Chapter 23 of The Golden Web is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of The Golden Web is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A QUESTION Winifred came slowly into the room. It seemed to Deane, watching her curiously, that she had been steeling herself to defiance. There was no change in her expression, and her lips seemed tighter drawn than ever. She went at once to her brother's side. "You have been talking too much, Basil," she said.
Chapter 23 of The Golden Web is here in full — 104 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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.
any of several Old World tropical aromatic annual or perennial herbs of the genus Ocimum
From this reading “"You have been talking too much, Basil," she said.”
possessive form of “brother” — a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading “She went at once to her brother's side.”
in a manner differing from the usual or expected
From this reading “It seemed to Deane, watching her curiously, that she had been steeling herself to defiance.”
intentionally contemptuous behavior or attitude
From this reading “It seemed to Deane, watching her curiously, that she had been steeling herself to defiance.”
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading “There was no change in her expression, and her lips seemed tighter drawn than ever.”
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading “There was no change in her expression, and her lips seemed tighter drawn than ever.”
comparative of “tight” — closely constrained or constricted or constricting
From this reading “There was no change in her expression, and her lips seemed tighter drawn than ever.”
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading “It seemed to Deane, watching her curiously, that she had been steeling herself to defiance.”
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.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
In this reading “She went at once to her brother's side.”
In this reading “A QUESTION Winifred came slowly into the room.”
In this reading “There was no change in her expression, and her lips seemed tighter drawn than ever.”
In this reading “A QUESTION Winifred came slowly into the room.”
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 A QUESTION Winifred came slowly into the room.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There was no change in her expression, and her lips seemed tighter drawn than ever.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She went at once to her brother's side.
any of several Old World tropical aromatic annual or perennial herbs of the genus Ocimum
From this reading "You have been talking too much, Basil," she said.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It seemed to Deane, watching her curiously, that she had been steeling herself to defiance.
possessive form of “brother” — a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading She went at once to her brother's side.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading A QUESTION Winifred came slowly into the room.
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading There was no change in her expression, and her lips seemed tighter drawn than ever.
in a manner differing from the usual or expected
From this reading It seemed to Deane, watching her curiously, that she had been steeling herself to defiance.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed to Deane, watching her curiously, that she had been steeling herself to defiance.
intentionally contemptuous behavior or attitude
From this reading It seemed to Deane, watching her curiously, that she had been steeling herself to defiance.
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading There was no change in her expression, and her lips seemed tighter drawn than ever.
at any time
From this reading There was no change in her expression, and her lips seemed tighter drawn than ever.
the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading There was no change in her expression, and her lips seemed tighter drawn than ever.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It seemed to Deane, watching her curiously, that she had been steeling herself to defiance.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "You have been talking too much, Basil," she said.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading It seemed to Deane, watching her curiously, that she had been steeling herself to defiance.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading It seemed to Deane, watching her curiously, that she had been steeling herself to defiance.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There was no change in her expression, and her lips seemed tighter drawn than ever.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading A QUESTION Winifred came slowly into the room.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It seemed to Deane, watching her curiously, that she had been steeling herself to defiance.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading There was no change in her expression, and her lips seemed tighter drawn than ever.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "You have been talking too much, Basil," she said.
not any; not one
From this reading There was no change in her expression, and her lips seemed tighter drawn than ever.
on one occasion
From this reading She went at once to her brother's side.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading A QUESTION Winifred came slowly into the room.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading A QUESTION Winifred came slowly into the room.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You have been talking too much, Basil," she said.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It seemed to Deane, watching her curiously, that she had been steeling herself to defiance.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It seemed to Deane, watching her curiously, that she had been steeling herself to defiance.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading She went at once to her brother's side.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading A QUESTION Winifred came slowly into the room.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It seemed to Deane, watching her curiously, that she had been steeling herself to defiance.
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading "You have been talking too much, Basil," she said.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading There was no change in her expression, and her lips seemed tighter drawn than ever.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It seemed to Deane, watching her curiously, that she had been steeling herself to defiance.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A QUESTION Winifred came slowly into the room.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was no change in her expression, and her lips seemed tighter drawn than ever.
comparative of “tight” — closely constrained or constricted or constricting
From this reading There was no change in her expression, and her lips seemed tighter drawn than ever.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It seemed to Deane, watching her curiously, that she had been steeling herself to defiance.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "You have been talking too much, Basil," she said.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was no change in her expression, and her lips seemed tighter drawn than ever.
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading It seemed to Deane, watching her curiously, that she had been steeling herself to defiance.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading She went at once to her brother's side.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A QUESTION Winifred came slowly into the room.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You have been talking too much, Basil," she said.
Chapter 23 of The Golden Web by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim holds 104 sentences, grouped into 21 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 23 holds 104 sentences of The Golden Web, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of The Golden Web by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 104 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 23 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 Golden Web by E. Phillips (Edward Phillips) Oppenheim on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5894 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34945 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34945, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 491 minutes of reading across 1179 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Golden Web section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of The Golden Web 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 Golden Web, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
