Learn English through classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems
The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems

Chapter XXIV · Chapter 24

Chapter 24 of The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems is here in full — 231 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems
Context Illustration Reading 1/46 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
5.
Liber Judicum,” the Book of Judges; chap. xv.
6.
Querne: mill; from Anglo-Saxon, cyrran,” to turn, cweorn,” a mill, 7.Harpies: the Stymphalian Birds, which fed on human flesh.
8.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
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 Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems

Chapter XXIV · Chapter 24

Chapter 24 of The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems is here in full — 231 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/46 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
5.
Line 2
Liber Judicum,” the Book of Judges; chap. xv.
Line 3
6.
Line 4
Querne: mill; from Anglo-Saxon, “cyrran,” to turn, “cweorn,” a mill, 7.Harpies: the Stymphalian Birds, which fed on human flesh.
Line 5
8.

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.

Birds noun US /bɜːrdz/

plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings

From this reading “Querne: mill; from Anglo-Saxon, “cyrran,” to turn, “cweorn,” a mill, 7.Harpies: the Stymphalian Birds, which fed on human flesh.”

Book noun US /bʊk/

a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)

From this reading ““Liber Judicum,” the Book of Judges; chap. xv.”

chap noun US /tʃæp/

a boy or man

From this reading ““Liber Judicum,” the Book of Judges; chap. xv.”

fed noun US /fed/

any federal law-enforcement officer

From this reading “Querne: mill; from Anglo-Saxon, “cyrran,” to turn, “cweorn,” a mill, 7.Harpies: the Stymphalian Birds, which fed on human flesh.”

flesh noun US /fleʃ/

the soft tissue of the body of a vertebrate: mainly muscle tissue and fat

From this reading “Querne: mill; from Anglo-Saxon, “cyrran,” to turn, “cweorn,” a mill, 7.Harpies: the Stymphalian Birds, which fed on human flesh.”

human adjective US /ˈhjuːmən/

characteristic of humanity

From this reading “Querne: mill; from Anglo-Saxon, “cyrran,” to turn, “cweorn,” a mill, 7.Harpies: the Stymphalian Birds, which fed on human flesh.”

Judges noun US /ˈdʒʌdʒɪz/

a book of the Old Testament that tells the history of Israel under the leaders known as judges

From this reading ““Liber Judicum,” the Book of Judges; chap. xv.”

mill verb US /mɪl/

move about in a confused manner

From this reading “Querne: mill; from Anglo-Saxon, “cyrran,” to turn, “cweorn,” a mill, 7.Harpies: the Stymphalian Birds, which fed on human flesh.”

All words in this reading · 29

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.

5

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

From this reading 5.

6

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

From this reading 6.

7

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

From this reading Querne: mill; from Anglo-Saxon, “cyrran,” to turn, “cweorn,” a mill, 7.Harpies: the Stymphalian Birds, which fed on human flesh.

8

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

From this reading 8.

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading Querne: mill; from Anglo-Saxon, “cyrran,” to turn, “cweorn,” a mill, 7.Harpies: the Stymphalian Birds, which fed on human flesh.

Anglo-Saxonnoun

a native or inhabitant of England prior to the Norman Conquest

From this reading Querne: mill; from Anglo-Saxon, “cyrran,” to turn, “cweorn,” a mill, 7.Harpies: the Stymphalian Birds, which fed on human flesh.

BirdsnounUS /bɜːrdz/

plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings

From this reading Querne: mill; from Anglo-Saxon, “cyrran,” to turn, “cweorn,” a mill, 7.Harpies: the Stymphalian Birds, which fed on human flesh.

