Chapter 15 of The Brentons is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of The Brentons is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"It's over now," he said concisely. "Why talk about it? Some memories are best off, left to perish." And, in all truth, this was one of them. Now and then, it would stir in its grave, and lift up its ugly head for recognition; but, as a rule, the two men had done their best to heap the dust of time and forgetfulness upon its grave.
Chapter 15 of The Brentons is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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 a concise manner; in a few words
From this reading “"It's over now," he said concisely.”
a collection of objects laid on top of each other
From this reading “Now and then, it would stir in its grave, and lift up its ugly head for recognition; but, as a rule, the two men had done their best to heap the dust of time and forgetfulness upon its grave.”
raise from a lower to a higher position
From this reading “Now and then, it would stir in its grave, and lift up its ugly head for recognition; but, as a rule, the two men had done their best to heap the dust of time and forgetfulness upon its grave.”
Recollections of past events.
From this reading “Some memories are best off, left to perish."”
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading “Some memories are best off, left to perish."”
the state or quality of being recognized or acknowledged
From this reading “Now and then, it would stir in its grave, and lift up its ugly head for recognition; but, as a rule, the two men had done their best to heap the dust of time and forgetfulness upon its grave.”
move an implement through
From this reading “Now and then, it would stir in its grave, and lift up its ugly head for recognition; but, as a rule, the two men had done their best to heap the dust of time and forgetfulness upon its grave.”
displeasing to the senses
From this reading “Now and then, it would stir in its grave, and lift up its ugly head for recognition; but, as a rule, the two men had done their best to heap the dust of time and forgetfulness upon its grave.”
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 Now and then, it would stir in its grave, and lift up its ugly head for recognition; but, as a rule, the two men had done their best to heap the dust of time and forgetfulness upon its grave.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "Why talk about it?
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading And, in all truth, this was one of them.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And, in all truth, this was one of them.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Some memories are best off, left to perish."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Now and then, it would stir in its grave, and lift up its ugly head for recognition; but, as a rule, the two men had done their best to heap the dust of time and forgetfulness upon its grave.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading Some memories are best off, left to perish."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Now and then, it would stir in its grave, and lift up its ugly head for recognition; but, as a rule, the two men had done their best to heap the dust of time and forgetfulness upon its grave.
in a concise manner; in a few words
From this reading "It's over now," he said concisely.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading Now and then, it would stir in its grave, and lift up its ugly head for recognition; but, as a rule, the two men had done their best to heap the dust of time and forgetfulness upon its grave.
remove the dust from
From this reading Now and then, it would stir in its grave, and lift up its ugly head for recognition; but, as a rule, the two men had done their best to heap the dust of time and forgetfulness upon its grave.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Now and then, it would stir in its grave, and lift up its ugly head for recognition; but, as a rule, the two men had done their best to heap the dust of time and forgetfulness upon its grave.
tendency to forget
From this reading Now and then, it would stir in its grave, and lift up its ugly head for recognition; but, as a rule, the two men had done their best to heap the dust of time and forgetfulness upon its grave.
death of a person
From this reading Now and then, it would stir in its grave, and lift up its ugly head for recognition; but, as a rule, the two men had done their best to heap the dust of time and forgetfulness upon its grave.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Now and then, it would stir in its grave, and lift up its ugly head for recognition; but, as a rule, the two men had done their best to heap the dust of time and forgetfulness upon its grave.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "It's over now," he said concisely.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Now and then, it would stir in its grave, and lift up its ugly head for recognition; but, as a rule, the two men had done their best to heap the dust of time and forgetfulness upon its grave.
a collection of objects laid on top of each other
From this reading Now and then, it would stir in its grave, and lift up its ugly head for recognition; but, as a rule, the two men had done their best to heap the dust of time and forgetfulness upon its grave.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading And, in all truth, this was one of them.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Why talk about it?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's over now," he said concisely.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Now and then, it would stir in its grave, and lift up its ugly head for recognition; but, as a rule, the two men had done their best to heap the dust of time and forgetfulness upon its grave.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading Some memories are best off, left to perish."
raise from a lower to a higher position
From this reading Now and then, it would stir in its grave, and lift up its ugly head for recognition; but, as a rule, the two men had done their best to heap the dust of time and forgetfulness upon its grave.
Recollections of past events.
From this reading Some memories are best off, left to perish."
the force of workers available
From this reading Now and then, it would stir in its grave, and lift up its ugly head for recognition; but, as a rule, the two men had done their best to heap the dust of time and forgetfulness upon its grave.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "It's over now," he said concisely.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And, in all truth, this was one of them.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Some memories are best off, left to perish."
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading And, in all truth, this was one of them.
above and across; more than
From this reading "It's over now," he said concisely.
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading Some memories are best off, left to perish."
the state or quality of being recognized or acknowledged
From this reading Now and then, it would stir in its grave, and lift up its ugly head for recognition; but, as a rule, the two men had done their best to heap the dust of time and forgetfulness upon its grave.
a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior
From this reading Now and then, it would stir in its grave, and lift up its ugly head for recognition; but, as a rule, the two men had done their best to heap the dust of time and forgetfulness upon its grave.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "It's over now," he said concisely.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Some memories are best off, left to perish."
move an implement through
From this reading Now and then, it would stir in its grave, and lift up its ugly head for recognition; but, as a rule, the two men had done their best to heap the dust of time and forgetfulness upon its grave.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading "Why talk about it?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Now and then, it would stir in its grave, and lift up its ugly head for recognition; but, as a rule, the two men had done their best to heap the dust of time and forgetfulness upon its grave.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Now and then, it would stir in its grave, and lift up its ugly head for recognition; but, as a rule, the two men had done their best to heap the dust of time and forgetfulness upon its grave.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading And, in all truth, this was one of them.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Now and then, it would stir in its grave, and lift up its ugly head for recognition; but, as a rule, the two men had done their best to heap the dust of time and forgetfulness upon its grave.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading And, in all truth, this was one of them.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Now and then, it would stir in its grave, and lift up its ugly head for recognition; but, as a rule, the two men had done their best to heap the dust of time and forgetfulness upon its grave.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Some memories are best off, left to perish."
a fact that has been verified
From this reading And, in all truth, this was one of them.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Now and then, it would stir in its grave, and lift up its ugly head for recognition; but, as a rule, the two men had done their best to heap the dust of time and forgetfulness upon its grave.
displeasing to the senses
From this reading Now and then, it would stir in its grave, and lift up its ugly head for recognition; but, as a rule, the two men had done their best to heap the dust of time and forgetfulness upon its grave.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Now and then, it would stir in its grave, and lift up its ugly head for recognition; but, as a rule, the two men had done their best to heap the dust of time and forgetfulness upon its grave.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Now and then, it would stir in its grave, and lift up its ugly head for recognition; but, as a rule, the two men had done their best to heap the dust of time and forgetfulness upon its grave.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And, in all truth, this was one of them.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why talk about it?
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Now and then, it would stir in its grave, and lift up its ugly head for recognition; but, as a rule, the two men had done their best to heap the dust of time and forgetfulness upon its grave.
Chapter 15 of The Brentons by Anna Chapin Ray holds 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 409 sentences of The Brentons, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of The Brentons by Anna Chapin Ray exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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.
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Project Gutenberg eBook #21763, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 582 minutes of reading across 1398 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Brentons section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of The Brentons 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 Brentons, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
