Chapter 21 of The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I had to go twenty-five versts by carriage and eight hours by train. By carriage it was a very pleasant journey. The coolness of autumn was accompanied by a brilliant sun. You know the weather when the wheels imprint themselves upon the dirty road. The road was level, and the light strong, and the air strengthening.
Chapter 21 of The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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.
the season when the leaves fall from the trees
From this reading “The coolness of autumn was accompanied by a brilliant sun.”
calm and unruffled self-assurance
From this reading “The coolness of autumn was accompanied by a brilliant sun.”
soiled or likely to soil with dirt or grime
From this reading “You know the weather when the wheels imprint themselves upon the dirty road.”
a distinctive influence
From this reading “You know the weather when the wheels imprint themselves upon the dirty road.”
a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading “The road was level, and the light strong, and the air strengthening.”
becoming stronger
From this reading “The road was level, and the light strong, and the air strengthening.”
being five more than twenty
From this reading ““I had to go twenty-five versts by carriage and eight hours by train.”
plural of “wheel” — a simple machine consisting of a circular frame with spokes (or a solid disc) that can rotate on a shaft or axle (as in vehicles or other machines)
From this reading “You know the weather when the wheels imprint themselves upon the dirty road.”
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 By carriage it was a very pleasant journey.
having companions or an escort
From this reading The coolness of autumn was accompanied by a brilliant sun.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading The road was level, and the light strong, and the air strengthening.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “I had to go twenty-five versts by carriage and eight hours by train.
the season when the leaves fall from the trees
From this reading The coolness of autumn was accompanied by a brilliant sun.
of surpassing excellence
From this reading The coolness of autumn was accompanied by a brilliant sun.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading “I had to go twenty-five versts by carriage and eight hours by train.
a railcar where passengers ride
From this reading “I had to go twenty-five versts by carriage and eight hours by train.
calm and unruffled self-assurance
From this reading The coolness of autumn was accompanied by a brilliant sun.
soiled or likely to soil with dirt or grime
From this reading You know the weather when the wheels imprint themselves upon the dirty road.
being one more than seven
From this reading “I had to go twenty-five versts by carriage and eight hours by train.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “I had to go twenty-five versts by carriage and eight hours by train.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “I had to go twenty-five versts by carriage and eight hours by train.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading “I had to go twenty-five versts by carriage and eight hours by train.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I had to go twenty-five versts by carriage and eight hours by train.
a distinctive influence
From this reading You know the weather when the wheels imprint themselves upon the dirty road.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading By carriage it was a very pleasant journey.
undertake a journey or trip
From this reading By carriage it was a very pleasant journey.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading You know the weather when the wheels imprint themselves upon the dirty road.
a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality
From this reading The road was level, and the light strong, and the air strengthening.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading The road was level, and the light strong, and the air strengthening.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The coolness of autumn was accompanied by a brilliant sun.
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading By carriage it was a very pleasant journey.
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading You know the weather when the wheels imprint themselves upon the dirty road.
becoming stronger
From this reading The road was level, and the light strong, and the air strengthening.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading The road was level, and the light strong, and the air strengthening.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading The coolness of autumn was accompanied by a brilliant sun.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The coolness of autumn was accompanied by a brilliant sun.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading You know the weather when the wheels imprint themselves upon the dirty road.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “I had to go twenty-five versts by carriage and eight hours by train.
create by training and teaching
From this reading “I had to go twenty-five versts by carriage and eight hours by train.
being five more than twenty
From this reading “I had to go twenty-five versts by carriage and eight hours by train.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading You know the weather when the wheels imprint themselves upon the dirty road.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I had to go twenty-five versts by carriage and eight hours by train.
precisely as stated
From this reading By carriage it was a very pleasant journey.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading By carriage it was a very pleasant journey.
the atmospheric conditions that comprise the state of the atmosphere in terms of temperature and wind and clouds and precipitation
From this reading You know the weather when the wheels imprint themselves upon the dirty road.
plural of “wheel” — a simple machine consisting of a circular frame with spokes (or a solid disc) that can rotate on a shaft or axle (as in vehicles or other machines)
From this reading You know the weather when the wheels imprint themselves upon the dirty road.
at the time that
From this reading You know the weather when the wheels imprint themselves upon the dirty road.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You know the weather when the wheels imprint themselves upon the dirty road.
Chapter 21 of The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories by Leo, graf Tolstoy holds 97 sentences, grouped into 20 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.
Chapter 21 holds 97 sentences of The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories by Leo, graf Tolstoy exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 97 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories by Leo, graf Tolstoy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3753 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #689 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #689, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 312 minutes of reading across 751 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 38 chapters of The Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories 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 Kreutzer Sonata and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
