Chapter 21 of The Breaking of the Storm, Vol. I. is here in full — 115 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of The Breaking of the Storm, Vol. I. is here in full — 115 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The door was shut, the footsteps of the two men died away--Ferdinanda had not moved. "Una principessa!" she murmured. "He is the only one who understands me. What use is it to be understood by him? If he were a prince, indeed!
Chapter 21 of The Breaking of the Storm, Vol. I. is here in full — 115 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading “The door was shut, the footsteps of the two men died away--Ferdinanda had not moved.”
plural of “footstep” — the sound of a step of someone walking
From this reading “The door was shut, the footsteps of the two men died away--Ferdinanda had not moved.”
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading “The door was shut, the footsteps of the two men died away--Ferdinanda had not moved.”
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading “"Una principessa!" she murmured.”
a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign (especially the son of a sovereign)
From this reading “If he were a prince, indeed!”
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading “The door was shut, the footsteps of the two men died away--Ferdinanda had not moved.”
third-person singular of “understand” — know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading “"He is the only one who understands me.”
fully apprehended as to purport or meaning or explanation
From this reading “What use is it to be understood by him?”
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 “The door was shut, the footsteps of the two men died away--Ferdinanda had not moved.”
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 If he were a prince, indeed!
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading The door was shut, the footsteps of the two men died away--Ferdinanda had not moved.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading What use is it to be understood by him?
showing who or what does the action
From this reading What use is it to be understood by him?
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading The door was shut, the footsteps of the two men died away--Ferdinanda had not moved.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading The door was shut, the footsteps of the two men died away--Ferdinanda had not moved.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The door was shut, the footsteps of the two men died away--Ferdinanda had not moved.
plural of “footstep” — the sound of a step of someone walking
From this reading The door was shut, the footsteps of the two men died away--Ferdinanda had not moved.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The door was shut, the footsteps of the two men died away--Ferdinanda had not moved.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "He is the only one who understands me.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading What use is it to be understood by him?
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If he were a prince, indeed!
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading If he were a prince, indeed!
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "He is the only one who understands me.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading What use is it to be understood by him?
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "He is the only one who understands me.
the force of workers available
From this reading The door was shut, the footsteps of the two men died away--Ferdinanda had not moved.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading The door was shut, the footsteps of the two men died away--Ferdinanda had not moved.
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading "Una principessa!" she murmured.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The door was shut, the footsteps of the two men died away--Ferdinanda had not moved.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The door was shut, the footsteps of the two men died away--Ferdinanda had not moved.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "He is the only one who understands me.
and nothing more
From this reading "He is the only one who understands me.
a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign (especially the son of a sovereign)
From this reading If he were a prince, indeed!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Una principessa!" she murmured.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Una principessa!" she murmured.
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading The door was shut, the footsteps of the two men died away--Ferdinanda had not moved.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The door was shut, the footsteps of the two men died away--Ferdinanda had not moved.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading What use is it to be understood by him?
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading The door was shut, the footsteps of the two men died away--Ferdinanda had not moved.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Una principessa!" she murmured.
third-person singular of “understand” — know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading "He is the only one who understands me.
fully apprehended as to purport or meaning or explanation
From this reading What use is it to be understood by him?
the act of using
From this reading What use is it to be understood by him?
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The door was shut, the footsteps of the two men died away--Ferdinanda had not moved.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading If he were a prince, indeed!
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What use is it to be understood by him?
which person or people
From this reading "He is the only one who understands me.
Chapter 21 of The Breaking of the Storm, Vol. I. by Friedrich Spielhagen holds 115 sentences, grouped into 23 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 21 holds 115 sentences of The Breaking of the Storm, Vol. I., unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of The Breaking of the Storm, Vol. I. by Friedrich Spielhagen exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 115 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 Breaking of the Storm, Vol. I. by Friedrich Spielhagen on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3656 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34657 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34657, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 304 minutes of reading across 732 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Breaking of the Storm, Vol. I. section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Breaking of the Storm, Vol. I. 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 Breaking of the Storm, Vol. I., each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
