Chapter 3 of Stand Fast, Craig-Royston! (Volume I) is here in full — 327 sentences across 66 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of Stand Fast, Craig-Royston! (Volume I) is here in full — 327 sentences across 66 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AN APPROACH. There was a knock at the door. "Come in!" called out old George Bethune. There appeared a middle-aged man, of medium height, who looked like a butler out of employment; he was pale and flabby of face, with nervous eyes expressive of a sort of imbecile amiability. "Ah, Hobson!" said Mr. Bethune, in his lofty manner.
Chapter 3 of Stand Fast, Craig-Royston! (Volume I) is here in full — 327 sentences across 66 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/65 · 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.
a cheerful and agreeable mood
From this reading “There appeared a middle-aged man, of medium height, who looked like a butler out of employment; he was pale and flabby of face, with nervous eyes expressive of a sort of imbecile amiability.”
United States educator who worked to improve race relations and educational opportunities for Black Americans (1875-1955)
From this reading “"Come in!" called out old George Bethune.”
the state of being employed or having a job
From this reading “There appeared a middle-aged man, of medium height, who looked like a butler out of employment; he was pale and flabby of face, with nervous eyes expressive of a sort of imbecile amiability.”
characterized by expression
From this reading “There appeared a middle-aged man, of medium height, who looked like a butler out of employment; he was pale and flabby of face, with nervous eyes expressive of a sort of imbecile amiability.”
out of condition; not strong or robust; incapable of exertion or endurance
From this reading “There appeared a middle-aged man, of medium height, who looked like a butler out of employment; he was pale and flabby of face, with nervous eyes expressive of a sort of imbecile amiability.”
a person of subnormal intelligence
From this reading “There appeared a middle-aged man, of medium height, who looked like a butler out of employment; he was pale and flabby of face, with nervous eyes expressive of a sort of imbecile amiability.”
a means or instrumentality for storing or communicating information
From this reading “There appeared a middle-aged man, of medium height, who looked like a butler out of employment; he was pale and flabby of face, with nervous eyes expressive of a sort of imbecile amiability.”
being roughly between 45 and 65 years old
From this reading “There appeared a middle-aged man, of medium height, who looked like a butler out of employment; he was pale and flabby of face, with nervous eyes expressive of a sort of imbecile amiability.”
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 “There appeared a middle-aged man, of medium height, who looked like a butler out of employment; he was pale and flabby of face, with nervous eyes expressive of a sort of imbecile amiability.”
a man who is roughly between 45 and 65 years old
In this reading “There appeared a middle-aged man, of medium height, who looked like a butler out of employment; he was pale and flabby of face, with nervous eyes expressive of a sort of imbecile amiability.”
In this reading “There was a knock at the door.”
In this reading “There was a knock at the door.”
utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
In this reading “"Come in!" called out old George Bethune.”
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 before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading There was a knock at the door.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ah, Hobson!" said Mr. Bethune, in his lofty manner.
a cheerful and agreeable mood
From this reading There appeared a middle-aged man, of medium height, who looked like a butler out of employment; he was pale and flabby of face, with nervous eyes expressive of a sort of imbecile amiability.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN APPROACH.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There appeared a middle-aged man, of medium height, who looked like a butler out of employment; he was pale and flabby of face, with nervous eyes expressive of a sort of imbecile amiability.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading There appeared a middle-aged man, of medium height, who looked like a butler out of employment; he was pale and flabby of face, with nervous eyes expressive of a sort of imbecile amiability.
move towards
From this reading AN APPROACH.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading There was a knock at the door.
United States educator who worked to improve race relations and educational opportunities for Black Americans (1875-1955)
From this reading "Come in!" called out old George Bethune.
a manservant (usually the head servant of a household) who has charge of wines and the table
From this reading There appeared a middle-aged man, of medium height, who looked like a butler out of employment; he was pale and flabby of face, with nervous eyes expressive of a sort of imbecile amiability.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "Come in!" called out old George Bethune.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Come in!" called out old George Bethune.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading There was a knock at the door.
the state of being employed or having a job
From this reading There appeared a middle-aged man, of medium height, who looked like a butler out of employment; he was pale and flabby of face, with nervous eyes expressive of a sort of imbecile amiability.
characterized by expression
From this reading There appeared a middle-aged man, of medium height, who looked like a butler out of employment; he was pale and flabby of face, with nervous eyes expressive of a sort of imbecile amiability.
opinion or judgment
From this reading There appeared a middle-aged man, of medium height, who looked like a butler out of employment; he was pale and flabby of face, with nervous eyes expressive of a sort of imbecile amiability.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading There appeared a middle-aged man, of medium height, who looked like a butler out of employment; he was pale and flabby of face, with nervous eyes expressive of a sort of imbecile amiability.
out of condition; not strong or robust; incapable of exertion or endurance
From this reading There appeared a middle-aged man, of medium height, who looked like a butler out of employment; he was pale and flabby of face, with nervous eyes expressive of a sort of imbecile amiability.
