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The Red Tavern
The Red Tavern

Chapter XVII

Chapter 17 of The Red Tavern is here in full — 201 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Red Tavern
Context Illustration Reading 1/40 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
OF THE RETURN OF LORD DOUGLAS, AND THE COUNCIL OF JACKDAWS "Ah!
Woe is me--woe, woe is me!" the youth was crying bitterly.
"To think that I must forget my home, my generous father, my brothers, and my dear, kind sister.
That I must deny even my good and gentle mother who bore me into the world and suckled me at her bosom!
And here am I giving her sorrow of my death when I am living!
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Red Tavern

Chapter XVII

Chapter 17 of The Red Tavern is here in full — 201 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/40 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
OF THE RETURN OF LORD DOUGLAS, AND THE COUNCIL OF JACKDAWS "Ah!
Line 2
Woe is me--woe, woe is me!" the youth was crying bitterly.
Line 3
"To think that I must forget my home, my generous father, my brothers, and my dear, kind sister.
/tuː θɪŋk ðæt aɪ mʌst fərˈɡet maɪ hoʊm maɪ ˈdʒenərəs ˈfɑːðər maɪ ˈbrʌðərz ənd maɪ dɪr kaɪnd ˈsɪstər/
Line 4
That I must deny even my good and gentle mother who bore me into the world and suckled me at her bosom!
Line 5
And here am I giving her sorrow of my death when I am living!
/ənd hiːr æm aɪ ˈɡɪvɪŋ hɜːr ˈsɑːroʊ ʌv maɪ deθ wen aɪ æm ˈlɪvɪŋ/

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.

bitterly adverb US /ˈbɪtərli/

with bitterness; in a resentful manner

From this reading “Woe is me--woe, woe is me!" the youth was crying bitterly.”

bosom noun US /ˈbʊzəm/

the chest considered as the place where secret thoughts are kept

From this reading “That I must deny even my good and gentle mother who bore me into the world and suckled me at her bosom!”

council noun US /ˈkaʊnsəl/

a body serving in an administrative capacity

From this reading “OF THE RETURN OF LORD DOUGLAS, AND THE COUNCIL OF JACKDAWS "Ah!”

crying adjective US /ˈkraɪɪŋ/

demanding attention

From this reading “Woe is me--woe, woe is me!" the youth was crying bitterly.”

deny verb US /dɪˈnaɪ/

declare untrue; contradict

From this reading “That I must deny even my good and gentle mother who bore me into the world and suckled me at her bosom!”

douglas noun US /ˈdʌɡləs/

United States politician who proposed that individual territories be allowed to decide whether they would have slavery; he engaged in a famous series of debates with Abraham Lincoln (1813-1861)

From this reading “OF THE RETURN OF LORD DOUGLAS, AND THE COUNCIL OF JACKDAWS "Ah!”

generous adjective US /ˈdʒenərəs/

willing to give and share unstintingly

From this reading “"To think that I must forget my home, my generous father, my brothers, and my dear, kind sister.”

woe noun US /woʊ/

misery resulting from affliction

From this reading “Woe is me--woe, woe is me!" the youth was crying bitterly.”

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.

into the world preposition + article + noun counted as “into … world”

In this reading “That I must deny even my good and gentle mother who bore me into the world and suckled me at her bosom!”

All words in this reading · 50

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.

Ah

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

From this reading OF THE RETURN OF LORD DOUGLAS, AND THE COUNCIL OF JACKDAWS "Ah!

amauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading And here am I giving her sorrow of my death when I am living!

ANDconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading OF THE RETURN OF LORD DOUGLAS, AND THE COUNCIL OF JACKDAWS "Ah!

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading That I must deny even my good and gentle mother who bore me into the world and suckled me at her bosom!

bitterlyadverbUS /ˈbɪtərli/

with bitterness; in a resentful manner

From this reading Woe is me--woe, woe is me!" the youth was crying bitterly.

boreverbUS /bɔːr/

cause to be bored

From this reading That I must deny even my good and gentle mother who bore me into the world and suckled me at her bosom!

bosomnounUS /ˈbʊzəm/

the chest considered as the place where secret thoughts are kept

From this reading That I must deny even my good and gentle mother who bore me into the world and suckled me at her bosom!

brothersnounUS /ˈbrʌðərz/

plural of “brother” — a male with the same parents as someone else

From this reading "To think that I must forget my home, my generous father, my brothers, and my dear, kind sister.

COUNCILnounUS /ˈkaʊnsəl/

a body serving in an administrative capacity

From this reading OF THE RETURN OF LORD DOUGLAS, AND THE COUNCIL OF JACKDAWS "Ah!

cryingadjectiveUS /ˈkraɪɪŋ/

demanding attention

From this reading Woe is me--woe, woe is me!" the youth was crying bitterly.

dearadjectiveUS /dɪr/

dearly loved

From this reading "To think that I must forget my home, my generous father, my brothers, and my dear, kind sister.

deathnounUS /deθ/

the event of dying or departure from life

From this reading And here am I giving her sorrow of my death when I am living!

denyverbUS /dɪˈnaɪ/

declare untrue; contradict

From this reading That I must deny even my good and gentle mother who bore me into the world and suckled me at her bosom!

