Chapter 21 of On Our Selection is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of On Our Selection is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Callaghan's Colt. It was the year we put the bottom paddock under potatoes. Dad was standing contemplating the tops, which were withering for want of rain. He shifted his gaze to the ten acres sown with corn. A dozen stalks or so were looking well; a few more, ten or twelve inches high, were coming in cob; the rest had n't made an appearance.
Chapter 21 of On Our Selection is here in full — 116 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.
nut of any of several trees of the genus Corylus
From this reading “A dozen stalks or so were looking well; a few more, ten or twelve inches high, were coming in cob; the rest had n't made an appearance.”
a young male horse under the age of four
From this reading “Callaghan's Colt.”
-ing form of “contemplate” — look at thoughtfully; observe deep in thought
From this reading “Dad was standing contemplating the tops, which were withering for want of rain.”
pen where racehorses are saddled and paraded before a race
From this reading “It was the year we put the bottom paddock under potatoes.”
past form of “shift” — make a shift in or exchange of
From this reading “He shifted his gaze to the ten acres sown with corn.”
sprinkled with seed
From this reading “He shifted his gaze to the ten acres sown with corn.”
plural of “stalk” — material consisting of seed coverings and small pieces of stem or leaves that have been separated from the seeds
From this reading “A dozen stalks or so were looking well; a few more, ten or twelve inches high, were coming in cob; the rest had n't made an appearance.”
wreaking or capable of wreaking complete destruction
From this reading “Dad was standing contemplating the tops, which were withering for want of rain.”
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 dozen stalks or so were looking well; a few more, ten or twelve inches high, were coming in cob; the rest had n't made an appearance.
extensive landed property (especially in the country) retained by the owner for his own use
From this reading He shifted his gaze to the ten acres sown with corn.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading A dozen stalks or so were looking well; a few more, ten or twelve inches high, were coming in cob; the rest had n't made an appearance.
outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
From this reading A dozen stalks or so were looking well; a few more, ten or twelve inches high, were coming in cob; the rest had n't made an appearance.
the lower side of anything
From this reading It was the year we put the bottom paddock under potatoes.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Callaghan's Colt.
nut of any of several trees of the genus Corylus
From this reading A dozen stalks or so were looking well; a few more, ten or twelve inches high, were coming in cob; the rest had n't made an appearance.
a young male horse under the age of four
From this reading Callaghan's Colt.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading A dozen stalks or so were looking well; a few more, ten or twelve inches high, were coming in cob; the rest had n't made an appearance.
-ing form of “contemplate” — look at thoughtfully; observe deep in thought
From this reading Dad was standing contemplating the tops, which were withering for want of rain.
tall annual cereal grass bearing kernels on large ears: widely cultivated in America in many varieties; the principal cereal in Mexico and Central and South America since pre-Columbian times
From this reading He shifted his gaze to the ten acres sown with corn.
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading Dad was standing contemplating the tops, which were withering for want of rain.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading A dozen stalks or so were looking well; a few more, ten or twelve inches high, were coming in cob; the rest had n't made an appearance.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading A dozen stalks or so were looking well; a few more, ten or twelve inches high, were coming in cob; the rest had n't made an appearance.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Dad was standing contemplating the tops, which were withering for want of rain.
a long fixed look
From this reading He shifted his gaze to the ten acres sown with corn.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading A dozen stalks or so were looking well; a few more, ten or twelve inches high, were coming in cob; the rest had n't made an appearance.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He shifted his gaze to the ten acres sown with corn.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading A dozen stalks or so were looking well; a few more, ten or twelve inches high, were coming in cob; the rest had n't made an appearance.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He shifted his gaze to the ten acres sown with corn.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A dozen stalks or so were looking well; a few more, ten or twelve inches high, were coming in cob; the rest had n't made an appearance.
plural of “inch” — a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot
From this reading A dozen stalks or so were looking well; a few more, ten or twelve inches high, were coming in cob; the rest had n't made an appearance.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was the year we put the bottom paddock under potatoes.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading A dozen stalks or so were looking well; a few more, ten or twelve inches high, were coming in cob; the rest had n't made an appearance.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading A dozen stalks or so were looking well; a few more, ten or twelve inches high, were coming in cob; the rest had n't made an appearance.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading A dozen stalks or so were looking well; a few more, ten or twelve inches high, were coming in cob; the rest had n't made an appearance.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A dozen stalks or so were looking well; a few more, ten or twelve inches high, were coming in cob; the rest had n't made an appearance.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Dad was standing contemplating the tops, which were withering for want of rain.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading A dozen stalks or so were looking well; a few more, ten or twelve inches high, were coming in cob; the rest had n't made an appearance.
pen where racehorses are saddled and paraded before a race
From this reading It was the year we put the bottom paddock under potatoes.
plural of “potato” — an edible tuber native to South America; a staple food of Ireland
From this reading It was the year we put the bottom paddock under potatoes.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading It was the year we put the bottom paddock under potatoes.
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading Dad was standing contemplating the tops, which were withering for want of rain.
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading A dozen stalks or so were looking well; a few more, ten or twelve inches high, were coming in cob; the rest had n't made an appearance.
past form of “shift” — make a shift in or exchange of
From this reading He shifted his gaze to the ten acres sown with corn.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading A dozen stalks or so were looking well; a few more, ten or twelve inches high, were coming in cob; the rest had n't made an appearance.
sprinkled with seed
From this reading He shifted his gaze to the ten acres sown with corn.
plural of “stalk” — material consisting of seed coverings and small pieces of stem or leaves that have been separated from the seeds
From this reading A dozen stalks or so were looking well; a few more, ten or twelve inches high, were coming in cob; the rest had n't made an appearance.
having a supporting base
From this reading Dad was standing contemplating the tops, which were withering for want of rain.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading He shifted his gaze to the ten acres sown with corn.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was the year we put the bottom paddock under potatoes.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He shifted his gaze to the ten acres sown with corn.
of the highest quality
From this reading Dad was standing contemplating the tops, which were withering for want of rain.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading A dozen stalks or so were looking well; a few more, ten or twelve inches high, were coming in cob; the rest had n't made an appearance.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading It was the year we put the bottom paddock under potatoes.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading Dad was standing contemplating the tops, which were withering for want of rain.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was the year we put the bottom paddock under potatoes.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading It was the year we put the bottom paddock under potatoes.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading A dozen stalks or so were looking well; a few more, ten or twelve inches high, were coming in cob; the rest had n't made an appearance.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Dad was standing contemplating the tops, which were withering for want of rain.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Dad was standing contemplating the tops, which were withering for want of rain.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He shifted his gaze to the ten acres sown with corn.
wreaking or capable of wreaking complete destruction
From this reading Dad was standing contemplating the tops, which were withering for want of rain.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading It was the year we put the bottom paddock under potatoes.
Chapter 21 of On Our Selection by Steele Rudd holds 116 sentences, grouped into 24 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 116 sentences of On Our Selection, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of On Our Selection by Steele Rudd exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 116 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 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 On Our Selection by Steele Rudd on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3170 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3677 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3677, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 264 minutes of reading across 634 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through On Our Selection section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of On Our Selection 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 On Our Selection, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
