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The Bride of Mission San José
The Bride of Mission San José

Chapter XXIX

Chapter 29 of The Bride of Mission San José is here in full — 94 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Bride of Mission San José
Context Illustration Reading 1/18 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
A DEPARTURE "Señor Mendoza, there is no use to continue this parley.
It does no good.
I have possession of California.
That possession I shall retain."
"The enlightened will of the people of this province must decide whether you retain possession, or relinquish it, Commodore Billings."
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Bride of Mission San José

Chapter XXIX

Chapter 29 of The Bride of Mission San José is here in full — 94 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/18 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
A DEPARTURE "Señor Mendoza, there is no use to continue this parley.
Line 2
It does no good.
/ɪt dʌz noʊ ɡʊd/
Line 3
I have possession of California.
/aɪ hæv pəˈzeʃən ʌv ˌkæləˈfɔːrnjə/
Line 4
That possession I shall retain."
/ðæt pəˈzeʃən aɪ ʃæl rɪˈteɪn/
Line 5
"The enlightened will of the people of this province must decide whether you retain possession, or relinquish it, Commodore Billings."
/ðə ˌenˈlaɪtənd wɪl ʌv ðə ˈpiːpəl ʌv ðɪs ˈprɑːvəns mʌst ˌdɪˈsaɪd ˈweðər juː rɪˈteɪn pəˈzeʃən ɔːr rɪˈlɪŋkwɪʃ ɪt ˈkɑːmədɔːr ˈbɪlɪŋz/

Learner Dictionary

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.

Billings noun US /ˈbɪlɪŋz/

the largest city in Montana; located in southern Montana on the Yellowstone river

From this reading “"The enlightened will of the people of this province must decide whether you retain possession, or relinquish it, Commodore Billings."”

California noun US /ˌkæləˈfɔːrnjə/

a state in the western United States on the Pacific; the 3rd largest state; known for earthquakes

From this reading “I have possession of California.”

Commodore noun US /ˈkɑːmədɔːr/

a commissioned naval officer who ranks above a captain and below a rear admiral; the lowest grade of admiral

From this reading “"The enlightened will of the people of this province must decide whether you retain possession, or relinquish it, Commodore Billings."”

enlightened adjective US /ˌenˈlaɪtənd/

having knowledge and spiritual insight

From this reading “"The enlightened will of the people of this province must decide whether you retain possession, or relinquish it, Commodore Billings."”

parley noun US /ˈpɑːrli/

a negotiation between enemies

From this reading “A DEPARTURE "Señor Mendoza, there is no use to continue this parley.”

province noun US /ˈprɑːvəns/

the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation

From this reading “"The enlightened will of the people of this province must decide whether you retain possession, or relinquish it, Commodore Billings."”

relinquish verb US /rɪˈlɪŋkwɪʃ/

part with a possession or right

From this reading “"The enlightened will of the people of this province must decide whether you retain possession, or relinquish it, Commodore Billings."”

retain verb US /rɪˈteɪn/

hold back within

From this reading “That possession I shall retain."”

All words in this reading · 36

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.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading A DEPARTURE "Señor Mendoza, there is no use to continue this parley.

BillingsnounUS /ˈbɪlɪŋz/

the largest city in Montana; located in southern Montana on the Yellowstone river

From this reading "The enlightened will of the people of this province must decide whether you retain possession, or relinquish it, Commodore Billings."

CalifornianounUS /ˌkæləˈfɔːrnjə/

a state in the western United States on the Pacific; the 3rd largest state; known for earthquakes

From this reading I have possession of California.

CommodorenounUS /ˈkɑːmədɔːr/

a commissioned naval officer who ranks above a captain and below a rear admiral; the lowest grade of admiral

From this reading "The enlightened will of the people of this province must decide whether you retain possession, or relinquish it, Commodore Billings."

continueverbUS /kənˈtɪnjuː/

continue a certain state, condition, or activity

From this reading A DEPARTURE "Señor Mendoza, there is no use to continue this parley.

decideverbUS /ˌdɪˈsaɪd/

reach, make, or come to a decision about something

From this reading "The enlightened will of the people of this province must decide whether you retain possession, or relinquish it, Commodore Billings."

