Chapter 40 of The Honorable Peter Stirling and What People is here in full — 461 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XL
Chapter 40 of The Honorable Peter Stirling and What People is here in full — 461 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A CONUNDRUM. Mr. Pierce was preparing to talk. Usually Mr. Pierce was talking. Mr. Pierce had been talking already, but it had been to single listeners only, and for quite a time in the last three hours Mr. Pierce had been compelled to be silent. But at last Mr. Pierce believed his moment had come.
Chapter 40 of The Honorable Peter Stirling and What People is here in full — 461 sentences across 93 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/92 · 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.
past form of “believe” — accept as true; take to be true
From this reading “But at last Mr. Pierce believed his moment had come.”
inflected form of “compel” — force somebody to do something
From this reading “Mr. Pierce had been talking already, but it had been to single listeners only, and for quite a time in the last three hours Mr. Pierce had been compelled to be silent.”
a difficult problem
From this reading “A CONUNDRUM.”
plural of “listener” — someone who listens attentively
From this reading “Mr. Pierce had been talking already, but it had been to single listeners only, and for quite a time in the last three hours Mr. Pierce had been compelled to be silent.”
cut or make a way through
From this reading “Mr. Pierce was preparing to talk.”
-ing form of “prepare” — make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc
From this reading “Mr. Pierce was preparing to talk.”
being or characteristic of a single thing or person
From this reading “Mr. Pierce had been talking already, but it had been to single listeners only, and for quite a time in the last three hours Mr. Pierce had been compelled to be silent.”
under normal conditions
From this reading “Usually Mr. Pierce was talking.”
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 A CONUNDRUM.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading Mr. Pierce had been talking already, but it had been to single listeners only, and for quite a time in the last three hours Mr. Pierce had been compelled to be silent.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Mr. Pierce had been talking already, but it had been to single listeners only, and for quite a time in the last three hours Mr. Pierce had been compelled to be silent.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading But at last Mr. Pierce believed his moment had come.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Mr. Pierce had been talking already, but it had been to single listeners only, and for quite a time in the last three hours Mr. Pierce had been compelled to be silent.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Mr. Pierce had been talking already, but it had been to single listeners only, and for quite a time in the last three hours Mr. Pierce had been compelled to be silent.
past form of “believe” — accept as true; take to be true
From this reading But at last Mr. Pierce believed his moment had come.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Mr. Pierce had been talking already, but it had been to single listeners only, and for quite a time in the last three hours Mr. Pierce had been compelled to be silent.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading But at last Mr. Pierce believed his moment had come.
inflected form of “compel” — force somebody to do something
From this reading Mr. Pierce had been talking already, but it had been to single listeners only, and for quite a time in the last three hours Mr. Pierce had been compelled to be silent.
a difficult problem
From this reading A CONUNDRUM.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Mr. Pierce had been talking already, but it had been to single listeners only, and for quite a time in the last three hours Mr. Pierce had been compelled to be silent.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Mr. Pierce had been talking already, but it had been to single listeners only, and for quite a time in the last three hours Mr. Pierce had been compelled to be silent.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading But at last Mr. Pierce believed his moment had come.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading Mr. Pierce had been talking already, but it had been to single listeners only, and for quite a time in the last three hours Mr. Pierce had been compelled to be silent.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Mr. Pierce had been talking already, but it had been to single listeners only, and for quite a time in the last three hours Mr. Pierce had been compelled to be silent.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Mr. Pierce had been talking already, but it had been to single listeners only, and for quite a time in the last three hours Mr. Pierce had been compelled to be silent.
immediately past
From this reading Mr. Pierce had been talking already, but it had been to single listeners only, and for quite a time in the last three hours Mr. Pierce had been compelled to be silent.
plural of “listener” — someone who listens attentively
From this reading Mr. Pierce had been talking already, but it had been to single listeners only, and for quite a time in the last three hours Mr. Pierce had been compelled to be silent.
a particular point in time
From this reading But at last Mr. Pierce believed his moment had come.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Pierce was preparing to talk.
and nothing more
From this reading Mr. Pierce had been talking already, but it had been to single listeners only, and for quite a time in the last three hours Mr. Pierce had been compelled to be silent.
cut or make a way through
From this reading Mr. Pierce was preparing to talk.
-ing form of “prepare” — make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc
From this reading Mr. Pierce was preparing to talk.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading Mr. Pierce had been talking already, but it had been to single listeners only, and for quite a time in the last three hours Mr. Pierce had been compelled to be silent.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading Mr. Pierce had been talking already, but it had been to single listeners only, and for quite a time in the last three hours Mr. Pierce had been compelled to be silent.
being or characteristic of a single thing or person
From this reading Mr. Pierce had been talking already, but it had been to single listeners only, and for quite a time in the last three hours Mr. Pierce had been compelled to be silent.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading Mr. Pierce was preparing to talk.
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading Usually Mr. Pierce was talking.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Mr. Pierce had been talking already, but it had been to single listeners only, and for quite a time in the last three hours Mr. Pierce had been compelled to be silent.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading Mr. Pierce had been talking already, but it had been to single listeners only, and for quite a time in the last three hours Mr. Pierce had been compelled to be silent.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Mr. Pierce had been talking already, but it had been to single listeners only, and for quite a time in the last three hours Mr. Pierce had been compelled to be silent.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mr. Pierce was preparing to talk.
under normal conditions
From this reading Usually Mr. Pierce was talking.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mr. Pierce was preparing to talk.
Chapter 40 of The Honorable Peter Stirling and What People by Paul Leicester Ford holds 461 sentences, grouped into 93 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 40 holds 461 sentences of The Honorable Peter Stirling and What People, unabridged, divided into 93 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 40 of The Honorable Peter Stirling and What People by Paul Leicester Ford exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 461 sentences, grouped into 93 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 93 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
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