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The Altar Steps
The Altar Steps

Chapter XV · Chapter 15

Chapter 15 of The Altar Steps is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Altar Steps
Context Illustration Reading 1/39 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
CHATSEA When Mark had been exactly a week at Chatsea he celebrated his eighteenth birthday by writing a long letter to the Rector of Wych:
St. Agnes' House, Keppel Street, Chatsea.
St. Mark's Day.
My dear Rector, Thank you very much for sending me the money.
I've handed it over to a splendid fellow called Gurney who keeps all the accounts (private or otherwise) in the Mission House.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Altar Steps

Chapter XV · Chapter 15

Chapter 15 of The Altar Steps is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/39 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
CHATSEA When Mark had been exactly a week at Chatsea he celebrated his eighteenth birthday by writing a long letter to the Rector of Wych:
Line 2
St. Agnes' House, Keppel Street, Chatsea.
Line 3
St. Mark's Day.
Line 4
My dear Rector, Thank you very much for sending me the money.
/maɪ dɪr ˈrektər θæŋk juː ˈveri mʌtʃ fɔːr ˈsendɪŋ miː ðə ˈmʌni/
Line 5
I've handed it over to a splendid fellow called Gurney who keeps all the accounts (private or otherwise) in the Mission House.

Learner Dictionary

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.

accounts noun US /əˈkaʊnts/

plural of “account” — a record or narrative description of past events

From this reading “I've handed it over to a splendid fellow called Gurney who keeps all the accounts (private or otherwise) in the Mission House.”

birthday noun US /ˈbɜːrθdeɪ/

an anniversary of the day on which a person was born (or the celebration of it)

From this reading “CHATSEA When Mark had been exactly a week at Chatsea he celebrated his eighteenth birthday by writing a long letter to the Rector of Wych:”

celebrated adjective US /ˈseləbreɪtɪd/

widely known and esteemed

From this reading “CHATSEA When Mark had been exactly a week at Chatsea he celebrated his eighteenth birthday by writing a long letter to the Rector of Wych:”

eighteenth adjective US /eɪˈtiːnθ/

coming next after the seventeenth in position

From this reading “CHATSEA When Mark had been exactly a week at Chatsea he celebrated his eighteenth birthday by writing a long letter to the Rector of Wych:”

Gurney noun US /ˈɡɜːrni/

a metal stretcher with wheels

From this reading “I've handed it over to a splendid fellow called Gurney who keeps all the accounts (private or otherwise) in the Mission House.”

Mark's noun US /mɑːrks/

possessive form of “mark” — a number or letter indicating quality (especially of a student's performance)

From this reading “St. Mark's Day.”

Mission noun US /ˈmɪʃən/

an organization of missionaries in a foreign land sent to carry on religious work

From this reading “I've handed it over to a splendid fellow called Gurney who keeps all the accounts (private or otherwise) in the Mission House.”

Rector noun US /ˈrektər/

a person authorized to conduct religious worship

From this reading “CHATSEA When Mark had been exactly a week at Chatsea he celebrated his eighteenth birthday by writing a long letter to the Rector of Wych:”

All words in this reading · 57

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading CHATSEA When Mark had been exactly a week at Chatsea he celebrated his eighteenth birthday by writing a long letter to the Rector of Wych:

accountsnounUS /əˈkaʊnts/

plural of “account” — a record or narrative description of past events

From this reading I've handed it over to a splendid fellow called Gurney who keeps all the accounts (private or otherwise) in the Mission House.

Agnes

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading St. Agnes' House, Keppel Street, Chatsea.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading I've handed it over to a splendid fellow called Gurney who keeps all the accounts (private or otherwise) in the Mission House.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading CHATSEA When Mark had been exactly a week at Chatsea he celebrated his eighteenth birthday by writing a long letter to the Rector of Wych:

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading CHATSEA When Mark had been exactly a week at Chatsea he celebrated his eighteenth birthday by writing a long letter to the Rector of Wych:

birthdaynounUS /ˈbɜːrθdeɪ/

an anniversary of the day on which a person was born (or the celebration of it)

From this reading CHATSEA When Mark had been exactly a week at Chatsea he celebrated his eighteenth birthday by writing a long letter to the Rector of Wych:

