Chapter 21 of Ravenshoe is here in full — 394 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of Ravenshoe is here in full — 394 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
IN WHICH FRESH MISCHIEF IS BREWED. Charles's duties were light enough; he often wished they had been heavier. There were such long idle periods left for thinking and brooding. He rather wondered at first why he was not more employed. He never was in attendance on the lieutenant, save in the daytime.
Chapter 21 of Ravenshoe is here in full — 394 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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.
the act of being present (at a meeting or event etc.)
From this reading “He never was in attendance on the lieutenant, save in the daytime.”
past form of “brew” — prepare by brewing
From this reading “IN WHICH FRESH MISCHIEF IS BREWED.”
sitting on eggs so as to hatch them by the warmth of the body
From this reading “There were such long idle periods left for thinking and brooding.”
possessive form of “charles” — King of France from 1560 to 1574 whose reign was dominated by his mother Catherine de Medicis (1550-1574)
From this reading “Charles's duties were light enough; he often wished they had been heavier.”
the time after sunrise and before sunset while it is light outside
From this reading “He never was in attendance on the lieutenant, save in the daytime.”
comparative of “heavy” — of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading “Charles's duties were light enough; he often wished they had been heavier.”
reckless or malicious behavior that causes discomfort or annoyance in others
From this reading “IN WHICH FRESH MISCHIEF IS BREWED.”
plural of “period” — an amount of time
From this reading “There were such long idle periods left for thinking and brooding.”
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 “He never was in attendance on the lieutenant, save in the daytime.”
In this reading “He never was in attendance on the lieutenant, save in the daytime.”
In this reading “Charles's duties were light enough; he often wished they had been heavier.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There were such long idle periods left for thinking and brooding.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He rather wondered at first why he was not more employed.
the act of being present (at a meeting or event etc.)
From this reading He never was in attendance on the lieutenant, save in the daytime.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Charles's duties were light enough; he often wished they had been heavier.
past form of “brew” — prepare by brewing
From this reading IN WHICH FRESH MISCHIEF IS BREWED.
sitting on eggs so as to hatch them by the warmth of the body
From this reading There were such long idle periods left for thinking and brooding.
possessive form of “charles” — King of France from 1560 to 1574 whose reign was dominated by his mother Catherine de Medicis (1550-1574)
From this reading Charles's duties were light enough; he often wished they had been heavier.
the time after sunrise and before sunset while it is light outside
From this reading He never was in attendance on the lieutenant, save in the daytime.
plural of “duty” — the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force
From this reading Charles's duties were light enough; he often wished they had been heavier.
having your services engaged for; or having a job especially one that pays wages or a salary
From this reading He rather wondered at first why he was not more employed.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading Charles's duties were light enough; he often wished they had been heavier.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading He rather wondered at first why he was not more employed.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading There were such long idle periods left for thinking and brooding.
recently made, produced, or harvested
From this reading IN WHICH FRESH MISCHIEF IS BREWED.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Charles's duties were light enough; he often wished they had been heavier.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Charles's duties were light enough; he often wished they had been heavier.
comparative of “heavy” — of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading Charles's duties were light enough; he often wished they had been heavier.
not in action or at work
From this reading There were such long idle periods left for thinking and brooding.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN WHICH FRESH MISCHIEF IS BREWED.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading IN WHICH FRESH MISCHIEF IS BREWED.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading There were such long idle periods left for thinking and brooding.
a commissioned military officer
From this reading He never was in attendance on the lieutenant, save in the daytime.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading Charles's duties were light enough; he often wished they had been heavier.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading There were such long idle periods left for thinking and brooding.
reckless or malicious behavior that causes discomfort or annoyance in others
From this reading IN WHICH FRESH MISCHIEF IS BREWED.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading He rather wondered at first why he was not more employed.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading He never was in attendance on the lieutenant, save in the daytime.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He rather wondered at first why he was not more employed.
many times at short intervals
From this reading Charles's duties were light enough; he often wished they had been heavier.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He never was in attendance on the lieutenant, save in the daytime.
plural of “period” — an amount of time
From this reading There were such long idle periods left for thinking and brooding.
on the contrary
From this reading He rather wondered at first why he was not more employed.
except for; apart from
From this reading He never was in attendance on the lieutenant, save in the daytime.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading There were such long idle periods left for thinking and brooding.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He never was in attendance on the lieutenant, save in the daytime.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were such long idle periods left for thinking and brooding.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Charles's duties were light enough; he often wished they had been heavier.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading There were such long idle periods left for thinking and brooding.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He rather wondered at first why he was not more employed.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Charles's duties were light enough; he often wished they had been heavier.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading IN WHICH FRESH MISCHIEF IS BREWED.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading He rather wondered at first why he was not more employed.
past form of “wish” — hope for; have a wish
From this reading Charles's duties were light enough; he often wished they had been heavier.
past form of “wonder” — have a wish or desire to know something
From this reading He rather wondered at first why he was not more employed.
Chapter 21 of Ravenshoe by Henry Kingsley holds 394 sentences, grouped into 79 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 21 holds 394 sentences of Ravenshoe, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of Ravenshoe by Henry Kingsley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 394 sentences, grouped into 79 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 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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 Ravenshoe by Henry Kingsley on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 12038 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #41636 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #41636, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2408 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Ravenshoe section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Ravenshoe 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 Ravenshoe, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
