Chapter 13 of The Fighting Chance is here in full — 554 sentences across 111 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of The Fighting Chance is here in full — 554 sentences across 111 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
If a man's grief does not awaken his dignity, then he has none. In that event, grief is not even respectable. And so it was with Leroy Mortimer when Lydia at last turned on him. If you caress an Angora too long and too persistently it runs away. And before it goes it scratches.
Chapter 13 of The Fighting Chance is here in full — 554 sentences across 111 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/110 · 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 capital of Turkey; located in west-central Turkey; it was formerly known as Angora and is the home of Angora goats
From this reading “If you caress an Angora too long and too persistently it runs away.”
cause to become awake or conscious
From this reading “If a man's grief does not awaken his dignity, then he has none.”
a gentle affectionate stroking (or something resembling it)
From this reading “If you caress an Angora too long and too persistently it runs away.”
an ancient region on the coast of western Asia Minor; a powerful kingdom until conquered by the Persians in 546 BC
From this reading “And so it was with Leroy Mortimer when Lydia at last turned on him.”
English nobleman who deposed Edward II and was executed by Edward III (1287-1330)
From this reading “And so it was with Leroy Mortimer when Lydia at last turned on him.”
in a persistent manner
From this reading “If you caress an Angora too long and too persistently it runs away.”
plural of “run” — a score in baseball made by a runner touching all four bases safely
From this reading “If you caress an Angora too long and too persistently it runs away.”
plural of “scratch” — an abraded area where the skin is torn or worn off
From this reading “And before it goes it scratches.”
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 If a man's grief does not awaken his dignity, then he has none.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading If you caress an Angora too long and too persistently it runs away.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And so it was with Leroy Mortimer when Lydia at last turned on him.
the capital of Turkey; located in west-central Turkey; it was formerly known as Angora and is the home of Angora goats
From this reading If you caress an Angora too long and too persistently it runs away.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading And so it was with Leroy Mortimer when Lydia at last turned on him.
cause to become awake or conscious
From this reading If a man's grief does not awaken his dignity, then he has none.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading If you caress an Angora too long and too persistently it runs away.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading And before it goes it scratches.
a gentle affectionate stroking (or something resembling it)
From this reading If you caress an Angora too long and too persistently it runs away.
the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect
From this reading If a man's grief does not awaken his dignity, then he has none.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading If a man's grief does not awaken his dignity, then he has none.
divisible by two
From this reading In that event, grief is not even respectable.
something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading In that event, grief is not even respectable.
plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)
From this reading And before it goes it scratches.
intense sorrow caused by loss of a loved one (especially by death)
From this reading If a man's grief does not awaken his dignity, then he has none.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading If a man's grief does not awaken his dignity, then he has none.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading If a man's grief does not awaken his dignity, then he has none.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading And so it was with Leroy Mortimer when Lydia at last turned on him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading If a man's grief does not awaken his dignity, then he has none.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If a man's grief does not awaken his dignity, then he has none.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In that event, grief is not even respectable.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading In that event, grief is not even respectable.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And so it was with Leroy Mortimer when Lydia at last turned on him.
immediately past
From this reading And so it was with Leroy Mortimer when Lydia at last turned on him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And so it was with Leroy Mortimer when Lydia at last turned on him.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading If you caress an Angora too long and too persistently it runs away.
an ancient region on the coast of western Asia Minor; a powerful kingdom until conquered by the Persians in 546 BC
From this reading And so it was with Leroy Mortimer when Lydia at last turned on him.
possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading If a man's grief does not awaken his dignity, then he has none.
English nobleman who deposed Edward II and was executed by Edward III (1287-1330)
From this reading And so it was with Leroy Mortimer when Lydia at last turned on him.
not one, and not any
From this reading If a man's grief does not awaken his dignity, then he has none.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading If a man's grief does not awaken his dignity, then he has none.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading And so it was with Leroy Mortimer when Lydia at last turned on him.
in a persistent manner
From this reading If you caress an Angora too long and too persistently it runs away.
characterized by socially or conventionally acceptable morals
From this reading In that event, grief is not even respectable.
plural of “run” — a score in baseball made by a runner touching all four bases safely
From this reading If you caress an Angora too long and too persistently it runs away.
plural of “scratch” — an abraded area where the skin is torn or worn off
From this reading And before it goes it scratches.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading And so it was with Leroy Mortimer when Lydia at last turned on him.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading In that event, grief is not even respectable.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading If a man's grief does not awaken his dignity, then he has none.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading If you caress an Angora too long and too persistently it runs away.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading And so it was with Leroy Mortimer when Lydia at last turned on him.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And so it was with Leroy Mortimer when Lydia at last turned on him.
at the time that
From this reading And so it was with Leroy Mortimer when Lydia at last turned on him.
in the company of; together with
From this reading And so it was with Leroy Mortimer when Lydia at last turned on him.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading If you caress an Angora too long and too persistently it runs away.
Chapter 13 of The Fighting Chance by Robert W. (Robert William) Chambers holds 554 sentences, grouped into 111 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 13 holds 554 sentences of The Fighting Chance, unabridged, divided into 111 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of The Fighting Chance by Robert W. (Robert William) Chambers exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 554 sentences, grouped into 111 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 111 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 111 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 13 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 Fighting Chance by Robert W. (Robert William) Chambers on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8342 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7492 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7492, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1669 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Fighting Chance section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of The Fighting Chance 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 Fighting Chance, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
