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The Historical Nights' Entertainment
The Historical Nights' Entertainment

Chapter XXI · Chapter 21

Chapter 21 of The Historical Nights' Entertainment is here in full — 181 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/36 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
That is well said, Citizen Goullin.
The fertilizer needed by the soil is blood--the bad blood of aristocrats and federalists, and I can promise you, in the name of the august people, that it shall be abundantly provided.”
The assembly broke into applause, and his vanity melted to it.
He stood up, expressed his gratification at being so completely understood, opened his arms, and invited the departmental president, Minee, to come down and receive the kiss of brotherhood.
Thereafter they passed to the consideration of measures of improvement, of measures to combat famine and disease.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Historical Nights' Entertainment

Chapter XXI · Chapter 21

Chapter 21 of The Historical Nights' Entertainment is here in full — 181 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/36 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
That is well said, Citizen Goullin.
Line 2
The fertilizer needed by the soil is blood--the bad blood of aristocrats and federalists, and I can promise you, in the name of the august people, that it shall be abundantly provided.”
Line 3
The assembly broke into applause, and his vanity melted to it.
/ðə əˈsembli broʊk ˈɪntuː əˈplɔːz ənd hɪz ˈvænəti ˈmeltəd tuː ɪt/
Line 4
He stood up, expressed his gratification at being so completely understood, opened his arms, and invited the departmental president, Minee, to come down and receive the kiss of brotherhood.
Line 5
Thereafter they passed to the consideration of measures of improvement, of measures to combat famine and disease.
/ðeˈræftər ðeɪ pæst tuː ðə kənˌsɪdərˈeɪʃən ʌv ˈmeʒərz ʌv ˌɪmˈpruːvmənt ʌv ˈmeʒərz tuː ˈkɑːmbæt ˈfæmən ənd dɪˈziːz/

Learner Dictionary

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.

abundantly adverb US /əˈbʌndəntli/

in an abundant manner

From this reading “The fertilizer needed by the soil is blood--the bad blood of aristocrats and federalists, and I can promise you, in the name of the august people, that it shall be abundantly provided.””

aristocrats noun US /ərˈɪstəkræts/

plural of “aristocrat” — a member of the aristocracy

From this reading “The fertilizer needed by the soil is blood--the bad blood of aristocrats and federalists, and I can promise you, in the name of the august people, that it shall be abundantly provided.””

brotherhood noun US /ˈbrʌðərhʊd/

the kinship relation between a male offspring and the siblings

From this reading “He stood up, expressed his gratification at being so completely understood, opened his arms, and invited the departmental president, Minee, to come down and receive the kiss of brotherhood.”

departmental adjective US /dɪˌpɑːrtˈmenəl/

of or relating to a department

From this reading “He stood up, expressed his gratification at being so completely understood, opened his arms, and invited the departmental president, Minee, to come down and receive the kiss of brotherhood.”

famine noun US /ˈfæmən/

an acute insufficiency

From this reading “Thereafter they passed to the consideration of measures of improvement, of measures to combat famine and disease.”

federalists noun US /ˈfedərəlɪsts/

plural of “federalist” — a member of a former political party in the United States that favored a strong centralized federal government

From this reading “The fertilizer needed by the soil is blood--the bad blood of aristocrats and federalists, and I can promise you, in the name of the august people, that it shall be abundantly provided.””

fertilizer noun US /ˈfɜːrtəlaɪzər/

any substance such as manure or a mixture of nitrates used to make soil more fertile

From this reading “The fertilizer needed by the soil is blood--the bad blood of aristocrats and federalists, and I can promise you, in the name of the august people, that it shall be abundantly provided.””

gratification noun US /ˌɡrætəfəˈkeɪʃən/

state of being gratified or satisfied

From this reading “He stood up, expressed his gratification at being so completely understood, opened his arms, and invited the departmental president, Minee, to come down and receive the kiss of brotherhood.”

All words in this reading · 68

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.

abundantlyadverbUS /əˈbʌndəntli/

in an abundant manner

From this reading The fertilizer needed by the soil is blood--the bad blood of aristocrats and federalists, and I can promise you, in the name of the august people, that it shall be abundantly provided.”

