Chapter 13 of The Portal of Dreams is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of The Portal of Dreams is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
PORT AND STARBOARD LIGHTS There are men whose lives develop in gradations of gentle growth. Decade merges into decade by unstartling evolution. Variations of thread and color run smoothly into the life-pattern. With me it has been otherwise. The constantly recurring dream of the portal in the cliff was in a fashion symbolical of my life.
Chapter 13 of The Portal of Dreams is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/26 · 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 period of 10 years
From this reading “Decade merges into decade by unstartling evolution.”
a process in which something passes by degrees to a different stage (especially a more advanced or mature stage)
From this reading “Decade merges into decade by unstartling evolution.”
plural of “gradation” — relative position in a graded series
From this reading “PORT AND STARBOARD LIGHTS There are men whose lives develop in gradations of gentle growth.”
third-person singular of “merge” — become one
From this reading “Decade merges into decade by unstartling evolution.”
a grand and imposing entrance (often extended metaphorically)
From this reading “The constantly recurring dream of the portal in the cliff was in a fashion symbolical of my life.”
coming back
From this reading “The constantly recurring dream of the portal in the cliff was in a fashion symbolical of my life.”
the right side of a ship or aircraft to someone who is aboard and facing the bow or nose
From this reading “PORT AND STARBOARD LIGHTS There are men whose lives develop in gradations of gentle growth.”
plural of “variation” — an instance of change; the rate or magnitude of change
From this reading “Variations of thread and color run smoothly into the life-pattern.”
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 “The constantly recurring dream of the portal in the cliff was in a fashion symbolical of my life.”
In this reading “Variations of thread and color run smoothly into the life-pattern.”
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 The constantly recurring dream of the portal in the cliff was in a fashion symbolical of my life.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading PORT AND STARBOARD LIGHTS There are men whose lives develop in gradations of gentle growth.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading PORT AND STARBOARD LIGHTS There are men whose lives develop in gradations of gentle growth.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading With me it has been otherwise.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Decade merges into decade by unstartling evolution.
a steep high face of rock
From this reading The constantly recurring dream of the portal in the cliff was in a fashion symbolical of my life.
a visual attribute of things that results from the light they emit or transmit or reflect
From this reading Variations of thread and color run smoothly into the life-pattern.
without variation or change, in every case
From this reading The constantly recurring dream of the portal in the cliff was in a fashion symbolical of my life.
a period of 10 years
From this reading Decade merges into decade by unstartling evolution.
make something new, such as a product or a mental or artistic creation
From this reading PORT AND STARBOARD LIGHTS There are men whose lives develop in gradations of gentle growth.
A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.
From this reading The constantly recurring dream of the portal in the cliff was in a fashion symbolical of my life.
a process in which something passes by degrees to a different stage (especially a more advanced or mature stage)
From this reading Decade merges into decade by unstartling evolution.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading The constantly recurring dream of the portal in the cliff was in a fashion symbolical of my life.
soft and mild; not harsh or stern or severe
From this reading PORT AND STARBOARD LIGHTS There are men whose lives develop in gradations of gentle growth.
plural of “gradation” — relative position in a graded series
From this reading PORT AND STARBOARD LIGHTS There are men whose lives develop in gradations of gentle growth.
(biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level
From this reading PORT AND STARBOARD LIGHTS There are men whose lives develop in gradations of gentle growth.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading With me it has been otherwise.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading PORT AND STARBOARD LIGHTS There are men whose lives develop in gradations of gentle growth.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Decade merges into decade by unstartling evolution.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading With me it has been otherwise.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading The constantly recurring dream of the portal in the cliff was in a fashion symbolical of my life.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Variations of thread and color run smoothly into the life-pattern.
plural of “light” — (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation
From this reading PORT AND STARBOARD LIGHTS There are men whose lives develop in gradations of gentle growth.
plural of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading PORT AND STARBOARD LIGHTS There are men whose lives develop in gradations of gentle growth.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading With me it has been otherwise.
the force of workers available
From this reading PORT AND STARBOARD LIGHTS There are men whose lives develop in gradations of gentle growth.
third-person singular of “merge” — become one
From this reading Decade merges into decade by unstartling evolution.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading The constantly recurring dream of the portal in the cliff was in a fashion symbolical of my life.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading PORT AND STARBOARD LIGHTS There are men whose lives develop in gradations of gentle growth.
in other respects or ways
From this reading With me it has been otherwise.
a place (seaport or airport) where people and merchandise can enter or leave a country
From this reading PORT AND STARBOARD LIGHTS There are men whose lives develop in gradations of gentle growth.
a grand and imposing entrance (often extended metaphorically)
From this reading The constantly recurring dream of the portal in the cliff was in a fashion symbolical of my life.
coming back
From this reading The constantly recurring dream of the portal in the cliff was in a fashion symbolical of my life.
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading Variations of thread and color run smoothly into the life-pattern.
with no problems or difficulties
From this reading Variations of thread and color run smoothly into the life-pattern.
the right side of a ship or aircraft to someone who is aboard and facing the bow or nose
From this reading PORT AND STARBOARD LIGHTS There are men whose lives develop in gradations of gentle growth.
relating to or using or proceeding by means of symbols
From this reading The constantly recurring dream of the portal in the cliff was in a fashion symbolical of my life.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Variations of thread and color run smoothly into the life-pattern.
in or at that place or location
From this reading PORT AND STARBOARD LIGHTS There are men whose lives develop in gradations of gentle growth.
to move or cause to move in a sinuous, spiral, or circular course
From this reading Variations of thread and color run smoothly into the life-pattern.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Decade merges into decade by unstartling evolution.
plural of “variation” — an instance of change; the rate or magnitude of change
From this reading Variations of thread and color run smoothly into the life-pattern.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The constantly recurring dream of the portal in the cliff was in a fashion symbolical of my life.
belonging to which person
From this reading PORT AND STARBOARD LIGHTS There are men whose lives develop in gradations of gentle growth.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With me it has been otherwise.
Chapter 13 of The Portal of Dreams by Charles Neville Buck holds 132 sentences, grouped into 27 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 13 holds 132 sentences of The Portal of Dreams, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of The Portal of Dreams by Charles Neville Buck exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 132 sentences, grouped into 27 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 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 27 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 13 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 Portal of Dreams by Charles Neville Buck on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3656 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31927 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31927, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 304 minutes of reading across 732 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Portal of Dreams section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of The Portal of Dreams 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 Portal of Dreams, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
