Chapter 21 of Old Kensington is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of Old Kensington is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
UNDER THE GREAT DOME. Fantasio--'Je n'en suis pas, je n'en suis pas.' --A. de Musset. The wedding was fixed for the middle of September. In October they were to sail.
Chapter 21 of Old Kensington is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/34 · 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 concave shape whose distinguishing characteristic is that the concavity faces downward
From this reading “UNDER THE GREAT DOME.”
(of a number) having a fixed and unchanging value
From this reading “The wedding was fixed for the middle of September.”
an area that is approximately central within some larger region
From this reading “The wedding was fixed for the middle of September.”
the month following September and preceding November
From this reading “In October they were to sail.”
(ballet) a step in dancing (especially in classical ballet)
From this reading “Fantasio--'Je n'en suis pas, je n'en suis pas.'”
traverse or travel on (a body of water)
From this reading “In October they were to sail.”
the month following August and preceding October
From this reading “The wedding was fixed for the middle of September.”
the social event at which the ceremony of marriage is performed
From this reading “The wedding was fixed for the middle of September.”
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.
In this reading “UNDER THE GREAT DOME.”
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 --A. de Musset.
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading --A. de Musset.
a concave shape whose distinguishing characteristic is that the concavity faces downward
From this reading UNDER THE GREAT DOME.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Fantasio--'Je n'en suis pas, je n'en suis pas.'
(of a number) having a fixed and unchanging value
From this reading The wedding was fixed for the middle of September.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The wedding was fixed for the middle of September.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading UNDER THE GREAT DOME.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In October they were to sail.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Fantasio--'Je n'en suis pas, je n'en suis pas.'
an area that is approximately central within some larger region
From this reading The wedding was fixed for the middle of September.
French poet and writer (1810-1857)
From this reading --A. de Musset.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Fantasio--'Je n'en suis pas, je n'en suis pas.'
the month following September and preceding November
From this reading In October they were to sail.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The wedding was fixed for the middle of September.
(ballet) a step in dancing (especially in classical ballet)
From this reading Fantasio--'Je n'en suis pas, je n'en suis pas.'
traverse or travel on (a body of water)
From this reading In October they were to sail.
the month following August and preceding October
From this reading The wedding was fixed for the middle of September.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Fantasio--'Je n'en suis pas, je n'en suis pas.'
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading UNDER THE GREAT DOME.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading In October they were to sail.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading In October they were to sail.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading UNDER THE GREAT DOME.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The wedding was fixed for the middle of September.
the social event at which the ceremony of marriage is performed
From this reading The wedding was fixed for the middle of September.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading In October they were to sail.
Chapter 21 of Old Kensington by Anne Thackeray Ritchie holds 170 sentences, grouped into 34 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 21 holds 170 sentences of Old Kensington, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of Old Kensington by Anne Thackeray Ritchie exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 170 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 21 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 Old Kensington by Anne Thackeray Ritchie on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8731 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36235 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #36235, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1747 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Old Kensington section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Old Kensington 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 Old Kensington, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
