Chapter 13 of The Half-Back is here in full — 200 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of The Half-Back is here in full — 200 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE GAME WITH ST. EUSTACE. There is a tradition at Hillton, almost as firmly inwrought as that which credits Professor Durkee with wearing a wig, to the effect that Thanksgiving Day is always rainy. To-day proved an exception to the rule. The sun shone quite warmly and scarce a cloud was to be seen.
Chapter 13 of The Half-Back is here in full — 200 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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 list of acknowledgements of those who contributed to the creation of a film (usually run at the end of the film)
From this reading “There is a tradition at Hillton, almost as firmly inwrought as that which credits Professor Durkee with wearing a wig, to the effect that Thanksgiving Day is always rainy.”
a deliberate act of omission
From this reading “To-day proved an exception to the rule.”
(of weather) wet by periods of rain
From this reading “There is a tradition at Hillton, almost as firmly inwrought as that which credits Professor Durkee with wearing a wig, to the effect that Thanksgiving Day is always rainy.”
fourth Thursday in November in the United States; second Monday in October in Canada; commemorates a feast held in 1621 by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag
From this reading “There is a tradition at Hillton, almost as firmly inwrought as that which credits Professor Durkee with wearing a wig, to the effect that Thanksgiving Day is always rainy.”
an inherited pattern of thought or action
From this reading “There is a tradition at Hillton, almost as firmly inwrought as that which credits Professor Durkee with wearing a wig, to the effect that Thanksgiving Day is always rainy.”
in a hearty manner
From this reading “The sun shone quite warmly and scarce a cloud was to be seen.”
(geology) the mechanical process of wearing or grinding something down (as by particles washing over it)
From this reading “There is a tradition at Hillton, almost as firmly inwrought as that which credits Professor Durkee with wearing a wig, to the effect that Thanksgiving Day is always rainy.”
hairpiece covering the head and made of real or synthetic hair
From this reading “There is a tradition at Hillton, almost as firmly inwrought as that which credits Professor Durkee with wearing a wig, to the effect that Thanksgiving Day is always rainy.”
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 There is a tradition at Hillton, almost as firmly inwrought as that which credits Professor Durkee with wearing a wig, to the effect that Thanksgiving Day is always rainy.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading There is a tradition at Hillton, almost as firmly inwrought as that which credits Professor Durkee with wearing a wig, to the effect that Thanksgiving Day is always rainy.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading There is a tradition at Hillton, almost as firmly inwrought as that which credits Professor Durkee with wearing a wig, to the effect that Thanksgiving Day is always rainy.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading To-day proved an exception to the rule.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The sun shone quite warmly and scarce a cloud was to be seen.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading There is a tradition at Hillton, almost as firmly inwrought as that which credits Professor Durkee with wearing a wig, to the effect that Thanksgiving Day is always rainy.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading There is a tradition at Hillton, almost as firmly inwrought as that which credits Professor Durkee with wearing a wig, to the effect that Thanksgiving Day is always rainy.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The sun shone quite warmly and scarce a cloud was to be seen.
make overcast or cloudy
From this reading The sun shone quite warmly and scarce a cloud was to be seen.
a list of acknowledgements of those who contributed to the creation of a film (usually run at the end of the film)
From this reading There is a tradition at Hillton, almost as firmly inwrought as that which credits Professor Durkee with wearing a wig, to the effect that Thanksgiving Day is always rainy.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading There is a tradition at Hillton, almost as firmly inwrought as that which credits Professor Durkee with wearing a wig, to the effect that Thanksgiving Day is always rainy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There is a tradition at Hillton, almost as firmly inwrought as that which credits Professor Durkee with wearing a wig, to the effect that Thanksgiving Day is always rainy.
