Chapter 36 of The Fall of a Nation is here in full — 112 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXVI
Chapter 36 of The Fall of a Nation is here in full — 112 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The Governor-General received Virginia in royal state. His manner was gracious and genial. He led her to a seat in his great library and closed the doors. The royal guard took his stand outside. “I told you, Miss Holland,” he began eagerly, “that I had high ambitions.
Chapter 36 of The Fall of a Nation is here in full — 112 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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.
plural of “ambition” — a cherished desire
From this reading ““I told you, Miss Holland,” he began eagerly, “that I had high ambitions.”
plural of “door” — a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading “He led her to a seat in his great library and closed the doors.”
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading ““I told you, Miss Holland,” he began eagerly, “that I had high ambitions.”
diffusing warmth and friendliness
From this reading “His manner was gracious and genial.”
characterized by charm, good taste, and generosity of spirit
From this reading “His manner was gracious and genial.”
a constitutional monarchy in western Europe on the North Sea; half the country lies below sea level
From this reading ““I told you, Miss Holland,” he began eagerly, “that I had high ambitions.”
a room where books are kept
From this reading “He led her to a seat in his great library and closed the doors.”
a state in the eastern United States; one of the original 13 colonies; one of the Confederate States in the American Civil War
From this reading “The Governor-General received Virginia in royal state.”
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 “The royal guard took his stand outside.”
In this reading ““I told you, Miss Holland,” he began eagerly, “that I had high ambitions.”
In this reading “The royal guard took his stand outside.”
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 He led her to a seat in his great library and closed the doors.
plural of “ambition” — a cherished desire
From this reading “I told you, Miss Holland,” he began eagerly, “that I had high ambitions.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading His manner was gracious and genial.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “I told you, Miss Holland,” he began eagerly, “that I had high ambitions.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading He led her to a seat in his great library and closed the doors.
plural of “door” — a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading He led her to a seat in his great library and closed the doors.
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading “I told you, Miss Holland,” he began eagerly, “that I had high ambitions.
diffusing warmth and friendliness
From this reading His manner was gracious and genial.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Governor-General received Virginia in royal state.
characterized by charm, good taste, and generosity of spirit
From this reading His manner was gracious and genial.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading He led her to a seat in his great library and closed the doors.
a person who keeps watch over something or someone
From this reading The royal guard took his stand outside.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “I told you, Miss Holland,” he began eagerly, “that I had high ambitions.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He led her to a seat in his great library and closed the doors.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He led her to a seat in his great library and closed the doors.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading “I told you, Miss Holland,” he began eagerly, “that I had high ambitions.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His manner was gracious and genial.
a constitutional monarchy in western Europe on the North Sea; half the country lies below sea level
From this reading “I told you, Miss Holland,” he began eagerly, “that I had high ambitions.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I told you, Miss Holland,” he began eagerly, “that I had high ambitions.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The Governor-General received Virginia in royal state.
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 He led her to a seat in his great library and closed the doors.
a room where books are kept
From this reading He led her to a seat in his great library and closed the doors.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading His manner was gracious and genial.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading “I told you, Miss Holland,” he began eagerly, “that I had high ambitions.
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading The royal guard took his stand outside.
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading The Governor-General received Virginia in royal state.
of or relating to or indicative of or issued or performed by a king or queen or other monarch
From this reading The Governor-General received Virginia in royal state.
a space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane)
From this reading He led her to a seat in his great library and closed the doors.
be standing; be upright
From this reading The royal guard took his stand outside.
the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading The Governor-General received Virginia in royal state.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “I told you, Miss Holland,” he began eagerly, “that I had high ambitions.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Governor-General received Virginia in royal state.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He led her to a seat in his great library and closed the doors.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading “I told you, Miss Holland,” he began eagerly, “that I had high ambitions.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading The royal guard took his stand outside.
a state in the eastern United States; one of the original 13 colonies; one of the Confederate States in the American Civil War
From this reading The Governor-General received Virginia in royal state.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His manner was gracious and genial.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I told you, Miss Holland,” he began eagerly, “that I had high ambitions.
Chapter 36 of The Fall of a Nation by Thomas, Jr. Dixon holds 112 sentences, grouped into 23 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 36 holds 112 sentences of The Fall of a Nation, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 36 of The Fall of a Nation by Thomas, Jr. Dixon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 112 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 36 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 Fall of a Nation by Thomas, Jr. Dixon on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4991 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #48089 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #48089, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 415 minutes of reading across 999 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Fall of a Nation section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Fall of a Nation 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 Fall of a Nation, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
