Chapter 23 of The Obstacle Race is here in full — 191 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of The Obstacle Race is here in full — 191 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE SACRIFICE "I expect it's one of them abscies again," said Mrs. Rickett sympathetically. "Have you been to the doctor about it, my dear?" Robin, sitting heaped in the wooden arm-chair in her kitchen, looked at her with a smouldering glow in his eyes. "Don't like doctors," he muttered. Mrs. Rickett sighed and went on with her ironing.
Chapter 23 of The Obstacle Race is here in full — 191 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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 “doctor” — a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading “"Don't like doctors," he muttered.”
an alert and refreshed state
From this reading “Robin, sitting heaped in the wooden arm-chair in her kitchen, looked at her with a smouldering glow in his eyes.”
past form of “heap” — bestow in large quantities
From this reading “Robin, sitting heaped in the wooden arm-chair in her kitchen, looked at her with a smouldering glow in his eyes.”
garments (clothes or linens) that are to be (or have been) ironed
From this reading “Mrs. Rickett sighed and went on with her ironing.”
small Old World songbird with a reddish breast
From this reading “Robin, sitting heaped in the wooden arm-chair in her kitchen, looked at her with a smouldering glow in his eyes.”
the act of losing or surrendering something as a penalty for a mistake or fault or failure to perform etc.
From this reading “THE SACRIFICE "I expect it's one of them abscies again," said Mrs. Rickett sympathetically.”
with respect to the sympathetic nervous system
From this reading “THE SACRIFICE "I expect it's one of them abscies again," said Mrs. Rickett sympathetically.”
made or consisting of (entirely or in part) or employing wood
From this reading “Robin, sitting heaped in the wooden arm-chair in her kitchen, looked at her with a smouldering glow in his eyes.”
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 Robin, sitting heaped in the wooden arm-chair in her kitchen, looked at her with a smouldering glow in his eyes.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "Have you been to the doctor about it, my dear?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE SACRIFICE "I expect it's one of them abscies again," said Mrs. Rickett sympathetically.
anew
From this reading THE SACRIFICE "I expect it's one of them abscies again," said Mrs. Rickett sympathetically.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Mrs. Rickett sighed and went on with her ironing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Robin, sitting heaped in the wooden arm-chair in her kitchen, looked at her with a smouldering glow in his eyes.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Robin, sitting heaped in the wooden arm-chair in her kitchen, looked at her with a smouldering glow in his eyes.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "Have you been to the doctor about it, my dear?"
dearly loved
From this reading "Have you been to the doctor about it, my dear?"
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading "Have you been to the doctor about it, my dear?"
plural of “doctor” — a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading "Don't like doctors," he muttered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Don't like doctors," he muttered.
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading THE SACRIFICE "I expect it's one of them abscies again," said Mrs. Rickett sympathetically.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Robin, sitting heaped in the wooden arm-chair in her kitchen, looked at her with a smouldering glow in his eyes.
an alert and refreshed state
From this reading Robin, sitting heaped in the wooden arm-chair in her kitchen, looked at her with a smouldering glow in his eyes.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Have you been to the doctor about it, my dear?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Don't like doctors," he muttered.
past form of “heap” — bestow in large quantities
From this reading Robin, sitting heaped in the wooden arm-chair in her kitchen, looked at her with a smouldering glow in his eyes.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Robin, sitting heaped in the wooden arm-chair in her kitchen, looked at her with a smouldering glow in his eyes.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Robin, sitting heaped in the wooden arm-chair in her kitchen, looked at her with a smouldering glow in his eyes.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading THE SACRIFICE "I expect it's one of them abscies again," said Mrs. Rickett sympathetically.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Robin, sitting heaped in the wooden arm-chair in her kitchen, looked at her with a smouldering glow in his eyes.
garments (clothes or linens) that are to be (or have been) ironed
From this reading Mrs. Rickett sighed and went on with her ironing.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Have you been to the doctor about it, my dear?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE SACRIFICE "I expect it's one of them abscies again," said Mrs. Rickett sympathetically.
a room equipped for preparing meals
From this reading Robin, sitting heaped in the wooden arm-chair in her kitchen, looked at her with a smouldering glow in his eyes.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "Don't like doctors," he muttered.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Robin, sitting heaped in the wooden arm-chair in her kitchen, looked at her with a smouldering glow in his eyes.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading THE SACRIFICE "I expect it's one of them abscies again," said Mrs. Rickett sympathetically.
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading "Don't like doctors," he muttered.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Have you been to the doctor about it, my dear?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE SACRIFICE "I expect it's one of them abscies again," said Mrs. Rickett sympathetically.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Mrs. Rickett sighed and went on with her ironing.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading THE SACRIFICE "I expect it's one of them abscies again," said Mrs. Rickett sympathetically.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE SACRIFICE "I expect it's one of them abscies again," said Mrs. Rickett sympathetically.
small Old World songbird with a reddish breast
From this reading Robin, sitting heaped in the wooden arm-chair in her kitchen, looked at her with a smouldering glow in his eyes.
the act of losing or surrendering something as a penalty for a mistake or fault or failure to perform etc.
From this reading THE SACRIFICE "I expect it's one of them abscies again," said Mrs. Rickett sympathetically.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading THE SACRIFICE "I expect it's one of them abscies again," said Mrs. Rickett sympathetically.
past form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily
From this reading Mrs. Rickett sighed and went on with her ironing.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading Robin, sitting heaped in the wooden arm-chair in her kitchen, looked at her with a smouldering glow in his eyes.
showing scarcely suppressed anger
From this reading Robin, sitting heaped in the wooden arm-chair in her kitchen, looked at her with a smouldering glow in his eyes.
with respect to the sympathetic nervous system
From this reading THE SACRIFICE "I expect it's one of them abscies again," said Mrs. Rickett sympathetically.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE SACRIFICE "I expect it's one of them abscies again," said Mrs. Rickett sympathetically.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading THE SACRIFICE "I expect it's one of them abscies again," said Mrs. Rickett sympathetically.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Have you been to the doctor about it, my dear?"
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Mrs. Rickett sighed and went on with her ironing.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Robin, sitting heaped in the wooden arm-chair in her kitchen, looked at her with a smouldering glow in his eyes.
made or consisting of (entirely or in part) or employing wood
From this reading Robin, sitting heaped in the wooden arm-chair in her kitchen, looked at her with a smouldering glow in his eyes.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Have you been to the doctor about it, my dear?"
Chapter 23 of The Obstacle Race by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell holds 191 sentences, grouped into 39 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 23 holds 191 sentences of The Obstacle Race, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of The Obstacle Race by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 191 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 23 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 Obstacle Race by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9621 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #11520 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #11520, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1925 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Obstacle Race section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 35 chapters of The Obstacle Race 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 Obstacle Race, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
