Chapter 31 of The Prodigal Father is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXI
Chapter 31 of The Prodigal Father is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Stroking the cat and sipping his tea, Mr. Walkingshaw conversed pleasantly with his sister. Jean and Frank had gone into the country, and the two sat alone together in the drawing-room. "Brown?" said Miss Walkingshaw. "I never knew the Dunbars had a relative of that name. Who will he be?"
Chapter 31 of The Prodigal Father is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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.
feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
From this reading “Stroking the cat and sipping his tea, Mr. Walkingshaw conversed pleasantly with his sister.”
past form of “converse” — carry on a conversation
From this reading “Stroking the cat and sipping his tea, Mr. Walkingshaw conversed pleasantly with his sister.”
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading “Jean and Frank had gone into the country, and the two sat alone together in the drawing-room.”
a coarse durable twill-weave cotton fabric
From this reading “Jean and Frank had gone into the country, and the two sat alone together in the drawing-room.”
in a cheerful manner
From this reading “Stroking the cat and sipping his tea, Mr. Walkingshaw conversed pleasantly with his sister.”
a person related by blood or marriage
From this reading “"I never knew the Dunbars had a relative of that name.”
inflected form of “sip” — drink in sips
From this reading “Stroking the cat and sipping his tea, Mr. Walkingshaw conversed pleasantly with his sister.”
a light touch with the hands
From this reading “Stroking the cat and sipping his tea, Mr. Walkingshaw conversed pleasantly with his sister.”
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 "I never knew the Dunbars had a relative of that name.
Having no one else present.
From this reading Jean and Frank had gone into the country, and the two sat alone together in the drawing-room.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Stroking the cat and sipping his tea, Mr. Walkingshaw conversed pleasantly with his sister.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Who will he be?"
an orange of low brightness and saturation
From this reading "Brown?" said Miss Walkingshaw.
feline mammal usually having thick soft fur and no ability to roar: domestic cats; wildcats
From this reading Stroking the cat and sipping his tea, Mr. Walkingshaw conversed pleasantly with his sister.
past form of “converse” — carry on a conversation
From this reading Stroking the cat and sipping his tea, Mr. Walkingshaw conversed pleasantly with his sister.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading Jean and Frank had gone into the country, and the two sat alone together in the drawing-room.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jean and Frank had gone into the country, and the two sat alone together in the drawing-room.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I never knew the Dunbars had a relative of that name.
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading Jean and Frank had gone into the country, and the two sat alone together in the drawing-room.
destroyed or killed
From this reading Jean and Frank had gone into the country, and the two sat alone together in the drawing-room.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Jean and Frank had gone into the country, and the two sat alone together in the drawing-room.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Who will he be?"
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Stroking the cat and sipping his tea, Mr. Walkingshaw conversed pleasantly with his sister.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I never knew the Dunbars had a relative of that name.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Jean and Frank had gone into the country, and the two sat alone together in the drawing-room.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Jean and Frank had gone into the country, and the two sat alone together in the drawing-room.
a coarse durable twill-weave cotton fabric
From this reading Jean and Frank had gone into the country, and the two sat alone together in the drawing-room.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I never knew the Dunbars had a relative of that name.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading "Brown?" said Miss Walkingshaw.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Stroking the cat and sipping his tea, Mr. Walkingshaw conversed pleasantly with his sister.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "I never knew the Dunbars had a relative of that name.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "I never knew the Dunbars had a relative of that name.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "I never knew the Dunbars had a relative of that name.
in a cheerful manner
From this reading Stroking the cat and sipping his tea, Mr. Walkingshaw conversed pleasantly with his sister.
a person related by blood or marriage
From this reading "I never knew the Dunbars had a relative of that name.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Brown?" said Miss Walkingshaw.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Jean and Frank had gone into the country, and the two sat alone together in the drawing-room.
inflected form of “sip” — drink in sips
From this reading Stroking the cat and sipping his tea, Mr. Walkingshaw conversed pleasantly with his sister.
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading Stroking the cat and sipping his tea, Mr. Walkingshaw conversed pleasantly with his sister.
a light touch with the hands
From this reading Stroking the cat and sipping his tea, Mr. Walkingshaw conversed pleasantly with his sister.
a beverage made by steeping tea leaves in water
From this reading Stroking the cat and sipping his tea, Mr. Walkingshaw conversed pleasantly with his sister.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I never knew the Dunbars had a relative of that name.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Stroking the cat and sipping his tea, Mr. Walkingshaw conversed pleasantly with his sister.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading Jean and Frank had gone into the country, and the two sat alone together in the drawing-room.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Jean and Frank had gone into the country, and the two sat alone together in the drawing-room.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Stroking the cat and sipping his tea, Mr. Walkingshaw conversed pleasantly with his sister.
which person or people
From this reading Who will he be?"
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Who will he be?"
in the company of; together with
From this reading Stroking the cat and sipping his tea, Mr. Walkingshaw conversed pleasantly with his sister.
Chapter 31 of The Prodigal Father by J. Storer (Joseph Storer) Clouston holds 160 sentences, grouped into 32 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 31 holds 160 sentences of The Prodigal Father, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of The Prodigal Father by J. Storer (Joseph Storer) Clouston exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 160 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 31 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 Prodigal Father by J. Storer (Joseph Storer) Clouston on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4214 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25899 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25899, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 351 minutes of reading across 843 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Prodigal Father section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of The Prodigal Father 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 Prodigal Father, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