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading CHATSEA When Mark had been exactly a week at Chatsea he celebrated his eighteenth birthday by writing a long letter to the Rector of Wych:

calledverbUS /kɔːld/

past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading I've handed it over to a splendid fellow called Gurney who keeps all the accounts (private or otherwise) in the Mission House.

celebratedadjectiveUS /ˈseləbreɪtɪd/

widely known and esteemed

From this reading CHATSEA When Mark had been exactly a week at Chatsea he celebrated his eighteenth birthday by writing a long letter to the Rector of Wych:

CHATSEA

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHATSEA When Mark had been exactly a week at Chatsea he celebrated his eighteenth birthday by writing a long letter to the Rector of Wych:

DaynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading St. Mark's Day.

dearadjectiveUS /dɪr/

dearly loved

From this reading My dear Rector, Thank you very much for sending me the money.

eighteenthadjectiveUS /eɪˈtiːnθ/

coming next after the seventeenth in position

From this reading CHATSEA When Mark had been exactly a week at Chatsea he celebrated his eighteenth birthday by writing a long letter to the Rector of Wych:

exactlyadverbUS /ɪɡˈzæktli/

indicating exactness or preciseness

From this reading CHATSEA When Mark had been exactly a week at Chatsea he celebrated his eighteenth birthday by writing a long letter to the Rector of Wych:

fellownounUS /ˈfeloʊ/

a boy or man

From this reading I've handed it over to a splendid fellow called Gurney who keeps all the accounts (private or otherwise) in the Mission House.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading My dear Rector, Thank you very much for sending me the money.

GurneynounUS /ˈɡɜːrni/

a metal stretcher with wheels

From this reading I've handed it over to a splendid fellow called Gurney who keeps all the accounts (private or otherwise) in the Mission House.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading CHATSEA When Mark had been exactly a week at Chatsea he celebrated his eighteenth birthday by writing a long letter to the Rector of Wych:

handedadjectiveUS /ˈhændəd/

having or involving the use of hands

From this reading I've handed it over to a splendid fellow called Gurney who keeps all the accounts (private or otherwise) in the Mission House.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading CHATSEA When Mark had been exactly a week at Chatsea he celebrated his eighteenth birthday by writing a long letter to the Rector of Wych:

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading CHATSEA When Mark had been exactly a week at Chatsea he celebrated his eighteenth birthday by writing a long letter to the Rector of Wych:

HousenounUS /haʊs/

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

From this reading St. Agnes' House, Keppel Street, Chatsea.

I've

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I've handed it over to a splendid fellow called Gurney who keeps all the accounts (private or otherwise) in the Mission House.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading I've handed it over to a splendid fellow called Gurney who keeps all the accounts (private or otherwise) in the Mission House.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading I've handed it over to a splendid fellow called Gurney who keeps all the accounts (private or otherwise) in the Mission House.

keepsnounUS /kiːps/

plural of “keep” — the financial means whereby one lives

From this reading I've handed it over to a splendid fellow called Gurney who keeps all the accounts (private or otherwise) in the Mission House.

Keppel

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading St. Agnes' House, Keppel Street, Chatsea.

letternounUS /ˈletər/

a written message addressed to a person or organization

From this reading CHATSEA When Mark had been exactly a week at Chatsea he celebrated his eighteenth birthday by writing a long letter to the Rector of Wych:

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading CHATSEA When Mark had been exactly a week at Chatsea he celebrated his eighteenth birthday by writing a long letter to the Rector of Wych:

MarkverbUS /mɑːrk/

attach a tag or label to

From this reading CHATSEA When Mark had been exactly a week at Chatsea he celebrated his eighteenth birthday by writing a long letter to the Rector of Wych:

Mark'snounUS /mɑːrks/

possessive form of “mark” — a number or letter indicating quality (especially of a student's performance)

From this reading St. Mark's Day.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading My dear Rector, Thank you very much for sending me the money.

MissionnounUS /ˈmɪʃən/

an organization of missionaries in a foreign land sent to carry on religious work

From this reading I've handed it over to a splendid fellow called Gurney who keeps all the accounts (private or otherwise) in the Mission House.

moneynounUS /ˈmʌni/

the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender

From this reading My dear Rector, Thank you very much for sending me the money.

muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

From this reading My dear Rector, Thank you very much for sending me the money.

MydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading My dear Rector, Thank you very much for sending me the money.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading CHATSEA When Mark had been exactly a week at Chatsea he celebrated his eighteenth birthday by writing a long letter to the Rector of Wych:

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading I've handed it over to a splendid fellow called Gurney who keeps all the accounts (private or otherwise) in the Mission House.

otherwiseadverbUS /ˈʌðərwaɪz/

in other respects or ways

From this reading I've handed it over to a splendid fellow called Gurney who keeps all the accounts (private or otherwise) in the Mission House.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading I've handed it over to a splendid fellow called Gurney who keeps all the accounts (private or otherwise) in the Mission House.

privateadjectiveUS /ˈpraɪvət/

confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy

From this reading I've handed it over to a splendid fellow called Gurney who keeps all the accounts (private or otherwise) in the Mission House.

RectornounUS /ˈrektər/

a person authorized to conduct religious worship

From this reading CHATSEA When Mark had been exactly a week at Chatsea he celebrated his eighteenth birthday by writing a long letter to the Rector of Wych:

sendingnounUS /ˈsendɪŋ/

the act of causing something to go (especially messages)

From this reading My dear Rector, Thank you very much for sending me the money.

splendidadjectiveUS /ˈsplendɪd/

having great beauty and splendor

From this reading I've handed it over to a splendid fellow called Gurney who keeps all the accounts (private or otherwise) in the Mission House.

St

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading St. Agnes' House, Keppel Street, Chatsea.

StreetnounUS /striːt/

a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings

From this reading St. Agnes' House, Keppel Street, Chatsea.

ThankverbUS /θæŋk/

express gratitude or show appreciation to

From this reading My dear Rector, Thank you very much for sending me the money.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading CHATSEA When Mark had been exactly a week at Chatsea he celebrated his eighteenth birthday by writing a long letter to the Rector of Wych:

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading CHATSEA When Mark had been exactly a week at Chatsea he celebrated his eighteenth birthday by writing a long letter to the Rector of Wych:

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading My dear Rector, Thank you very much for sending me the money.

weeknounUS /wiːk/

any period of seven consecutive days

From this reading CHATSEA When Mark had been exactly a week at Chatsea he celebrated his eighteenth birthday by writing a long letter to the Rector of Wych:

WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading CHATSEA When Mark had been exactly a week at Chatsea he celebrated his eighteenth birthday by writing a long letter to the Rector of Wych:

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading I've handed it over to a splendid fellow called Gurney who keeps all the accounts (private or otherwise) in the Mission House.

writingnounUS /ˈraɪtɪŋ/

the act of creating written works

From this reading CHATSEA When Mark had been exactly a week at Chatsea he celebrated his eighteenth birthday by writing a long letter to the Rector of Wych:

Wych

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading CHATSEA When Mark had been exactly a week at Chatsea he celebrated his eighteenth birthday by writing a long letter to the Rector of Wych:

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading My dear Rector, Thank you very much for sending me the money.

Chapter 15 of The Altar Steps by Compton MacKenzie holds 197 sentences, grouped into 40 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.

What does chapter 15 of The Altar Steps contain?

Chapter 15 holds 197 sentences of The Altar Steps, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 15 of The Altar Steps by Compton MacKenzie exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 197 sentences, grouped into 40 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.

How do I study chapter 15 of The Altar Steps?

Work through the 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 40 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.

Can chapter 15 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 15 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.

Questions about reading The Altar Steps

Common questions about reading The Altar Steps by Compton MacKenzie on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Altar Steps?

Yes. All 6209 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14739 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Altar Steps is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #14739, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Altar Steps take to read?

About 517 minutes of reading across 1242 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Altar Steps section by section

How to work through The Altar Steps section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 31 chapters of The Altar Steps to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Altar Steps

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Altar Steps, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Strife
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Altar Steps; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Ecclesiastical
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Altar Steps; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Parties
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Altar Steps; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Bitter
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Altar Steps; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.