Chapter XVIII of Private Spud Tamson, “The Power of Bread,” is here in full — 358 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter XVIII of Private Spud Tamson, “The Power of Bread,” is here in full — 358 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Roadways_ are the mainsprings of an army. They are more precious than jewels. When captured they have to be jealously guarded. For this purpose the drill-book says you must have examination posts. These posts are simply clearing-houses for the liars and laggards of war.
Chapter XVIII of Private Spud Tamson, “The Power of Bread,” is here in full — 358 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/71 · 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.
past form of “capture” — succeed in representing or expressing something intangible
From this reading “When captured they have to be jealously guarded.”
prudent
From this reading “When captured they have to be jealously guarded.”
with jealousy
From this reading “When captured they have to be jealously guarded.”
plural of “jewel” — a precious or semiprecious stone incorporated into a piece of jewelry
From this reading “They are more precious than jewels.”
plural of “laggard” — someone who takes more time than necessary; someone who lags behind
From this reading “These posts are simply clearing-houses for the liars and laggards of war.”
plural of “liar” — a person who has lied or who lies repeatedly
From this reading “These posts are simply clearing-houses for the liars and laggards of war.”
plural of “post” — the position where someone (as a guard or sentry) stands or is assigned to stand
From this reading “For this purpose the drill-book says you must have examination posts.”
plural of “roadway” — a road (especially that part of a road) over which vehicles travel
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 “When captured they have to be jealously guarded.”
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.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading _Roadways_ are the mainsprings of an army.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading These posts are simply clearing-houses for the liars and laggards of war.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading _Roadways_ are the mainsprings of an army.
a permanent organization of the military land forces of a nation or state
From this reading _Roadways_ are the mainsprings of an army.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading When captured they have to be jealously guarded.
past form of “capture” — succeed in representing or expressing something intangible
From this reading When captured they have to be jealously guarded.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading These posts are simply clearing-houses for the liars and laggards of war.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For this purpose the drill-book says you must have examination posts.
the act of examining something closely (as for mistakes)
From this reading For this purpose the drill-book says you must have examination posts.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For this purpose the drill-book says you must have examination posts.
prudent
From this reading When captured they have to be jealously guarded.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading When captured they have to be jealously guarded.
with jealousy
From this reading When captured they have to be jealously guarded.
plural of “jewel” — a precious or semiprecious stone incorporated into a piece of jewelry
From this reading They are more precious than jewels.
plural of “laggard” — someone who takes more time than necessary; someone who lags behind
From this reading These posts are simply clearing-houses for the liars and laggards of war.
plural of “liar” — a person who has lied or who lies repeatedly
From this reading These posts are simply clearing-houses for the liars and laggards of war.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading _Roadways_ are the mainsprings of an army.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading They are more precious than jewels.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading For this purpose the drill-book says you must have examination posts.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading _Roadways_ are the mainsprings of an army.
plural of “post” — the position where someone (as a guard or sentry) stands or is assigned to stand
From this reading For this purpose the drill-book says you must have examination posts.
characterized by feeling or showing fond affection for
From this reading They are more precious than jewels.
an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading For this purpose the drill-book says you must have examination posts.
plural of “roadway” — a road (especially that part of a road) over which vehicles travel
From this reading _Roadways_ are the mainsprings of an army.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading For this purpose the drill-book says you must have examination posts.
and nothing more
From this reading These posts are simply clearing-houses for the liars and laggards of war.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading They are more precious than jewels.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _Roadways_ are the mainsprings of an army.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading These posts are simply clearing-houses for the liars and laggards of war.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They are more precious than jewels.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading For this purpose the drill-book says you must have examination posts.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading When captured they have to be jealously guarded.
the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading These posts are simply clearing-houses for the liars and laggards of war.
at the time that
From this reading When captured they have to be jealously guarded.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading For this purpose the drill-book says you must have examination posts.
Chapter 18 of Private Spud Tamson by R. W. Campbell holds 358 sentences, grouped into 72 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 18 holds 358 sentences of Private Spud Tamson, unabridged, divided into 72 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of Private Spud Tamson by R. W. Campbell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 358 sentences, grouped into 72 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 72 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 72 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 18 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 Private Spud Tamson by R. W. Campbell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4178 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #47315 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #47315, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 348 minutes of reading across 836 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Private Spud Tamson section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of Private Spud Tamson 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 Private Spud Tamson, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