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading The fertilizer needed by the soil is blood--the bad blood of aristocrats and federalists, and I can promise you, in the name of the august people, that it shall be abundantly provided.”

applausenounUS /əˈplɔːz/

a demonstration of approval by clapping the hands together

From this reading The assembly broke into applause, and his vanity melted to it.

aristocratsnounUS /ərˈɪstəkræts/

plural of “aristocrat” — a member of the aristocracy

From this reading The fertilizer needed by the soil is blood--the bad blood of aristocrats and federalists, and I can promise you, in the name of the august people, that it shall be abundantly provided.”

armsnounUS /ɑːrmz/

weapons considered collectively

From this reading He stood up, expressed his gratification at being so completely understood, opened his arms, and invited the departmental president, Minee, to come down and receive the kiss of brotherhood.

assemblynounUS /əˈsembli/

a group of machine parts that fit together to form a self-contained unit

From this reading The assembly broke into applause, and his vanity melted to it.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading He stood up, expressed his gratification at being so completely understood, opened his arms, and invited the departmental president, Minee, to come down and receive the kiss of brotherhood.

augustnounUS /ˈɑːɡəst/

the month following July and preceding September

From this reading The fertilizer needed by the soil is blood--the bad blood of aristocrats and federalists, and I can promise you, in the name of the august people, that it shall be abundantly provided.”

badadjectiveUS /bæd/

having undesirable or negative qualities

From this reading The fertilizer needed by the soil is blood--the bad blood of aristocrats and federalists, and I can promise you, in the name of the august people, that it shall be abundantly provided.”

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading The fertilizer needed by the soil is blood--the bad blood of aristocrats and federalists, and I can promise you, in the name of the august people, that it shall be abundantly provided.”

beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading He stood up, expressed his gratification at being so completely understood, opened his arms, and invited the departmental president, Minee, to come down and receive the kiss of brotherhood.

bloodnounUS /blʌd/

The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.

From this reading The fertilizer needed by the soil is blood--the bad blood of aristocrats and federalists, and I can promise you, in the name of the august people, that it shall be abundantly provided.”

brokeadjectiveUS /broʊk/

lacking funds

From this reading The assembly broke into applause, and his vanity melted to it.

brotherhoodnounUS /ˈbrʌðərhʊd/

the kinship relation between a male offspring and the siblings

From this reading He stood up, expressed his gratification at being so completely understood, opened his arms, and invited the departmental president, Minee, to come down and receive the kiss of brotherhood.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading The fertilizer needed by the soil is blood--the bad blood of aristocrats and federalists, and I can promise you, in the name of the august people, that it shall be abundantly provided.”

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading The fertilizer needed by the soil is blood--the bad blood of aristocrats and federalists, and I can promise you, in the name of the august people, that it shall be abundantly provided.”

CitizennounUS /ˈsɪtəzən/

a native or naturalized member of a state or other political community

From this reading “That is well said, Citizen Goullin.

combatnounUS /ˈkɑːmbæt/

an engagement fought between two military forces

From this reading Thereafter they passed to the consideration of measures of improvement, of measures to combat famine and disease.

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading He stood up, expressed his gratification at being so completely understood, opened his arms, and invited the departmental president, Minee, to come down and receive the kiss of brotherhood.

completelyadverbUS /kəmˈpliːtli/

to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)

From this reading He stood up, expressed his gratification at being so completely understood, opened his arms, and invited the departmental president, Minee, to come down and receive the kiss of brotherhood.

considerationnounUS /kənˌsɪdərˈeɪʃən/

the process of giving careful thought to something

From this reading Thereafter they passed to the consideration of measures of improvement, of measures to combat famine and disease.

departmentaladjectiveUS /dɪˌpɑːrtˈmenəl/

of or relating to a department

From this reading He stood up, expressed his gratification at being so completely understood, opened his arms, and invited the departmental president, Minee, to come down and receive the kiss of brotherhood.

diseasenounUS /dɪˈziːz/

an impairment of health or a condition of abnormal functioning

From this reading Thereafter they passed to the consideration of measures of improvement, of measures to combat famine and disease.

