Chapter 25 of The Magnificent Ambersons is here in full — 233 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXV
Chapter 25 of The Magnificent Ambersons is here in full — 233 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
George choked. For an instant he was on the point of breaking down, but he commanded himself, bravely dismissing the self-pity roused by her compassion. “How can I help but be?” he said. “No, no.” She soothed him.
Chapter 25 of The Magnificent Ambersons is here in full — 233 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/46 · 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.
in a courageous manner
From this reading “For an instant he was on the point of breaking down, but he commanded himself, bravely dismissing the self-pity roused by her compassion.”
the act of breaking something
From this reading “For an instant he was on the point of breaking down, but he commanded himself, bravely dismissing the self-pity roused by her compassion.”
stopped up; clogged up
From this reading “George choked.”
past form of “command” — be in command of
From this reading “For an instant he was on the point of breaking down, but he commanded himself, bravely dismissing the self-pity roused by her compassion.”
a deep awareness of and sympathy for another's suffering
From this reading “For an instant he was on the point of breaking down, but he commanded himself, bravely dismissing the self-pity roused by her compassion.”
-ing form of “dismiss” — bar from attention or consideration
From this reading “For an instant he was on the point of breaking down, but he commanded himself, bravely dismissing the self-pity roused by her compassion.”
past form of “rouse” — become active
From this reading “For an instant he was on the point of breaking down, but he commanded himself, bravely dismissing the self-pity roused by her compassion.”
past form of “soothe” — give moral or emotional strength to
From this reading “She soothed him.”
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.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading For an instant he was on the point of breaking down, but he commanded himself, bravely dismissing the self-pity roused by her compassion.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “How can I help but be?” he said.
in a courageous manner
From this reading For an instant he was on the point of breaking down, but he commanded himself, bravely dismissing the self-pity roused by her compassion.
the act of breaking something
From this reading For an instant he was on the point of breaking down, but he commanded himself, bravely dismissing the self-pity roused by her compassion.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading For an instant he was on the point of breaking down, but he commanded himself, bravely dismissing the self-pity roused by her compassion.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading For an instant he was on the point of breaking down, but he commanded himself, bravely dismissing the self-pity roused by her compassion.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “How can I help but be?” he said.
stopped up; clogged up
From this reading George choked.
past form of “command” — be in command of
From this reading For an instant he was on the point of breaking down, but he commanded himself, bravely dismissing the self-pity roused by her compassion.
a deep awareness of and sympathy for another's suffering
From this reading For an instant he was on the point of breaking down, but he commanded himself, bravely dismissing the self-pity roused by her compassion.
-ing form of “dismiss” — bar from attention or consideration
From this reading For an instant he was on the point of breaking down, but he commanded himself, bravely dismissing the self-pity roused by her compassion.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading For an instant he was on the point of breaking down, but he commanded himself, bravely dismissing the self-pity roused by her compassion.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For an instant he was on the point of breaking down, but he commanded himself, bravely dismissing the self-pity roused by her compassion.
Christian martyr; patron saint of England; hero of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon in which he slew a dragon and saved a princess (?-303)
From this reading George choked.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For an instant he was on the point of breaking down, but he commanded himself, bravely dismissing the self-pity roused by her compassion.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading “How can I help but be?” he said.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading For an instant he was on the point of breaking down, but he commanded himself, bravely dismissing the self-pity roused by her compassion.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She soothed him.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading For an instant he was on the point of breaking down, but he commanded himself, bravely dismissing the self-pity roused by her compassion.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How can I help but be?” he said.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “How can I help but be?” he said.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading For an instant he was on the point of breaking down, but he commanded himself, bravely dismissing the self-pity roused by her compassion.
not any; not one
From this reading “No, no.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading For an instant he was on the point of breaking down, but he commanded himself, bravely dismissing the self-pity roused by her compassion.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading For an instant he was on the point of breaking down, but he commanded himself, bravely dismissing the self-pity roused by her compassion.
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading For an instant he was on the point of breaking down, but he commanded himself, bravely dismissing the self-pity roused by her compassion.
past form of “rouse” — become active
From this reading For an instant he was on the point of breaking down, but he commanded himself, bravely dismissing the self-pity roused by her compassion.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “How can I help but be?” he said.
a feeling of sorrow (often self-indulgent) over your own sufferings
From this reading For an instant he was on the point of breaking down, but he commanded himself, bravely dismissing the self-pity roused by her compassion.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She soothed him.
past form of “soothe” — give moral or emotional strength to
From this reading She soothed him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading For an instant he was on the point of breaking down, but he commanded himself, bravely dismissing the self-pity roused by her compassion.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading For an instant he was on the point of breaking down, but he commanded himself, bravely dismissing the self-pity roused by her compassion.
Chapter 25 of The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington holds 233 sentences, grouped into 47 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 25 holds 233 sentences of The Magnificent Ambersons, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 25 of The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 233 sentences, grouped into 47 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 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 47 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 25 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 Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6009 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8867 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8867, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 500 minutes of reading across 1202 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Magnificent Ambersons section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of The Magnificent Ambersons 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 Magnificent Ambersons, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
