Chapter 17 of The Breath of the Gods is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Breath of the Gods is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I suppose he must be very kind," murmured Yuki, and went with downcast looks into the street. The sense of childish anticipation, of vivid expectancy were gone. Meta, in her effort to be dutiful, had clamped more tightly the manacles her mistress had just begun to endure. Why should she wish to go? What matter that the Buddha waited?
Chapter 17 of The Breath of the Gods is here in full — 434 sentences across 87 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/86 · 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.
an expectation
From this reading “The sense of childish anticipation, of vivid expectancy were gone.”
founder of Buddhism (c 563-483 BC)
From this reading “What matter that the Buddha waited?”
indicating a lack of maturity
From this reading “The sense of childish anticipation, of vivid expectancy were gone.”
past form of “clamp” — fasten or fix with a clamp
From this reading “Meta, in her effort to be dutiful, had clamped more tightly the manacles her mistress had just begun to endure.”
directed downward
From this reading “"I suppose he must be very kind," murmured Yuki, and went with downcast looks into the street.”
willingly obedient out of a sense of duty and respect
From this reading “Meta, in her effort to be dutiful, had clamped more tightly the manacles her mistress had just begun to endure.”
an expectation
From this reading “The sense of childish anticipation, of vivid expectancy were gone.”
in a tight or constricted manner
From this reading “Meta, in her effort to be dutiful, had clamped more tightly the manacles her mistress had just begun to endure.”
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 “"I suppose he must be very kind," murmured Yuki, and went with downcast looks into the street.”
investigate scientifically
In this reading “"I suppose he must be very kind," murmured Yuki, and went with downcast looks into the street.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "I suppose he must be very kind," murmured Yuki, and went with downcast looks into the street.
an expectation
From this reading The sense of childish anticipation, of vivid expectancy were gone.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "I suppose he must be very kind," murmured Yuki, and went with downcast looks into the street.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Meta, in her effort to be dutiful, had clamped more tightly the manacles her mistress had just begun to endure.
founder of Buddhism (c 563-483 BC)
From this reading What matter that the Buddha waited?
indicating a lack of maturity
From this reading The sense of childish anticipation, of vivid expectancy were gone.
past form of “clamp” — fasten or fix with a clamp
From this reading Meta, in her effort to be dutiful, had clamped more tightly the manacles her mistress had just begun to endure.
directed downward
From this reading "I suppose he must be very kind," murmured Yuki, and went with downcast looks into the street.
willingly obedient out of a sense of duty and respect
From this reading Meta, in her effort to be dutiful, had clamped more tightly the manacles her mistress had just begun to endure.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading Meta, in her effort to be dutiful, had clamped more tightly the manacles her mistress had just begun to endure.
put up with something or somebody unpleasant
From this reading Meta, in her effort to be dutiful, had clamped more tightly the manacles her mistress had just begun to endure.
an expectation
From this reading The sense of childish anticipation, of vivid expectancy were gone.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Why should she wish to go?
destroyed or killed
From this reading The sense of childish anticipation, of vivid expectancy were gone.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Meta, in her effort to be dutiful, had clamped more tightly the manacles her mistress had just begun to endure.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I suppose he must be very kind," murmured Yuki, and went with downcast looks into the street.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Meta, in her effort to be dutiful, had clamped more tightly the manacles her mistress had just begun to endure.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I suppose he must be very kind," murmured Yuki, and went with downcast looks into the street.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Meta, in her effort to be dutiful, had clamped more tightly the manacles her mistress had just begun to endure.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading "I suppose he must be very kind," murmured Yuki, and went with downcast looks into the street.
and nothing more
From this reading Meta, in her effort to be dutiful, had clamped more tightly the manacles her mistress had just begun to endure.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading "I suppose he must be very kind," murmured Yuki, and went with downcast looks into the street.
plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading "I suppose he must be very kind," murmured Yuki, and went with downcast looks into the street.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Meta, in her effort to be dutiful, had clamped more tightly the manacles her mistress had just begun to endure.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading What matter that the Buddha waited?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Meta, in her effort to be dutiful, had clamped more tightly the manacles her mistress had just begun to endure.
an adulterous woman; a woman who has an ongoing extramarital sexual relationship with a man
From this reading Meta, in her effort to be dutiful, had clamped more tightly the manacles her mistress had just begun to endure.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Meta, in her effort to be dutiful, had clamped more tightly the manacles her mistress had just begun to endure.
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading "I suppose he must be very kind," murmured Yuki, and went with downcast looks into the street.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "I suppose he must be very kind," murmured Yuki, and went with downcast looks into the street.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The sense of childish anticipation, of vivid expectancy were gone.
a general conscious awareness
From this reading The sense of childish anticipation, of vivid expectancy were gone.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Why should she wish to go?
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading Why should she wish to go?
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading "I suppose he must be very kind," murmured Yuki, and went with downcast looks into the street.
express a supposition
From this reading "I suppose he must be very kind," murmured Yuki, and went with downcast looks into the street.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading What matter that the Buddha waited?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I suppose he must be very kind," murmured Yuki, and went with downcast looks into the street.
in a tight or constricted manner
From this reading Meta, in her effort to be dutiful, had clamped more tightly the manacles her mistress had just begun to endure.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Meta, in her effort to be dutiful, had clamped more tightly the manacles her mistress had just begun to endure.
precisely as stated
From this reading "I suppose he must be very kind," murmured Yuki, and went with downcast looks into the street.
evoking lifelike images within the mind
From this reading The sense of childish anticipation, of vivid expectancy were gone.
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading What matter that the Buddha waited?
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "I suppose he must be very kind," murmured Yuki, and went with downcast looks into the street.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The sense of childish anticipation, of vivid expectancy were gone.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What matter that the Buddha waited?
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why should she wish to go?
hope for; have a wish
From this reading Why should she wish to go?
in the company of; together with
From this reading "I suppose he must be very kind," murmured Yuki, and went with downcast looks into the street.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I suppose he must be very kind," murmured Yuki, and went with downcast looks into the street.
Chapter 17 of The Breath of the Gods by Sidney McCall holds 434 sentences, grouped into 87 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 17 holds 434 sentences of The Breath of the Gods, unabridged, divided into 87 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Breath of the Gods by Sidney McCall exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 434 sentences, grouped into 87 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 87 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 87 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 17 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 Breath of the Gods by Sidney McCall on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 11371 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #42365 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #42365, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2275 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Breath of the Gods section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of The Breath of the Gods 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 Breath of the Gods, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
