Chapter 23 of No Defense, Complete is here in full — 164 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of No Defense, Complete is here in full — 164 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Lord Mallow frowned on his secretary. "Mr. Calhoun to see me! What's his business?" "One can guess, your honour. He's been fighting for the island."
Chapter 23 of No Defense, Complete is here in full — 164 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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 commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading “What's his business?"”
the act of fighting; any contest or struggle
From this reading “He's been fighting for the island."”
past form of “frown” — look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading “Lord Mallow frowned on his secretary.”
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading “"One can guess, your honour.”
the state of being honored
From this reading “"One can guess, your honour.”
a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water
From this reading “He's been fighting for the island."”
any of various plants of the family Malvaceae
From this reading “Lord Mallow frowned on his secretary.”
a person who is head of an administrative department of government
From this reading “Lord Mallow frowned on his secretary.”
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.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He's been fighting for the island."
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading What's his business?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Mr. Calhoun to see me!
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "One can guess, your honour.
the act of fighting; any contest or struggle
From this reading He's been fighting for the island."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He's been fighting for the island."
past form of “frown” — look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading Lord Mallow frowned on his secretary.
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading "One can guess, your honour.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He's been fighting for the island."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Lord Mallow frowned on his secretary.
the state of being honored
From this reading "One can guess, your honour.
a land mass (smaller than a continent) that is surrounded by water
From this reading He's been fighting for the island."
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading Lord Mallow frowned on his secretary.
any of various plants of the family Malvaceae
From this reading Lord Mallow frowned on his secretary.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Mr. Calhoun to see me!
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Mr. Calhoun to see me!
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Lord Mallow frowned on his secretary.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "One can guess, your honour.
a person who is head of an administrative department of government
From this reading Lord Mallow frowned on his secretary.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Mr. Calhoun to see me!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He's been fighting for the island."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Mr. Calhoun to see me!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What's his business?"
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "One can guess, your honour.
Chapter 23 of No Defense, Complete by Gilbert Parker holds 164 sentences, grouped into 33 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 164 sentences of No Defense, Complete, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of No Defense, Complete by Gilbert Parker exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 164 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 No Defense, Complete by Gilbert Parker on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5023 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6295 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #6295, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 418 minutes of reading across 1005 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through No Defense, Complete section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of No Defense, Complete 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 No Defense, Complete, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
