Chapter 15 of The Blackguard is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of The Blackguard is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Since the Blackguard's time had nearly expired, the Colonel sent for him. "Sit down, La Mancha; I want a few words with you." "Thank you, sir." The Blackguard removed his forage cap, and sat down on a camp-stool just within the tent. "The Sergeant-Major tells me that you do not wish to 'take on' again.
Chapter 15 of The Blackguard is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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 tight-fitting headdress
From this reading “The Blackguard removed his forage cap, and sat down on a camp-stool just within the tent.”
a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
From this reading “Since the Blackguard's time had nearly expired, the Colonel sent for him.”
having come to an end or become void after passage of a period of time
From this reading “Since the Blackguard's time had nearly expired, the Colonel sent for him.”
bulky food like grass or hay for browsing or grazing horses or cattle
From this reading “The Blackguard removed his forage cap, and sat down on a camp-stool just within the tent.”
separated in relationship by a given degree of descent
From this reading “The Blackguard removed his forage cap, and sat down on a camp-stool just within the tent.”
plural of “tell” — a Swiss patriot who lived in the early 14th century and who was renowned for his skill as an archer
From this reading “"The Sergeant-Major tells me that you do not wish to 'take on' again.”
a portable shelter (usually of canvas stretched over supporting poles and fastened to the ground with ropes and pegs)
From this reading “The Blackguard removed his forage cap, and sat down on a camp-stool just within the tent.”
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading “"Thank you, sir."”
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.
take a seat
In this reading “"Sit down, La Mancha; I want a few words with you."”
In this reading “"Sit down, La Mancha; I want a few words with you."”
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 "Sit down, La Mancha; I want a few words with you."
anew
From this reading "The Sergeant-Major tells me that you do not wish to 'take on' again.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The Blackguard removed his forage cap, and sat down on a camp-stool just within the tent.
subject to laughter or ridicule
From this reading The Blackguard removed his forage cap, and sat down on a camp-stool just within the tent.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Since the Blackguard's time had nearly expired, the Colonel sent for him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Blackguard removed his forage cap, and sat down on a camp-stool just within the tent.
a tight-fitting headdress
From this reading The Blackguard removed his forage cap, and sat down on a camp-stool just within the tent.
a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
From this reading Since the Blackguard's time had nearly expired, the Colonel sent for him.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "The Sergeant-Major tells me that you do not wish to 'take on' again.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "Sit down, La Mancha; I want a few words with you."
having come to an end or become void after passage of a period of time
From this reading Since the Blackguard's time had nearly expired, the Colonel sent for him.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading "Sit down, La Mancha; I want a few words with you."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Since the Blackguard's time had nearly expired, the Colonel sent for him.
bulky food like grass or hay for browsing or grazing horses or cattle
From this reading The Blackguard removed his forage cap, and sat down on a camp-stool just within the tent.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Since the Blackguard's time had nearly expired, the Colonel sent for him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Since the Blackguard's time had nearly expired, the Colonel sent for him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The Blackguard removed his forage cap, and sat down on a camp-stool just within the tent.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Sit down, La Mancha; I want a few words with you."
and nothing more
From this reading The Blackguard removed his forage cap, and sat down on a camp-stool just within the tent.
a white soft metallic element that tarnishes readily; occurs in rare earth minerals and is usually classified as a rare earth
From this reading "Sit down, La Mancha; I want a few words with you."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Sit down, La Mancha; I want a few words with you."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "The Sergeant-Major tells me that you do not wish to 'take on' again.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading Since the Blackguard's time had nearly expired, the Colonel sent for him.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "The Sergeant-Major tells me that you do not wish to 'take on' again.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The Blackguard removed his forage cap, and sat down on a camp-stool just within the tent.
separated in relationship by a given degree of descent
From this reading The Blackguard removed his forage cap, and sat down on a camp-stool just within the tent.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading The Blackguard removed his forage cap, and sat down on a camp-stool just within the tent.
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading Since the Blackguard's time had nearly expired, the Colonel sent for him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "The Sergeant-Major tells me that you do not wish to 'take on' again.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading Since the Blackguard's time had nearly expired, the Colonel sent for him.
term of address for a man
From this reading "Thank you, sir."
be seated
From this reading "Sit down, La Mancha; I want a few words with you."
carry out
From this reading "The Sergeant-Major tells me that you do not wish to 'take on' again.
plural of “tell” — a Swiss patriot who lived in the early 14th century and who was renowned for his skill as an archer
From this reading "The Sergeant-Major tells me that you do not wish to 'take on' again.
a portable shelter (usually of canvas stretched over supporting poles and fastened to the ground with ropes and pegs)
From this reading The Blackguard removed his forage cap, and sat down on a camp-stool just within the tent.
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading "Thank you, sir."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "The Sergeant-Major tells me that you do not wish to 'take on' again.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Since the Blackguard's time had nearly expired, the Colonel sent for him.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Since the Blackguard's time had nearly expired, the Colonel sent for him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "The Sergeant-Major tells me that you do not wish to 'take on' again.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "Sit down, La Mancha; I want a few words with you."
hope for; have a wish
From this reading "The Sergeant-Major tells me that you do not wish to 'take on' again.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Sit down, La Mancha; I want a few words with you."
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading The Blackguard removed his forage cap, and sat down on a camp-stool just within the tent.
the words that are spoken
From this reading "Sit down, La Mancha; I want a few words with you."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Sit down, La Mancha; I want a few words with you."
Chapter 15 of The Blackguard by Roger Pocock holds 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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 15 holds 103 sentences of The Blackguard, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of The Blackguard by Roger Pocock exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 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.
Common questions about reading The Blackguard by Roger Pocock on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Blackguard section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Blackguard 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 Blackguard, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
