Chapter 24 of The Messenger of the Black Prince is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIV
Chapter 24 of The Messenger of the Black Prince is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BESIEGED We had no time for thought. “Back!” cried the archer. And we dropped behind the open door as quickly as we could. Another arrow sped past and fastened itself in the far wall. Then a second came and a third.
Chapter 24 of The Messenger of the Black Prince is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/36 · 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.
a person who is expert in the use of a bow and arrow
From this reading ““Back!” cried the archer.”
a mark to indicate a direction or relation
From this reading “Another arrow sped past and fastened itself in the far wall.”
surrounded by hostile forces
From this reading “BESIEGED We had no time for thought.”
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading “And we dropped behind the open door as quickly as we could.”
firmly closed or secured
From this reading “Another arrow sped past and fastened itself in the far wall.”
inflected form of “speed” — move hurridly
From this reading “Another arrow sped past and fastened itself in the far wall.”
one of three equal parts of a divisible whole
From this reading “Then a second came and a third.”
an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading “Another arrow sped past and fastened itself in the far wall.”
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.
the policy of granting equal trade opportunities to all countries
In this reading “And we dropped behind the open door as quickly as we could.”
In this reading “Another arrow sped past and fastened itself in the far wall.”
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 Then a second came and a third.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And we dropped behind the open door as quickly as we could.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading Another arrow sped past and fastened itself in the far wall.
a person who is expert in the use of a bow and arrow
From this reading “Back!” cried the archer.
a mark to indicate a direction or relation
From this reading Another arrow sped past and fastened itself in the far wall.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading And we dropped behind the open door as quickly as we could.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading “Back!” cried the archer.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading And we dropped behind the open door as quickly as we could.
surrounded by hostile forces
From this reading BESIEGED We had no time for thought.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Then a second came and a third.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading And we dropped behind the open door as quickly as we could.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “Back!” cried the archer.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading And we dropped behind the open door as quickly as we could.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading And we dropped behind the open door as quickly as we could.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading Another arrow sped past and fastened itself in the far wall.
firmly closed or secured
From this reading Another arrow sped past and fastened itself in the far wall.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading BESIEGED We had no time for thought.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading BESIEGED We had no time for thought.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Another arrow sped past and fastened itself in the far wall.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading Another arrow sped past and fastened itself in the far wall.
not any; not one
From this reading BESIEGED We had no time for thought.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading And we dropped behind the open door as quickly as we could.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading Another arrow sped past and fastened itself in the far wall.
with speed
From this reading And we dropped behind the open door as quickly as we could.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading Then a second came and a third.
inflected form of “speed” — move hurridly
From this reading Another arrow sped past and fastened itself in the far wall.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Back!” cried the archer.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then a second came and a third.
one of three equal parts of a divisible whole
From this reading Then a second came and a third.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading BESIEGED We had no time for thought.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading BESIEGED We had no time for thought.
an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading Another arrow sped past and fastened itself in the far wall.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading BESIEGED We had no time for thought.
Chapter 24 of The Messenger of the Black Prince by Thomas A. H. Mawhinney holds 183 sentences, grouped into 37 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 24 holds 183 sentences of The Messenger of the Black Prince, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 24 of The Messenger of the Black Prince by Thomas A. H. Mawhinney exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 183 sentences, grouped into 37 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 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 37 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 24 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 Messenger of the Black Prince by Thomas A. H. Mawhinney on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5084 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #50193 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #50193, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 423 minutes of reading across 1017 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Messenger of the Black Prince section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of The Messenger of the Black Prince 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 Messenger of the Black Prince, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
