Chapter 21 of The Homesteader is here in full — 217 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of The Homesteader is here in full — 217 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE GREAT QUESTION The days that followed after the Elder had taken his wife away, were unhappy days for Jean Baptiste. In his life there were certain things he had held sacred. Chief among these was the marriage vow. While a strong willed, obviously firm sort of person, he was by nature sentimental. He had among his sentiments been an enemy of divorces.
Chapter 21 of The Homesteader is here in full — 217 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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.
plural of “divorce” — the legal dissolution of a marriage
From this reading “He had among his sentiments been an enemy of divorces.”
a person who is older than you are
From this reading “THE GREAT QUESTION The days that followed after the Elder had taken his wife away, were unhappy days for Jean Baptiste.”
a coarse durable twill-weave cotton fabric
From this reading “THE GREAT QUESTION The days that followed after the Elder had taken his wife away, were unhappy days for Jean Baptiste.”
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading “While a strong willed, obviously firm sort of person, he was by nature sentimental.”
given to or marked by sentiment or sentimentality
From this reading “While a strong willed, obviously firm sort of person, he was by nature sentimental.”
plural of “sentiment” — tender, romantic, or nostalgic feeling or emotion
From this reading “He had among his sentiments been an enemy of divorces.”
make a vow; promise
From this reading “Chief among these was the marriage vow.”
past form of “will” — decree or ordain
From this reading “While a strong willed, obviously firm sort of person, he was by nature sentimental.”
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.
In this reading “In his life there were certain things he had held sacred.”
through inherent nature
In this reading “While a strong willed, obviously firm sort of person, he was by nature sentimental.”
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 While a strong willed, obviously firm sort of person, he was by nature sentimental.
later than; following
From this reading THE GREAT QUESTION The days that followed after the Elder had taken his wife away, were unhappy days for Jean Baptiste.
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading Chief among these was the marriage vow.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He had among his sentiments been an enemy of divorces.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading THE GREAT QUESTION The days that followed after the Elder had taken his wife away, were unhappy days for Jean Baptiste.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE GREAT QUESTION The days that followed after the Elder had taken his wife away, were unhappy days for Jean Baptiste.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He had among his sentiments been an enemy of divorces.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading While a strong willed, obviously firm sort of person, he was by nature sentimental.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading In his life there were certain things he had held sacred.
a person who is in charge
From this reading Chief among these was the marriage vow.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading THE GREAT QUESTION The days that followed after the Elder had taken his wife away, were unhappy days for Jean Baptiste.
plural of “divorce” — the legal dissolution of a marriage
From this reading He had among his sentiments been an enemy of divorces.
a person who is older than you are
From this reading THE GREAT QUESTION The days that followed after the Elder had taken his wife away, were unhappy days for Jean Baptiste.
an opposing military force
From this reading He had among his sentiments been an enemy of divorces.
marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable
From this reading While a strong willed, obviously firm sort of person, he was by nature sentimental.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading THE GREAT QUESTION The days that followed after the Elder had taken his wife away, were unhappy days for Jean Baptiste.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading THE GREAT QUESTION The days that followed after the Elder had taken his wife away, were unhappy days for Jean Baptiste.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading THE GREAT QUESTION The days that followed after the Elder had taken his wife away, were unhappy days for Jean Baptiste.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading THE GREAT QUESTION The days that followed after the Elder had taken his wife away, were unhappy days for Jean Baptiste.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading In his life there were certain things he had held sacred.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading In his life there were certain things he had held sacred.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading THE GREAT QUESTION The days that followed after the Elder had taken his wife away, were unhappy days for Jean Baptiste.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In his life there were certain things he had held sacred.
a coarse durable twill-weave cotton fabric
From this reading THE GREAT QUESTION The days that followed after the Elder had taken his wife away, were unhappy days for Jean Baptiste.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading In his life there were certain things he had held sacred.
the state of being a married couple voluntarily joined for life (or until divorce)
From this reading Chief among these was the marriage vow.
the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading While a strong willed, obviously firm sort of person, he was by nature sentimental.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading While a strong willed, obviously firm sort of person, he was by nature sentimental.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading While a strong willed, obviously firm sort of person, he was by nature sentimental.
a human being
From this reading While a strong willed, obviously firm sort of person, he was by nature sentimental.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading THE GREAT QUESTION The days that followed after the Elder had taken his wife away, were unhappy days for Jean Baptiste.
concerned with religion or religious purposes
From this reading In his life there were certain things he had held sacred.
given to or marked by sentiment or sentimentality
From this reading While a strong willed, obviously firm sort of person, he was by nature sentimental.
plural of “sentiment” — tender, romantic, or nostalgic feeling or emotion
From this reading He had among his sentiments been an enemy of divorces.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading While a strong willed, obviously firm sort of person, he was by nature sentimental.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading While a strong willed, obviously firm sort of person, he was by nature sentimental.
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading THE GREAT QUESTION The days that followed after the Elder had taken his wife away, were unhappy days for Jean Baptiste.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading THE GREAT QUESTION The days that followed after the Elder had taken his wife away, were unhappy days for Jean Baptiste.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE GREAT QUESTION The days that followed after the Elder had taken his wife away, were unhappy days for Jean Baptiste.
in or at that place or location
From this reading In his life there were certain things he had held sacred.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading Chief among these was the marriage vow.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading In his life there were certain things he had held sacred.
experiencing or marked by or causing sadness or sorrow or discontent
From this reading THE GREAT QUESTION The days that followed after the Elder had taken his wife away, were unhappy days for Jean Baptiste.
make a vow; promise
From this reading Chief among these was the marriage vow.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Chief among these was the marriage vow.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading THE GREAT QUESTION The days that followed after the Elder had taken his wife away, were unhappy days for Jean Baptiste.
during the time that
From this reading While a strong willed, obviously firm sort of person, he was by nature sentimental.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading THE GREAT QUESTION The days that followed after the Elder had taken his wife away, were unhappy days for Jean Baptiste.
past form of “will” — decree or ordain
From this reading While a strong willed, obviously firm sort of person, he was by nature sentimental.
Chapter 21 of The Homesteader by Oscar Micheaux holds 217 sentences, grouped into 44 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 21 holds 217 sentences of The Homesteader, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of The Homesteader by Oscar Micheaux exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 217 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 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.
Common questions about reading The Homesteader by Oscar Micheaux on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9558 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39238 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #39238, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1912 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Homesteader section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Homesteader 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 Homesteader, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
