Chapter 21 of The Dynasts is here in full — 383 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of The Dynasts is here in full — 383 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Especially, With ever one at hand--his son and hers-- Reminding her of him. JOSEPHINE Yes.... Glad am I I saw that child of theirs, though only once. But--there was not full truth--not quite, I fear-- In what I told the Emperor that day He led him to me at Bagatelle, That 'twas the happiest moment of my life. I ought not to have said it.
Chapter 21 of The Dynasts is here in full — 383 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/76 · 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 male ruler of an empire
From this reading “But--there was not full truth--not quite, I fear-- In what I told the Emperor that day He led him to me at Bagatelle, That 'twas the happiest moment of my life.”
to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common
From this reading “Especially, With ever one at hand--his son and hers-- Reminding her of him.”
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading “Glad am I I saw that child of theirs, though only once.”
superlative of “happy” — enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading “But--there was not full truth--not quite, I fear-- In what I told the Emperor that day He led him to me at Bagatelle, That 'twas the happiest moment of my life.”
the one or ones belonging to her
From this reading “Especially, With ever one at hand--his son and hers-- Reminding her of him.”
diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used
From this reading “But--there was not full truth--not quite, I fear-- In what I told the Emperor that day He led him to me at Bagatelle, That 'twas the happiest moment of my life.”
-ing form of “remind” — put in the mind of someone
From this reading “Especially, With ever one at hand--his son and hers-- Reminding her of him.”
the one or ones belonging to them
From this reading “Glad am I I saw that child of theirs, though only once.”
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 “be” used with “I”
From this reading Glad am I I saw that child of theirs, though only once.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Especially, With ever one at hand--his son and hers-- Reminding her of him.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Especially, With ever one at hand--his son and hers-- Reminding her of him.
a light piece of music for piano
From this reading But--there was not full truth--not quite, I fear-- In what I told the Emperor that day He led him to me at Bagatelle, That 'twas the happiest moment of my life.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But--there was not full truth--not quite, I fear-- In what I told the Emperor that day He led him to me at Bagatelle, That 'twas the happiest moment of my life.
a young person of either sex
From this reading Glad am I I saw that child of theirs, though only once.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading But--there was not full truth--not quite, I fear-- In what I told the Emperor that day He led him to me at Bagatelle, That 'twas the happiest moment of my life.
the male ruler of an empire
From this reading But--there was not full truth--not quite, I fear-- In what I told the Emperor that day He led him to me at Bagatelle, That 'twas the happiest moment of my life.
to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common
From this reading Especially, With ever one at hand--his son and hers-- Reminding her of him.
at any time
From this reading Especially, With ever one at hand--his son and hers-- Reminding her of him.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading But--there was not full truth--not quite, I fear-- In what I told the Emperor that day He led him to me at Bagatelle, That 'twas the happiest moment of my life.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading But--there was not full truth--not quite, I fear-- In what I told the Emperor that day He led him to me at Bagatelle, That 'twas the happiest moment of my life.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading Glad am I I saw that child of theirs, though only once.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Especially, With ever one at hand--his son and hers-- Reminding her of him.
superlative of “happy” — enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading But--there was not full truth--not quite, I fear-- In what I told the Emperor that day He led him to me at Bagatelle, That 'twas the happiest moment of my life.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I ought not to have said it.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But--there was not full truth--not quite, I fear-- In what I told the Emperor that day He led him to me at Bagatelle, That 'twas the happiest moment of my life.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Especially, With ever one at hand--his son and hers-- Reminding her of him.
the one or ones belonging to her
From this reading Especially, With ever one at hand--his son and hers-- Reminding her of him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Especially, With ever one at hand--his son and hers-- Reminding her of him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Especially, With ever one at hand--his son and hers-- Reminding her of him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Glad am I I saw that child of theirs, though only once.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading But--there was not full truth--not quite, I fear-- In what I told the Emperor that day He led him to me at Bagatelle, That 'twas the happiest moment of my life.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I ought not to have said it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JOSEPHINE Yes....
diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used
From this reading But--there was not full truth--not quite, I fear-- In what I told the Emperor that day He led him to me at Bagatelle, That 'twas the happiest moment of my life.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading But--there was not full truth--not quite, I fear-- In what I told the Emperor that day He led him to me at Bagatelle, That 'twas the happiest moment of my life.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading But--there was not full truth--not quite, I fear-- In what I told the Emperor that day He led him to me at Bagatelle, That 'twas the happiest moment of my life.
a particular point in time
From this reading But--there was not full truth--not quite, I fear-- In what I told the Emperor that day He led him to me at Bagatelle, That 'twas the happiest moment of my life.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading But--there was not full truth--not quite, I fear-- In what I told the Emperor that day He led him to me at Bagatelle, That 'twas the happiest moment of my life.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But--there was not full truth--not quite, I fear-- In what I told the Emperor that day He led him to me at Bagatelle, That 'twas the happiest moment of my life.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Especially, With ever one at hand--his son and hers-- Reminding her of him.
on one occasion
From this reading Glad am I I saw that child of theirs, though only once.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Especially, With ever one at hand--his son and hers-- Reminding her of him.
and nothing more
From this reading Glad am I I saw that child of theirs, though only once.
used with “to” to say what is right or advisable
From this reading I ought not to have said it.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading But--there was not full truth--not quite, I fear-- In what I told the Emperor that day He led him to me at Bagatelle, That 'twas the happiest moment of my life.
-ing form of “remind” — put in the mind of someone
From this reading Especially, With ever one at hand--his son and hers-- Reminding her of him.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading I ought not to have said it.
cut with a saw
From this reading Glad am I I saw that child of theirs, though only once.
a male human offspring
From this reading Especially, With ever one at hand--his son and hers-- Reminding her of him.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Glad am I I saw that child of theirs, though only once.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But--there was not full truth--not quite, I fear-- In what I told the Emperor that day He led him to me at Bagatelle, That 'twas the happiest moment of my life.
the one or ones belonging to them
From this reading Glad am I I saw that child of theirs, though only once.
in or at that place or location
From this reading But--there was not full truth--not quite, I fear-- In what I told the Emperor that day He led him to me at Bagatelle, That 'twas the happiest moment of my life.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading Glad am I I saw that child of theirs, though only once.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But--there was not full truth--not quite, I fear-- In what I told the Emperor that day He led him to me at Bagatelle, That 'twas the happiest moment of my life.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading But--there was not full truth--not quite, I fear-- In what I told the Emperor that day He led him to me at Bagatelle, That 'twas the happiest moment of my life.
a fact that has been verified
From this reading But--there was not full truth--not quite, I fear-- In what I told the Emperor that day He led him to me at Bagatelle, That 'twas the happiest moment of my life.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But--there was not full truth--not quite, I fear-- In what I told the Emperor that day He led him to me at Bagatelle, That 'twas the happiest moment of my life.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But--there was not full truth--not quite, I fear-- In what I told the Emperor that day He led him to me at Bagatelle, That 'twas the happiest moment of my life.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading But--there was not full truth--not quite, I fear-- In what I told the Emperor that day He led him to me at Bagatelle, That 'twas the happiest moment of my life.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Especially, With ever one at hand--his son and hers-- Reminding her of him.
an affirmative
From this reading JOSEPHINE Yes....
Chapter 21 of The Dynasts by Thomas Hardy holds 383 sentences, grouped into 77 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.
Chapter 21 holds 383 sentences of The Dynasts, unabridged, divided into 77 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of The Dynasts by Thomas Hardy exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 383 sentences, grouped into 77 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 77 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 77 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 Dynasts by Thomas Hardy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9481 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4043 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4043, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1897 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Dynasts section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of The Dynasts 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 Dynasts, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
