Chapter 4 of The Old Helmet, Volume II is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Old Helmet, Volume II is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AT A WATERING-PLACE. "In the world's broad field of battle, In the bivouac of Life, Be not like dumb, driven cattle! Be a hero in the strife!" Eleanor was at once plunged into a whirl of engagements, with acquaintances new and old. And the former class multiplied very rapidly.
Chapter 4 of The Old Helmet, Volume II is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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 “acquaintance” — personal knowledge or information about someone or something
From this reading “Eleanor was at once plunged into a whirl of engagements, with acquaintances new and old.”
temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers
From this reading “"In the world's broad field of battle, In the bivouac of Life, Be not like dumb, driven cattle!”
slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity
From this reading “"In the world's broad field of battle, In the bivouac of Life, Be not like dumb, driven cattle!”
plural of “engagement” — a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading “Eleanor was at once plunged into a whirl of engagements, with acquaintances new and old.”
greatly increased as by multiplication
From this reading “And the former class multiplied very rapidly.”
lack of agreement or harmony
From this reading “Be a hero in the strife!"”
turn in a twisting or spinning motion
From this reading “Eleanor was at once plunged into a whirl of engagements, with acquaintances new and old.”
possessive form of “world” — everything that exists anywhere
From this reading “"In the world's broad field of battle, In the bivouac of Life, Be not like dumb, driven cattle!”
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 AT A WATERING-PLACE.
plural of “acquaintance” — personal knowledge or information about someone or something
From this reading Eleanor was at once plunged into a whirl of engagements, with acquaintances new and old.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Eleanor was at once plunged into a whirl of engagements, with acquaintances new and old.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading AT A WATERING-PLACE.
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading "In the world's broad field of battle, In the bivouac of Life, Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "In the world's broad field of battle, In the bivouac of Life, Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers
From this reading "In the world's broad field of battle, In the bivouac of Life, Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading "In the world's broad field of battle, In the bivouac of Life, Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
domesticated bovine animals as a group regardless of sex or age
From this reading "In the world's broad field of battle, In the bivouac of Life, Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
a collection of things sharing a common attribute
From this reading And the former class multiplied very rapidly.
compelled forcibly by an outside agency
From this reading "In the world's broad field of battle, In the bivouac of Life, Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity
From this reading "In the world's broad field of battle, In the bivouac of Life, Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Eleanor was at once plunged into a whirl of engagements, with acquaintances new and old.
plural of “engagement” — a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
From this reading Eleanor was at once plunged into a whirl of engagements, with acquaintances new and old.
a piece of land cleared of trees and usually enclosed
From this reading "In the world's broad field of battle, In the bivouac of Life, Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
referring to the first of two things or persons mentioned (or the earlier one or ones of several)
From this reading And the former class multiplied very rapidly.
a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
From this reading Be a hero in the strife!"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "In the world's broad field of battle, In the bivouac of Life, Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Eleanor was at once plunged into a whirl of engagements, with acquaintances new and old.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading "In the world's broad field of battle, In the bivouac of Life, Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "In the world's broad field of battle, In the bivouac of Life, Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
greatly increased as by multiplication
From this reading And the former class multiplied very rapidly.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading Eleanor was at once plunged into a whirl of engagements, with acquaintances new and old.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "In the world's broad field of battle, In the bivouac of Life, Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "In the world's broad field of battle, In the bivouac of Life, Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Eleanor was at once plunged into a whirl of engagements, with acquaintances new and old.
on one occasion
From this reading Eleanor was at once plunged into a whirl of engagements, with acquaintances new and old.
past form of “plunge” — thrust or throw into
From this reading Eleanor was at once plunged into a whirl of engagements, with acquaintances new and old.
with speed
From this reading And the former class multiplied very rapidly.
lack of agreement or harmony
From this reading Be a hero in the strife!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "In the world's broad field of battle, In the bivouac of Life, Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
precisely as stated
From this reading And the former class multiplied very rapidly.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Eleanor was at once plunged into a whirl of engagements, with acquaintances new and old.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AT A WATERING-PLACE.
turn in a twisting or spinning motion
From this reading Eleanor was at once plunged into a whirl of engagements, with acquaintances new and old.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Eleanor was at once plunged into a whirl of engagements, with acquaintances new and old.
possessive form of “world” — everything that exists anywhere
From this reading "In the world's broad field of battle, In the bivouac of Life, Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Chapter 4 of The Old Helmet, Volume II by Susan Warner holds 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 4 holds 418 sentences of The Old Helmet, Volume II, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Old Helmet, Volume II by Susan Warner exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 4 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 Old Helmet, Volume II by Susan Warner on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7102 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26830 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26830, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 591 minutes of reading across 1421 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Old Helmet, Volume II section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of The Old Helmet, Volume II 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 Old Helmet, Volume II, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
