Chapter XXIII of Peggy Owen at Yorktown, “A Question of Courage,” is here in full — 138 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XXIII
Chapter XXIII of Peggy Owen at Yorktown, “A Question of Courage,” is here in full — 138 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“What makes a hero?—An heroic mind, Express’d in action, in endurance prov’d.” —Sir Henry Taylor. As they reached the door of the room under the stairs, however, their hostess came into the hall. A frown contracted her brow at sight of Fairfax. “This is folly,” she exclaimed.
Chapter XXIII of Peggy Owen at Yorktown, “A Question of Courage,” is here in full — 138 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
reduced in size or pulled together
From this reading “A frown contracted her brow at sight of Fairfax.”
the power to withstand hardship or stress
From this reading ““What makes a hero?—An heroic mind, Express’d in action, in endurance prov’d.””
the trait of acting stupidly or rashly
From this reading ““This is folly,” she exclaimed.”
look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading “A frown contracted her brow at sight of Fairfax.”
a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
From this reading ““What makes a hero?—An heroic mind, Express’d in action, in endurance prov’d.””
very imposing or impressive; surpassing the ordinary (especially in size or scale)
From this reading ““What makes a hero?—An heroic mind, Express’d in action, in endurance prov’d.””
a woman host
From this reading “As they reached the door of the room under the stairs, however, their hostess came into the hall.”
United States composer and music critic (1885-1966)
From this reading “—Sir Henry Taylor.”
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 “As they reached the door of the room under the stairs, however, their hostess came into the hall.”
In this reading “As they reached the door of the room under the stairs, however, their hostess came into the hall.”
obtain, especially accidentally
In this reading “As they reached the door of the room under the stairs, however, their hostess came into the hall.”
In this reading “A frown contracted her brow at sight of Fairfax.”
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 “What makes a hero?—An heroic mind, Express’d in action, in endurance prov’d.”
something done (usually as opposed to something said)
From this reading “What makes a hero?—An heroic mind, Express’d in action, in endurance prov’d.”
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “What makes a hero?—An heroic mind, Express’d in action, in endurance prov’d.”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As they reached the door of the room under the stairs, however, their hostess came into the hall.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading A frown contracted her brow at sight of Fairfax.
the part of the face above the eyes
From this reading A frown contracted her brow at sight of Fairfax.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading As they reached the door of the room under the stairs, however, their hostess came into the hall.
reduced in size or pulled together
From this reading A frown contracted her brow at sight of Fairfax.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading As they reached the door of the room under the stairs, however, their hostess came into the hall.
the power to withstand hardship or stress
From this reading “What makes a hero?—An heroic mind, Express’d in action, in endurance prov’d.”
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “This is folly,” she exclaimed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What makes a hero?—An heroic mind, Express’d in action, in endurance prov’d.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A frown contracted her brow at sight of Fairfax.
the trait of acting stupidly or rashly
From this reading “This is folly,” she exclaimed.
look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading A frown contracted her brow at sight of Fairfax.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading As they reached the door of the room under the stairs, however, their hostess came into the hall.
a unit of inductance in which an induced electromotive force of one volt is produced when the current is varied at the rate of one ampere per second
From this reading —Sir Henry Taylor.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading A frown contracted her brow at sight of Fairfax.
a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
From this reading “What makes a hero?—An heroic mind, Express’d in action, in endurance prov’d.”
very imposing or impressive; surpassing the ordinary (especially in size or scale)
From this reading “What makes a hero?—An heroic mind, Express’d in action, in endurance prov’d.”
a woman host
From this reading As they reached the door of the room under the stairs, however, their hostess came into the hall.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading As they reached the door of the room under the stairs, however, their hostess came into the hall.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “What makes a hero?—An heroic mind, Express’d in action, in endurance prov’d.”
moving to the inside of something
From this reading As they reached the door of the room under the stairs, however, their hostess came into the hall.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “This is folly,” she exclaimed.
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading “What makes a hero?—An heroic mind, Express’d in action, in endurance prov’d.”
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading “What makes a hero?—An heroic mind, Express’d in action, in endurance prov’d.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading As they reached the door of the room under the stairs, however, their hostess came into the hall.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What makes a hero?—An heroic mind, Express’d in action, in endurance prov’d.”
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading As they reached the door of the room under the stairs, however, their hostess came into the hall.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading As they reached the door of the room under the stairs, however, their hostess came into the hall.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “This is folly,” she exclaimed.
an instance of visual perception
From this reading A frown contracted her brow at sight of Fairfax.
term of address for a man
From this reading —Sir Henry Taylor.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading As they reached the door of the room under the stairs, however, their hostess came into the hall.
United States composer and music critic (1885-1966)
From this reading —Sir Henry Taylor.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading As they reached the door of the room under the stairs, however, their hostess came into the hall.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading As they reached the door of the room under the stairs, however, their hostess came into the hall.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading As they reached the door of the room under the stairs, however, their hostess came into the hall.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “This is folly,” she exclaimed.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading As they reached the door of the room under the stairs, however, their hostess came into the hall.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What makes a hero?—An heroic mind, Express’d in action, in endurance prov’d.”
Chapter 23 of Peggy Owen at Yorktown by Lucy Foster Madison holds 138 sentences, grouped into 28 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 23 holds 138 sentences of Peggy Owen at Yorktown, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Peggy Owen at Yorktown by Lucy Foster Madison exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 138 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 23 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 Peggy Owen at Yorktown by Lucy Foster Madison on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5331 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36744 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #36744, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 444 minutes of reading across 1067 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Peggy Owen at Yorktown section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of Peggy Owen at Yorktown 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 Peggy Owen at Yorktown, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
