Chapter 29 of The Great Taboo is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIX
Chapter 29 of The Great Taboo is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
VICTORY--AND AFTER? The great god had wounded him. But not to the heart. Felix, as good luck would have it, happened to be wearing buckled braces. He had worn them on board, and, like the rest of his costume, had, of course, never since been able to discard them.
Chapter 29 of The Great Taboo is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/36 · 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.
an appliance that corrects dental irregularities
From this reading “Felix, as good luck would have it, happened to be wearing buckled braces.”
past form of “buckle” — fasten with a buckle or buckles
From this reading “Felix, as good luck would have it, happened to be wearing buckled braces.”
the attire worn in a play or at a fancy dress ball
From this reading “He had worn them on board, and, like the rest of his costume, had, of course, never since been able to discard them.”
throw or cast away
From this reading “He had worn them on board, and, like the rest of his costume, had, of course, never since been able to discard them.”
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading “Felix, as good luck would have it, happened to be wearing buckled braces.”
a successful ending of a struggle or contest
From this reading “VICTORY--AND AFTER?”
(geology) the mechanical process of wearing or grinding something down (as by particles washing over it)
From this reading “Felix, as good luck would have it, happened to be wearing buckled braces.”
Damaged or thinned by continuous use.
From this reading “He had worn them on board, and, like the rest of his costume, had, of course, never since been able to discard them.”
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.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading He had worn them on board, and, like the rest of his costume, had, of course, never since been able to discard them.
later than; following
From this reading VICTORY--AND AFTER?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading VICTORY--AND AFTER?
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Felix, as good luck would have it, happened to be wearing buckled braces.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Felix, as good luck would have it, happened to be wearing buckled braces.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He had worn them on board, and, like the rest of his costume, had, of course, never since been able to discard them.
a committee having supervisory powers
From this reading He had worn them on board, and, like the rest of his costume, had, of course, never since been able to discard them.
an appliance that corrects dental irregularities
From this reading Felix, as good luck would have it, happened to be wearing buckled braces.
past form of “buckle” — fasten with a buckle or buckles
From this reading Felix, as good luck would have it, happened to be wearing buckled braces.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But not to the heart.
the attire worn in a play or at a fancy dress ball
From this reading He had worn them on board, and, like the rest of his costume, had, of course, never since been able to discard them.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading He had worn them on board, and, like the rest of his costume, had, of course, never since been able to discard them.
throw or cast away
From this reading He had worn them on board, and, like the rest of his costume, had, of course, never since been able to discard them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Felix, as good luck would have it, happened to be wearing buckled braces.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading The great god had wounded him.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Felix, as good luck would have it, happened to be wearing buckled braces.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading The great god had wounded him.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The great god had wounded him.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading Felix, as good luck would have it, happened to be wearing buckled braces.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Felix, as good luck would have it, happened to be wearing buckled braces.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had worn them on board, and, like the rest of his costume, had, of course, never since been able to discard them.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading But not to the heart.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The great god had wounded him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He had worn them on board, and, like the rest of his costume, had, of course, never since been able to discard them.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Felix, as good luck would have it, happened to be wearing buckled braces.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading He had worn them on board, and, like the rest of his costume, had, of course, never since been able to discard them.
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading Felix, as good luck would have it, happened to be wearing buckled braces.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading He had worn them on board, and, like the rest of his costume, had, of course, never since been able to discard them.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But not to the heart.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He had worn them on board, and, like the rest of his costume, had, of course, never since been able to discard them.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He had worn them on board, and, like the rest of his costume, had, of course, never since been able to discard them.
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading He had worn them on board, and, like the rest of his costume, had, of course, never since been able to discard them.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading He had worn them on board, and, like the rest of his costume, had, of course, never since been able to discard them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The great god had wounded him.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading He had worn them on board, and, like the rest of his costume, had, of course, never since been able to discard them.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But not to the heart.
a successful ending of a struggle or contest
From this reading VICTORY--AND AFTER?
(geology) the mechanical process of wearing or grinding something down (as by particles washing over it)
From this reading Felix, as good luck would have it, happened to be wearing buckled braces.
Damaged or thinned by continuous use.
From this reading He had worn them on board, and, like the rest of his costume, had, of course, never since been able to discard them.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Felix, as good luck would have it, happened to be wearing buckled braces.
people who are wounded
From this reading The great god had wounded him.
Chapter 29 of The Great Taboo by Grant Allen holds 183 sentences, grouped into 37 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 29 holds 183 sentences of The Great Taboo, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 29 of The Great Taboo by Grant Allen exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 183 sentences, grouped into 37 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 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 37 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 29 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 Great Taboo by Grant Allen on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4610 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13876 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #13876, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 384 minutes of reading across 922 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Great Taboo section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of The Great Taboo 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 Great Taboo, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
