Chapter 24 of The Bars of Iron is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIV
Chapter 24 of The Bars of Iron is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"LA GRANDE PASSION" She spoke to him at last, half-frightened by his silence, yet by his attitude wholly reassured. For he wanted her still, of that no doubt remained. His hands were clasped behind her. He could have held her in his arms; but he did not. He only knelt there at her feet in utter silence, his black head pillowed on her hands.
Chapter 24 of The Bars of Iron is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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 complex mental state involving beliefs and feelings and values and dispositions to act in certain ways
From this reading “"LA GRANDE PASSION" She spoke to him at last, half-frightened by his silence, yet by his attitude wholly reassured.”
past form of “clasp” — hold firmly and tightly
From this reading “His hands were clasped behind her.”
inflected form of “kneel” — rest one's weight on one's knees
From this reading “He only knelt there at her feet in utter silence, his black head pillowed on her hands.”
a strong feeling or emotion
From this reading “"LA GRANDE PASSION" She spoke to him at last, half-frightened by his silence, yet by his attitude wholly reassured.”
having confidence restored; freed from anxiety
From this reading “"LA GRANDE PASSION" She spoke to him at last, half-frightened by his silence, yet by his attitude wholly reassured.”
past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “For he wanted her still, of that no doubt remained.”
articulate; either verbally or with a cry, shout, or noise
From this reading “He only knelt there at her feet in utter silence, his black head pillowed on her hands.”
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading “"LA GRANDE PASSION" She spoke to him at last, half-frightened by his silence, yet by his attitude wholly reassured.”
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.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading He could have held her in his arms; but he did not.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "LA GRANDE PASSION" She spoke to him at last, half-frightened by his silence, yet by his attitude wholly reassured.
a complex mental state involving beliefs and feelings and values and dispositions to act in certain ways
From this reading "LA GRANDE PASSION" She spoke to him at last, half-frightened by his silence, yet by his attitude wholly reassured.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading His hands were clasped behind her.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading He only knelt there at her feet in utter silence, his black head pillowed on her hands.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He could have held her in his arms; but he did not.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "LA GRANDE PASSION" She spoke to him at last, half-frightened by his silence, yet by his attitude wholly reassured.
past form of “clasp” — hold firmly and tightly
From this reading His hands were clasped behind her.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He could have held her in his arms; but he did not.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He could have held her in his arms; but he did not.
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading For he wanted her still, of that no doubt remained.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading He only knelt there at her feet in utter silence, his black head pillowed on her hands.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For he wanted her still, of that no doubt remained.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "LA GRANDE PASSION" She spoke to him at last, half-frightened by his silence, yet by his attitude wholly reassured.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "LA GRANDE PASSION" She spoke to him at last, half-frightened by his silence, yet by his attitude wholly reassured.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading His hands were clasped behind her.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading He could have held her in his arms; but he did not.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For he wanted her still, of that no doubt remained.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading He only knelt there at her feet in utter silence, his black head pillowed on her hands.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading He could have held her in his arms; but he did not.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading For he wanted her still, of that no doubt remained.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "LA GRANDE PASSION" She spoke to him at last, half-frightened by his silence, yet by his attitude wholly reassured.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "LA GRANDE PASSION" She spoke to him at last, half-frightened by his silence, yet by his attitude wholly reassured.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He could have held her in his arms; but he did not.
inflected form of “kneel” — rest one's weight on one's knees
From this reading He only knelt there at her feet in utter silence, his black head pillowed on her hands.
a white soft metallic element that tarnishes readily; occurs in rare earth minerals and is usually classified as a rare earth
From this reading "LA GRANDE PASSION" She spoke to him at last, half-frightened by his silence, yet by his attitude wholly reassured.
immediately past
From this reading "LA GRANDE PASSION" She spoke to him at last, half-frightened by his silence, yet by his attitude wholly reassured.
not any; not one
From this reading For he wanted her still, of that no doubt remained.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He could have held her in his arms; but he did not.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading For he wanted her still, of that no doubt remained.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He only knelt there at her feet in utter silence, his black head pillowed on her hands.
and nothing more
From this reading He only knelt there at her feet in utter silence, his black head pillowed on her hands.
a strong feeling or emotion
From this reading "LA GRANDE PASSION" She spoke to him at last, half-frightened by his silence, yet by his attitude wholly reassured.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He only knelt there at her feet in utter silence, his black head pillowed on her hands.
having confidence restored; freed from anxiety
From this reading "LA GRANDE PASSION" She spoke to him at last, half-frightened by his silence, yet by his attitude wholly reassured.
past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading For he wanted her still, of that no doubt remained.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "LA GRANDE PASSION" She spoke to him at last, half-frightened by his silence, yet by his attitude wholly reassured.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading "LA GRANDE PASSION" She spoke to him at last, half-frightened by his silence, yet by his attitude wholly reassured.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading "LA GRANDE PASSION" She spoke to him at last, half-frightened by his silence, yet by his attitude wholly reassured.
not in physical motion
From this reading For he wanted her still, of that no doubt remained.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading For he wanted her still, of that no doubt remained.
in or at that place or location
From this reading He only knelt there at her feet in utter silence, his black head pillowed on her hands.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "LA GRANDE PASSION" She spoke to him at last, half-frightened by his silence, yet by his attitude wholly reassured.
articulate; either verbally or with a cry, shout, or noise
From this reading He only knelt there at her feet in utter silence, his black head pillowed on her hands.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading For he wanted her still, of that no doubt remained.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading His hands were clasped behind her.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading "LA GRANDE PASSION" She spoke to him at last, half-frightened by his silence, yet by his attitude wholly reassured.
but in spite of that
From this reading "LA GRANDE PASSION" She spoke to him at last, half-frightened by his silence, yet by his attitude wholly reassured.
Chapter 24 of The Bars of Iron by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell holds 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 24 holds 415 sentences of The Bars of Iron, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 24 of The Bars of Iron by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 24 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 Bars of Iron by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 13358 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #10509 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #10509, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2672 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Bars of Iron section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 38 chapters of The Bars of Iron 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 Bars of Iron, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
