Chapter 23 of The Drums of War is here in full — 71 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of The Drums of War is here in full — 71 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
FÊTE CHAMPÊTRE "Good-morning." "Ah! there you are. Toto--see!" Eloise, without a hat, working in the little garden of the Pavilion, held up a huge spade for my inspection. The moat divided us, and I had my foot on the drawbridge, preparing to cross.
Chapter 23 of The Drums of War is here in full — 71 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/14 · 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.
separated into parts or pieces
From this reading “The moat divided us, and I had my foot on the drawbridge, preparing to cross.”
a bridge that can be raised to block passage or to allow boats or ships to pass beneath it
From this reading “The moat divided us, and I had my foot on the drawbridge, preparing to cross.”
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading “Eloise, without a hat, working in the little garden of the Pavilion, held up a huge spade for my inspection.”
a formal or official examination
From this reading “Eloise, without a hat, working in the little garden of the Pavilion, held up a huge spade for my inspection.”
ditch dug as a fortification and usually filled with water
From this reading “The moat divided us, and I had my foot on the drawbridge, preparing to cross.”
large and often sumptuous tent
From this reading “Eloise, without a hat, working in the little garden of the Pavilion, held up a huge spade for my inspection.”
-ing form of “prepare” — make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc
From this reading “The moat divided us, and I had my foot on the drawbridge, preparing to cross.”
a playing card in the major suit that has one or more black figures on it
From this reading “Eloise, without a hat, working in the little garden of the Pavilion, held up a huge spade for my inspection.”
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.
In this reading “Eloise, without a hat, working in the little garden of the Pavilion, held up a huge spade for my inspection.”
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 Eloise, without a hat, working in the little garden of the Pavilion, held up a huge spade for my inspection.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ah! there you are.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The moat divided us, and I had my foot on the drawbridge, preparing to cross.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Ah! there you are.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading FÊTE CHAMPÊTRE "Good-morning."
travel across or pass over
From this reading The moat divided us, and I had my foot on the drawbridge, preparing to cross.
separated into parts or pieces
From this reading The moat divided us, and I had my foot on the drawbridge, preparing to cross.
a bridge that can be raised to block passage or to allow boats or ships to pass beneath it
From this reading The moat divided us, and I had my foot on the drawbridge, preparing to cross.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Eloise, without a hat, working in the little garden of the Pavilion, held up a huge spade for my inspection.
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading The moat divided us, and I had my foot on the drawbridge, preparing to cross.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Eloise, without a hat, working in the little garden of the Pavilion, held up a huge spade for my inspection.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading FÊTE CHAMPÊTRE "Good-morning."
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading Eloise, without a hat, working in the little garden of the Pavilion, held up a huge spade for my inspection.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading FÊTE CHAMPÊTRE "Good-morning."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The moat divided us, and I had my foot on the drawbridge, preparing to cross.
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading Eloise, without a hat, working in the little garden of the Pavilion, held up a huge spade for my inspection.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading Eloise, without a hat, working in the little garden of the Pavilion, held up a huge spade for my inspection.
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading Eloise, without a hat, working in the little garden of the Pavilion, held up a huge spade for my inspection.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading The moat divided us, and I had my foot on the drawbridge, preparing to cross.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Eloise, without a hat, working in the little garden of the Pavilion, held up a huge spade for my inspection.
a formal or official examination
From this reading Eloise, without a hat, working in the little garden of the Pavilion, held up a huge spade for my inspection.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Eloise, without a hat, working in the little garden of the Pavilion, held up a huge spade for my inspection.
ditch dug as a fortification and usually filled with water
From this reading The moat divided us, and I had my foot on the drawbridge, preparing to cross.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Eloise, without a hat, working in the little garden of the Pavilion, held up a huge spade for my inspection.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Eloise, without a hat, working in the little garden of the Pavilion, held up a huge spade for my inspection.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The moat divided us, and I had my foot on the drawbridge, preparing to cross.
large and often sumptuous tent
From this reading Eloise, without a hat, working in the little garden of the Pavilion, held up a huge spade for my inspection.
-ing form of “prepare” — make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc
From this reading The moat divided us, and I had my foot on the drawbridge, preparing to cross.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Toto--see!"
a playing card in the major suit that has one or more black figures on it
From this reading Eloise, without a hat, working in the little garden of the Pavilion, held up a huge spade for my inspection.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Eloise, without a hat, working in the little garden of the Pavilion, held up a huge spade for my inspection.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Ah! there you are.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The moat divided us, and I had my foot on the drawbridge, preparing to cross.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Toto--see!"
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Eloise, without a hat, working in the little garden of the Pavilion, held up a huge spade for my inspection.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The moat divided us, and I had my foot on the drawbridge, preparing to cross.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Eloise, without a hat, working in the little garden of the Pavilion, held up a huge spade for my inspection.
actively engaged in paid work
From this reading Eloise, without a hat, working in the little garden of the Pavilion, held up a huge spade for my inspection.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Ah! there you are.
Chapter 23 of The Drums of War by H. De Vere (Henry De Vere) Stacpoole holds 71 sentences, grouped into 15 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 71 sentences of The Drums of War, unabridged, divided into 15 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of The Drums of War by H. De Vere (Henry De Vere) Stacpoole exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 71 sentences, grouped into 15 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 15 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 15 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 Drums of War by H. De Vere (Henry De Vere) Stacpoole on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4188 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55148 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #55148, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 349 minutes of reading across 838 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Drums of War section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Drums of War 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 Drums of War, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
