Chapter 21 of The Brother of a Hero is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of The Brother of a Hero is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
COTTING TELLS A STORY “Stood there like a silly dummy and let St. Matthew’s jump on him, that’s what he did!” “Lost his head completely, Teddy! Worst case of stage fright I ever saw on a football field!” “Had a clear field ahead of him if he’d started on the jump. Gee, it’s enough to sour your disposition!”
Chapter 21 of The Brother of a Hero is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/28 · 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.
your usual mood
From this reading “Gee, it’s enough to sour your disposition!””
a person who does not talk
From this reading “COTTING TELLS A STORY “Stood there like a silly dummy and let St. Matthew’s jump on him, that’s what he did!””
any of various games played with a ball (round or oval) in which two teams try to kick or carry or propel the ball into each other's goal
From this reading “Worst case of stage fright I ever saw on a football field!””
an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight)
From this reading “Worst case of stage fright I ever saw on a football field!””
a unit of force equal to the force exerted by gravity; used to indicate the force to which a body is subjected when it is accelerated
From this reading “Gee, it’s enough to sour your disposition!””
possessive form of “matthew” — (New Testament) disciple of Jesus; traditionally considered to be the author of the first Gospel
go sour or spoil
From this reading “Gee, it’s enough to sour your disposition!””
plaything consisting of a child's toy bear (usually plush and stuffed with soft materials)
From this reading ““Lost his head completely, Teddy!”
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.
the playing field on which football is played
In this reading “Worst case of stage fright I ever saw on a football field!””
fear that affects a person about to face an audience
In this reading “Worst case of stage fright I ever saw on a football field!””
In this reading “COTTING TELLS A STORY “Stood there like a silly dummy and let St. Matthew’s jump on him, that’s what he did!””
In this reading ““Had a clear field ahead of him if he’d started on the jump.”
In this reading “COTTING TELLS A STORY “Stood there like a silly dummy and let St. Matthew’s jump on him, that’s what he did!””
get up on the back of
In this reading “COTTING TELLS A STORY “Stood there like a silly dummy and let St. Matthew’s jump on him, that’s what he did!””
In this reading ““Had a clear field ahead of him if he’d started on the jump.”
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 COTTING TELLS A STORY “Stood there like a silly dummy and let St. Matthew’s jump on him, that’s what he did!”
at or in the front
From this reading “Had a clear field ahead of him if he’d started on the jump.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading COTTING TELLS A STORY “Stood there like a silly dummy and let St. Matthew’s jump on him, that’s what he did!”
an occurrence of something
From this reading Worst case of stage fright I ever saw on a football field!”
rid of obstructions
From this reading “Had a clear field ahead of him if he’d started on the jump.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading “Lost his head completely, Teddy!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading COTTING TELLS A STORY “Stood there like a silly dummy and let St. Matthew’s jump on him, that’s what he did!”
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading COTTING TELLS A STORY “Stood there like a silly dummy and let St. Matthew’s jump on him, that’s what he did!”
your usual mood
From this reading Gee, it’s enough to sour your disposition!”
a person who does not talk
From this reading COTTING TELLS A STORY “Stood there like a silly dummy and let St. Matthew’s jump on him, that’s what he did!”
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading Gee, it’s enough to sour your disposition!”
at any time
From this reading Worst case of stage fright I ever saw on a football field!”
a piece of land cleared of trees and usually enclosed
From this reading Worst case of stage fright I ever saw on a football field!”
any of various games played with a ball (round or oval) in which two teams try to kick or carry or propel the ball into each other's goal
From this reading Worst case of stage fright I ever saw on a football field!”
an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight)
From this reading Worst case of stage fright I ever saw on a football field!”
a unit of force equal to the force exerted by gravity; used to indicate the force to which a body is subjected when it is accelerated
From this reading Gee, it’s enough to sour your disposition!”
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “Had a clear field ahead of him if he’d started on the jump.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading COTTING TELLS A STORY “Stood there like a silly dummy and let St. Matthew’s jump on him, that’s what he did!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Had a clear field ahead of him if he’d started on the jump.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading “Lost his head completely, Teddy!
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading COTTING TELLS A STORY “Stood there like a silly dummy and let St. Matthew’s jump on him, that’s what he did!”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “Lost his head completely, Teddy!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Worst case of stage fright I ever saw on a football field!”
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “Had a clear field ahead of him if he’d started on the jump.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Gee, it’s enough to sour your disposition!”
move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading COTTING TELLS A STORY “Stood there like a silly dummy and let St. Matthew’s jump on him, that’s what he did!”
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading COTTING TELLS A STORY “Stood there like a silly dummy and let St. Matthew’s jump on him, that’s what he did!”
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading COTTING TELLS A STORY “Stood there like a silly dummy and let St. Matthew’s jump on him, that’s what he did!”
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading “Lost his head completely, Teddy!
possessive form of “matthew” — (New Testament) disciple of Jesus; traditionally considered to be the author of the first Gospel
From this reading COTTING TELLS A STORY “Stood there like a silly dummy and let St. Matthew’s jump on him, that’s what he did!”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Worst case of stage fright I ever saw on a football field!”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading COTTING TELLS A STORY “Stood there like a silly dummy and let St. Matthew’s jump on him, that’s what he did!”
cut with a saw
From this reading Worst case of stage fright I ever saw on a football field!”
ludicrous, foolish
From this reading COTTING TELLS A STORY “Stood there like a silly dummy and let St. Matthew’s jump on him, that’s what he did!”
go sour or spoil
From this reading Gee, it’s enough to sour your disposition!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading COTTING TELLS A STORY “Stood there like a silly dummy and let St. Matthew’s jump on him, that’s what he did!”
any distinct time period in a sequence of events
From this reading Worst case of stage fright I ever saw on a football field!”
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “Had a clear field ahead of him if he’d started on the jump.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading COTTING TELLS A STORY “Stood there like a silly dummy and let St. Matthew’s jump on him, that’s what he did!”
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading COTTING TELLS A STORY “Stood there like a silly dummy and let St. Matthew’s jump on him, that’s what he did!”
plaything consisting of a child's toy bear (usually plush and stuffed with soft materials)
From this reading “Lost his head completely, Teddy!
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 COTTING TELLS A STORY “Stood there like a silly dummy and let St. Matthew’s jump on him, that’s what he did!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading COTTING TELLS A STORY “Stood there like a silly dummy and let St. Matthew’s jump on him, that’s what he did!”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Had a clear field ahead of him if he’d started on the jump.
in or at that place or location
From this reading COTTING TELLS A STORY “Stood there like a silly dummy and let St. Matthew’s jump on him, that’s what he did!”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Gee, it’s enough to sour your disposition!”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading COTTING TELLS A STORY “Stood there like a silly dummy and let St. Matthew’s jump on him, that’s what he did!”
the least favorable outcome
From this reading Worst case of stage fright I ever saw on a football field!”
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Gee, it’s enough to sour your disposition!”
Chapter 21 of The Brother of a Hero by Ralph Henry Barbour holds 143 sentences, grouped into 29 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 143 sentences of The Brother of a Hero, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of The Brother of a Hero by Ralph Henry Barbour exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 143 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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 Brother of a Hero by Ralph Henry Barbour on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4408 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63297 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #63297, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 367 minutes of reading across 882 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Brother of a Hero section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of The Brother of a Hero 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 Brother of a Hero, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
