Chapter 21 of The American Claimant is here in full — 216 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of The American Claimant is here in full — 216 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Hawkins went straight to the telegraph office and disburdened his conscience. He said to himself, “She’s not going to give this galvanized cadaver up, that’s plain. Wild horses can’t pull her away from him. I’ve done my share; it’s for Sellers to take an innings, now.” So he sent this message to New York:
Chapter 21 of The American Claimant is here in full — 216 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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.
the dead body of a human being
From this reading “He said to himself, “She’s not going to give this galvanized cadaver up, that’s plain.”
past form of “galvanize” — to stimulate to action
From this reading “He said to himself, “She’s not going to give this galvanized cadaver up, that’s plain.”
English privateer involved in the slave trade; later helped build the fleet that in 1588 defeated the Spanish Armada (1532-1595)
From this reading “Hawkins went straight to the telegraph office and disburdened his conscience.”
the batting turn of a cricket player or team
From this reading “I’ve done my share; it’s for Sellers to take an innings, now.””
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading “So he sent this message to New York:”
cause to move by pulling
From this reading “Wild horses can’t pull her away from him.”
English comic actor (1925-1980)
From this reading “I’ve done my share; it’s for Sellers to take an innings, now.””
apparatus used to communicate at a distance over a wire (usually in Morse code)
From this reading “Hawkins went straight to the telegraph office and disburdened his conscience.”
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.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading I’ve done my share; it’s for Sellers to take an innings, now.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Hawkins went straight to the telegraph office and disburdened his conscience.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Wild horses can’t pull her away from him.
the dead body of a human being
From this reading He said to himself, “She’s not going to give this galvanized cadaver up, that’s plain.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Wild horses can’t pull her away from him.
motivation deriving logically from ethical or moral principles that govern a person's thoughts and actions
From this reading Hawkins went straight to the telegraph office and disburdened his conscience.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Hawkins went straight to the telegraph office and disburdened his conscience.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading I’ve done my share; it’s for Sellers to take an innings, now.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I’ve done my share; it’s for Sellers to take an innings, now.”
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Wild horses can’t pull her away from him.
past form of “galvanize” — to stimulate to action
From this reading He said to himself, “She’s not going to give this galvanized cadaver up, that’s plain.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading He said to himself, “She’s not going to give this galvanized cadaver up, that’s plain.
the act of departing
From this reading He said to himself, “She’s not going to give this galvanized cadaver up, that’s plain.
English privateer involved in the slave trade; later helped build the fleet that in 1588 defeated the Spanish Armada (1532-1595)
From this reading Hawkins went straight to the telegraph office and disburdened his conscience.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He said to himself, “She’s not going to give this galvanized cadaver up, that’s plain.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Wild horses can’t pull her away from him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Wild horses can’t pull her away from him.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He said to himself, “She’s not going to give this galvanized cadaver up, that’s plain.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Hawkins went straight to the telegraph office and disburdened his conscience.
plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times
From this reading Wild horses can’t pull her away from him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I’ve done my share; it’s for Sellers to take an innings, now.”
the batting turn of a cricket player or team
From this reading I’ve done my share; it’s for Sellers to take an innings, now.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I’ve done my share; it’s for Sellers to take an innings, now.”
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading So he sent this message to New York:
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I’ve done my share; it’s for Sellers to take an innings, now.”
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading So he sent this message to New York:
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He said to himself, “She’s not going to give this galvanized cadaver up, that’s plain.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading I’ve done my share; it’s for Sellers to take an innings, now.”
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading Hawkins went straight to the telegraph office and disburdened his conscience.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading He said to himself, “She’s not going to give this galvanized cadaver up, that’s plain.
cause to move by pulling
From this reading Wild horses can’t pull her away from him.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading He said to himself, “She’s not going to give this galvanized cadaver up, that’s plain.
English comic actor (1925-1980)
From this reading I’ve done my share; it’s for Sellers to take an innings, now.”
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading So he sent this message to New York:
have in common
From this reading I’ve done my share; it’s for Sellers to take an innings, now.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He said to himself, “She’s not going to give this galvanized cadaver up, that’s plain.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So he sent this message to New York:
successive (without a break)
From this reading Hawkins went straight to the telegraph office and disburdened his conscience.
carry out
From this reading I’ve done my share; it’s for Sellers to take an innings, now.”
apparatus used to communicate at a distance over a wire (usually in Morse code)
From this reading Hawkins went straight to the telegraph office and disburdened his conscience.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He said to himself, “She’s not going to give this galvanized cadaver up, that’s plain.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Hawkins went straight to the telegraph office and disburdened his conscience.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading He said to himself, “She’s not going to give this galvanized cadaver up, that’s plain.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Hawkins went straight to the telegraph office and disburdened his conscience.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He said to himself, “She’s not going to give this galvanized cadaver up, that’s plain.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Hawkins went straight to the telegraph office and disburdened his conscience.
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading Wild horses can’t pull her away from him.
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading So he sent this message to New York:
Chapter 21 of The American Claimant by Mark Twain holds 216 sentences, grouped into 44 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 21 holds 216 sentences of The American Claimant, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of The American Claimant by Mark Twain exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 216 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 21 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 The American Claimant by Mark Twain on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3980 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3179 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3179, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 331 minutes of reading across 796 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The American Claimant section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of The American Claimant 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 The American Claimant, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
