Chapter 40 of Robert Falconer is here in full — 193 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XL
Chapter 40 of Robert Falconer is here in full — 193 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
They came to see me the very evening of their arrival. As to Andrew's progress there could be no longer any doubt. All that was necessary for conviction on the point was to have seen him before and to see him now. The very grasp of his hand was changed. But not yet would Robert leave him alone.
Chapter 40 of Robert Falconer is here in full — 193 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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.
possessive form of “andrew” — (New Testament) disciple of Jesus; brother of Peter; patron saint of Scotland
From this reading “As to Andrew's progress there could be no longer any doubt.”
accomplishment of an objective
From this reading “They came to see me the very evening of their arrival.”
made or become different in nature or form
From this reading “The very grasp of his hand was changed.”
an unshakable belief in something without need for proof or evidence
From this reading “All that was necessary for conviction on the point was to have seen him before and to see him now.”
hold firmly
From this reading “The very grasp of his hand was changed.”
absolutely essential
From this reading “All that was necessary for conviction on the point was to have seen him before and to see him now.”
gradual improvement or growth or development
From this reading “As to Andrew's progress there could be no longer any doubt.”
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading “But not yet would Robert leave him alone.”
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.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading All that was necessary for conviction on the point was to have seen him before and to see him now.
Having no one else present.
From this reading But not yet would Robert leave him alone.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading All that was necessary for conviction on the point was to have seen him before and to see him now.
possessive form of “andrew” — (New Testament) disciple of Jesus; brother of Peter; patron saint of Scotland
From this reading As to Andrew's progress there could be no longer any doubt.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading As to Andrew's progress there could be no longer any doubt.
accomplishment of an objective
From this reading They came to see me the very evening of their arrival.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As to Andrew's progress there could be no longer any doubt.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading As to Andrew's progress there could be no longer any doubt.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading All that was necessary for conviction on the point was to have seen him before and to see him now.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But not yet would Robert leave him alone.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading They came to see me the very evening of their arrival.
made or become different in nature or form
From this reading The very grasp of his hand was changed.
an unshakable belief in something without need for proof or evidence
From this reading All that was necessary for conviction on the point was to have seen him before and to see him now.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading As to Andrew's progress there could be no longer any doubt.
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading As to Andrew's progress there could be no longer any doubt.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading They came to see me the very evening of their arrival.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading All that was necessary for conviction on the point was to have seen him before and to see him now.
hold firmly
From this reading The very grasp of his hand was changed.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading The very grasp of his hand was changed.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading All that was necessary for conviction on the point was to have seen him before and to see him now.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading All that was necessary for conviction on the point was to have seen him before and to see him now.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The very grasp of his hand was changed.
go away from a place
From this reading But not yet would Robert leave him alone.
for more time
From this reading As to Andrew's progress there could be no longer any doubt.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading They came to see me the very evening of their arrival.
absolutely essential
From this reading All that was necessary for conviction on the point was to have seen him before and to see him now.
not any; not one
From this reading As to Andrew's progress there could be no longer any doubt.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But not yet would Robert leave him alone.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading All that was necessary for conviction on the point was to have seen him before and to see him now.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading They came to see me the very evening of their arrival.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading All that was necessary for conviction on the point was to have seen him before and to see him now.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading All that was necessary for conviction on the point was to have seen him before and to see him now.
gradual improvement or growth or development
From this reading As to Andrew's progress there could be no longer any doubt.
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading But not yet would Robert leave him alone.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading They came to see me the very evening of their arrival.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading All that was necessary for conviction on the point was to have seen him before and to see him now.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading All that was necessary for conviction on the point was to have seen him before and to see him now.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading They came to see me the very evening of their arrival.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They came to see me the very evening of their arrival.
in or at that place or location
From this reading As to Andrew's progress there could be no longer any doubt.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They came to see me the very evening of their arrival.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading They came to see me the very evening of their arrival.
precisely as stated
From this reading They came to see me the very evening of their arrival.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading All that was necessary for conviction on the point was to have seen him before and to see him now.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading But not yet would Robert leave him alone.
but in spite of that
From this reading But not yet would Robert leave him alone.
Chapter 40 of Robert Falconer by George MacDonald holds 193 sentences, grouped into 39 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 40 holds 193 sentences of Robert Falconer, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 40 of Robert Falconer by George MacDonald exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 193 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 40 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 Robert Falconer by George MacDonald on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 12433 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2561 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2561, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2487 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Robert Falconer section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Robert Falconer 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 Robert Falconer, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
