Chapter 14 of Tar and feathers is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of Tar and feathers is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“You ask why the Catholic should be excluded? Because, as this card shows, he swears allegiance to a foreign potentate. He’s an alien although he benefits by our laws. If the Catholics could, they would unite the church and the state.” “I see, but supposing I get a prospect and he asks me how I know that.”
Chapter 14 of Tar and feathers is here in full — 426 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/85 · 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.
not contained in or deriving from the essential nature of something
From this reading “He’s an alien although he benefits by our laws.”
the act of binding yourself (intellectually or emotionally) to a course of action
From this reading “Because, as this card shows, he swears allegiance to a foreign potentate.”
plural of “benefit” — financial assistance in time of need
From this reading “He’s an alien although he benefits by our laws.”
plural of “catholic” — a member of a Catholic church
From this reading “If the Catholics could, they would unite the church and the state.””
past form of “exclude” — prevent from being included or considered or accepted
From this reading ““You ask why the Catholic should be excluded?”
a ruler who is unconstrained by law
From this reading “Because, as this card shows, he swears allegiance to a foreign potentate.”
third-person singular of “swear” — utter obscenities or profanities
From this reading “Because, as this card shows, he swears allegiance to a foreign potentate.”
act in concert or unite in a common purpose or belief
From this reading “If the Catholics could, they would unite the church and the state.””
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 “Because, as this card shows, he swears allegiance to a foreign potentate.”
In this reading ““You ask why the Catholic should be excluded?”
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 Because, as this card shows, he swears allegiance to a foreign potentate.
not contained in or deriving from the essential nature of something
From this reading He’s an alien although he benefits by our laws.
the act of binding yourself (intellectually or emotionally) to a course of action
From this reading Because, as this card shows, he swears allegiance to a foreign potentate.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading He’s an alien although he benefits by our laws.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He’s an alien although he benefits by our laws.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading If the Catholics could, they would unite the church and the state.”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Because, as this card shows, he swears allegiance to a foreign potentate.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “You ask why the Catholic should be excluded?
third-person singular of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “I see, but supposing I get a prospect and he asks me how I know that.”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “You ask why the Catholic should be excluded?
for the reason that
From this reading Because, as this card shows, he swears allegiance to a foreign potentate.
plural of “benefit” — financial assistance in time of need
From this reading He’s an alien although he benefits by our laws.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “I see, but supposing I get a prospect and he asks me how I know that.”
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He’s an alien although he benefits by our laws.
one of a set of small pieces of stiff paper marked in various ways and used for playing games or for telling fortunes
From this reading Because, as this card shows, he swears allegiance to a foreign potentate.
of or relating to or supporting Catholicism
From this reading “You ask why the Catholic should be excluded?
plural of “catholic” — a member of a Catholic church
From this reading If the Catholics could, they would unite the church and the state.”
one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship
From this reading If the Catholics could, they would unite the church and the state.”
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading If the Catholics could, they would unite the church and the state.”
past form of “exclude” — prevent from being included or considered or accepted
From this reading “You ask why the Catholic should be excluded?
of concern to or concerning the affairs of other nations (other than your own)
From this reading Because, as this card shows, he swears allegiance to a foreign potentate.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “I see, but supposing I get a prospect and he asks me how I know that.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Because, as this card shows, he swears allegiance to a foreign potentate.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He’s an alien although he benefits by our laws.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I see, but supposing I get a prospect and he asks me how I know that.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I see, but supposing I get a prospect and he asks me how I know that.”
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If the Catholics could, they would unite the church and the state.”
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “I see, but supposing I get a prospect and he asks me how I know that.”
the first of three divisions of the Hebrew Scriptures comprising the first five books of the Hebrew Bible considered as a unit
From this reading He’s an alien although he benefits by our laws.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “I see, but supposing I get a prospect and he asks me how I know that.”
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading He’s an alien although he benefits by our laws.
a ruler who is unconstrained by law
From this reading Because, as this card shows, he swears allegiance to a foreign potentate.
the possibility of future success
From this reading “I see, but supposing I get a prospect and he asks me how I know that.”
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “I see, but supposing I get a prospect and he asks me how I know that.”
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading “You ask why the Catholic should be excluded?
plural of “show” — the act of publicly exhibiting or entertaining
From this reading Because, as this card shows, he swears allegiance to a foreign potentate.
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading If the Catholics could, they would unite the church and the state.”
-ing form of “suppose” — express a supposition
From this reading “I see, but supposing I get a prospect and he asks me how I know that.”
third-person singular of “swear” — utter obscenities or profanities
From this reading Because, as this card shows, he swears allegiance to a foreign potentate.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “I see, but supposing I get a prospect and he asks me how I know that.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “You ask why the Catholic should be excluded?
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading If the Catholics could, they would unite the church and the state.”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Because, as this card shows, he swears allegiance to a foreign potentate.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Because, as this card shows, he swears allegiance to a foreign potentate.
act in concert or unite in a common purpose or belief
From this reading If the Catholics could, they would unite the church and the state.”
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “You ask why the Catholic should be excluded?
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading If the Catholics could, they would unite the church and the state.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You ask why the Catholic should be excluded?
Chapter 14 of Tar and feathers by Victor Rubin holds 426 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 14 holds 426 sentences of Tar and feathers, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of Tar and feathers by Victor Rubin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 426 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 14 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 Tar and feathers by Victor Rubin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6678 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #73731 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #73731, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 556 minutes of reading across 1336 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tar and feathers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Tar and feathers 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 Tar and feathers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
