Chapter 23 of The Half-Back is here in full — 174 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of The Half-Back is here in full — 174 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
HARWELL _VS_. YATES--THE FIRST HALF. That game will live in history. It was a battle royal between giant foes. On one hand was the confidence begat of fifteen years of almost continuous victory over the crimson; on the other the desperation that such defeat brings.
Chapter 23 of The Half-Back is here in full — 174 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/34 · 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.
inflected form of “beget” — make (offspring) by reproduction
From this reading “On one hand was the confidence begat of fifteen years of almost continuous victory over the crimson; on the other the desperation that such defeat brings.”
third-person singular of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading “On one hand was the confidence begat of fifteen years of almost continuous victory over the crimson; on the other the desperation that such defeat brings.”
continuing in time or space without interruption
From this reading “On one hand was the confidence begat of fifteen years of almost continuous victory over the crimson; on the other the desperation that such defeat brings.”
of a color at the end of the color spectrum (next to orange); resembling the color of blood or cherries or tomatoes or rubies
From this reading “On one hand was the confidence begat of fifteen years of almost continuous victory over the crimson; on the other the desperation that such defeat brings.”
an unsuccessful ending to a struggle or contest
From this reading “On one hand was the confidence begat of fifteen years of almost continuous victory over the crimson; on the other the desperation that such defeat brings.”
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading “On one hand was the confidence begat of fifteen years of almost continuous victory over the crimson; on the other the desperation that such defeat brings.”
plural of “foe” — an armed adversary (especially a member of an opposing military force)
From this reading “It was a battle royal between giant foes.”
any creature of exceptional size
From this reading “It was a battle royal between giant foes.”
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 was a battle royal between giant foes.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading On one hand was the confidence begat of fifteen years of almost continuous victory over the crimson; on the other the desperation that such defeat brings.
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading It was a battle royal between giant foes.
inflected form of “beget” — make (offspring) by reproduction
From this reading On one hand was the confidence begat of fifteen years of almost continuous victory over the crimson; on the other the desperation that such defeat brings.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading It was a battle royal between giant foes.
third-person singular of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading On one hand was the confidence begat of fifteen years of almost continuous victory over the crimson; on the other the desperation that such defeat brings.
freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities
From this reading On one hand was the confidence begat of fifteen years of almost continuous victory over the crimson; on the other the desperation that such defeat brings.
continuing in time or space without interruption
From this reading On one hand was the confidence begat of fifteen years of almost continuous victory over the crimson; on the other the desperation that such defeat brings.
of a color at the end of the color spectrum (next to orange); resembling the color of blood or cherries or tomatoes or rubies
From this reading On one hand was the confidence begat of fifteen years of almost continuous victory over the crimson; on the other the desperation that such defeat brings.
an unsuccessful ending to a struggle or contest
From this reading On one hand was the confidence begat of fifteen years of almost continuous victory over the crimson; on the other the desperation that such defeat brings.
a state in which all hope is lost or absent
From this reading On one hand was the confidence begat of fifteen years of almost continuous victory over the crimson; on the other the desperation that such defeat brings.
the cardinal number that is the sum of fourteen and one
From this reading On one hand was the confidence begat of fifteen years of almost continuous victory over the crimson; on the other the desperation that such defeat brings.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading YATES--THE FIRST HALF.
plural of “foe” — an armed adversary (especially a member of an opposing military force)
From this reading It was a battle royal between giant foes.
a contest with rules to determine a winner
From this reading That game will live in history.
any creature of exceptional size
From this reading It was a battle royal between giant foes.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading YATES--THE FIRST HALF.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading On one hand was the confidence begat of fifteen years of almost continuous victory over the crimson; on the other the desperation that such defeat brings.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HARWELL _VS_.
the aggregate of past events
From this reading That game will live in history.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading That game will live in history.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a battle royal between giant foes.
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading That game will live in history.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading On one hand was the confidence begat of fifteen years of almost continuous victory over the crimson; on the other the desperation that such defeat brings.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On one hand was the confidence begat of fifteen years of almost continuous victory over the crimson; on the other the desperation that such defeat brings.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading On one hand was the confidence begat of fifteen years of almost continuous victory over the crimson; on the other the desperation that such defeat brings.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading On one hand was the confidence begat of fifteen years of almost continuous victory over the crimson; on the other the desperation that such defeat brings.
above and across; more than
From this reading On one hand was the confidence begat of fifteen years of almost continuous victory over the crimson; on the other the desperation that such defeat brings.
of or relating to or indicative of or issued or performed by a king or queen or other monarch
From this reading It was a battle royal between giant foes.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading On one hand was the confidence begat of fifteen years of almost continuous victory over the crimson; on the other the desperation that such defeat brings.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That game will live in history.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading YATES--THE FIRST HALF.
a successful ending of a struggle or contest
From this reading On one hand was the confidence begat of fifteen years of almost continuous victory over the crimson; on the other the desperation that such defeat brings.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HARWELL _VS_.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a battle royal between giant foes.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading That game will live in history.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading YATES--THE FIRST HALF.
a late time of life
From this reading On one hand was the confidence begat of fifteen years of almost continuous victory over the crimson; on the other the desperation that such defeat brings.
Chapter 23 of The Half-Back by Ralph Henry Barbour holds 174 sentences, grouped into 35 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 174 sentences of The Half-Back, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of The Half-Back by Ralph Henry Barbour exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 174 sentences, grouped into 35 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 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 35 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 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.
