Chapter 26 of The Land of Joy is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVI
Chapter 26 of The Land of Joy is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I want to talk business,” said John. He swung himself onto the library table and took one knee into his hands. “I’m not keeping you from any of those household duties with which you are wearing your young life away?” Margaret shook her head. “I have nothing to do until it is time for dinner.
Chapter 26 of The Land of Joy is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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 “duty” — the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force
From this reading ““I’m not keeping you from any of those household duties with which you are wearing your young life away?””
a social unit living together
From this reading ““I’m not keeping you from any of those household duties with which you are wearing your young life away?””
conformity or harmony
From this reading ““I’m not keeping you from any of those household duties with which you are wearing your young life away?””
hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading “He swung himself onto the library table and took one knee into his hands.”
a room where books are kept
From this reading “He swung himself onto the library table and took one knee into his hands.”
moving to a position on a surface
From this reading “He swung himself onto the library table and took one knee into his hands.”
inflected form of “swing” — move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading “He swung himself onto the library table and took one knee into his hands.”
(geology) the mechanical process of wearing or grinding something down (as by particles washing over it)
From this reading ““I’m not keeping you from any of those household duties with which you are wearing your young life away?””
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 ““I’m not keeping you from any of those household duties with which you are wearing your young life away?””
In this reading “He swung himself onto the library table and took one knee into his hands.”
In this reading ““I have nothing to do until it is time for dinner.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He swung himself onto the library table and took one knee into his hands.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading “I’m not keeping you from any of those household duties with which you are wearing your young life away?”
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “I’m not keeping you from any of those household duties with which you are wearing your young life away?”
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading “I’m not keeping you from any of those household duties with which you are wearing your young life away?”
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading “I want to talk business,” said John.
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading “I have nothing to do until it is time for dinner.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “I have nothing to do until it is time for dinner.
plural of “duty” — the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force
From this reading “I’m not keeping you from any of those household duties with which you are wearing your young life away?”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “I have nothing to do until it is time for dinner.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading “I’m not keeping you from any of those household duties with which you are wearing your young life away?”
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading He swung himself onto the library table and took one knee into his hands.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “I have nothing to do until it is time for dinner.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He swung himself onto the library table and took one knee into his hands.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Margaret shook her head.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Margaret shook her head.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He swung himself onto the library table and took one knee into his hands.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He swung himself onto the library table and took one knee into his hands.
a social unit living together
From this reading “I’m not keeping you from any of those household duties with which you are wearing your young life away?”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I want to talk business,” said John.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I’m not keeping you from any of those household duties with which you are wearing your young life away?”
moving to the inside of something
From this reading He swung himself onto the library table and took one knee into his hands.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “I have nothing to do until it is time for dinner.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “I have nothing to do until it is time for dinner.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading “I want to talk business,” said John.
conformity or harmony
From this reading “I’m not keeping you from any of those household duties with which you are wearing your young life away?”
hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading He swung himself onto the library table and took one knee into his hands.
a room where books are kept
From this reading He swung himself onto the library table and took one knee into his hands.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading “I’m not keeping you from any of those household duties with which you are wearing your young life away?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Margaret shook her head.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “I’m not keeping you from any of those household duties with which you are wearing your young life away?”
not one thing; not anything
From this reading “I have nothing to do until it is time for dinner.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “I’m not keeping you from any of those household duties with which you are wearing your young life away?”
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He swung himself onto the library table and took one knee into his hands.
moving to a position on a surface
From this reading He swung himself onto the library table and took one knee into his hands.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I want to talk business,” said John.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading Margaret shook her head.
inflected form of “swing” — move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading He swung himself onto the library table and took one knee into his hands.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading He swung himself onto the library table and took one knee into his hands.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading “I want to talk business,” said John.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He swung himself onto the library table and took one knee into his hands.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading “I’m not keeping you from any of those household duties with which you are wearing your young life away?”
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading “I have nothing to do until it is time for dinner.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “I want to talk business,” said John.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading He swung himself onto the library table and took one knee into his hands.
up to a particular time
From this reading “I have nothing to do until it is time for dinner.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “I want to talk business,” said John.
(geology) the mechanical process of wearing or grinding something down (as by particles washing over it)
From this reading “I’m not keeping you from any of those household duties with which you are wearing your young life away?”
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading “I’m not keeping you from any of those household duties with which you are wearing your young life away?”
in the company of; together with
From this reading “I’m not keeping you from any of those household duties with which you are wearing your young life away?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I’m not keeping you from any of those household duties with which you are wearing your young life away?”
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading “I’m not keeping you from any of those household duties with which you are wearing your young life away?”
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I’m not keeping you from any of those household duties with which you are wearing your young life away?”
Chapter 26 of The Land of Joy by Ralph Henry Barbour holds 162 sentences, grouped into 33 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 26 holds 162 sentences of The Land of Joy, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 of The Land of Joy by Ralph Henry Barbour exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 162 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 26 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 Land of Joy by Ralph Henry Barbour on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5845 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57497 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #57497, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 487 minutes of reading across 1169 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Land of Joy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Land of Joy 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 Land of Joy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
