Chapter XV of The Gates of Dawn, “Retrospection,” is here in full — 164 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter XV of The Gates of Dawn, “Retrospection,” is here in full — 164 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"You wish to know the reason of my being here, sir?" "Ay! It is not a common thing for a nobleman to masquerade as a commoner." "Then I must claim the merit of originality," said Dan, humorously. "I am but indulging in a freak.
Chapter XV of The Gates of Dawn, “Retrospection,” is here in full — 164 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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 person who holds no title
From this reading “It is not a common thing for a nobleman to masquerade as a commoner."”
a person or animal that is markedly unusual or deformed
From this reading “"I am but indulging in a freak.”
in a humorous manner
From this reading “"Then I must claim the merit of originality," said Dan, humorously.”
the act of indulging or gratifying a desire
From this reading “"I am but indulging in a freak.”
take part in a masquerade
From this reading “It is not a common thing for a nobleman to masquerade as a commoner."”
any admirable quality or attribute
From this reading “"Then I must claim the merit of originality," said Dan, humorously.”
a titled peer of the realm
From this reading “It is not a common thing for a nobleman to masquerade as a commoner."”
the ability to think and act independently
From this reading “"Then I must claim the merit of originality," said Dan, humorously.”
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.
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 It is not a common thing for a nobleman to masquerade as a commoner."
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "I am but indulging in a freak.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It is not a common thing for a nobleman to masquerade as a commoner."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Ay!
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading "You wish to know the reason of my being here, sir?"
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "I am but indulging in a freak.
an assertion of a right (as to money or property)
From this reading "Then I must claim the merit of originality," said Dan, humorously.
belonging to or participated in by a community as a whole; public
From this reading It is not a common thing for a nobleman to masquerade as a commoner."
a person who holds no title
From this reading It is not a common thing for a nobleman to masquerade as a commoner."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Then I must claim the merit of originality," said Dan, humorously.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It is not a common thing for a nobleman to masquerade as a commoner."
a person or animal that is markedly unusual or deformed
From this reading "I am but indulging in a freak.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "You wish to know the reason of my being here, sir?"
in a humorous manner
From this reading "Then I must claim the merit of originality," said Dan, humorously.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Then I must claim the merit of originality," said Dan, humorously.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "I am but indulging in a freak.
the act of indulging or gratifying a desire
From this reading "I am but indulging in a freak.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is not a common thing for a nobleman to masquerade as a commoner."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is not a common thing for a nobleman to masquerade as a commoner."
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "You wish to know the reason of my being here, sir?"
take part in a masquerade
From this reading It is not a common thing for a nobleman to masquerade as a commoner."
any admirable quality or attribute
From this reading "Then I must claim the merit of originality," said Dan, humorously.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "Then I must claim the merit of originality," said Dan, humorously.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "You wish to know the reason of my being here, sir?"
a titled peer of the realm
From this reading It is not a common thing for a nobleman to masquerade as a commoner."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It is not a common thing for a nobleman to masquerade as a commoner."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "You wish to know the reason of my being here, sir?"
the ability to think and act independently
From this reading "Then I must claim the merit of originality," said Dan, humorously.
a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading "You wish to know the reason of my being here, sir?"
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Then I must claim the merit of originality," said Dan, humorously.
term of address for a man
From this reading "You wish to know the reason of my being here, sir?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "You wish to know the reason of my being here, sir?"
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Then I must claim the merit of originality," said Dan, humorously.
a special situation
From this reading It is not a common thing for a nobleman to masquerade as a commoner."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "You wish to know the reason of my being here, sir?"
hope for; have a wish
From this reading "You wish to know the reason of my being here, sir?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You wish to know the reason of my being here, sir?"
Chapter 15 of The Gates of Dawn by Fergus Hume holds 164 sentences, grouped into 33 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 15 holds 164 sentences of The Gates of Dawn, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of The Gates of Dawn by Fergus Hume exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 164 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 15 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.
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Yes. All 4442 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56242 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #56242, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 370 minutes of reading across 889 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Gates of Dawn section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of The Gates of Dawn 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 Gates of Dawn, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
