Chapter 22 of Oddsfish! is here in full — 300 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXII
Chapter 22 of Oddsfish! is here in full — 300 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I knew I could never carry the matter through alone; so, upon leaving the King's presence, I sought out Mr. Chiffinch immediately and told him what had passed. He whistled, loud. "You are pretty fortunate," he said. "Many a man--" "I have no time for compliments," said I. "You must come with me to my cousin at once.
Chapter 22 of Oddsfish! is here in full — 300 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/60 · 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.
move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading “I knew I could never carry the matter through alone; so, upon leaving the King's presence, I sought out Mr. Chiffinch immediately and told him what had passed.”
(usually plural) a polite expression of desire for someone's welfare
From this reading “"Many a man--" "I have no time for compliments," said I.”
the child of your aunt or uncle
From this reading “"You must come with me to my cousin at once.”
having unexpected good fortune
From this reading “"You are pretty fortunate," he said.”
possessive form of “king” — a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading “I knew I could never carry the matter through alone; so, upon leaving the King's presence, I sought out Mr. Chiffinch immediately and told him what had passed.”
characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
From this reading “He whistled, loud.”
that is looked for
From this reading “I knew I could never carry the matter through alone; so, upon leaving the King's presence, I sought out Mr. Chiffinch immediately and told him what had passed.”
past form of “whistle” — make whistling sounds
From this reading “He whistled, loud.”
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 "Many a man--" "I have no time for compliments," said I.
Having no one else present.
From this reading I knew I could never carry the matter through alone; so, upon leaving the King's presence, I sought out Mr. Chiffinch immediately and told him what had passed.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I knew I could never carry the matter through alone; so, upon leaving the King's presence, I sought out Mr. Chiffinch immediately and told him what had passed.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "You are pretty fortunate," he said.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "You must come with me to my cousin at once.
move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading I knew I could never carry the matter through alone; so, upon leaving the King's presence, I sought out Mr. Chiffinch immediately and told him what had passed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I knew I could never carry the matter through alone; so, upon leaving the King's presence, I sought out Mr. Chiffinch immediately and told him what had passed.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "You must come with me to my cousin at once.
(usually plural) a polite expression of desire for someone's welfare
From this reading "Many a man--" "I have no time for compliments," said I.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading I knew I could never carry the matter through alone; so, upon leaving the King's presence, I sought out Mr. Chiffinch immediately and told him what had passed.
the child of your aunt or uncle
From this reading "You must come with me to my cousin at once.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Many a man--" "I have no time for compliments," said I.
having unexpected good fortune
From this reading "You are pretty fortunate," he said.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I knew I could never carry the matter through alone; so, upon leaving the King's presence, I sought out Mr. Chiffinch immediately and told him what had passed.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Many a man--" "I have no time for compliments," said I.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He whistled, loud.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I knew I could never carry the matter through alone; so, upon leaving the King's presence, I sought out Mr. Chiffinch immediately and told him what had passed.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I knew I could never carry the matter through alone; so, upon leaving the King's presence, I sought out Mr. Chiffinch immediately and told him what had passed.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading I knew I could never carry the matter through alone; so, upon leaving the King's presence, I sought out Mr. Chiffinch immediately and told him what had passed.
possessive form of “king” — a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading I knew I could never carry the matter through alone; so, upon leaving the King's presence, I sought out Mr. Chiffinch immediately and told him what had passed.
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 knew I could never carry the matter through alone; so, upon leaving the King's presence, I sought out Mr. Chiffinch immediately and told him what had passed.
the act of departing
From this reading I knew I could never carry the matter through alone; so, upon leaving the King's presence, I sought out Mr. Chiffinch immediately and told him what had passed.
characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
From this reading He whistled, loud.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "Many a man--" "I have no time for compliments," said I.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading "Many a man--" "I have no time for compliments," said I.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading I knew I could never carry the matter through alone; so, upon leaving the King's presence, I sought out Mr. Chiffinch immediately and told him what had passed.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "You must come with me to my cousin at once.
a form of address for a man
From this reading I knew I could never carry the matter through alone; so, upon leaving the King's presence, I sought out Mr. Chiffinch immediately and told him what had passed.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "You must come with me to my cousin at once.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "You must come with me to my cousin at once.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I knew I could never carry the matter through alone; so, upon leaving the King's presence, I sought out Mr. Chiffinch immediately and told him what had passed.
not any; not one
From this reading "Many a man--" "I have no time for compliments," said I.
on one occasion
From this reading "You must come with me to my cousin at once.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading I knew I could never carry the matter through alone; so, upon leaving the King's presence, I sought out Mr. Chiffinch immediately and told him what had passed.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading I knew I could never carry the matter through alone; so, upon leaving the King's presence, I sought out Mr. Chiffinch immediately and told him what had passed.
the state of being present; current existence
From this reading I knew I could never carry the matter through alone; so, upon leaving the King's presence, I sought out Mr. Chiffinch immediately and told him what had passed.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading "You are pretty fortunate," he said.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You are pretty fortunate," he said.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I knew I could never carry the matter through alone; so, upon leaving the King's presence, I sought out Mr. Chiffinch immediately and told him what had passed.
that is looked for
From this reading I knew I could never carry the matter through alone; so, upon leaving the King's presence, I sought out Mr. Chiffinch immediately and told him what had passed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I knew I could never carry the matter through alone; so, upon leaving the King's presence, I sought out Mr. Chiffinch immediately and told him what had passed.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading I knew I could never carry the matter through alone; so, upon leaving the King's presence, I sought out Mr. Chiffinch immediately and told him what had passed.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "Many a man--" "I have no time for compliments," said I.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "You must come with me to my cousin at once.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading I knew I could never carry the matter through alone; so, upon leaving the King's presence, I sought out Mr. Chiffinch immediately and told him what had passed.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading I knew I could never carry the matter through alone; so, upon leaving the King's presence, I sought out Mr. Chiffinch immediately and told him what had passed.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I knew I could never carry the matter through alone; so, upon leaving the King's presence, I sought out Mr. Chiffinch immediately and told him what had passed.
past form of “whistle” — make whistling sounds
From this reading He whistled, loud.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "You must come with me to my cousin at once.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You are pretty fortunate," he said.
Chapter 22 of Oddsfish! by Robert Hugh Benson holds 300 sentences, grouped into 60 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 22 holds 300 sentences of Oddsfish!, unabridged, divided into 60 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 22 of Oddsfish! by Robert Hugh Benson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 300 sentences, grouped into 60 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 60 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 60 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 22 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 Oddsfish! by Robert Hugh Benson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7734 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #16288 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #16288, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1547 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Oddsfish! section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Oddsfish! 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 Oddsfish!, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
