The Prize

Chapter XXIII · Guests of Honour

Chapter XXIII of The Prize, “Guests of Honour,” is here in full — 230 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Sydney C. Grier • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

The music and the shouting had died away, and the lights of Strio were growing dim across the water as the yacht headed for Therma.

Armitage, released at last from the duty of making elaborate and grateful bows to his parents-in-law, which had claimed him as long as he was within sight of the shore, heard a meek miserable voice at his elbow.

“Lord, may I speak to you?”

“I hope you don’t think it necessary to ask me that?” he said, turning round quickly.

“Let us sit down here.”

Narrator

Speed 0.75x

AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XXIII Reading 1/46

The Prize

Chapter XXIII · Guests of Honour

Chapter XXIII of The Prize, “Guests of Honour,” is here in full — 230 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/46 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

The music and the shouting had died away, and the lights of Strio were growing dim across the water as the yacht headed for Therma.

Line 2

Line 3

“Lord, may I speak to you?”

/lɔːrd meɪ aɪ spiːk tuː juː/

Line 4

“I hope you don’t think it necessary to ask me that?” he said, turning round quickly.

Line 5

“Let us sit down here.”

/let ʌs sɪt daʊn hiːr/

Learner Dictionary

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.

bows noun US /baʊz/

plural of “bow” — a knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces

From this reading “Armitage, released at last from the duty of making elaborate and grateful bows to his parents-in-law, which had claimed him as long as he was within sight of the shore, heard a meek miserable voice at his elbow.”

claimed verb US /kleɪmd/

past form of “claim” — assert or affirm strongly; state to be true or existing

elaborate adjective US /ɪˈlæbrət/

marked by complexity and richness of detail

elbow noun US /ˈelboʊ/

hinge joint between the forearm and upper arm and the corresponding joint in the forelimb of a quadruped

headed adjective US /ˈhedəd/

having a heading or course in a certain direction

From this reading “The music and the shouting had died away, and the lights of Strio were growing dim across the water as the yacht headed for Therma.”

meek adjective US /miːk/

humble in spirit or manner; suggesting retiring mildness or even cowed submissiveness

released verb US /riˈliːst/

past form of “release” — release, as from one's grip

yacht noun US /jɑːt/

an expensive vessel propelled by sail or power and used for cruising or racing

From this reading “The music and the shouting had died away, and the lights of Strio were growing dim across the water as the yacht headed for Therma.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

sit down verb + adjective

take a seat

In this reading ““Let us sit down here.””

turning round noun + noun

In this reading ““I hope you don’t think it necessary to ask me that?” he said, turning round quickly.”

within sight preposition + noun

In this reading “Armitage, released at last from the duty of making elaborate and grateful bows to his parents-in-law, which had claimed him as long as he was within sight of the shore, heard a meek miserable voice at his elbow.”

died away verb + particle counted as “die away”

become less in amount or intensity

In this reading “The music and the shouting had died away, and the lights of Strio were growing dim across the water as the yacht headed for Therma.”

across the water preposition + article + noun counted as “across … water”

In this reading “The music and the shouting had died away, and the lights of Strio were growing dim across the water as the yacht headed for Therma.”

All words in this reading · 70

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Armitage, released at last from the duty of making elaborate and grateful bows to his parents-in-law, which had claimed him as long as he was within sight of the shore, heard a meek miserable voice at his elbow.

acrossprepositionUS /əˈkrɔːs/

from one side of something to the other

From this reading The music and the shouting had died away, and the lights of Strio were growing dim across the water as the yacht headed for Therma.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading The music and the shouting had died away, and the lights of Strio were growing dim across the water as the yacht headed for Therma.

Armitage

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading The music and the shouting had died away, and the lights of Strio were growing dim across the water as the yacht headed for Therma.

askverbUS /æsk/

make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading “I hope you don’t think it necessary to ask me that?” he said, turning round quickly.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading The music and the shouting had died away, and the lights of Strio were growing dim across the water as the yacht headed for Therma.

bowsnounUS /baʊz/

plural of “bow” — a knot with two loops and loose ends; used to tie shoelaces

claimedverbUS /kleɪmd/

past form of “claim” — assert or affirm strongly; state to be true or existing

diedverbUS /daɪd/

past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life

From this reading The music and the shouting had died away, and the lights of Strio were growing dim across the water as the yacht headed for Therma.

dimadjectiveUS /dɪm/

lacking in light; not bright or harsh

From this reading The music and the shouting had died away, and the lights of Strio were growing dim across the water as the yacht headed for Therma.

don't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “I hope you don’t think it necessary to ask me that?” he said, turning round quickly.

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading “Let us sit down here.”

dutynounUS /ˈduːti/

the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force

elaborateadjectiveUS /ɪˈlæbrət/

marked by complexity and richness of detail

elbownounUS /ˈelboʊ/

hinge joint between the forearm and upper arm and the corresponding joint in the forelimb of a quadruped

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading The music and the shouting had died away, and the lights of Strio were growing dim across the water as the yacht headed for Therma.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

gratefuladjectiveUS /ˈɡreɪtfəl/

feeling or showing gratitude

growingnounUS /ˈɡroʊɪŋ/

(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 The music and the shouting had died away, and the lights of Strio were growing dim across the water as the yacht headed for Therma.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading The music and the shouting had died away, and the lights of Strio were growing dim across the water as the yacht headed for Therma.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

headedadjectiveUS /ˈhedəd/

having a heading or course in a certain direction

From this reading The music and the shouting had died away, and the lights of Strio were growing dim across the water as the yacht headed for Therma.

heardadjectiveUS /hɜːrd/

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

hereadverbUS /hiːr/

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading “Let us sit down here.”

