Nordenholt's Million

Chapter XV

Chapter 15 of Nordenholt's Million is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By J. J. Connington • Curated US English Learning Edition

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Document B.

53.

15 I think I have made it clear that when I took over the Reconstruction at Nordenholt’s request I did so in a disinterested spirit, by which I mean that no personal aims of my own were concerned.

I began the work solely in the hope that my plans would ensure the welfare of some millions of people, hardly any of whom I knew as individuals.

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LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XV Reading 1/81

Nordenholt's Million

Chapter XV

Chapter 15 of Nordenholt's Million 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

Line 1

Document B.

/ˈdɑːkjəment biː/

Line 2

53.

Line 3

/eks/

Line 4

15 I think I have made it clear that when I took over the Reconstruction at Nordenholt’s request I did so in a disinterested spirit, by which I mean that no personal aims of my own were concerned.

Line 5

I began the work solely in the hope that my plans would ensure the welfare of some millions of people, hardly any of whom I knew as individuals.

/aɪ bɪˈɡæn ðə wɜːrk ˈsoʊəli ɪn ðə hoʊp ðæt maɪ plænz wʊd enˈʃʊr ðə ˈwelfer ʌv sʌm ˈmɪljənz ʌv ˈpiːpəl ˈhɑːrdli ˈeni ʌv huːm aɪ nuː æz ˌɪndəˈvɪdʒəwəlz/

Learner Dictionary

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.

aims noun US /eɪmz/

plural of “aim” — an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions

From this reading “15 I think I have made it clear that when I took over the Reconstruction at Nordenholt’s request I did so in a disinterested spirit, by which I mean that no personal aims of my own were concerned.”

disinterested adjective US /dɪˈsɪntrɪstɪd/

unaffected by self-interest

Document noun US /ˈdɑːkjəment/

writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)

From this reading “Document B.”

ensure verb US /enˈʃʊr/

make certain of

From this reading “I began the work solely in the hope that my plans would ensure the welfare of some millions of people, hardly any of whom I knew as individuals.”

individuals noun US /ˌɪndəˈvɪdʒəwəlz/

plural of “individual” — a human being

From this reading “I began the work solely in the hope that my plans would ensure the welfare of some millions of people, hardly any of whom I knew as individuals.”

Reconstruction noun US /ˌriːkənˈstrʌkʃən/

the period after the American Civil War when the southern states were reorganized and reintegrated into the Union; 1865-1877

solely adverb US /ˈsoʊəli/

without any others being included or involved

From this reading “I began the work solely in the hope that my plans would ensure the welfare of some millions of people, hardly any of whom I knew as individuals.”

welfare noun US /ˈwelfer/

governmental provision of economic assistance to persons in need

From this reading “I began the work solely in the hope that my plans would ensure the welfare of some millions of people, hardly any of whom I knew as individuals.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

hardly any adverb + adjective

In this reading “I began the work solely in the hope that my plans would ensure the welfare of some millions of people, hardly any of whom I knew as individuals.”

All words in this reading · 54

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.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading 15 I think I have made it clear that when I took over the Reconstruction at Nordenholt’s request I did so in a disinterested spirit, by which I mean that no personal aims of my own were concerned.

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading 53.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

aimsnounUS /eɪmz/

plural of “aim” — an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading I began the work solely in the hope that my plans would ensure the welfare of some millions of people, hardly any of whom I knew as individuals.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading I began the work solely in the hope that my plans would ensure the welfare of some millions of people, hardly any of whom I knew as individuals.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

BnounUS /biː/

aerobic rod-shaped spore-producing bacterium; often occurring in chainlike formations; found primarily in soil

From this reading Document B.

beganverbUS /bɪˈɡæn/

inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading I began the work solely in the hope that my plans would ensure the welfare of some millions of people, hardly any of whom I knew as individuals.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

clearverbUS /klɪr/

rid of obstructions

concernedadjectiveUS /kənˈsɜːrnd/

feeling or showing worry or solicitude

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

disinterestedadjectiveUS /dɪˈsɪntrɪstɪd/

unaffected by self-interest

DocumentnounUS /ˈdɑːkjəment/

writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)

