Chapter 17 of Ranald Bannerman's Boyhood is here in full — 138 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Ranald Bannerman's Boyhood is here in full — 138 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Light out of Darkness I woke early on the Sunday morning, and a most dreary morning it was. I could not lie in bed, and, although no one was up yet, rose and dressed myself. The house was as waste as a sepulchre. I opened the front door and went out. The world itself was no better.
Chapter 17 of Ranald Bannerman's Boyhood 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.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading “I could not lie in bed, and, although no one was up yet, rose and dressed myself.”
absence of light or illumination
From this reading “Light out of Darkness I woke early on the Sunday morning, and a most dreary morning it was.”
lacking in liveliness or charm or surprise
From this reading “Light out of Darkness I woke early on the Sunday morning, and a most dreary morning it was.”
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading “I could not lie in bed, and, although no one was up yet, rose and dressed myself.”
be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading “I could not lie in bed, and, although no one was up yet, rose and dressed myself.”
first day of the week; observed as a day of rest and worship by most Christians
From this reading “Light out of Darkness I woke early on the Sunday morning, and a most dreary morning it was.”
any materials unused and rejected as worthless or unwanted
From this reading “The house was as waste as a sepulchre.”
inflected form of “wake” — be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading “Light out of Darkness I woke early on the Sunday morning, and a most dreary morning it was.”
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 Light out of Darkness I woke early on the Sunday morning, and a most dreary morning it was.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading I could not lie in bed, and, although no one was up yet, rose and dressed myself.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Light out of Darkness I woke early on the Sunday morning, and a most dreary morning it was.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The house was as waste as a sepulchre.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading I could not lie in bed, and, although no one was up yet, rose and dressed myself.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading The world itself was no better.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading I could not lie in bed, and, although no one was up yet, rose and dressed myself.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Light out of Darkness I woke early on the Sunday morning, and a most dreary morning it was.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading I opened the front door and went out.
lacking in liveliness or charm or surprise
From this reading Light out of Darkness I woke early on the Sunday morning, and a most dreary morning it was.
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading I could not lie in bed, and, although no one was up yet, rose and dressed myself.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading Light out of Darkness I woke early on the Sunday morning, and a most dreary morning it was.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading I opened the front door and went out.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading The house was as waste as a sepulchre.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Light out of Darkness I woke early on the Sunday morning, and a most dreary morning it was.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I could not lie in bed, and, although no one was up yet, rose and dressed myself.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Light out of Darkness I woke early on the Sunday morning, and a most dreary morning it was.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading The world itself was no better.
be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading I could not lie in bed, and, although no one was up yet, rose and dressed myself.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading Light out of Darkness I woke early on the Sunday morning, and a most dreary morning it was.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading Light out of Darkness I woke early on the Sunday morning, and a most dreary morning it was.
used to form the superlative
From this reading Light out of Darkness I woke early on the Sunday morning, and a most dreary morning it was.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading I could not lie in bed, and, although no one was up yet, rose and dressed myself.
not any; not one
From this reading I could not lie in bed, and, although no one was up yet, rose and dressed myself.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I could not lie in bed, and, although no one was up yet, rose and dressed myself.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Light out of Darkness I woke early on the Sunday morning, and a most dreary morning it was.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Light out of Darkness I woke early on the Sunday morning, and a most dreary morning it was.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading I could not lie in bed, and, although no one was up yet, rose and dressed myself.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading I opened the front door and went out.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Light out of Darkness I woke early on the Sunday morning, and a most dreary morning it was.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading I could not lie in bed, and, although no one was up yet, rose and dressed myself.
a chamber that is used as a grave
From this reading The house was as waste as a sepulchre.
first day of the week; observed as a day of rest and worship by most Christians
From this reading Light out of Darkness I woke early on the Sunday morning, and a most dreary morning it was.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Light out of Darkness I woke early on the Sunday morning, and a most dreary morning it was.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I could not lie in bed, and, although no one was up yet, rose and dressed myself.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Light out of Darkness I woke early on the Sunday morning, and a most dreary morning it was.
any materials unused and rejected as worthless or unwanted
From this reading The house was as waste as a sepulchre.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading I opened the front door and went out.
inflected form of “wake” — be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading Light out of Darkness I woke early on the Sunday morning, and a most dreary morning it was.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading The world itself was no better.
but in spite of that
From this reading I could not lie in bed, and, although no one was up yet, rose and dressed myself.
Chapter 17 of Ranald Bannerman's Boyhood by George MacDonald 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 17 holds 138 sentences of Ranald Bannerman's Boyhood, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Ranald Bannerman's Boyhood by George MacDonald 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 17 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 Ranald Bannerman's Boyhood by George MacDonald on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3967 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9301 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9301, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 330 minutes of reading across 794 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Ranald Bannerman's Boyhood section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 35 chapters of Ranald Bannerman's Boyhood 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 Ranald Bannerman's Boyhood, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
