Chapter 22 of The best short stories of 1917, and is here in full — 456 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXII
Chapter 22 of The best short stories of 1917, and is here in full — 456 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It was an old sexton or verger who approached. "I thought I heard you call," he said. "I was speaking to my husband." But Hugh was nowhere to be seen. "He was here a moment ago."
Chapter 22 of The best short stories of 1917, and is here in full — 456 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/91 · 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.
in the past
From this reading “"He was here a moment ago."”
past form of “approach” — move towards
From this reading “It was an old sexton or verger who approached.”
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “"I thought I heard you call," he said.”
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading “"I was speaking to my husband."”
an insignificant place
From this reading “But Hugh was nowhere to be seen.”
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “But Hugh was nowhere to be seen.”
United States poet (1928-1974)
From this reading “It was an old sexton or verger who approached.”
the utterance of intelligible speech
From this reading “"I was speaking to my husband."”
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 "He was here a moment ago."
in the past
From this reading "He was here a moment ago."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading It was an old sexton or verger who approached.
past form of “approach” — move towards
From this reading It was an old sexton or verger who approached.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading But Hugh was nowhere to be seen.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But Hugh was nowhere to be seen.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "I thought I heard you call," he said.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I thought I heard you call," he said.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading "I thought I heard you call," he said.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "He was here a moment ago."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But Hugh was nowhere to be seen.
a married man; a woman's partner in marriage
From this reading "I was speaking to my husband."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I thought I heard you call," he said.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was an old sexton or verger who approached.
a particular point in time
From this reading "He was here a moment ago."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "I was speaking to my husband."
an insignificant place
From this reading But Hugh was nowhere to be seen.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading It was an old sexton or verger who approached.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading It was an old sexton or verger who approached.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I thought I heard you call," he said.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading But Hugh was nowhere to be seen.
United States poet (1928-1974)
From this reading It was an old sexton or verger who approached.
the utterance of intelligible speech
From this reading "I was speaking to my husband."
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "I thought I heard you call," he said.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I was speaking to my husband."
a church officer who takes care of the interior of the building and acts as an attendant (carries the verge) during ceremonies
From this reading It was an old sexton or verger who approached.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was an old sexton or verger who approached.
which person or people
From this reading It was an old sexton or verger who approached.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I thought I heard you call," he said.
Chapter 22 of The best short stories of 1917, and by Edward J. (Edward Joseph) [Editor] O'Brien holds 456 sentences, grouped into 92 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 22 holds 456 sentences of The best short stories of 1917, and, unabridged, divided into 92 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 22 of The best short stories of 1917, and by Edward J. (Edward Joseph) [Editor] O'Brien exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 456 sentences, grouped into 92 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 92 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 92 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 22 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 best short stories of 1917, and by Edward J. (Edward Joseph) [Editor] O'Brien on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 18263 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20872 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20872, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 3653 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The best short stories of 1917, and section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The best short stories of 1917, and 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 best short stories of 1917, and, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