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading "Come in!" called out old George Bethune.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading There appeared a middle-aged man, of medium height, who looked like a butler out of employment; he was pale and flabby of face, with nervous eyes expressive of a sort of imbecile amiability.
the vertical dimension of extension; distance from the base of something to the top
From this reading There appeared a middle-aged man, of medium height, who looked like a butler out of employment; he was pale and flabby of face, with nervous eyes expressive of a sort of imbecile amiability.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Ah, Hobson!" said Mr. Bethune, in his lofty manner.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ah, Hobson!" said Mr. Bethune, in his lofty manner.
a person of subnormal intelligence
From this reading There appeared a middle-aged man, of medium height, who looked like a butler out of employment; he was pale and flabby of face, with nervous eyes expressive of a sort of imbecile amiability.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Come in!" called out old George Bethune.
deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading There was a knock at the door.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading There appeared a middle-aged man, of medium height, who looked like a butler out of employment; he was pale and flabby of face, with nervous eyes expressive of a sort of imbecile amiability.
of high moral or intellectual value; elevated in nature or style
From this reading "Ah, Hobson!" said Mr. Bethune, in his lofty manner.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading There appeared a middle-aged man, of medium height, who looked like a butler out of employment; he was pale and flabby of face, with nervous eyes expressive of a sort of imbecile amiability.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading There appeared a middle-aged man, of medium height, who looked like a butler out of employment; he was pale and flabby of face, with nervous eyes expressive of a sort of imbecile amiability.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "Ah, Hobson!" said Mr. Bethune, in his lofty manner.
a means or instrumentality for storing or communicating information
From this reading There appeared a middle-aged man, of medium height, who looked like a butler out of employment; he was pale and flabby of face, with nervous eyes expressive of a sort of imbecile amiability.
being roughly between 45 and 65 years old
From this reading There appeared a middle-aged man, of medium height, who looked like a butler out of employment; he was pale and flabby of face, with nervous eyes expressive of a sort of imbecile amiability.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "Ah, Hobson!" said Mr. Bethune, in his lofty manner.
easily agitated
From this reading There appeared a middle-aged man, of medium height, who looked like a butler out of employment; he was pale and flabby of face, with nervous eyes expressive of a sort of imbecile amiability.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There appeared a middle-aged man, of medium height, who looked like a butler out of employment; he was pale and flabby of face, with nervous eyes expressive of a sort of imbecile amiability.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "Come in!" called out old George Bethune.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "Come in!" called out old George Bethune.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading There appeared a middle-aged man, of medium height, who looked like a butler out of employment; he was pale and flabby of face, with nervous eyes expressive of a sort of imbecile amiability.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Ah, Hobson!" said Mr. Bethune, in his lofty manner.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading There appeared a middle-aged man, of medium height, who looked like a butler out of employment; he was pale and flabby of face, with nervous eyes expressive of a sort of imbecile amiability.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There was a knock at the door.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a knock at the door.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was a knock at the door.
which person or people
From this reading There appeared a middle-aged man, of medium height, who looked like a butler out of employment; he was pale and flabby of face, with nervous eyes expressive of a sort of imbecile amiability.
in the company of; together with
From this reading There appeared a middle-aged man, of medium height, who looked like a butler out of employment; he was pale and flabby of face, with nervous eyes expressive of a sort of imbecile amiability.
Chapter 3 of Stand Fast, Craig-Royston! (Volume I) by William Black holds 327 sentences, grouped into 66 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 3 holds 327 sentences of Stand Fast, Craig-Royston! (Volume I), unabridged, divided into 66 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of Stand Fast, Craig-Royston! (Volume I) by William Black exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 327 sentences, grouped into 66 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 66 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 66 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 3 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 Stand Fast, Craig-Royston! (Volume I) by William Black on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2312 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #42729 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #42729, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 192 minutes of reading across 463 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Stand Fast, Craig-Royston! (Volume I) section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of Stand Fast, Craig-Royston! (Volume I) 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 Stand Fast, Craig-Royston! (Volume I), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
