Chapter 25 of Old Kensington is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXV
Chapter 25 of Old Kensington is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
'ONLY GEORGE.' Nicht mitzuhassen, mitzulieben bin ich da. --Antigone. Thoughts seem occasionally to have a life of their own--a life independent; sometimes they are even stronger than the thinkers, and draw them relentlessly along. They seize hold of outward circumstances with their strong grip.
Chapter 25 of Old Kensington is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
(Greek mythology) the daughter of King Oedipus who disobeyed her father and was condemned to death
From this reading “--Antigone.”
a container; usually has a lid
From this reading “Nicht mitzuhassen, mitzulieben bin ich da.”
the act of grasping
From this reading “They seize hold of outward circumstances with their strong grip.”
free from external control and constraint
From this reading “Thoughts seem occasionally to have a life of their own--a life independent; sometimes they are even stronger than the thinkers, and draw them relentlessly along.”
relating to physical reality rather than with thoughts or the mind
From this reading “They seize hold of outward circumstances with their strong grip.”
in a relentless manner
From this reading “Thoughts seem occasionally to have a life of their own--a life independent; sometimes they are even stronger than the thinkers, and draw them relentlessly along.”
take hold of; grab
From this reading “They seize hold of outward circumstances with their strong grip.”
plural of “thinker” — an important intellectual
From this reading “Thoughts seem occasionally to have a life of their own--a life independent; sometimes they are even stronger than the thinkers, and draw them relentlessly along.”
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 “They seize hold of outward circumstances with their strong grip.”
In this reading “They seize hold of outward circumstances with their strong grip.”
In this reading “They seize hold of outward circumstances with their strong grip.”
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 Thoughts seem occasionally to have a life of their own--a life independent; sometimes they are even stronger than the thinkers, and draw them relentlessly along.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading Thoughts seem occasionally to have a life of their own--a life independent; sometimes they are even stronger than the thinkers, and draw them relentlessly along.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Thoughts seem occasionally to have a life of their own--a life independent; sometimes they are even stronger than the thinkers, and draw them relentlessly along.
(Greek mythology) the daughter of King Oedipus who disobeyed her father and was condemned to death
From this reading --Antigone.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Thoughts seem occasionally to have a life of their own--a life independent; sometimes they are even stronger than the thinkers, and draw them relentlessly along.
a container; usually has a lid
From this reading Nicht mitzuhassen, mitzulieben bin ich da.
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading They seize hold of outward circumstances with their strong grip.
an official prosecutor for a judicial district
From this reading Nicht mitzuhassen, mitzulieben bin ich da.
cause to move by pulling
From this reading Thoughts seem occasionally to have a life of their own--a life independent; sometimes they are even stronger than the thinkers, and draw them relentlessly along.
divisible by two
From this reading Thoughts seem occasionally to have a life of their own--a life independent; sometimes they are even stronger than the thinkers, and draw them relentlessly along.
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading 'ONLY GEORGE.'
the act of grasping
From this reading They seize hold of outward circumstances with their strong grip.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Thoughts seem occasionally to have a life of their own--a life independent; sometimes they are even stronger than the thinkers, and draw them relentlessly along.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading They seize hold of outward circumstances with their strong grip.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nicht mitzuhassen, mitzulieben bin ich da.
free from external control and constraint
From this reading Thoughts seem occasionally to have a life of their own--a life independent; sometimes they are even stronger than the thinkers, and draw them relentlessly along.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Thoughts seem occasionally to have a life of their own--a life independent; sometimes they are even stronger than the thinkers, and draw them relentlessly along.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nicht mitzuhassen, mitzulieben bin ich da.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nicht mitzuhassen, mitzulieben bin ich da.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nicht mitzuhassen, mitzulieben bin ich da.
sporadically and infrequently
From this reading Thoughts seem occasionally to have a life of their own--a life independent; sometimes they are even stronger than the thinkers, and draw them relentlessly along.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Thoughts seem occasionally to have a life of their own--a life independent; sometimes they are even stronger than the thinkers, and draw them relentlessly along.
and nothing more
From this reading 'ONLY GEORGE.'
relating to physical reality rather than with thoughts or the mind
From this reading They seize hold of outward circumstances with their strong grip.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading Thoughts seem occasionally to have a life of their own--a life independent; sometimes they are even stronger than the thinkers, and draw them relentlessly along.
in a relentless manner
From this reading Thoughts seem occasionally to have a life of their own--a life independent; sometimes they are even stronger than the thinkers, and draw them relentlessly along.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Thoughts seem occasionally to have a life of their own--a life independent; sometimes they are even stronger than the thinkers, and draw them relentlessly along.
take hold of; grab
From this reading They seize hold of outward circumstances with their strong grip.
on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always
From this reading Thoughts seem occasionally to have a life of their own--a life independent; sometimes they are even stronger than the thinkers, and draw them relentlessly along.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading They seize hold of outward circumstances with their strong grip.
comparative of “strong” — having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading Thoughts seem occasionally to have a life of their own--a life independent; sometimes they are even stronger than the thinkers, and draw them relentlessly along.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Thoughts seem occasionally to have a life of their own--a life independent; sometimes they are even stronger than the thinkers, and draw them relentlessly along.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Thoughts seem occasionally to have a life of their own--a life independent; sometimes they are even stronger than the thinkers, and draw them relentlessly along.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Thoughts seem occasionally to have a life of their own--a life independent; sometimes they are even stronger than the thinkers, and draw them relentlessly along.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Thoughts seem occasionally to have a life of their own--a life independent; sometimes they are even stronger than the thinkers, and draw them relentlessly along.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Thoughts seem occasionally to have a life of their own--a life independent; sometimes they are even stronger than the thinkers, and draw them relentlessly along.
plural of “thinker” — an important intellectual
From this reading Thoughts seem occasionally to have a life of their own--a life independent; sometimes they are even stronger than the thinkers, and draw them relentlessly along.
plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Thoughts seem occasionally to have a life of their own--a life independent; sometimes they are even stronger than the thinkers, and draw them relentlessly along.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Thoughts seem occasionally to have a life of their own--a life independent; sometimes they are even stronger than the thinkers, and draw them relentlessly along.
in the company of; together with
From this reading They seize hold of outward circumstances with their strong grip.
Chapter 25 of Old Kensington by Anne Thackeray Ritchie holds 119 sentences, grouped into 24 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 25 holds 119 sentences of Old Kensington, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 25 of Old Kensington by Anne Thackeray Ritchie exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 119 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 25 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.
