Chapter 9 of Midwinter: Certain Travellers in Old England is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Midwinter: Certain Travellers in Old England is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
General Oglethorpe's eye was lit with a fervour which softened the rigour of his face into something infinitely gentle. Alastair had no words to answer so strange a plea. "But--but King George is no more of that way of thinking than my Prince," he stammered. The other nodded. "I am not arguing on behalf of his present Majesty.
Chapter 9 of Midwinter: Certain Travellers in Old England is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
a contentious speech act; a dispute where there is strong disagreement
From this reading “"I am not arguing on behalf of his present Majesty.”
as the agent of or on someone's part (usually expressed as “on behalf of” rather than “in behalf of”)
From this reading “"I am not arguing on behalf of his present Majesty.”
without bounds
From this reading “General Oglethorpe's eye was lit with a fervour which softened the rigour of his face into something infinitely gentle.”
provided with artificial light
From this reading “General Oglethorpe's eye was lit with a fervour which softened the rigour of his face into something infinitely gentle.”
impressiveness in scale or proportion
From this reading “"I am not arguing on behalf of his present Majesty.”
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading “The other nodded.”
a humble request for help from someone in authority
From this reading “Alastair had no words to answer so strange a plea.”
toned down
From this reading “General Oglethorpe's eye was lit with a fervour which softened the rigour of his face into something infinitely gentle.”
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 am not arguing on behalf of his present Majesty.”
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 General Oglethorpe's eye was lit with a fervour which softened the rigour of his face into something infinitely gentle.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alastair had no words to answer so strange a plea.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "I am not arguing on behalf of his present Majesty.
react verbally
From this reading Alastair had no words to answer so strange a plea.
a contentious speech act; a dispute where there is strong disagreement
From this reading "I am not arguing on behalf of his present Majesty.
as the agent of or on someone's part (usually expressed as “on behalf of” rather than “in behalf of”)
From this reading "I am not arguing on behalf of his present Majesty.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But--but King George is no more of that way of thinking than my Prince," he stammered.
the organ of sight
From this reading General Oglethorpe's eye was lit with a fervour which softened the rigour of his face into something infinitely gentle.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading General Oglethorpe's eye was lit with a fervour which softened the rigour of his face into something infinitely gentle.
the state of being emotionally aroused and worked up
From this reading General Oglethorpe's eye was lit with a fervour which softened the rigour of his face into something infinitely gentle.
applying to all or most members of a category or group
From this reading General Oglethorpe's eye was lit with a fervour which softened the rigour of his face into something infinitely gentle.
soft and mild; not harsh or stern or severe
From this reading General Oglethorpe's eye was lit with a fervour which softened the rigour of his face into something infinitely gentle.
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading "But--but King George is no more of that way of thinking than my Prince," he stammered.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Alastair had no words to answer so strange a plea.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "But--but King George is no more of that way of thinking than my Prince," he stammered.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading General Oglethorpe's eye was lit with a fervour which softened the rigour of his face into something infinitely gentle.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I am not arguing on behalf of his present Majesty.
without bounds
From this reading General Oglethorpe's eye was lit with a fervour which softened the rigour of his face into something infinitely gentle.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading General Oglethorpe's eye was lit with a fervour which softened the rigour of his face into something infinitely gentle.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "But--but King George is no more of that way of thinking than my Prince," he stammered.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading "But--but King George is no more of that way of thinking than my Prince," he stammered.
provided with artificial light
From this reading General Oglethorpe's eye was lit with a fervour which softened the rigour of his face into something infinitely gentle.
impressiveness in scale or proportion
From this reading "I am not arguing on behalf of his present Majesty.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "But--but King George is no more of that way of thinking than my Prince," he stammered.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "But--but King George is no more of that way of thinking than my Prince," he stammered.
not any; not one
From this reading Alastair had no words to answer so strange a plea.
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading The other nodded.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "I am not arguing on behalf of his present Majesty.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading General Oglethorpe's eye was lit with a fervour which softened the rigour of his face into something infinitely gentle.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading General Oglethorpe's eye was lit with a fervour which softened the rigour of his face into something infinitely gentle.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "I am not arguing on behalf of his present Majesty.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading The other nodded.
a humble request for help from someone in authority
From this reading Alastair had no words to answer so strange a plea.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading "I am not arguing on behalf of his present Majesty.
a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign (especially the son of a sovereign)
From this reading "But--but King George is no more of that way of thinking than my Prince," he stammered.
the quality of being valid and rigorous
From this reading General Oglethorpe's eye was lit with a fervour which softened the rigour of his face into something infinitely gentle.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Alastair had no words to answer so strange a plea.
toned down
From this reading General Oglethorpe's eye was lit with a fervour which softened the rigour of his face into something infinitely gentle.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading General Oglethorpe's eye was lit with a fervour which softened the rigour of his face into something infinitely gentle.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But--but King George is no more of that way of thinking than my Prince," he stammered.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading Alastair had no words to answer so strange a plea.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading "But--but King George is no more of that way of thinking than my Prince," he stammered.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "But--but King George is no more of that way of thinking than my Prince," he stammered.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading General Oglethorpe's eye was lit with a fervour which softened the rigour of his face into something infinitely gentle.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading "But--but King George is no more of that way of thinking than my Prince," he stammered.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Alastair had no words to answer so strange a plea.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading General Oglethorpe's eye was lit with a fervour which softened the rigour of his face into something infinitely gentle.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "But--but King George is no more of that way of thinking than my Prince," he stammered.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading General Oglethorpe's eye was lit with a fervour which softened the rigour of his face into something infinitely gentle.
in the company of; together with
From this reading General Oglethorpe's eye was lit with a fervour which softened the rigour of his face into something infinitely gentle.
the words that are spoken
From this reading Alastair had no words to answer so strange a plea.
Chapter 9 of Midwinter: Certain Travellers in Old England by John Buchan holds 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 9 holds 407 sentences of Midwinter: Certain Travellers in Old England, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Midwinter: Certain Travellers in Old England by John Buchan exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 9 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 Midwinter: Certain Travellers in Old England by John Buchan on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5784 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #59178 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #59178, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 482 minutes of reading across 1157 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Midwinter: Certain Travellers in Old England section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of Midwinter: Certain Travellers in Old England 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 Midwinter: Certain Travellers in Old England, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
