Chapter 21 of Rookwood is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of Rookwood is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I am better now--ready to execute my plans--_your_ plans I should say, grandson Luke. Are our horses in readiness? Why do we tarry? The hour is arrived, and I would not that my new-blown courage should evaporate ere the great work for which I live be accomplished. That done, I ask no further stimulant.
Chapter 21 of Rookwood is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
highly skilled
From this reading “The hour is arrived, and I would not that my new-blown courage should evaporate ere the great work for which I live be accomplished.”
lose or cause to lose liquid by vaporization leaving a more concentrated residue
From this reading “The hour is arrived, and I would not that my new-blown courage should evaporate ere the great work for which I live be accomplished.”
kill as a means of socially sanctioned punishment
From this reading “I am better now--ready to execute my plans--_your_ plans I should say, grandson Luke.”
a male grandchild
From this reading “I am better now--ready to execute my plans--_your_ plans I should say, grandson Luke.”
(New Testament) the Apostle closely associated with St. Paul and traditionally assumed to be the author of the third Gospel
From this reading “I am better now--ready to execute my plans--_your_ plans I should say, grandson Luke.”
the state of having been made ready or prepared for use or action (especially military action)
From this reading “Are our horses in readiness?”
any stimulating information or event; acts to arouse action
From this reading “That done, I ask no further stimulant.”
be about
From this reading “Why do we tarry?”
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.
highly skilled
From this reading The hour is arrived, and I would not that my new-blown courage should evaporate ere the great work for which I live be accomplished.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I am better now--ready to execute my plans--_your_ plans I should say, grandson Luke.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The hour is arrived, and I would not that my new-blown courage should evaporate ere the great work for which I live be accomplished.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Are our horses in readiness?
past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading The hour is arrived, and I would not that my new-blown courage should evaporate ere the great work for which I live be accomplished.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading That done, I ask no further stimulant.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The hour is arrived, and I would not that my new-blown courage should evaporate ere the great work for which I live be accomplished.
(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 I am better now--ready to execute my plans--_your_ plans I should say, grandson Luke.
a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear
From this reading The hour is arrived, and I would not that my new-blown courage should evaporate ere the great work for which I live be accomplished.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Why do we tarry?
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading That done, I ask no further stimulant.
an old word for “before”
From this reading The hour is arrived, and I would not that my new-blown courage should evaporate ere the great work for which I live be accomplished.
lose or cause to lose liquid by vaporization leaving a more concentrated residue
From this reading The hour is arrived, and I would not that my new-blown courage should evaporate ere the great work for which I live be accomplished.
kill as a means of socially sanctioned punishment
From this reading I am better now--ready to execute my plans--_your_ plans I should say, grandson Luke.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The hour is arrived, and I would not that my new-blown courage should evaporate ere the great work for which I live be accomplished.
to or at a greater extent or degree or a more advanced stage (“further” is used more often than “farther” in this abstract sense)
From this reading That done, I ask no further stimulant.
a male grandchild
From this reading I am better now--ready to execute my plans--_your_ plans I should say, grandson Luke.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading The hour is arrived, and I would not that my new-blown courage should evaporate ere the great work for which I live be accomplished.
plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading Are our horses in readiness?
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading The hour is arrived, and I would not that my new-blown courage should evaporate ere the great work for which I live be accomplished.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I am better now--ready to execute my plans--_your_ plans I should say, grandson Luke.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Are our horses in readiness?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The hour is arrived, and I would not that my new-blown courage should evaporate ere the great work for which I live be accomplished.
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading The hour is arrived, and I would not that my new-blown courage should evaporate ere the great work for which I live be accomplished.
(New Testament) the Apostle closely associated with St. Paul and traditionally assumed to be the author of the third Gospel
From this reading I am better now--ready to execute my plans--_your_ plans I should say, grandson Luke.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I am better now--ready to execute my plans--_your_ plans I should say, grandson Luke.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The hour is arrived, and I would not that my new-blown courage should evaporate ere the great work for which I live be accomplished.
not any; not one
From this reading That done, I ask no further stimulant.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The hour is arrived, and I would not that my new-blown courage should evaporate ere the great work for which I live be accomplished.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading I am better now--ready to execute my plans--_your_ plans I should say, grandson Luke.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Are our horses in readiness?
plural of “plan” — a series of steps to be carried out or goals to be accomplished
From this reading I am better now--ready to execute my plans--_your_ plans I should say, grandson Luke.
the state of having been made ready or prepared for use or action (especially military action)
From this reading Are our horses in readiness?
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading I am better now--ready to execute my plans--_your_ plans I should say, grandson Luke.
express in words
From this reading I am better now--ready to execute my plans--_your_ plans I should say, grandson Luke.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading I am better now--ready to execute my plans--_your_ plans I should say, grandson Luke.
any stimulating information or event; acts to arouse action
From this reading That done, I ask no further stimulant.
be about
From this reading Why do we tarry?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The hour is arrived, and I would not that my new-blown courage should evaporate ere the great work for which I live be accomplished.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The hour is arrived, and I would not that my new-blown courage should evaporate ere the great work for which I live be accomplished.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I am better now--ready to execute my plans--_your_ plans I should say, grandson Luke.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Why do we tarry?
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The hour is arrived, and I would not that my new-blown courage should evaporate ere the great work for which I live be accomplished.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why do we tarry?
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading The hour is arrived, and I would not that my new-blown courage should evaporate ere the great work for which I live be accomplished.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading The hour is arrived, and I would not that my new-blown courage should evaporate ere the great work for which I live be accomplished.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I am better now--ready to execute my plans--_your_ plans I should say, grandson Luke.
Chapter 21 of Rookwood by William Harrison Ainsworth holds 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 411 sentences of Rookwood, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of Rookwood by William Harrison Ainsworth exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Rookwood by William Harrison Ainsworth on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9403 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #23564 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #23564, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1881 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Rookwood section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of Rookwood 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 Rookwood, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
