Chapter 31 of The Argus Pheasant is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXI
Chapter 31 of The Argus Pheasant is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"RAZZLE DAZZLE" It was at Beaumont-Hamel, about September 16th, that I got my chance to command a "tank." The dear girl was named "Razzle Dazzle." She was very young, having been in service only three months, but rather portly. Matter of fact, she weighed something over thirty tons. And in no way could you call the dear little woman pretty.
Chapter 31 of The Argus Pheasant is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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.
to cause someone to lose clear vision, especially from intense light
From this reading “"RAZZLE DAZZLE" It was at Beaumont-Hamel, about September 16th, that I got my chance to command a "tank."”
past form of “name” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “The dear girl was named "Razzle Dazzle."”
euphemisms for “fat”
From this reading “She was very young, having been in service only three months, but rather portly.”
any exciting and complex play intended to confuse (dazzle) the opponent
From this reading “"RAZZLE DAZZLE" It was at Beaumont-Hamel, about September 16th, that I got my chance to command a "tank."”
the month following August and preceding October
From this reading “"RAZZLE DAZZLE" It was at Beaumont-Hamel, about September 16th, that I got my chance to command a "tank."”
an enclosed armored military vehicle; has a cannon and moves on caterpillar treads
From this reading “"RAZZLE DAZZLE" It was at Beaumont-Hamel, about September 16th, that I got my chance to command a "tank."”
a large number or amount
From this reading “Matter of fact, she weighed something over thirty tons.”
past form of “weigh” — have a certain weight
From this reading “Matter of fact, she weighed something over thirty tons.”
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 “She was very young, having been in service only three months, but rather portly.”
In this reading “The dear girl was named "Razzle Dazzle."”
In this reading “And in no way could you call the dear little woman pretty.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "RAZZLE DAZZLE" It was at Beaumont-Hamel, about September 16th, that I got my chance to command a "tank."
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "RAZZLE DAZZLE" It was at Beaumont-Hamel, about September 16th, that I got my chance to command a "tank."
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "RAZZLE DAZZLE" It was at Beaumont-Hamel, about September 16th, that I got my chance to command a "tank."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And in no way could you call the dear little woman pretty.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "RAZZLE DAZZLE" It was at Beaumont-Hamel, about September 16th, that I got my chance to command a "tank."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "RAZZLE DAZZLE" It was at Beaumont-Hamel, about September 16th, that I got my chance to command a "tank."
the past participle of “be”
From this reading She was very young, having been in service only three months, but rather portly.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading She was very young, having been in service only three months, but rather portly.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading And in no way could you call the dear little woman pretty.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading "RAZZLE DAZZLE" It was at Beaumont-Hamel, about September 16th, that I got my chance to command a "tank."
an authoritative direction or instruction to do something
From this reading "RAZZLE DAZZLE" It was at Beaumont-Hamel, about September 16th, that I got my chance to command a "tank."
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading And in no way could you call the dear little woman pretty.
to cause someone to lose clear vision, especially from intense light
From this reading "RAZZLE DAZZLE" It was at Beaumont-Hamel, about September 16th, that I got my chance to command a "tank."
dearly loved
From this reading The dear girl was named "Razzle Dazzle."
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading Matter of fact, she weighed something over thirty tons.
a young female
From this reading The dear girl was named "Razzle Dazzle."
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "RAZZLE DAZZLE" It was at Beaumont-Hamel, about September 16th, that I got my chance to command a "tank."
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading She was very young, having been in service only three months, but rather portly.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "RAZZLE DAZZLE" It was at Beaumont-Hamel, about September 16th, that I got my chance to command a "tank."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She was very young, having been in service only three months, but rather portly.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "RAZZLE DAZZLE" It was at Beaumont-Hamel, about September 16th, that I got my chance to command a "tank."
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading And in no way could you call the dear little woman pretty.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading Matter of fact, she weighed something over thirty tons.
plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading She was very young, having been in service only three months, but rather portly.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "RAZZLE DAZZLE" It was at Beaumont-Hamel, about September 16th, that I got my chance to command a "tank."
past form of “name” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading The dear girl was named "Razzle Dazzle."
not any; not one
From this reading And in no way could you call the dear little woman pretty.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Matter of fact, she weighed something over thirty tons.
and nothing more
From this reading She was very young, having been in service only three months, but rather portly.
above and across; more than
From this reading Matter of fact, she weighed something over thirty tons.
euphemisms for “fat”
From this reading She was very young, having been in service only three months, but rather portly.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading And in no way could you call the dear little woman pretty.
on the contrary
From this reading She was very young, having been in service only three months, but rather portly.
any exciting and complex play intended to confuse (dazzle) the opponent
From this reading "RAZZLE DAZZLE" It was at Beaumont-Hamel, about September 16th, that I got my chance to command a "tank."
the month following August and preceding October
From this reading "RAZZLE DAZZLE" It was at Beaumont-Hamel, about September 16th, that I got my chance to command a "tank."
work done by one person or group that benefits another
From this reading She was very young, having been in service only three months, but rather portly.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was very young, having been in service only three months, but rather portly.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Matter of fact, she weighed something over thirty tons.
an enclosed armored military vehicle; has a cannon and moves on caterpillar treads
From this reading "RAZZLE DAZZLE" It was at Beaumont-Hamel, about September 16th, that I got my chance to command a "tank."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "RAZZLE DAZZLE" It was at Beaumont-Hamel, about September 16th, that I got my chance to command a "tank."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The dear girl was named "Razzle Dazzle."
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and three
From this reading Matter of fact, she weighed something over thirty tons.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading She was very young, having been in service only three months, but rather portly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "RAZZLE DAZZLE" It was at Beaumont-Hamel, about September 16th, that I got my chance to command a "tank."
a large number or amount
From this reading Matter of fact, she weighed something over thirty tons.
precisely as stated
From this reading She was very young, having been in service only three months, but rather portly.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "RAZZLE DAZZLE" It was at Beaumont-Hamel, about September 16th, that I got my chance to command a "tank."
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading And in no way could you call the dear little woman pretty.
past form of “weigh” — have a certain weight
From this reading Matter of fact, she weighed something over thirty tons.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading And in no way could you call the dear little woman pretty.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading And in no way could you call the dear little woman pretty.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading She was very young, having been in service only three months, but rather portly.
Chapter 31 of The Argus Pheasant by John Charles Beecham holds 120 sentences, grouped into 24 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 31 holds 120 sentences of The Argus Pheasant, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of The Argus Pheasant by John Charles Beecham exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 120 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 31 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 Argus Pheasant by John Charles Beecham on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5660 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37215 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #37215, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 471 minutes of reading across 1132 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Argus Pheasant section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of The Argus Pheasant 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 Argus Pheasant, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
