Chapter 26 of Tetherstones is here in full — 192 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVI
Chapter 26 of Tetherstones is here in full — 192 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE CHAIN The kitchen-door was half-open. She pushed it open and entered. Then sharply she drew back. It was raining and the place was in semi-darkness. Only a red glow from the great open fireplace lighted it, throwing into strong relief the old black rafters.
Chapter 26 of Tetherstones is here in full — 192 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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 series of things depending on each other as if linked together
From this reading “THE CHAIN The kitchen-door was half-open.”
an open recess in a wall at the base of a chimney where a fire can be built
From this reading “Only a red glow from the great open fireplace lighted it, throwing into strong relief the old black rafters.”
an alert and refreshed state
From this reading “Only a red glow from the great open fireplace lighted it, throwing into strong relief the old black rafters.”
set afire or burning
From this reading “Only a red glow from the great open fireplace lighted it, throwing into strong relief the old black rafters.”
plural of “rafter” — one of several parallel sloping beams that support a roof
From this reading “Only a red glow from the great open fireplace lighted it, throwing into strong relief the old black rafters.”
falling in drops or as if falling like rain
From this reading “It was raining and the place was in semi-darkness.”
in an aggressive manner
From this reading “Then sharply she drew back.”
-ing form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading “Only a red glow from the great open fireplace lighted it, throwing into strong relief the old black rafters.”
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 “Only a red glow from the great open fireplace lighted it, throwing into strong relief the old black rafters.”
an open recess in a wall at the base of a chimney where a fire can be built
In this reading “Only a red glow from the great open fireplace lighted it, throwing into strong relief the old black rafters.”
In this reading “Only a red glow from the great open fireplace lighted it, throwing into strong relief the old black rafters.”
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 Only a red glow from the great open fireplace lighted it, throwing into strong relief the old black rafters.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She pushed it open and entered.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Then sharply she drew back.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading Only a red glow from the great open fireplace lighted it, throwing into strong relief the old black rafters.
a series of things depending on each other as if linked together
From this reading THE CHAIN The kitchen-door was half-open.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading Then sharply she drew back.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading She pushed it open and entered.
an open recess in a wall at the base of a chimney where a fire can be built
From this reading Only a red glow from the great open fireplace lighted it, throwing into strong relief the old black rafters.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Only a red glow from the great open fireplace lighted it, throwing into strong relief the old black rafters.
an alert and refreshed state
From this reading Only a red glow from the great open fireplace lighted it, throwing into strong relief the old black rafters.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Only a red glow from the great open fireplace lighted it, throwing into strong relief the old black rafters.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE CHAIN The kitchen-door was half-open.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was raining and the place was in semi-darkness.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Only a red glow from the great open fireplace lighted it, throwing into strong relief the old black rafters.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading She pushed it open and entered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE CHAIN The kitchen-door was half-open.
set afire or burning
From this reading Only a red glow from the great open fireplace lighted it, throwing into strong relief the old black rafters.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Only a red glow from the great open fireplace lighted it, throwing into strong relief the old black rafters.
and nothing more
From this reading Only a red glow from the great open fireplace lighted it, throwing into strong relief the old black rafters.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading She pushed it open and entered.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading It was raining and the place was in semi-darkness.
past form of “push” — move with force
From this reading She pushed it open and entered.
plural of “rafter” — one of several parallel sloping beams that support a roof
From this reading Only a red glow from the great open fireplace lighted it, throwing into strong relief the old black rafters.
falling in drops or as if falling like rain
From this reading It was raining and the place was in semi-darkness.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading Only a red glow from the great open fireplace lighted it, throwing into strong relief the old black rafters.
the feeling that comes when something burdensome is removed or reduced
From this reading Only a red glow from the great open fireplace lighted it, throwing into strong relief the old black rafters.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was raining and the place was in semi-darkness.
in an aggressive manner
From this reading Then sharply she drew back.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She pushed it open and entered.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading Only a red glow from the great open fireplace lighted it, throwing into strong relief the old black rafters.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE CHAIN The kitchen-door was half-open.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then sharply she drew back.
-ing form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading Only a red glow from the great open fireplace lighted it, throwing into strong relief the old black rafters.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE CHAIN The kitchen-door was half-open.
Chapter 26 of Tetherstones by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell holds 192 sentences, grouped into 39 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 26 holds 192 sentences of Tetherstones, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 of Tetherstones by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 192 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 26 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 Tetherstones by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9048 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #59181 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #59181, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1810 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tetherstones section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Tetherstones 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 Tetherstones, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
