Chapter 24 of Stories from Virgil is here in full — 98 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XXIV
Chapter 24 of Stories from Virgil is here in full — 98 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE COUNCIL. So the battle had an end. And the next day, early in the morning, Æneas paid his vows. For he took an oak-tree, and lopped the branches round about, and set it on a mound. And thereon he hung, for a trophy to Mars, the arms of King Mezentius, the crest dripping with blood, and the headless spears, and the corslet pierced in twelve places.
Chapter 24 of Stories from Virgil is here in full — 98 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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 liquid (as water) that flows in drops (as from the eaves of house)
From this reading “And thereon he hung, for a trophy to Mars, the arms of King Mezentius, the crest dripping with blood, and the headless spears, and the corslet pierced in twelve places.”
not having a head or formed without a head
From this reading “And thereon he hung, for a trophy to Mars, the arms of King Mezentius, the crest dripping with blood, and the headless spears, and the corslet pierced in twelve places.”
inflected form of “lop” — cut off from a whole
From this reading “For he took an oak-tree, and lopped the branches round about, and set it on a mound.”
(baseball) the slight elevation on which the pitcher stands
From this reading “For he took an oak-tree, and lopped the branches round about, and set it on a mound.”
plural of “spear” — a long pointed rod used as a tool or weapon
From this reading “And thereon he hung, for a trophy to Mars, the arms of King Mezentius, the crest dripping with blood, and the headless spears, and the corslet pierced in twelve places.”
on that
From this reading “And thereon he hung, for a trophy to Mars, the arms of King Mezentius, the crest dripping with blood, and the headless spears, and the corslet pierced in twelve places.”
an award for success in war or hunting
From this reading “And thereon he hung, for a trophy to Mars, the arms of King Mezentius, the crest dripping with blood, and the headless spears, and the corslet pierced in twelve places.”
plural of “vow” — a solemn pledge (to oneself or to another or to a deity) to do something or to behave in a certain manner
From this reading “And the next day, early in the morning, Æneas paid his vows.”
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 “And the next day, early in the morning, Æneas paid his vows.”
In this reading “And the next day, early in the morning, Æneas paid his vows.”
In this reading “And thereon he hung, for a trophy to Mars, the arms of King Mezentius, the crest dripping with blood, and the headless spears, and the corslet pierced in twelve places.”
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 For he took an oak-tree, and lopped the branches round about, and set it on a mound.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading For he took an oak-tree, and lopped the branches round about, and set it on a mound.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading So the battle had an end.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And the next day, early in the morning, Æneas paid his vows.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading And thereon he hung, for a trophy to Mars, the arms of King Mezentius, the crest dripping with blood, and the headless spears, and the corslet pierced in twelve places.
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading So the battle had an end.
The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.
From this reading And thereon he hung, for a trophy to Mars, the arms of King Mezentius, the crest dripping with blood, and the headless spears, and the corslet pierced in twelve places.
plural of “branch” — a division of some larger or more complex organization
From this reading For he took an oak-tree, and lopped the branches round about, and set it on a mound.
a piece of body armor for the trunk; usually consists of a breastplate and back piece
From this reading And thereon he hung, for a trophy to Mars, the arms of King Mezentius, the crest dripping with blood, and the headless spears, and the corslet pierced in twelve places.
a body serving in an administrative capacity
From this reading THE COUNCIL.
the top line of a hill, mountain, or wave
From this reading And thereon he hung, for a trophy to Mars, the arms of King Mezentius, the crest dripping with blood, and the headless spears, and the corslet pierced in twelve places.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading And the next day, early in the morning, Æneas paid his vows.
a liquid (as water) that flows in drops (as from the eaves of house)
From this reading And thereon he hung, for a trophy to Mars, the arms of King Mezentius, the crest dripping with blood, and the headless spears, and the corslet pierced in twelve places.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading And the next day, early in the morning, Æneas paid his vows.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading So the battle had an end.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For he took an oak-tree, and lopped the branches round about, and set it on a mound.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading So the battle had an end.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For he took an oak-tree, and lopped the branches round about, and set it on a mound.
not having a head or formed without a head
From this reading And thereon he hung, for a trophy to Mars, the arms of King Mezentius, the crest dripping with blood, and the headless spears, and the corslet pierced in twelve places.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading And the next day, early in the morning, Æneas paid his vows.
