Chapter 23 of The Red Symbol is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of The Red Symbol is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A BYGONE TRAGEDY He sat so long silent after that outburst that I feared he might not be willing to tell me any more of what I was painfully eager to hear. "Did she--the Countess Anna--die here, sir?" I asked at last. He roused himself with a start. "I beg your pardon; I had almost forgotten you were there," he said apologetically.
Chapter 23 of The Red Symbol is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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 former copper coin of Pakistan and India
From this reading “"Did she--the Countess Anna--die here, sir?"”
in an apologetic manner
From this reading “"I beg your pardon; I had almost forgotten you were there," he said apologetically.”
past events to be put aside
From this reading “A BYGONE TRAGEDY He sat so long silent after that outburst that I feared he might not be willing to tell me any more of what I was painfully eager to hear.”
female equivalent of a count or earl
From this reading “"Did she--the Countess Anna--die here, sir?"”
an unrestrained expression of emotion
From this reading “A BYGONE TRAGEDY He sat so long silent after that outburst that I feared he might not be willing to tell me any more of what I was painfully eager to hear.”
unpleasantly
From this reading “A BYGONE TRAGEDY He sat so long silent after that outburst that I feared he might not be willing to tell me any more of what I was painfully eager to hear.”
past form of “rouse” — become active
From this reading “He roused himself with a start.”
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading “A BYGONE TRAGEDY He sat so long silent after that outburst that I feared he might not be willing to tell me any more of what I was painfully eager to hear.”
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 “"I beg your pardon; I had almost forgotten you were there," he said apologetically.”
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 A BYGONE TRAGEDY He sat so long silent after that outburst that I feared he might not be willing to tell me any more of what I was painfully eager to hear.
later than; following
From this reading A BYGONE TRAGEDY He sat so long silent after that outburst that I feared he might not be willing to tell me any more of what I was painfully eager to hear.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading "I beg your pardon; I had almost forgotten you were there," he said apologetically.
a former copper coin of Pakistan and India
From this reading "Did she--the Countess Anna--die here, sir?"
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading A BYGONE TRAGEDY He sat so long silent after that outburst that I feared he might not be willing to tell me any more of what I was painfully eager to hear.
in an apologetic manner
From this reading "I beg your pardon; I had almost forgotten you were there," he said apologetically.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading I asked at last.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I asked at last.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading A BYGONE TRAGEDY He sat so long silent after that outburst that I feared he might not be willing to tell me any more of what I was painfully eager to hear.
call upon in supplication; entreat
From this reading "I beg your pardon; I had almost forgotten you were there," he said apologetically.
past events to be put aside
From this reading A BYGONE TRAGEDY He sat so long silent after that outburst that I feared he might not be willing to tell me any more of what I was painfully eager to hear.
female equivalent of a count or earl
From this reading "Did she--the Countess Anna--die here, sir?"
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "Did she--the Countess Anna--die here, sir?"
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading "Did she--the Countess Anna--die here, sir?"
having or showing keen interest or intense desire or impatient expectancy
From this reading A BYGONE TRAGEDY He sat so long silent after that outburst that I feared he might not be willing to tell me any more of what I was painfully eager to hear.
past form of “fear” — be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading A BYGONE TRAGEDY He sat so long silent after that outburst that I feared he might not be willing to tell me any more of what I was painfully eager to hear.
Not remembered; lapsed from memory.
From this reading "I beg your pardon; I had almost forgotten you were there," he said apologetically.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "I beg your pardon; I had almost forgotten you were there," he said apologetically.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A BYGONE TRAGEDY He sat so long silent after that outburst that I feared he might not be willing to tell me any more of what I was painfully eager to hear.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading A BYGONE TRAGEDY He sat so long silent after that outburst that I feared he might not be willing to tell me any more of what I was painfully eager to hear.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "Did she--the Countess Anna--die here, sir?"
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He roused himself with a start.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading A BYGONE TRAGEDY He sat so long silent after that outburst that I feared he might not be willing to tell me any more of what I was painfully eager to hear.
immediately past
From this reading I asked at last.