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading He stood up, expressed his gratification at being so completely understood, opened his arms, and invited the departmental president, Minee, to come down and receive the kiss of brotherhood.

expressedadjectiveUS /ɪkˈsprest/

communicated in words

From this reading He stood up, expressed his gratification at being so completely understood, opened his arms, and invited the departmental president, Minee, to come down and receive the kiss of brotherhood.

faminenounUS /ˈfæmən/

an acute insufficiency

From this reading Thereafter they passed to the consideration of measures of improvement, of measures to combat famine and disease.

federalistsnounUS /ˈfedərəlɪsts/

plural of “federalist” — a member of a former political party in the United States that favored a strong centralized federal government

From this reading The fertilizer needed by the soil is blood--the bad blood of aristocrats and federalists, and I can promise you, in the name of the august people, that it shall be abundantly provided.”

fertilizernounUS /ˈfɜːrtəlaɪzər/

any substance such as manure or a mixture of nitrates used to make soil more fertile

From this reading The fertilizer needed by the soil is blood--the bad blood of aristocrats and federalists, and I can promise you, in the name of the august people, that it shall be abundantly provided.”

Goullin

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “That is well said, Citizen Goullin.

gratificationnounUS /ˌɡrætəfəˈkeɪʃən/

state of being gratified or satisfied

From this reading He stood up, expressed his gratification at being so completely understood, opened his arms, and invited the departmental president, Minee, to come down and receive the kiss of brotherhood.

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He stood up, expressed his gratification at being so completely understood, opened his arms, and invited the departmental president, Minee, to come down and receive the kiss of brotherhood.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading The assembly broke into applause, and his vanity melted to it.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading The fertilizer needed by the soil is blood--the bad blood of aristocrats and federalists, and I can promise you, in the name of the august people, that it shall be abundantly provided.”

improvementnounUS /ˌɪmˈpruːvmənt/

a change for the better; progress in development

From this reading Thereafter they passed to the consideration of measures of improvement, of measures to combat famine and disease.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading The fertilizer needed by the soil is blood--the bad blood of aristocrats and federalists, and I can promise you, in the name of the august people, that it shall be abundantly provided.”

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading The assembly broke into applause, and his vanity melted to it.

invitedverbUS /ˌɪnˈvaɪtəd/

past form of “invite” — increase the likelihood of

From this reading He stood up, expressed his gratification at being so completely understood, opened his arms, and invited the departmental president, Minee, to come down and receive the kiss of brotherhood.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading “That is well said, Citizen Goullin.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading The fertilizer needed by the soil is blood--the bad blood of aristocrats and federalists, and I can promise you, in the name of the august people, that it shall be abundantly provided.”

kissnounUS /kɪs/

the act of caressing with the lips (or an instance thereof)

From this reading He stood up, expressed his gratification at being so completely understood, opened his arms, and invited the departmental president, Minee, to come down and receive the kiss of brotherhood.

measuresnounUS /ˈmeʒərz/

plural of “measure” — any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal

From this reading Thereafter they passed to the consideration of measures of improvement, of measures to combat famine and disease.

meltedadjectiveUS /ˈmeltəd/

changed from a solid to a liquid state

From this reading The assembly broke into applause, and his vanity melted to it.

Minee

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He stood up, expressed his gratification at being so completely understood, opened his arms, and invited the departmental president, Minee, to come down and receive the kiss of brotherhood.

nameverbUS /neɪm/

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading The fertilizer needed by the soil is blood--the bad blood of aristocrats and federalists, and I can promise you, in the name of the august people, that it shall be abundantly provided.”

neededadjectiveUS /ˈniːdəd/

necessary for relief or supply

From this reading The fertilizer needed by the soil is blood--the bad blood of aristocrats and federalists, and I can promise you, in the name of the august people, that it shall be abundantly provided.”

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The fertilizer needed by the soil is blood--the bad blood of aristocrats and federalists, and I can promise you, in the name of the august people, that it shall be abundantly provided.”

openedadjectiveUS /ˈoʊpənd/

used of mouth or eyes

From this reading He stood up, expressed his gratification at being so completely understood, opened his arms, and invited the departmental president, Minee, to come down and receive the kiss of brotherhood.

passedverbUS /pæst/

past form of “pass” — go across or through

From this reading Thereafter they passed to the consideration of measures of improvement, of measures to combat famine and disease.

peoplenounUS /ˈpiːpəl/

(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively

From this reading The fertilizer needed by the soil is blood--the bad blood of aristocrats and federalists, and I can promise you, in the name of the august people, that it shall be abundantly provided.”

