Mary had come as a complete surprise.
come or bring to a finish or an end
From this reading The fate destined for Mary had come as a complete surprise.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nor that Bassalor Danek should approve the marriage.
headed or intending to head in a certain direction; often used as a combining form as in “college-bound students”
From this reading The fate destined for Mary had come as a complete surprise.
an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading The fate destined for Mary had come as a complete surprise.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The fate destined for Mary had come as a complete surprise.
inflected form of “foresee” — realize beforehand
From this reading He might have foreseen something of the kind.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was not strange, he reflected, that Gela should want her for a wife.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The fate destined for Mary had come as a complete surprise.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading He might have foreseen something of the kind.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading THE CHALLENGE He slept little.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading It was not strange, he reflected, that Gela should want her for a wife.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was not strange, he reflected, that Gela should want her for a wife.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading He might have foreseen something of the kind.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading THE CHALLENGE He slept little.
the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce)
From this reading Nor that Bassalor Danek should approve the marriage.
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading The fate destined for Mary had come as a complete surprise.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading He might have foreseen something of the kind.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading Nor that Bassalor Danek should approve the marriage.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It was not strange, he reflected, that Gela should want her for a wife.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He might have foreseen something of the kind.
(especially of incident sound or light) bent or sent back
From this reading It was not strange, he reflected, that Gela should want her for a wife.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading It was not strange, he reflected, that Gela should want her for a wife.
inflected form of “sleep” — be asleep
From this reading THE CHALLENGE He slept little.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading He might have foreseen something of the kind.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading It was not strange, he reflected, that Gela should want her for a wife.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading The fate destined for Mary had come as a complete surprise.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was not strange, he reflected, that Gela should want her for a wife.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE CHALLENGE He slept little.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading It was not strange, he reflected, that Gela should want her for a wife.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was not strange, he reflected, that Gela should want her for a wife.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading It was not strange, he reflected, that Gela should want her for a wife.
Chapter 23 of Marching Sands by Harold Lamb holds 268 sentences, grouped into 54 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 268 sentences of Marching Sands, unabridged, divided into 54 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Marching Sands by Harold Lamb exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 268 sentences, grouped into 54 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 54 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 54 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 Marching Sands by Harold Lamb on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Marching Sands section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Marching Sands 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 Marching Sands, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
