Chapter 21 of The Portent and Other Stories is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of The Portent and Other Stories is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_The Sleeper._ It was a lovely morning in autumn. I walked to the Hall. I entered at the same gate by which I had entered first, so many years before. But it was not Mrs. Blakesley that opened it. I inquired after her, and the woman told me that she lived at the Hall now, and took care of Lady Alice.
Chapter 21 of The Portent and Other Stories is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
the season when the leaves fall from the trees
From this reading “_The Sleeper._ It was a lovely morning in autumn.”
a movable barrier in a fence or wall
From this reading “I entered at the same gate by which I had entered first, so many years before.”
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading “I walked to the Hall.”
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading “I inquired after her, and the woman told me that she lived at the Hall now, and took care of Lady Alice.”
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading “I inquired after her, and the woman told me that she lived at the Hall now, and took care of Lady Alice.”
appealing to the emotions as well as the eye
From this reading “_The Sleeper._ It was a lovely morning in autumn.”
a rester who is sleeping
From this reading “_The Sleeper._ It was a lovely morning in autumn.”
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading “I walked to the Hall.”
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 Sleeper._ It was a lovely morning in autumn.
later than; following
From this reading I inquired after her, and the woman told me that she lived at the Hall now, and took care of Lady Alice.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I inquired after her, and the woman told me that she lived at the Hall now, and took care of Lady Alice.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I inquired after her, and the woman told me that she lived at the Hall now, and took care of Lady Alice.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I entered at the same gate by which I had entered first, so many years before.
the season when the leaves fall from the trees
From this reading _The Sleeper._ It was a lovely morning in autumn.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading I entered at the same gate by which I had entered first, so many years before.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But it was not Mrs. Blakesley that opened it.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But it was not Mrs. Blakesley that opened it.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading I entered at the same gate by which I had entered first, so many years before.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading I inquired after her, and the woman told me that she lived at the Hall now, and took care of Lady Alice.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading I entered at the same gate by which I had entered first, so many years before.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading I entered at the same gate by which I had entered first, so many years before.
a movable barrier in a fence or wall
From this reading I entered at the same gate by which I had entered first, so many years before.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I entered at the same gate by which I had entered first, so many years before.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading I walked to the Hall.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading I inquired after her, and the woman told me that she lived at the Hall now, and took care of Lady Alice.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I walked to the Hall.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading _The Sleeper._ It was a lovely morning in autumn.
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading I inquired after her, and the woman told me that she lived at the Hall now, and took care of Lady Alice.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading _The Sleeper._ It was a lovely morning in autumn.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading I inquired after her, and the woman told me that she lived at the Hall now, and took care of Lady Alice.
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading I inquired after her, and the woman told me that she lived at the Hall now, and took care of Lady Alice.
appealing to the emotions as well as the eye
From this reading _The Sleeper._ It was a lovely morning in autumn.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading I entered at the same gate by which I had entered first, so many years before.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I inquired after her, and the woman told me that she lived at the Hall now, and took care of Lady Alice.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading _The Sleeper._ It was a lovely morning in autumn.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading But it was not Mrs. Blakesley that opened it.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But it was not Mrs. Blakesley that opened it.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading I inquired after her, and the woman told me that she lived at the Hall now, and took care of Lady Alice.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I inquired after her, and the woman told me that she lived at the Hall now, and took care of Lady Alice.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading But it was not Mrs. Blakesley that opened it.
Identical; not different.
From this reading I entered at the same gate by which I had entered first, so many years before.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I inquired after her, and the woman told me that she lived at the Hall now, and took care of Lady Alice.
a rester who is sleeping
From this reading _The Sleeper._ It was a lovely morning in autumn.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I entered at the same gate by which I had entered first, so many years before.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading But it was not Mrs. Blakesley that opened it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _The Sleeper._ It was a lovely morning in autumn.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I walked to the Hall.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading I inquired after her, and the woman told me that she lived at the Hall now, and took care of Lady Alice.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading I inquired after her, and the woman told me that she lived at the Hall now, and took care of Lady Alice.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading I walked to the Hall.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading _The Sleeper._ It was a lovely morning in autumn.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading I entered at the same gate by which I had entered first, so many years before.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading I inquired after her, and the woman told me that she lived at the Hall now, and took care of Lady Alice.
a late time of life
From this reading I entered at the same gate by which I had entered first, so many years before.
Chapter 21 of The Portent and Other Stories by George MacDonald holds 119 sentences, grouped into 24 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 21 holds 119 sentences of The Portent and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of The Portent and Other Stories by George MacDonald exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 119 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 21 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 Portent and Other Stories by George MacDonald on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4173 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8913 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8913, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 347 minutes of reading across 835 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Portent and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Portent and Other Stories 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 Portent and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