BooknounUS /bʊk/

a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)

From this reading “Liber Judicum,” the Book of Judges; chap. xv.

chapnounUS /tʃæp/

a boy or man

From this reading “Liber Judicum,” the Book of Judges; chap. xv.

cweorn

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

From this reading Querne: mill; from Anglo-Saxon, “cyrran,” to turn, “cweorn,” a mill, 7.Harpies: the Stymphalian Birds, which fed on human flesh.

cyrran

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

From this reading Querne: mill; from Anglo-Saxon, “cyrran,” to turn, “cweorn,” a mill, 7.Harpies: the Stymphalian Birds, which fed on human flesh.

fednounUS /fed/

any federal law-enforcement officer

From this reading Querne: mill; from Anglo-Saxon, “cyrran,” to turn, “cweorn,” a mill, 7.Harpies: the Stymphalian Birds, which fed on human flesh.

fleshnounUS /fleʃ/

the soft tissue of the body of a vertebrate: mainly muscle tissue and fat

From this reading Querne: mill; from Anglo-Saxon, “cyrran,” to turn, “cweorn,” a mill, 7.Harpies: the Stymphalian Birds, which fed on human flesh.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Querne: mill; from Anglo-Saxon, “cyrran,” to turn, “cweorn,” a mill, 7.Harpies: the Stymphalian Birds, which fed on human flesh.

Harpies

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

From this reading Querne: mill; from Anglo-Saxon, “cyrran,” to turn, “cweorn,” a mill, 7.Harpies: the Stymphalian Birds, which fed on human flesh.

humanadjectiveUS /ˈhjuːmən/

characteristic of humanity

From this reading Querne: mill; from Anglo-Saxon, “cyrran,” to turn, “cweorn,” a mill, 7.Harpies: the Stymphalian Birds, which fed on human flesh.

JudgesnounUS /ˈdʒʌdʒɪz/

a book of the Old Testament that tells the history of Israel under the leaders known as judges

From this reading “Liber Judicum,” the Book of Judges; chap. xv.

Judicum

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

From this reading “Liber Judicum,” the Book of Judges; chap. xv.

Liber

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

From this reading “Liber Judicum,” the Book of Judges; chap. xv.

millverbUS /mɪl/

move about in a confused manner

From this reading Querne: mill; from Anglo-Saxon, “cyrran,” to turn, “cweorn,” a mill, 7.Harpies: the Stymphalian Birds, which fed on human flesh.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading “Liber Judicum,” the Book of Judges; chap. xv.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Querne: mill; from Anglo-Saxon, “cyrran,” to turn, “cweorn,” a mill, 7.Harpies: the Stymphalian Birds, which fed on human flesh.

Querne

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

From this reading Querne: mill; from Anglo-Saxon, “cyrran,” to turn, “cweorn,” a mill, 7.Harpies: the Stymphalian Birds, which fed on human flesh.

Stymphalian

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

From this reading Querne: mill; from Anglo-Saxon, “cyrran,” to turn, “cweorn,” a mill, 7.Harpies: the Stymphalian Birds, which fed on human flesh.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading “Liber Judicum,” the Book of Judges; chap. xv.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Querne: mill; from Anglo-Saxon, “cyrran,” to turn, “cweorn,” a mill, 7.Harpies: the Stymphalian Birds, which fed on human flesh.

turnverbUS /tɜːrn/

change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense

From this reading Querne: mill; from Anglo-Saxon, “cyrran,” to turn, “cweorn,” a mill, 7.Harpies: the Stymphalian Birds, which fed on human flesh.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading Querne: mill; from Anglo-Saxon, “cyrran,” to turn, “cweorn,” a mill, 7.Harpies: the Stymphalian Birds, which fed on human flesh.

xvnoun

the cardinal number that is the sum of fourteen and one

From this reading “Liber Judicum,” the Book of Judges; chap. xv.

Chapter 24 of The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems by Geoffrey Chaucer holds 231 sentences, grouped into 47 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 24 of The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems contain?

Chapter 24 holds 231 sentences of The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 24 of The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems by Geoffrey Chaucer exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 231 sentences, grouped into 47 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 24 of The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems?

Work through the 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 47 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 24 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 24 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 Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems

Common questions about reading The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems by Geoffrey Chaucer on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems?

Yes. All 9557 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2383 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #2383, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1912 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems section by section

How to work through The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems to begin.

  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 Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Canterbury
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Tales
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Other
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Poems
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.