From this reading Document B.

ensureverbUS /enˈʃʊr/

make certain of

From this reading I began the work solely in the hope that my plans would ensure the welfare of some millions of people, hardly any of whom I knew as individuals.

hardlyadverbUS /ˈhɑːrdli/

only a very short time before

From this reading I began the work solely in the hope that my plans would ensure the welfare of some millions of people, hardly any of whom I knew as individuals.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

hopenounUS /hoʊp/

a specific instance of feeling hopeful

From this reading I began the work solely in the hope that my plans would ensure the welfare of some millions of people, hardly any of whom I knew as individuals.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

individualsnounUS /ˌɪndəˈvɪdʒəwəlz/

plural of “individual” — a human being

From this reading I began the work solely in the hope that my plans would ensure the welfare of some millions of people, hardly any of whom I knew as individuals.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

knewverbUS /nuː/

inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading I began the work solely in the hope that my plans would ensure the welfare of some millions of people, hardly any of whom I knew as individuals.

madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

meanverbUS /miːn/

mean or intend to express or convey

millionsnounUS /ˈmɪljənz/

plural of “million” — the number that is represented as a one followed by 6 zeros

From this reading I began the work solely in the hope that my plans would ensure the welfare of some millions of people, hardly any of whom I knew as individuals.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

Nordenholt's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

ownverbUS /oʊn/

have ownership or possession of

peoplenounUS /ˈpiːpəl/

(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively

From this reading I began the work solely in the hope that my plans would ensure the welfare of some millions of people, hardly any of whom I knew as individuals.

personaladjectiveUS /ˈpɜːrsɪnəl/

concerning or affecting a particular person or his or her private life and personality

plansnounUS /plænz/

plural of “plan” — a series of steps to be carried out or goals to be accomplished

From this reading I began the work solely in the hope that my plans would ensure the welfare of some millions of people, hardly any of whom I knew as individuals.

ReconstructionnounUS /ˌriːkənˈstrʌkʃən/

the period after the American Civil War when the southern states were reorganized and reintegrated into the Union; 1865-1877

requestverbUS /rɪˈkwest/

express the need or desire for

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

solelyadverbUS /ˈsoʊəli/

without any others being included or involved

From this reading I began the work solely in the hope that my plans would ensure the welfare of some millions of people, hardly any of whom I knew as individuals.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading I began the work solely in the hope that my plans would ensure the welfare of some millions of people, hardly any of whom I knew as individuals.

spiritnounUS /ˈspɪrət/

the vital principle or animating force within living things

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

thinkverbUS /θɪŋk/

judge or regard; look upon; judge

tookverbUS /tʊk/

inflected form of “take” — carry out

welfarenounUS /ˈwelfer/

governmental provision of economic assistance to persons in need

From this reading I began the work solely in the hope that my plans would ensure the welfare of some millions of people, hardly any of whom I knew as individuals.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

whompronounUS /huːm/

the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading I began the work solely in the hope that my plans would ensure the welfare of some millions of people, hardly any of whom I knew as individuals.

workverbUS /wɜːrk/

exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity

From this reading I began the work solely in the hope that my plans would ensure the welfare of some millions of people, hardly any of whom I knew as individuals.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading I began the work solely in the hope that my plans would ensure the welfare of some millions of people, hardly any of whom I knew as individuals.

XnounUS /eks/

the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system

From this reading X.

Chapter 15 of Nordenholt's Million by J. J. Connington 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.

What does chapter 15 of Nordenholt's Million contain?

Chapter 15 holds 407 sentences of Nordenholt's Million, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 15 of Nordenholt's Million by J. J. Connington 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.

How do I study chapter 15 of Nordenholt's Million?

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.

Can chapter 15 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 15 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.

Questions about reading Nordenholt's Million

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Is this the complete text of Nordenholt's Million?

Yes. All 5315 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #64567 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Nordenholt's Million is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #64567, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Nordenholt's Million take to read?

About 442 minutes of reading across 1063 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Chapter XV

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