presidentnounUS /ˈprezədent/

an executive officer of a firm or corporation

From this reading He stood up, expressed his gratification at being so completely understood, opened his arms, and invited the departmental president, Minee, to come down and receive the kiss of brotherhood.

promiseverbUS /ˈprɑːməs/

make a promise or commitment

From this reading The fertilizer needed by the soil is blood--the bad blood of aristocrats and federalists, and I can promise you, in the name of the august people, that it shall be abundantly provided.”

providedverbUS /prəˈvaɪdɪd/

past form of “provide” — give something useful or necessary to

From this reading The fertilizer needed by the soil is blood--the bad blood of aristocrats and federalists, and I can promise you, in the name of the august people, that it shall be abundantly provided.”

receiveverbUS /rəˈsiːv/

get something; come into possession of

From this reading He stood up, expressed his gratification at being so completely understood, opened his arms, and invited the departmental president, Minee, to come down and receive the kiss of brotherhood.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading “That is well said, Citizen Goullin.

shallmodal verbUS /ʃæl/

used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest

From this reading The fertilizer needed by the soil is blood--the bad blood of aristocrats and federalists, and I can promise you, in the name of the august people, that it shall be abundantly provided.”

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading He stood up, expressed his gratification at being so completely understood, opened his arms, and invited the departmental president, Minee, to come down and receive the kiss of brotherhood.

soilnounUS /sɔɪl/

the state of being covered with unclean things

From this reading The fertilizer needed by the soil is blood--the bad blood of aristocrats and federalists, and I can promise you, in the name of the august people, that it shall be abundantly provided.”

stoodverbUS /stʊd/

Maintained an upright posture.

From this reading He stood up, expressed his gratification at being so completely understood, opened his arms, and invited the departmental president, Minee, to come down and receive the kiss of brotherhood.

ThatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading “That is well said, Citizen Goullin.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The fertilizer needed by the soil is blood--the bad blood of aristocrats and federalists, and I can promise you, in the name of the august people, that it shall be abundantly provided.”

ThereafteradverbUS /ðeˈræftər/

from that time on

From this reading Thereafter they passed to the consideration of measures of improvement, of measures to combat famine and disease.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Thereafter they passed to the consideration of measures of improvement, of measures to combat famine and disease.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading The assembly broke into applause, and his vanity melted to it.

understoodadjectiveUS /ˌʌndərˈstʊd/

fully apprehended as to purport or meaning or explanation

From this reading He stood up, expressed his gratification at being so completely understood, opened his arms, and invited the departmental president, Minee, to come down and receive the kiss of brotherhood.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading He stood up, expressed his gratification at being so completely understood, opened his arms, and invited the departmental president, Minee, to come down and receive the kiss of brotherhood.

vanitynounUS /ˈvænəti/

feelings of excessive pride

From this reading The assembly broke into applause, and his vanity melted to it.

welladverbUS /wel/

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading “That is well said, Citizen Goullin.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading The fertilizer needed by the soil is blood--the bad blood of aristocrats and federalists, and I can promise you, in the name of the august people, that it shall be abundantly provided.”

Chapter 21 of The Historical Nights' Entertainment by Rafael Sabatini holds 181 sentences, grouped into 37 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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.

What does chapter 21 of The Historical Nights' Entertainment contain?

Chapter 21 holds 181 sentences of The Historical Nights' Entertainment, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 21 of The Historical Nights' Entertainment by Rafael Sabatini exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 181 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.

How do I study chapter 21 of The Historical Nights' Entertainment?

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.

Can chapter 21 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 21 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.

Questions about reading The Historical Nights' Entertainment

Common questions about reading The Historical Nights' Entertainment by Rafael Sabatini on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Historical Nights' Entertainment?

Yes. All 5642 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2636 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Historical Nights' Entertainment is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #2636, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Historical Nights' Entertainment take to read?

About 470 minutes of reading across 1129 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Historical Nights' Entertainment section by section

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  1. Open a chapter

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  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Historical Nights' Entertainment

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Historical Nights' Entertainment, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Approaching
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Historical Nights' Entertainment; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Historical
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Historical Nights' Entertainment; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Nights'
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Historical Nights' Entertainment; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Entertainment
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Historical Nights' Entertainment; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.