Chapter 17 of Red Fleece is here in full — 46 sentences across 10 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Red Fleece is here in full — 46 sentences across 10 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Big Belt awoke early in his own quarters, and beat around under the blankets for his friend. Peter was not there. Boylan remembered and sat up. This was the day of the great battle, but there was to be breakfast first. He recalled what was in the saddle-bags.
Chapter 17 of Red Fleece is here in full — 46 sentences across 10 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/9 · 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.
inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping
From this reading “Big Belt awoke early in his own quarters, and beat around under the blankets for his friend.”
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading “This was the day of the great battle, but there was to be breakfast first.”
come out better in a competition, race, or conflict
From this reading “Big Belt awoke early in his own quarters, and beat around under the blankets for his friend.”
endless loop of flexible material between two rotating shafts or pulleys
From this reading “Big Belt awoke early in his own quarters, and beat around under the blankets for his friend.”
plural of “blanket” — bedding that keeps a person warm in bed
From this reading “Big Belt awoke early in his own quarters, and beat around under the blankets for his friend.”
eat an early morning meal
From this reading “This was the day of the great battle, but there was to be breakfast first.”
housing available for people to live in
From this reading “Big Belt awoke early in his own quarters, and beat around under the blankets for his friend.”
past form of “recall” — recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
From this reading “He recalled what was in the saddle-bags.”
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 Big Belt awoke early in his own quarters, and beat around under the blankets for his friend.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading Big Belt awoke early in his own quarters, and beat around under the blankets for his friend.
inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping
From this reading Big Belt awoke early in his own quarters, and beat around under the blankets for his friend.
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading This was the day of the great battle, but there was to be breakfast first.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading This was the day of the great battle, but there was to be breakfast first.
come out better in a competition, race, or conflict
From this reading Big Belt awoke early in his own quarters, and beat around under the blankets for his friend.
endless loop of flexible material between two rotating shafts or pulleys
From this reading Big Belt awoke early in his own quarters, and beat around under the blankets for his friend.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Big Belt awoke early in his own quarters, and beat around under the blankets for his friend.
plural of “blanket” — bedding that keeps a person warm in bed
From this reading Big Belt awoke early in his own quarters, and beat around under the blankets for his friend.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Boylan remembered and sat up.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading This was the day of the great battle, but there was to be breakfast first.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading This was the day of the great battle, but there was to be breakfast first.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading This was the day of the great battle, but there was to be breakfast first.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading Big Belt awoke early in his own quarters, and beat around under the blankets for his friend.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading This was the day of the great battle, but there was to be breakfast first.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Big Belt awoke early in his own quarters, and beat around under the blankets for his friend.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading Big Belt awoke early in his own quarters, and beat around under the blankets for his friend.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading This was the day of the great battle, but there was to be breakfast first.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He recalled what was in the saddle-bags.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Big Belt awoke early in his own quarters, and beat around under the blankets for his friend.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Big Belt awoke early in his own quarters, and beat around under the blankets for his friend.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Peter was not there.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading This was the day of the great battle, but there was to be breakfast first.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading Big Belt awoke early in his own quarters, and beat around under the blankets for his friend.
disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading Peter was not there.
housing available for people to live in
From this reading Big Belt awoke early in his own quarters, and beat around under the blankets for his friend.
past form of “recall” — recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
From this reading He recalled what was in the saddle-bags.
past form of “remember” — recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
From this reading Boylan remembered and sat up.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He recalled what was in the saddle-bags.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Boylan remembered and sat up.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Big Belt awoke early in his own quarters, and beat around under the blankets for his friend.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Peter was not there.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This was the day of the great battle, but there was to be breakfast first.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading This was the day of the great battle, but there was to be breakfast first.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Big Belt awoke early in his own quarters, and beat around under the blankets for his friend.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Boylan remembered and sat up.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Peter was not there.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading He recalled what was in the saddle-bags.
Chapter 17 of Red Fleece by Will Levington Comfort holds 46 sentences, grouped into 10 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 17 holds 46 sentences of Red Fleece, unabridged, divided into 10 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Red Fleece by Will Levington Comfort exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 46 sentences, grouped into 10 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 10 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 10 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 Red Fleece by Will Levington Comfort on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3946 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6351 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #6351, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 328 minutes of reading across 790 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Red Fleece section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Red Fleece 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 Red Fleece, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
