Chapter 25 of The Enchanted Barn is here in full — 142 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXV
Chapter 25 of The Enchanted Barn is here in full — 142 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The man looked up from the paper he was twisting for a fire and saw Shirley's attitude of despair. "Say, kid," he said, with a kind of gruff tenderness, "you don't need to take it that a-way. I know it's tough luck to lose out when you been so nervy and all, but you knew we had it over you from the start. You hadn't a show. And say!
Chapter 25 of The Enchanted Barn is here in full — 142 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.
a complex mental state involving beliefs and feelings and values and dispositions to act in certain ways
From this reading “The man looked up from the paper he was twisting for a fire and saw Shirley's attitude of despair.”
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading “The man looked up from the paper he was twisting for a fire and saw Shirley's attitude of despair.”
brusque and surly and forbidding
From this reading “"Say, kid," he said, with a kind of gruff tenderness, "you don't need to take it that a-way.”
tell false information to for fun
From this reading “"Say, kid," he said, with a kind of gruff tenderness, "you don't need to take it that a-way.”
being in a tense state
From this reading “I know it's tough luck to lose out when you been so nervy and all, but you knew we had it over you from the start.”
a tendency to express warm and affectionate feeling
From this reading “"Say, kid," he said, with a kind of gruff tenderness, "you don't need to take it that a-way.”
not given to gentleness or sentimentality
From this reading “I know it's tough luck to lose out when you been so nervy and all, but you knew we had it over you from the start.”
the act of distorting something so it seems to mean something it was not intended to mean
From this reading “The man looked up from the paper he was twisting for a fire and saw Shirley's attitude of despair.”
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.
an unfortunate state resulting from unfavorable outcomes
In this reading “I know it's tough luck to lose out when you been so nervy and all, but you knew we had it over you from the start.”
seek information from
In this reading “The man looked up from the paper he was twisting for a fire and saw Shirley's attitude of despair.”
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 The man looked up from the paper he was twisting for a fire and saw Shirley's attitude of despair.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Say, kid," he said, with a kind of gruff tenderness, "you don't need to take it that a-way.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading I know it's tough luck to lose out when you been so nervy and all, but you knew we had it over you from the start.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The man looked up from the paper he was twisting for a fire and saw Shirley's attitude of despair.
a complex mental state involving beliefs and feelings and values and dispositions to act in certain ways
From this reading The man looked up from the paper he was twisting for a fire and saw Shirley's attitude of despair.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading I know it's tough luck to lose out when you been so nervy and all, but you knew we had it over you from the start.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I know it's tough luck to lose out when you been so nervy and all, but you knew we had it over you from the start.
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading The man looked up from the paper he was twisting for a fire and saw Shirley's attitude of despair.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Say, kid," he said, with a kind of gruff tenderness, "you don't need to take it that a-way.
start firing a weapon
From this reading The man looked up from the paper he was twisting for a fire and saw Shirley's attitude of despair.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The man looked up from the paper he was twisting for a fire and saw Shirley's attitude of despair.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The man looked up from the paper he was twisting for a fire and saw Shirley's attitude of despair.
brusque and surly and forbidding
From this reading "Say, kid," he said, with a kind of gruff tenderness, "you don't need to take it that a-way.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I know it's tough luck to lose out when you been so nervy and all, but you knew we had it over you from the start.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading You hadn't a show.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The man looked up from the paper he was twisting for a fire and saw Shirley's attitude of despair.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I know it's tough luck to lose out when you been so nervy and all, but you knew we had it over you from the start.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Say, kid," he said, with a kind of gruff tenderness, "you don't need to take it that a-way.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I know it's tough luck to lose out when you been so nervy and all, but you knew we had it over you from the start.
tell false information to for fun
From this reading "Say, kid," he said, with a kind of gruff tenderness, "you don't need to take it that a-way.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading "Say, kid," he said, with a kind of gruff tenderness, "you don't need to take it that a-way.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I know it's tough luck to lose out when you been so nervy and all, but you knew we had it over you from the start.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I know it's tough luck to lose out when you been so nervy and all, but you knew we had it over you from the start.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The man looked up from the paper he was twisting for a fire and saw Shirley's attitude of despair.
fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading I know it's tough luck to lose out when you been so nervy and all, but you knew we had it over you from the start.
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading I know it's tough luck to lose out when you been so nervy and all, but you knew we had it over you from the start.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The man looked up from the paper he was twisting for a fire and saw Shirley's attitude of despair.
a condition requiring relief
From this reading "Say, kid," he said, with a kind of gruff tenderness, "you don't need to take it that a-way.
being in a tense state
From this reading I know it's tough luck to lose out when you been so nervy and all, but you knew we had it over you from the start.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The man looked up from the paper he was twisting for a fire and saw Shirley's attitude of despair.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading I know it's tough luck to lose out when you been so nervy and all, but you knew we had it over you from the start.
above and across; more than
From this reading I know it's tough luck to lose out when you been so nervy and all, but you knew we had it over you from the start.
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading The man looked up from the paper he was twisting for a fire and saw Shirley's attitude of despair.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Say, kid," he said, with a kind of gruff tenderness, "you don't need to take it that a-way.
cut with a saw
From this reading The man looked up from the paper he was twisting for a fire and saw Shirley's attitude of despair.
express in words
From this reading "Say, kid," he said, with a kind of gruff tenderness, "you don't need to take it that a-way.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The man looked up from the paper he was twisting for a fire and saw Shirley's attitude of despair.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading You hadn't a show.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I know it's tough luck to lose out when you been so nervy and all, but you knew we had it over you from the start.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading I know it's tough luck to lose out when you been so nervy and all, but you knew we had it over you from the start.
carry out
From this reading "Say, kid," he said, with a kind of gruff tenderness, "you don't need to take it that a-way.
a tendency to express warm and affectionate feeling
From this reading "Say, kid," he said, with a kind of gruff tenderness, "you don't need to take it that a-way.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Say, kid," he said, with a kind of gruff tenderness, "you don't need to take it that a-way.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The man looked up from the paper he was twisting for a fire and saw Shirley's attitude of despair.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Say, kid," he said, with a kind of gruff tenderness, "you don't need to take it that a-way.
not given to gentleness or sentimentality
From this reading I know it's tough luck to lose out when you been so nervy and all, but you knew we had it over you from the start.
the act of distorting something so it seems to mean something it was not intended to mean
From this reading The man looked up from the paper he was twisting for a fire and saw Shirley's attitude of despair.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The man looked up from the paper he was twisting for a fire and saw Shirley's attitude of despair.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The man looked up from the paper he was twisting for a fire and saw Shirley's attitude of despair.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading I know it's tough luck to lose out when you been so nervy and all, but you knew we had it over you from the start.
at the time that
From this reading I know it's tough luck to lose out when you been so nervy and all, but you knew we had it over you from the start.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Say, kid," he said, with a kind of gruff tenderness, "you don't need to take it that a-way.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Say, kid," he said, with a kind of gruff tenderness, "you don't need to take it that a-way.
Chapter 25 of The Enchanted Barn by Grace Livingston Hill holds 142 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 25 holds 142 sentences of The Enchanted Barn, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 25 of The Enchanted Barn by Grace Livingston Hill exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 142 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 25 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 Enchanted Barn by Grace Livingston Hill on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5263 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34426 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34426, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 438 minutes of reading across 1053 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Enchanted Barn section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of The Enchanted Barn 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 Enchanted Barn, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