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 A BYGONE TRAGEDY He sat so long silent after that outburst that I feared he might not be willing to tell me any more of what I was painfully eager to hear.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A BYGONE TRAGEDY He sat so long silent after that outburst that I feared he might not be willing to tell me any more of what I was painfully eager to hear.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading A BYGONE TRAGEDY He sat so long silent after that outburst that I feared he might not be willing to tell me any more of what I was painfully eager to hear.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading A BYGONE TRAGEDY He sat so long silent after that outburst that I feared he might not be willing to tell me any more of what I was painfully eager to hear.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading A BYGONE TRAGEDY He sat so long silent after that outburst that I feared he might not be willing to tell me any more of what I was painfully eager to hear.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A BYGONE TRAGEDY He sat so long silent after that outburst that I feared he might not be willing to tell me any more of what I was painfully eager to hear.
an unrestrained expression of emotion
From this reading A BYGONE TRAGEDY He sat so long silent after that outburst that I feared he might not be willing to tell me any more of what I was painfully eager to hear.
unpleasantly
From this reading A BYGONE TRAGEDY He sat so long silent after that outburst that I feared he might not be willing to tell me any more of what I was painfully eager to hear.
accept an excuse for
From this reading "I beg your pardon; I had almost forgotten you were there," he said apologetically.
past form of “rouse” — become active
From this reading He roused himself with a start.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I beg your pardon; I had almost forgotten you were there," he said apologetically.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading A BYGONE TRAGEDY He sat so long silent after that outburst that I feared he might not be willing to tell me any more of what I was painfully eager to hear.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Did she--the Countess Anna--die here, sir?"
marked by absence of sound
From this reading A BYGONE TRAGEDY He sat so long silent after that outburst that I feared he might not be willing to tell me any more of what I was painfully eager to hear.
term of address for a man
From this reading "Did she--the Countess Anna--die here, sir?"
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading A BYGONE TRAGEDY He sat so long silent after that outburst that I feared he might not be willing to tell me any more of what I was painfully eager to hear.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading He roused himself with a start.
express in words
From this reading A BYGONE TRAGEDY He sat so long silent after that outburst that I feared he might not be willing to tell me any more of what I was painfully eager to hear.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading A BYGONE TRAGEDY He sat so long silent after that outburst that I feared he might not be willing to tell me any more of what I was painfully eager to hear.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Did she--the Countess Anna--die here, sir?"
in or at that place or location
From this reading "I beg your pardon; I had almost forgotten you were there," he said apologetically.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A BYGONE TRAGEDY He sat so long silent after that outburst that I feared he might not be willing to tell me any more of what I was painfully eager to hear.
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading A BYGONE TRAGEDY He sat so long silent after that outburst that I feared he might not be willing to tell me any more of what I was painfully eager to hear.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A BYGONE TRAGEDY He sat so long silent after that outburst that I feared he might not be willing to tell me any more of what I was painfully eager to hear.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "I beg your pardon; I had almost forgotten you were there," he said apologetically.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading A BYGONE TRAGEDY He sat so long silent after that outburst that I feared he might not be willing to tell me any more of what I was painfully eager to hear.
disposed or inclined toward
From this reading A BYGONE TRAGEDY He sat so long silent after that outburst that I feared he might not be willing to tell me any more of what I was painfully eager to hear.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He roused himself with a start.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I beg your pardon; I had almost forgotten you were there," he said apologetically.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I beg your pardon; I had almost forgotten you were there," he said apologetically.
Chapter 23 of The Red Symbol by John Ironside holds 198 sentences, grouped into 40 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 23 holds 198 sentences of The Red Symbol, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of The Red Symbol by John Ironside exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 198 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 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.
Common questions about reading The Red Symbol by John Ironside on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5338 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31860 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31860, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 444 minutes of reading across 1068 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Red Symbol section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of The Red Symbol 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 Symbol, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
