Chapter 17 of My Sword's My Fortune: A Story of Old France is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of My Sword's My Fortune: A Story of Old France is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I become a Prisoner of the Bastille. I ran across the room and then stopped suddenly: it was a cowardly action to leave the man to face my enemies alone! "Fly, monsieur, fly!" he implored. "Not I, Pillot, until we can go together. You have stood by me, I will stand by you.
Chapter 17 of My Sword's My Fortune: A Story of Old France is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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.
something done (usually as opposed to something said)
From this reading “I ran across the room and then stopped suddenly: it was a cowardly action to leave the man to face my enemies alone!”
a fortress built in Paris in the 14th century and used as a prison in the 17th and 18th centuries; it was destroyed July 14, 1789 at the start of the French Revolution
From this reading “I become a Prisoner of the Bastille.”
lacking courage; ignobly timid and faint-hearted
From this reading “I ran across the room and then stopped suddenly: it was a cowardly action to leave the man to face my enemies alone!”
plural of “enemy” — an opposing military force
From this reading “I ran across the room and then stopped suddenly: it was a cowardly action to leave the man to face my enemies alone!”
travel through the air; be airborne
From this reading “"Fly, monsieur, fly!" he implored.”
past form of “implore” — call upon in supplication; entreat
From this reading “"Fly, monsieur, fly!" he implored.”
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading “"Fly, monsieur, fly!" he implored.”
a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading “I become a Prisoner of the Bastille.”
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 I become a Prisoner of the Bastille.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading I ran across the room and then stopped suddenly: it was a cowardly action to leave the man to face my enemies alone!
something done (usually as opposed to something said)
From this reading I ran across the room and then stopped suddenly: it was a cowardly action to leave the man to face my enemies alone!
Having no one else present.
From this reading I ran across the room and then stopped suddenly: it was a cowardly action to leave the man to face my enemies alone!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I ran across the room and then stopped suddenly: it was a cowardly action to leave the man to face my enemies alone!
a fortress built in Paris in the 14th century and used as a prison in the 17th and 18th centuries; it was destroyed July 14, 1789 at the start of the French Revolution
From this reading I become a Prisoner of the Bastille.
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading I become a Prisoner of the Bastille.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading You have stood by me, I will stand by you.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "Not I, Pillot, until we can go together.
lacking courage; ignobly timid and faint-hearted
From this reading I ran across the room and then stopped suddenly: it was a cowardly action to leave the man to face my enemies alone!
plural of “enemy” — an opposing military force
From this reading I ran across the room and then stopped suddenly: it was a cowardly action to leave the man to face my enemies alone!
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading I ran across the room and then stopped suddenly: it was a cowardly action to leave the man to face my enemies alone!
travel through the air; be airborne
From this reading "Fly, monsieur, fly!" he implored.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Not I, Pillot, until we can go together.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading You have stood by me, I will stand by you.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Fly, monsieur, fly!" he implored.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I become a Prisoner of the Bastille.
past form of “implore” — call upon in supplication; entreat
From this reading "Fly, monsieur, fly!" he implored.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I ran across the room and then stopped suddenly: it was a cowardly action to leave the man to face my enemies alone!
go away from a place
From this reading I ran across the room and then stopped suddenly: it was a cowardly action to leave the man to face my enemies alone!
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading I ran across the room and then stopped suddenly: it was a cowardly action to leave the man to face my enemies alone!
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading You have stood by me, I will stand by you.
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading "Fly, monsieur, fly!" he implored.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I ran across the room and then stopped suddenly: it was a cowardly action to leave the man to face my enemies alone!
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Not I, Pillot, until we can go together.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I become a Prisoner of the Bastille.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Not I, Pillot, until we can go together.
a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading I become a Prisoner of the Bastille.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading I ran across the room and then stopped suddenly: it was a cowardly action to leave the man to face my enemies alone!
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading I ran across the room and then stopped suddenly: it was a cowardly action to leave the man to face my enemies alone!
be standing; be upright
From this reading You have stood by me, I will stand by you.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading You have stood by me, I will stand by you.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading I ran across the room and then stopped suddenly: it was a cowardly action to leave the man to face my enemies alone!
happening unexpectedly
From this reading I ran across the room and then stopped suddenly: it was a cowardly action to leave the man to face my enemies alone!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I become a Prisoner of the Bastille.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading I ran across the room and then stopped suddenly: it was a cowardly action to leave the man to face my enemies alone!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I ran across the room and then stopped suddenly: it was a cowardly action to leave the man to face my enemies alone!
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading "Not I, Pillot, until we can go together.
up to a particular time
From this reading "Not I, Pillot, until we can go together.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I ran across the room and then stopped suddenly: it was a cowardly action to leave the man to face my enemies alone!
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Not I, Pillot, until we can go together.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading You have stood by me, I will stand by you.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You have stood by me, I will stand by you.
Chapter 17 of My Sword's My Fortune: A Story of Old France by Herbert Hayens holds 198 sentences, grouped into 40 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 17 holds 198 sentences of My Sword's My Fortune: A Story of Old France, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of My Sword's My Fortune: A Story of Old France by Herbert Hayens exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 198 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 17 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 My Sword's My Fortune: A Story of Old France by Herbert Hayens on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6262 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #27325 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #27325, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 521 minutes of reading across 1253 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through My Sword's My Fortune: A Story of Old France section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of My Sword's My Fortune: A Story of Old France 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 My Sword's My Fortune: A Story of Old France, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
