Chapter 19 of Shifting Sands is here in full — 229 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIX
Chapter 19 of Shifting Sands is here in full — 229 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The days immediately following were like an armed truce. Marcia watched Sylvia. Sylvia watched Marcia. Heath watched them both. When, however, no further reference to the events of the past week was made, the tension slowly began to lessen, and life at the Howe Homestead took on again its customary aspect.
Chapter 19 of Shifting Sands is here in full — 229 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/45 · 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.
in accordance with convention or custom
From this reading “When, however, no further reference to the events of the past week was made, the tension slowly began to lessen, and life at the Howe Homestead took on again its customary aspect.”
a low evergreen shrub of the family Ericaceae; has small bell-shaped pink or purple flowers
From this reading “Heath watched them both.”
the home and adjacent grounds occupied by a family
From this reading “When, however, no further reference to the events of the past week was made, the tension slowly began to lessen, and life at the Howe Homestead took on again its customary aspect.”
United States editor (1920-1993)
From this reading “When, however, no further reference to the events of the past week was made, the tension slowly began to lessen, and life at the Howe Homestead took on again its customary aspect.”
decrease in size, extent, or range
From this reading “When, however, no further reference to the events of the past week was made, the tension slowly began to lessen, and life at the Howe Homestead took on again its customary aspect.”
a remark that calls attention to something or someone
From this reading “When, however, no further reference to the events of the past week was made, the tension slowly began to lessen, and life at the Howe Homestead took on again its customary aspect.”
(psychology) a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense
From this reading “When, however, no further reference to the events of the past week was made, the tension slowly began to lessen, and life at the Howe Homestead took on again its customary aspect.”
a state of peace agreed to between opponents so they can discuss peace terms
From this reading “The days immediately following were like an armed truce.”
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 “When, however, no further reference to the events of the past week was made, the tension slowly began to lessen, and life at the Howe Homestead took on again its customary aspect.”
In this reading “The days immediately following were like an armed truce.”
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.
anew
From this reading When, however, no further reference to the events of the past week was made, the tension slowly began to lessen, and life at the Howe Homestead took on again its customary aspect.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The days immediately following were like an armed truce.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading When, however, no further reference to the events of the past week was made, the tension slowly began to lessen, and life at the Howe Homestead took on again its customary aspect.
(used of persons or the military) characterized by having or bearing arms
From this reading The days immediately following were like an armed truce.
a distinct feature or element in a problem
From this reading When, however, no further reference to the events of the past week was made, the tension slowly began to lessen, and life at the Howe Homestead took on again its customary aspect.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading When, however, no further reference to the events of the past week was made, the tension slowly began to lessen, and life at the Howe Homestead took on again its customary aspect.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading When, however, no further reference to the events of the past week was made, the tension slowly began to lessen, and life at the Howe Homestead took on again its customary aspect.
the two together, not just one
From this reading Heath watched them both.
in accordance with convention or custom
From this reading When, however, no further reference to the events of the past week was made, the tension slowly began to lessen, and life at the Howe Homestead took on again its customary aspect.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading The days immediately following were like an armed truce.
plural of “event” — something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading When, however, no further reference to the events of the past week was made, the tension slowly began to lessen, and life at the Howe Homestead took on again its customary aspect.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading The days immediately following were like an armed truce.
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 When, however, no further reference to the events of the past week was made, the tension slowly began to lessen, and life at the Howe Homestead took on again its customary aspect.
a low evergreen shrub of the family Ericaceae; has small bell-shaped pink or purple flowers
From this reading Heath watched them both.
the home and adjacent grounds occupied by a family
From this reading When, however, no further reference to the events of the past week was made, the tension slowly began to lessen, and life at the Howe Homestead took on again its customary aspect.
United States editor (1920-1993)
From this reading When, however, no further reference to the events of the past week was made, the tension slowly began to lessen, and life at the Howe Homestead took on again its customary aspect.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading When, however, no further reference to the events of the past week was made, the tension slowly began to lessen, and life at the Howe Homestead took on again its customary aspect.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading The days immediately following were like an armed truce.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading When, however, no further reference to the events of the past week was made, the tension slowly began to lessen, and life at the Howe Homestead took on again its customary aspect.
decrease in size, extent, or range
From this reading When, however, no further reference to the events of the past week was made, the tension slowly began to lessen, and life at the Howe Homestead took on again its customary aspect.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading When, however, no further reference to the events of the past week was made, the tension slowly began to lessen, and life at the Howe Homestead took on again its customary aspect.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading The days immediately following were like an armed truce.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading When, however, no further reference to the events of the past week was made, the tension slowly began to lessen, and life at the Howe Homestead took on again its customary aspect.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Marcia watched Sylvia.
not any; not one
From this reading When, however, no further reference to the events of the past week was made, the tension slowly began to lessen, and life at the Howe Homestead took on again its customary aspect.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When, however, no further reference to the events of the past week was made, the tension slowly began to lessen, and life at the Howe Homestead took on again its customary aspect.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading When, however, no further reference to the events of the past week was made, the tension slowly began to lessen, and life at the Howe Homestead took on again its customary aspect.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading When, however, no further reference to the events of the past week was made, the tension slowly began to lessen, and life at the Howe Homestead took on again its customary aspect.
a remark that calls attention to something or someone
From this reading When, however, no further reference to the events of the past week was made, the tension slowly began to lessen, and life at the Howe Homestead took on again its customary aspect.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading When, however, no further reference to the events of the past week was made, the tension slowly began to lessen, and life at the Howe Homestead took on again its customary aspect.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Marcia watched Sylvia.
(psychology) a state of mental or emotional strain or suspense
From this reading When, however, no further reference to the events of the past week was made, the tension slowly began to lessen, and life at the Howe Homestead took on again its customary aspect.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The days immediately following were like an armed truce.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Heath watched them both.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading When, however, no further reference to the events of the past week was made, the tension slowly began to lessen, and life at the Howe Homestead took on again its customary aspect.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading When, however, no further reference to the events of the past week was made, the tension slowly began to lessen, and life at the Howe Homestead took on again its customary aspect.
a state of peace agreed to between opponents so they can discuss peace terms
From this reading The days immediately following were like an armed truce.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When, however, no further reference to the events of the past week was made, the tension slowly began to lessen, and life at the Howe Homestead took on again its customary aspect.
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading Marcia watched Sylvia.
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading When, however, no further reference to the events of the past week was made, the tension slowly began to lessen, and life at the Howe Homestead took on again its customary aspect.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The days immediately following were like an armed truce.
at the time that
From this reading When, however, no further reference to the events of the past week was made, the tension slowly began to lessen, and life at the Howe Homestead took on again its customary aspect.
Chapter 19 of Shifting Sands by Sara Ware Bassett holds 229 sentences, grouped into 46 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 19 holds 229 sentences of Shifting Sands, unabridged, divided into 46 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 19 of Shifting Sands by Sara Ware Bassett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 229 sentences, grouped into 46 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 46 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 46 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 19 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 Shifting Sands by Sara Ware Bassett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5568 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43773 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43773, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 464 minutes of reading across 1114 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Shifting Sands section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of Shifting Sands 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 Shifting Sands, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
