Chapter 16 of The Red Axe is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of The Red Axe is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
HUGO OF THE BROADAXE But as for me, sleep I could not. And indeed that is small wonder. For it was the first night I had ever slept out of the Red Tower in my life. I seemed to lack some necessary accompaniment to the act of going to sleep. It was a long while before I could find out what it could be that was disturbing me.
Chapter 16 of The Red Axe is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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.
an event or situation that happens at the same time as or in connection with another
From this reading “I seemed to lack some necessary accompaniment to the act of going to sleep.”
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading “I seemed to lack some necessary accompaniment to the act of going to sleep.”
causing distress or worry or anxiety
From this reading “It was a long while before I could find out what it could be that was disturbing me.”
French poet and novelist and dramatist; leader of the romantic movement in France (1802-1885)
From this reading “HUGO OF THE BROADAXE But as for me, sleep I could not.”
the state of needing something that is absent or unavailable
From this reading “I seemed to lack some necessary accompaniment to the act of going to sleep.”
absolutely essential
From this reading “I seemed to lack some necessary accompaniment to the act of going to sleep.”
inflected form of “sleep” — be asleep
From this reading “For it was the first night I had ever slept out of the Red Tower in my life.”
a structure taller than its diameter; can stand alone or be attached to a larger building
From this reading “For it was the first night I had ever slept out of the Red Tower in my life.”
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 It was a long while before I could find out what it could be that was disturbing me.
an event or situation that happens at the same time as or in connection with another
From this reading I seemed to lack some necessary accompaniment to the act of going to sleep.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading I seemed to lack some necessary accompaniment to the act of going to sleep.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And indeed that is small wonder.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading HUGO OF THE BROADAXE But as for me, sleep I could not.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It was a long while before I could find out what it could be that was disturbing me.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading It was a long while before I could find out what it could be that was disturbing me.
a large ax with a broad cutting blade
From this reading HUGO OF THE BROADAXE But as for me, sleep I could not.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading HUGO OF THE BROADAXE But as for me, sleep I could not.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading HUGO OF THE BROADAXE But as for me, sleep I could not.
causing distress or worry or anxiety
From this reading It was a long while before I could find out what it could be that was disturbing me.
at any time
From this reading For it was the first night I had ever slept out of the Red Tower in my life.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading It was a long while before I could find out what it could be that was disturbing me.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading For it was the first night I had ever slept out of the Red Tower in my life.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading HUGO OF THE BROADAXE But as for me, sleep I could not.
the act of departing
From this reading I seemed to lack some necessary accompaniment to the act of going to sleep.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading For it was the first night I had ever slept out of the Red Tower in my life.
French poet and novelist and dramatist; leader of the romantic movement in France (1802-1885)
From this reading HUGO OF THE BROADAXE But as for me, sleep I could not.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading HUGO OF THE BROADAXE But as for me, sleep I could not.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading For it was the first night I had ever slept out of the Red Tower in my life.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading And indeed that is small wonder.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And indeed that is small wonder.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading For it was the first night I had ever slept out of the Red Tower in my life.
the state of needing something that is absent or unavailable
From this reading I seemed to lack some necessary accompaniment to the act of going to sleep.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading For it was the first night I had ever slept out of the Red Tower in my life.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading It was a long while before I could find out what it could be that was disturbing me.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading HUGO OF THE BROADAXE But as for me, sleep I could not.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading For it was the first night I had ever slept out of the Red Tower in my life.
absolutely essential
From this reading I seemed to lack some necessary accompaniment to the act of going to sleep.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading For it was the first night I had ever slept out of the Red Tower in my life.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading HUGO OF THE BROADAXE But as for me, sleep I could not.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading HUGO OF THE BROADAXE But as for me, sleep I could not.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading For it was the first night I had ever slept out of the Red Tower in my life.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading For it was the first night I had ever slept out of the Red Tower in my life.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading I seemed to lack some necessary accompaniment to the act of going to sleep.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading HUGO OF THE BROADAXE But as for me, sleep I could not.
inflected form of “sleep” — be asleep
From this reading For it was the first night I had ever slept out of the Red Tower in my life.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading And indeed that is small wonder.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading I seemed to lack some necessary accompaniment to the act of going to sleep.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading And indeed that is small wonder.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading HUGO OF THE BROADAXE But as for me, sleep I could not.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I seemed to lack some necessary accompaniment to the act of going to sleep.
a structure taller than its diameter; can stand alone or be attached to a larger building
From this reading For it was the first night I had ever slept out of the Red Tower in my life.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading For it was the first night I had ever slept out of the Red Tower in my life.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading It was a long while before I could find out what it could be that was disturbing me.
during the time that
From this reading It was a long while before I could find out what it could be that was disturbing me.
the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising
From this reading And indeed that is small wonder.
Chapter 16 of The Red Axe by S. R. (Samuel Rutherford) Crockett holds 120 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 16 holds 120 sentences of The Red Axe, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of The Red Axe by S. R. (Samuel Rutherford) Crockett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 120 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 16 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 Red Axe by S. R. (Samuel Rutherford) Crockett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5927 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12191 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12191, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 493 minutes of reading across 1186 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Red Axe section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Red Axe 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 Red Axe, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