DEPARTUREnounUS /dɪˈpɑːrtʃər/

the act of departing

From this reading A DEPARTURE "Señor Mendoza, there is no use to continue this parley.

doesauxiliary verbUS /dʌz/

the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading It does no good.

enlightenedadjectiveUS /ˌenˈlaɪtənd/

having knowledge and spiritual insight

From this reading "The enlightened will of the people of this province must decide whether you retain possession, or relinquish it, Commodore Billings."

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading It does no good.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading I have possession of California.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading I have possession of California.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading A DEPARTURE "Señor Mendoza, there is no use to continue this parley.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It does no good.

Mendoza

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A DEPARTURE "Señor Mendoza, there is no use to continue this parley.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading "The enlightened will of the people of this province must decide whether you retain possession, or relinquish it, Commodore Billings."

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading A DEPARTURE "Señor Mendoza, there is no use to continue this parley.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading I have possession of California.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading "The enlightened will of the people of this province must decide whether you retain possession, or relinquish it, Commodore Billings."

parleynounUS /ˈpɑːrli/

a negotiation between enemies

From this reading A DEPARTURE "Señor Mendoza, there is no use to continue this parley.

peoplenounUS /ˈpiːpəl/

(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively

From this reading "The enlightened will of the people of this province must decide whether you retain possession, or relinquish it, Commodore Billings."

possessionnounUS /pəˈzeʃən/

the act of having and controlling property

From this reading I have possession of California.

provincenounUS /ˈprɑːvəns/

the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation

From this reading "The enlightened will of the people of this province must decide whether you retain possession, or relinquish it, Commodore Billings."

relinquishverbUS /rɪˈlɪŋkwɪʃ/

part with a possession or right

From this reading "The enlightened will of the people of this province must decide whether you retain possession, or relinquish it, Commodore Billings."

retainverbUS /rɪˈteɪn/

hold back within

From this reading That possession I shall retain."

Señor

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A DEPARTURE "Señor Mendoza, there is no use to continue this parley.

shallmodal verbUS /ʃæl/

used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest

From this reading That possession I shall retain."

ThatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading That possession I shall retain."

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading "The enlightened will of the people of this province must decide whether you retain possession, or relinquish it, Commodore Billings."

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading A DEPARTURE "Señor Mendoza, there is no use to continue this parley.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading A DEPARTURE "Señor Mendoza, there is no use to continue this parley.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading A DEPARTURE "Señor Mendoza, there is no use to continue this parley.

usenounUS /juːs/

the act of using

From this reading A DEPARTURE "Señor Mendoza, there is no use to continue this parley.

whetherconjunctionUS /ˈweðər/

used to introduce two or more possibilities

From this reading "The enlightened will of the people of this province must decide whether you retain possession, or relinquish it, Commodore Billings."

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading "The enlightened will of the people of this province must decide whether you retain possession, or relinquish it, Commodore Billings."

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "The enlightened will of the people of this province must decide whether you retain possession, or relinquish it, Commodore Billings."

Chapter 29 of The Bride of Mission San José by John Augustine Cull holds 94 sentences, grouped into 19 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.

What does chapter 29 of The Bride of Mission San José contain?

Chapter 29 holds 94 sentences of The Bride of Mission San José, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 29 of The Bride of Mission San José by John Augustine Cull exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 94 sentences, grouped into 19 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.

How do I study chapter 29 of The Bride of Mission San José?

Work through the 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 19 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.

Can chapter 29 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 29 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.

Questions about reading The Bride of Mission San José

Common questions about reading The Bride of Mission San José by John Augustine Cull on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Bride of Mission San José?

Yes. All 9252 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56355 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Bride of Mission San José is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #56355, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Bride of Mission San José take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1851 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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How to work through The Bride of Mission San José section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Bride of Mission San José

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Bride of Mission San José, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Bride
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Bride of Mission San José; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Mission
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Bride of Mission San José; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Mendoza
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Bride of Mission San José; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Former
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Bride of Mission San José; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.