Chapter 23 of The Christian: A Story is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of The Christian: A Story is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
John's face suddenly straightened and he pretended not to hear. “What's her name?” stamping with both feet. “Dear me, auntie, what an ugly old cap you're wearing!” “Ugly?” reaching up to the glass. “Who says it's ugly?”
Chapter 23 of The Christian: A Story is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading ““Dear me, auntie, what an ugly old cap you're wearing!””
possessive form of “john” — a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading “John's face suddenly straightened and he pretended not to hear.”
adopted in order to deceive
From this reading “John's face suddenly straightened and he pretended not to hear.”
the act of physically reaching or thrusting out
From this reading ““Ugly?” reaching up to the glass.”
-ing form of “stamp” — walk heavily
From this reading ““What's her name?” stamping with both feet.”
past form of “straighten” — straighten up or out; make straight
From this reading “John's face suddenly straightened and he pretended not to hear.”
displeasing to the senses
From this reading ““Dear me, auntie, what an ugly old cap you're wearing!””
(geology) the mechanical process of wearing or grinding something down (as by particles washing over it)
From this reading ““Dear me, auntie, what an ugly old cap you're wearing!””
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.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading “Dear me, auntie, what an ugly old cap you're wearing!”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading John's face suddenly straightened and he pretended not to hear.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading “Dear me, auntie, what an ugly old cap you're wearing!”
the two together, not just one
From this reading “What's her name?” stamping with both feet.
a tight-fitting headdress
From this reading “Dear me, auntie, what an ugly old cap you're wearing!”
dearly loved
From this reading “Dear me, auntie, what an ugly old cap you're wearing!”
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading John's face suddenly straightened and he pretended not to hear.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading “What's her name?” stamping with both feet.
a brittle transparent solid with irregular atomic structure
From this reading “Ugly?” reaching up to the glass.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading John's face suddenly straightened and he pretended not to hear.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading John's face suddenly straightened and he pretended not to hear.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “What's her name?” stamping with both feet.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Who says it's ugly?”
possessive form of “john” — a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading John's face suddenly straightened and he pretended not to hear.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Dear me, auntie, what an ugly old cap you're wearing!”
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “What's her name?” stamping with both feet.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading John's face suddenly straightened and he pretended not to hear.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “Dear me, auntie, what an ugly old cap you're wearing!”
adopted in order to deceive
From this reading John's face suddenly straightened and he pretended not to hear.
the act of physically reaching or thrusting out
From this reading “Ugly?” reaching up to the glass.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading “Who says it's ugly?”
-ing form of “stamp” — walk heavily
From this reading “What's her name?” stamping with both feet.
past form of “straighten” — straighten up or out; make straight
From this reading John's face suddenly straightened and he pretended not to hear.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading John's face suddenly straightened and he pretended not to hear.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Ugly?” reaching up to the glass.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading John's face suddenly straightened and he pretended not to hear.
displeasing to the senses
From this reading “Dear me, auntie, what an ugly old cap you're wearing!”
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “Ugly?” reaching up to the glass.
(geology) the mechanical process of wearing or grinding something down (as by particles washing over it)
From this reading “Dear me, auntie, what an ugly old cap you're wearing!”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “Dear me, auntie, what an ugly old cap you're wearing!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What's her name?” stamping with both feet.
which person or people
From this reading “Who says it's ugly?”
in the company of; together with
From this reading “What's her name?” stamping with both feet.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Dear me, auntie, what an ugly old cap you're wearing!”
Chapter 23 of The Christian: A Story by Hall, Sir Caine holds 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 23 holds 411 sentences of The Christian: A Story, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of The Christian: A Story by Hall, Sir Caine exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 23 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 Christian: A Story by Hall, Sir Caine on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 12065 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8407 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8407, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2413 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Christian: A Story section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of The Christian: A Story 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 Christian: A Story, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