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

hopenounUS /hoʊp/

a specific instance of feeling hopeful

From this reading “I hope you don’t think it necessary to ask me that?” he said, turning round quickly.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading “Lord, may I speak to you?”

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading “I hope you don’t think it necessary to ask me that?” he said, turning round quickly.

lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

Letauxiliary verbUS /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading “Let us sit down here.”

lightsnounUS /laɪts/

plural of “light” — (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation

From this reading The music and the shouting had died away, and the lights of Strio were growing dim across the water as the yacht headed for Therma.

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

LordnounUS /lɔːrd/

terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God

From this reading “Lord, may I speak to you?”

makingnounUS /ˈmeɪkɪŋ/

the act that results in something coming to be

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading “Lord, may I speak to you?”

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading “I hope you don’t think it necessary to ask me that?” he said, turning round quickly.

meekadjectiveUS /miːk/

humble in spirit or manner; suggesting retiring mildness or even cowed submissiveness

miserableadjectiveUS /ˈmɪzərəbəl/

very unhappy; full of misery

musicnounUS /ˈmjuːzɪk/

an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner

From this reading The music and the shouting had died away, and the lights of Strio were growing dim across the water as the yacht headed for Therma.

necessaryadjectiveUS /ˈnesəseri/

absolutely essential

From this reading “I hope you don’t think it necessary to ask me that?” he said, turning round quickly.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The music and the shouting had died away, and the lights of Strio were growing dim across the water as the yacht headed for Therma.

parents-in-law

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

quicklyadverbUS /ˈkwɪkli/

with speed

From this reading “I hope you don’t think it necessary to ask me that?” he said, turning round quickly.

releasedverbUS /riˈliːst/

past form of “release” — release, as from one's grip

roundnounUS /raʊnd/

a charge of ammunition for a single shot

From this reading “I hope you don’t think it necessary to ask me that?” he said, turning round quickly.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading “I hope you don’t think it necessary to ask me that?” he said, turning round quickly.

shorenounUS /ʃɔːr/

the land along the edge of a body of water

shoutingnounUS /ˈʃaʊtɪŋ/

encouragement in the form of cheers from spectators

From this reading The music and the shouting had died away, and the lights of Strio were growing dim across the water as the yacht headed for Therma.

sightnounUS /saɪt/

an instance of visual perception

sitverbUS /sɪt/

be seated

From this reading “Let us sit down here.”

speakverbUS /spiːk/

express in speech

From this reading “Lord, may I speak to you?”

Strio

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The music and the shouting had died away, and the lights of Strio were growing dim across the water as the yacht headed for Therma.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading “I hope you don’t think it necessary to ask me that?” he said, turning round quickly.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The music and the shouting had died away, and the lights of Strio were growing dim across the water as the yacht headed for Therma.

Therma

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The music and the shouting had died away, and the lights of Strio were growing dim across the water as the yacht headed for Therma.

thinkverbUS /θɪŋk/

judge or regard; look upon; judge

From this reading “I hope you don’t think it necessary to ask me that?” he said, turning round quickly.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

turningnounUS /ˈtɜːrnɪŋ/

the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course

From this reading “I hope you don’t think it necessary to ask me that?” he said, turning round quickly.

uspronounUS /ʌs/

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading “Let us sit down here.”

voicenounUS /vɔɪs/

the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

waternounUS /ˈwɔːtər/

binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent

From this reading The music and the shouting had died away, and the lights of Strio were growing dim across the water as the yacht headed for Therma.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading The music and the shouting had died away, and the lights of Strio were growing dim across the water as the yacht headed for Therma.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

withinprepositionUS /wɪˈðɪn/

inside; before a period of time has passed

yachtnounUS /jɑːt/

an expensive vessel propelled by sail or power and used for cruising or racing

From this reading The music and the shouting had died away, and the lights of Strio were growing dim across the water as the yacht headed for Therma.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “Lord, may I speak to you?”

Chapter 23 of The Prize by Sydney C. Grier holds 230 sentences, grouped into 46 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.

What does chapter 23 of The Prize contain?

Chapter 23 holds 230 sentences of The Prize, unabridged, divided into 46 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 23 of The Prize by Sydney C. Grier exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 230 sentences, grouped into 46 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.

How do I study chapter 23 of The Prize?

Work through the 46 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 46 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.

Can chapter 23 be read aloud to me?

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.

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Yes. All 6060 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #66851 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #66851, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 505 minutes of reading across 1212 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The Prize

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Sydney: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Prize; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Grier: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Prize; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Author: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Prize; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Honour: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Prize; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter XXIII · Guests of Honour

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