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading And thereon he hung, for a trophy to Mars, the arms of King Mezentius, the crest dripping with blood, and the headless spears, and the corslet pierced in twelve places.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading And the next day, early in the morning, Æneas paid his vows.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading For he took an oak-tree, and lopped the branches round about, and set it on a mound.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading And thereon he hung, for a trophy to Mars, the arms of King Mezentius, the crest dripping with blood, and the headless spears, and the corslet pierced in twelve places.
inflected form of “lop” — cut off from a whole
From this reading For he took an oak-tree, and lopped the branches round about, and set it on a mound.
a small reddish planet that is the 4th from the sun and is periodically visible to the naked eye; minerals rich in iron cover its surface and are responsible for its characteristic color
From this reading And thereon he hung, for a trophy to Mars, the arms of King Mezentius, the crest dripping with blood, and the headless spears, and the corslet pierced in twelve places.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And thereon he hung, for a trophy to Mars, the arms of King Mezentius, the crest dripping with blood, and the headless spears, and the corslet pierced in twelve places.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading And the next day, early in the morning, Æneas paid his vows.
(baseball) the slight elevation on which the pitcher stands
From this reading For he took an oak-tree, and lopped the branches round about, and set it on a mound.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading And the next day, early in the morning, Æneas paid his vows.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For he took an oak-tree, and lopped the branches round about, and set it on a mound.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And thereon he hung, for a trophy to Mars, the arms of King Mezentius, the crest dripping with blood, and the headless spears, and the corslet pierced in twelve places.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading For he took an oak-tree, and lopped the branches round about, and set it on a mound.
marked by the reception of pay
From this reading And the next day, early in the morning, Æneas paid his vows.
having a hole cut through
From this reading And thereon he hung, for a trophy to Mars, the arms of King Mezentius, the crest dripping with blood, and the headless spears, and the corslet pierced in twelve places.
plural of “place” — a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading And thereon he hung, for a trophy to Mars, the arms of King Mezentius, the crest dripping with blood, and the headless spears, and the corslet pierced in twelve places.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading For he took an oak-tree, and lopped the branches round about, and set it on a mound.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading For he took an oak-tree, and lopped the branches round about, and set it on a mound.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So the battle had an end.
plural of “spear” — a long pointed rod used as a tool or weapon
From this reading And thereon he hung, for a trophy to Mars, the arms of King Mezentius, the crest dripping with blood, and the headless spears, and the corslet pierced in twelve places.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE COUNCIL.
on that
From this reading And thereon he hung, for a trophy to Mars, the arms of King Mezentius, the crest dripping with blood, and the headless spears, and the corslet pierced in twelve places.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And thereon he hung, for a trophy to Mars, the arms of King Mezentius, the crest dripping with blood, and the headless spears, and the corslet pierced in twelve places.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading For he took an oak-tree, and lopped the branches round about, and set it on a mound.
an award for success in war or hunting
From this reading And thereon he hung, for a trophy to Mars, the arms of King Mezentius, the crest dripping with blood, and the headless spears, and the corslet pierced in twelve places.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading And thereon he hung, for a trophy to Mars, the arms of King Mezentius, the crest dripping with blood, and the headless spears, and the corslet pierced in twelve places.
plural of “vow” — a solemn pledge (to oneself or to another or to a deity) to do something or to behave in a certain manner
From this reading And the next day, early in the morning, Æneas paid his vows.
in the company of; together with
From this reading And thereon he hung, for a trophy to Mars, the arms of King Mezentius, the crest dripping with blood, and the headless spears, and the corslet pierced in twelve places.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And the next day, early in the morning, Æneas paid his vows.
Chapter 24 of Stories from Virgil by Alfred John Church holds 98 sentences, grouped into 20 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 24 holds 98 sentences of Stories from Virgil, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 24 of Stories from Virgil by Alfred John Church exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 98 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 24 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 Stories from Virgil by Alfred John Church on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2606 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40622 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40622, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 217 minutes of reading across 522 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Stories from Virgil section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of Stories from Virgil 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 Stories from Virgil, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
