Chapter 40 of Shadows of Flames: A Novel is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XL
Chapter 40 of Shadows of Flames: A Novel is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Sophy still brooded, her eyes on the streaking fields. The stilted legal phraseology seemed part of the grim unnaturalness of everything. Suddenly she flashed round on him. "Which way can I get my boy the sooner?" she said. "By allowing me to go with you to Dynehurst; I am convinced of it," he replied without an instant's hesitation.
Chapter 40 of Shadows of Flames: A Novel is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
-ing form of “allow” — make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading “"By allowing me to go with you to Dynehurst; I am convinced of it," he replied without an instant's hesitation.”
past form of “brood” — think moodily or anxiously about something
From this reading “Sophy still brooded, her eyes on the streaking fields.”
not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty
From this reading “The stilted legal phraseology seemed part of the grim unnaturalness of everything.”
indecision in speech or action
From this reading “"By allowing me to go with you to Dynehurst; I am convinced of it," he replied without an instant's hesitation.”
established by or founded upon law or official or accepted rules
From this reading “The stilted legal phraseology seemed part of the grim unnaturalness of everything.”
the manner in which something is expressed in words
From this reading “The stilted legal phraseology seemed part of the grim unnaturalness of everything.”
artificially formal
From this reading “The stilted legal phraseology seemed part of the grim unnaturalness of everything.”
-ing form of “streak” — move quickly in a straight line
From this reading “Sophy still brooded, her eyes on the streaking fields.”
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.
be present or associated with an event or entity
In this reading “"By allowing me to go with you to Dynehurst; I am convinced of it," he replied without an instant's hesitation.”
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.
-ing form of “allow” — make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading "By allowing me to go with you to Dynehurst; I am convinced of it," he replied without an instant's hesitation.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "By allowing me to go with you to Dynehurst; I am convinced of it," he replied without an instant's hesitation.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "By allowing me to go with you to Dynehurst; I am convinced of it," he replied without an instant's hesitation.
a youthful male person
From this reading "Which way can I get my boy the sooner?" she said.
past form of “brood” — think moodily or anxiously about something
From this reading Sophy still brooded, her eyes on the streaking fields.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "By allowing me to go with you to Dynehurst; I am convinced of it," he replied without an instant's hesitation.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "Which way can I get my boy the sooner?" she said.
persuaded of; very sure
From this reading "By allowing me to go with you to Dynehurst; I am convinced of it," he replied without an instant's hesitation.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "By allowing me to go with you to Dynehurst; I am convinced of it," he replied without an instant's hesitation.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading The stilted legal phraseology seemed part of the grim unnaturalness of everything.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Sophy still brooded, her eyes on the streaking fields.
United States comedian and film actor (1880-1946)
From this reading Sophy still brooded, her eyes on the streaking fields.
past form of “flash” — gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading Suddenly she flashed round on him.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "Which way can I get my boy the sooner?" she said.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "By allowing me to go with you to Dynehurst; I am convinced of it," he replied without an instant's hesitation.
not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty
From this reading The stilted legal phraseology seemed part of the grim unnaturalness of everything.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "By allowing me to go with you to Dynehurst; I am convinced of it," he replied without an instant's hesitation.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Sophy still brooded, her eyes on the streaking fields.
indecision in speech or action
From this reading "By allowing me to go with you to Dynehurst; I am convinced of it," he replied without an instant's hesitation.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Suddenly she flashed round on him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Which way can I get my boy the sooner?" she said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "By allowing me to go with you to Dynehurst; I am convinced of it," he replied without an instant's hesitation.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "By allowing me to go with you to Dynehurst; I am convinced of it," he replied without an instant's hesitation.
established by or founded upon law or official or accepted rules
From this reading The stilted legal phraseology seemed part of the grim unnaturalness of everything.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "By allowing me to go with you to Dynehurst; I am convinced of it," he replied without an instant's hesitation.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Which way can I get my boy the sooner?" she said.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The stilted legal phraseology seemed part of the grim unnaturalness of everything.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Sophy still brooded, her eyes on the streaking fields.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading The stilted legal phraseology seemed part of the grim unnaturalness of everything.
the manner in which something is expressed in words
From this reading The stilted legal phraseology seemed part of the grim unnaturalness of everything.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "By allowing me to go with you to Dynehurst; I am convinced of it," he replied without an instant's hesitation.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading Suddenly she flashed round on him.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Which way can I get my boy the sooner?" she said.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The stilted legal phraseology seemed part of the grim unnaturalness of everything.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Suddenly she flashed round on him.
comparatives of “soon” or “early”
From this reading "Which way can I get my boy the sooner?" she said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sophy still brooded, her eyes on the streaking fields.
not in physical motion
From this reading Sophy still brooded, her eyes on the streaking fields.
artificially formal
From this reading The stilted legal phraseology seemed part of the grim unnaturalness of everything.
-ing form of “streak” — move quickly in a straight line
From this reading Sophy still brooded, her eyes on the streaking fields.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Suddenly she flashed round on him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Sophy still brooded, her eyes on the streaking fields.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "By allowing me to go with you to Dynehurst; I am convinced of it," he replied without an instant's hesitation.
the quality of being unnatural or not based on natural principles
From this reading The stilted legal phraseology seemed part of the grim unnaturalness of everything.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "Which way can I get my boy the sooner?" she said.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading "Which way can I get my boy the sooner?" she said.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "By allowing me to go with you to Dynehurst; I am convinced of it," he replied without an instant's hesitation.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading "By allowing me to go with you to Dynehurst; I am convinced of it," he replied without an instant's hesitation.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "By allowing me to go with you to Dynehurst; I am convinced of it," he replied without an instant's hesitation.
Chapter 40 of Shadows of Flames: A Novel by Amélie Rives holds 430 sentences, grouped into 86 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 40 holds 430 sentences of Shadows of Flames: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 40 of Shadows of Flames: A Novel by Amélie Rives exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 430 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 Shadows of Flames: A Novel by Amélie Rives on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 18338 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33234 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #33234, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 3668 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Shadows of Flames: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Shadows of Flames: A Novel 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 Shadows of Flames: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