DOUGLASnounUS /ˈdʌɡləs/

United States politician who proposed that individual territories be allowed to decide whether they would have slavery; he engaged in a famous series of debates with Abraham Lincoln (1813-1861)

From this reading OF THE RETURN OF LORD DOUGLAS, AND THE COUNCIL OF JACKDAWS "Ah!

evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

From this reading That I must deny even my good and gentle mother who bore me into the world and suckled me at her bosom!

fathernounUS /ˈfɑːðər/

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading "To think that I must forget my home, my generous father, my brothers, and my dear, kind sister.

forgetverbUS /fərˈɡet/

dismiss from the mind; stop remembering

From this reading "To think that I must forget my home, my generous father, my brothers, and my dear, kind sister.

generousadjectiveUS /ˈdʒenərəs/

willing to give and share unstintingly

From this reading "To think that I must forget my home, my generous father, my brothers, and my dear, kind sister.

gentleadjectiveUS /ˈdʒentəl/

soft and mild; not harsh or stern or severe

From this reading That I must deny even my good and gentle mother who bore me into the world and suckled me at her bosom!

givingnounUS /ˈɡɪvɪŋ/

the act of giving

From this reading And here am I giving her sorrow of my death when I am living!

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading That I must deny even my good and gentle mother who bore me into the world and suckled me at her bosom!

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading That I must deny even my good and gentle mother who bore me into the world and suckled me at her bosom!

hereadverbUS /hiːr/

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

From this reading And here am I giving her sorrow of my death when I am living!

homenounUS /hoʊm/

where you live at a particular time

From this reading "To think that I must forget my home, my generous father, my brothers, and my dear, kind sister.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading "To think that I must forget my home, my generous father, my brothers, and my dear, kind sister.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading That I must deny even my good and gentle mother who bore me into the world and suckled me at her bosom!

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading Woe is me--woe, woe is me!" the youth was crying bitterly.

JACKDAWS

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

From this reading OF THE RETURN OF LORD DOUGLAS, AND THE COUNCIL OF JACKDAWS "Ah!

kindadjectiveUS /kaɪnd/

having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior

From this reading "To think that I must forget my home, my generous father, my brothers, and my dear, kind sister.

livingnounUS /ˈlɪvɪŋ/

the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities

From this reading And here am I giving her sorrow of my death when I am living!

LORDnounUS /lɔːrd/

terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God

From this reading OF THE RETURN OF LORD DOUGLAS, AND THE COUNCIL OF JACKDAWS "Ah!

mepronounUS /miː/

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

From this reading Woe is me--woe, woe is me!" the youth was crying bitterly.

mothernounUS /ˈmʌðər/

a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)

From this reading That I must deny even my good and gentle mother who bore me into the world and suckled me at her bosom!

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading "To think that I must forget my home, my generous father, my brothers, and my dear, kind sister.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading "To think that I must forget my home, my generous father, my brothers, and my dear, kind sister.

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading OF THE RETURN OF LORD DOUGLAS, AND THE COUNCIL OF JACKDAWS "Ah!

RETURNverbUS /rɪˈtɜːrn/

go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before

From this reading OF THE RETURN OF LORD DOUGLAS, AND THE COUNCIL OF JACKDAWS "Ah!

sisternounUS /ˈsɪstər/

a female person who has the same parents as another person

From this reading "To think that I must forget my home, my generous father, my brothers, and my dear, kind sister.

sorrownounUS /ˈsɑːroʊ/

an emotion of great sadness associated with loss or bereavement

From this reading And here am I giving her sorrow of my death when I am living!

suckledadjective

(of an infant) breast-fed

From this reading That I must deny even my good and gentle mother who bore me into the world and suckled me at her bosom!

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "To think that I must forget my home, my generous father, my brothers, and my dear, kind sister.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading OF THE RETURN OF LORD DOUGLAS, AND THE COUNCIL OF JACKDAWS "Ah!

thinkverbUS /θɪŋk/

judge or regard; look upon; judge

From this reading "To think that I must forget my home, my generous father, my brothers, and my dear, kind sister.

ToparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading "To think that I must forget my home, my generous father, my brothers, and my dear, kind sister.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Woe is me--woe, woe is me!" the youth was crying bitterly.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading And here am I giving her sorrow of my death when I am living!

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading That I must deny even my good and gentle mother who bore me into the world and suckled me at her bosom!

WoenounUS /woʊ/

misery resulting from affliction

From this reading Woe is me--woe, woe is me!" the youth was crying bitterly.

worldnounUS /wɜːrld/

everything that exists anywhere

From this reading That I must deny even my good and gentle mother who bore me into the world and suckled me at her bosom!

youthnounUS /juːθ/

a young person (especially a young man or boy)

From this reading Woe is me--woe, woe is me!" the youth was crying bitterly.

Chapter 17 of The Red Tavern by C. R. (Charles Raymond) Macauley holds 201 sentences, grouped into 41 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 17 of The Red Tavern contain?

Chapter 17 holds 201 sentences of The Red Tavern, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 17 of The Red Tavern by C. R. (Charles Raymond) Macauley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 201 sentences, grouped into 41 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 17 of The Red Tavern?

Work through the 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 41 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 17 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 17 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.

Questions about reading The Red Tavern

Common questions about reading The Red Tavern by C. R. (Charles Raymond) Macauley on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Red Tavern?

Yes. All 3929 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44182 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Red Tavern is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #44182, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Red Tavern take to read?

About 327 minutes of reading across 786 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Red Tavern section by section

How to work through The Red Tavern section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 27 chapters of The Red Tavern to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Red Tavern

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Red Tavern, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Https
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Red Tavern; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Hearest
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Red Tavern; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Voices
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Red Tavern; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Yonder
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Red Tavern; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.