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading There is a tradition at Hillton, almost as firmly inwrought as that which credits Professor Durkee with wearing a wig, to the effect that Thanksgiving Day is always rainy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading EUSTACE.
a deliberate act of omission
From this reading To-day proved an exception to the rule.
with resolute determination
From this reading There is a tradition at Hillton, almost as firmly inwrought as that which credits Professor Durkee with wearing a wig, to the effect that Thanksgiving Day is always rainy.
a contest with rules to determine a winner
From this reading THE GAME WITH ST.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There is a tradition at Hillton, almost as firmly inwrought as that which credits Professor Durkee with wearing a wig, to the effect that Thanksgiving Day is always rainy.
having a decorative pattern worked or woven in
From this reading There is a tradition at Hillton, almost as firmly inwrought as that which credits Professor Durkee with wearing a wig, to the effect that Thanksgiving Day is always rainy.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There is a tradition at Hillton, almost as firmly inwrought as that which credits Professor Durkee with wearing a wig, to the effect that Thanksgiving Day is always rainy.
someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
From this reading There is a tradition at Hillton, almost as firmly inwrought as that which credits Professor Durkee with wearing a wig, to the effect that Thanksgiving Day is always rainy.
established beyond doubt
From this reading To-day proved an exception to the rule.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading The sun shone quite warmly and scarce a cloud was to be seen.
(of weather) wet by periods of rain
From this reading There is a tradition at Hillton, almost as firmly inwrought as that which credits Professor Durkee with wearing a wig, to the effect that Thanksgiving Day is always rainy.
a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior
From this reading To-day proved an exception to the rule.
only a very short time before
From this reading The sun shone quite warmly and scarce a cloud was to be seen.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading The sun shone quite warmly and scarce a cloud was to be seen.
inflected form of “shine” — be bright by reflecting or casting light
From this reading The sun shone quite warmly and scarce a cloud was to be seen.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE GAME WITH ST.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading The sun shone quite warmly and scarce a cloud was to be seen.
fourth Thursday in November in the United States; second Monday in October in Canada; commemorates a feast held in 1621 by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag
From this reading There is a tradition at Hillton, almost as firmly inwrought as that which credits Professor Durkee with wearing a wig, to the effect that Thanksgiving Day is always rainy.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading There is a tradition at Hillton, almost as firmly inwrought as that which credits Professor Durkee with wearing a wig, to the effect that Thanksgiving Day is always rainy.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE GAME WITH ST.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There is a tradition at Hillton, almost as firmly inwrought as that which credits Professor Durkee with wearing a wig, to the effect that Thanksgiving Day is always rainy.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading There is a tradition at Hillton, almost as firmly inwrought as that which credits Professor Durkee with wearing a wig, to the effect that Thanksgiving Day is always rainy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading To-day proved an exception to the rule.
an inherited pattern of thought or action
From this reading There is a tradition at Hillton, almost as firmly inwrought as that which credits Professor Durkee with wearing a wig, to the effect that Thanksgiving Day is always rainy.
in a hearty manner
From this reading The sun shone quite warmly and scarce a cloud was to be seen.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The sun shone quite warmly and scarce a cloud was to be seen.
(geology) the mechanical process of wearing or grinding something down (as by particles washing over it)
From this reading There is a tradition at Hillton, almost as firmly inwrought as that which credits Professor Durkee with wearing a wig, to the effect that Thanksgiving Day is always rainy.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading There is a tradition at Hillton, almost as firmly inwrought as that which credits Professor Durkee with wearing a wig, to the effect that Thanksgiving Day is always rainy.
hairpiece covering the head and made of real or synthetic hair
From this reading There is a tradition at Hillton, almost as firmly inwrought as that which credits Professor Durkee with wearing a wig, to the effect that Thanksgiving Day is always rainy.
in the company of; together with
From this reading THE GAME WITH ST.
Chapter 13 of The Half-Back by Ralph Henry Barbour holds 200 sentences, grouped into 40 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 13 holds 200 sentences of The Half-Back, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of The Half-Back by Ralph Henry Barbour exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 200 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 Half-Back by Ralph Henry Barbour on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3827 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #11041 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #11041, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 318 minutes of reading across 766 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Half-Back section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of The Half-Back 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 Half-Back, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
