Chapter 14 of Nightmare Abbey is here in full — 96 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of Nightmare Abbey is here in full — 96 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Scythrop was still in this position when Raven entered to announce that dinner was on table. 'I cannot come,' said Scythrop. Raven sighed. 'Something is the matter,' said Raven: 'but man is born to trouble.' 'Leave me,' said Scythrop: 'go, and croak elsewhere.'
Chapter 14 of Nightmare Abbey is here in full — 96 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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.
make known; make an announcement
From this reading “Scythrop was still in this position when Raven entered to announce that dinner was on table.”
brought into existence
From this reading “'Something is the matter,' said Raven: 'but man is born to trouble.'”
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading “'Leave me,' said Scythrop: 'go, and croak elsewhere.'”
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading “Scythrop was still in this position when Raven entered to announce that dinner was on table.”
in or to another place
From this reading “'Leave me,' said Scythrop: 'go, and croak elsewhere.'”
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading “Scythrop was still in this position when Raven entered to announce that dinner was on table.”
obtain or seize by violence
From this reading “Scythrop was still in this position when Raven entered to announce that dinner was on table.”
past form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading “Raven sighed.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading 'Leave me,' said Scythrop: 'go, and croak elsewhere.'
make known; make an announcement
From this reading Scythrop was still in this position when Raven entered to announce that dinner was on table.
brought into existence
From this reading 'Something is the matter,' said Raven: 'but man is born to trouble.'
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading 'Something is the matter,' said Raven: 'but man is born to trouble.'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'I cannot come,' said Scythrop.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading 'I cannot come,' said Scythrop.
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading 'Leave me,' said Scythrop: 'go, and croak elsewhere.'
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading Scythrop was still in this position when Raven entered to announce that dinner was on table.
in or to another place
From this reading 'Leave me,' said Scythrop: 'go, and croak elsewhere.'
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading Scythrop was still in this position when Raven entered to announce that dinner was on table.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading 'Leave me,' said Scythrop: 'go, and croak elsewhere.'
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading 'I cannot come,' said Scythrop.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Scythrop was still in this position when Raven entered to announce that dinner was on table.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading 'Something is the matter,' said Raven: 'but man is born to trouble.'
go away from a place
From this reading 'Leave me,' said Scythrop: 'go, and croak elsewhere.'
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading 'Something is the matter,' said Raven: 'but man is born to trouble.'
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading 'Something is the matter,' said Raven: 'but man is born to trouble.'
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading 'Leave me,' said Scythrop: 'go, and croak elsewhere.'
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Scythrop was still in this position when Raven entered to announce that dinner was on table.
the particular portion of space occupied by something
From this reading Scythrop was still in this position when Raven entered to announce that dinner was on table.
obtain or seize by violence
From this reading Scythrop was still in this position when Raven entered to announce that dinner was on table.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading 'I cannot come,' said Scythrop.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Scythrop was still in this position when Raven entered to announce that dinner was on table.
past form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading Raven sighed.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading 'Something is the matter,' said Raven: 'but man is born to trouble.'
not in physical motion
From this reading Scythrop was still in this position when Raven entered to announce that dinner was on table.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading Scythrop was still in this position when Raven entered to announce that dinner was on table.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Scythrop was still in this position when Raven entered to announce that dinner was on table.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading 'Something is the matter,' said Raven: 'but man is born to trouble.'
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Scythrop was still in this position when Raven entered to announce that dinner was on table.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Scythrop was still in this position when Raven entered to announce that dinner was on table.
a source of difficulty
From this reading 'Something is the matter,' said Raven: 'but man is born to trouble.'
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Scythrop was still in this position when Raven entered to announce that dinner was on table.
at the time that
From this reading Scythrop was still in this position when Raven entered to announce that dinner was on table.
Chapter 14 of Nightmare Abbey by Thomas Love Peacock holds 96 sentences, grouped into 20 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 14 holds 96 sentences of Nightmare Abbey, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of Nightmare Abbey by Thomas Love Peacock exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 96 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 14 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 Nightmare Abbey by Thomas Love Peacock on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1174 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9909 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9909, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 97 minutes of reading across 235 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Nightmare Abbey section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Nightmare Abbey 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 Nightmare Abbey, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
