Chapter 25 of The Return of Clubfoot is here in full — 163 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXV
Chapter 25 of The Return of Clubfoot is here in full — 163 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE END OF A DREAM I don't think I was ever so glad in my life before to see anyone. There he was in the flesh, dear old John, tall and grave and courteous, like any Spanish don, in a clean tussore suit and the inevitable cigar stuck in a corner of his mouth. "John!" I exclaimed. "How on earth did you ever get here?"
Chapter 25 of The Return of Clubfoot is here in full — 163 sentences across 33 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.
any person at all
From this reading “THE END OF A DREAM I don't think I was ever so glad in my life before to see anyone.”
a roll of tobacco for smoking
From this reading “There he was in the flesh, dear old John, tall and grave and courteous, like any Spanish don, in a clean tussore suit and the inevitable cigar stuck in a corner of his mouth.”
exhibiting courtesy and politeness
From this reading “There he was in the flesh, dear old John, tall and grave and courteous, like any Spanish don, in a clean tussore suit and the inevitable cigar stuck in a corner of his mouth.”
the soft tissue of the body of a vertebrate: mainly muscle tissue and fat
From this reading “There he was in the flesh, dear old John, tall and grave and courteous, like any Spanish don, in a clean tussore suit and the inevitable cigar stuck in a corner of his mouth.”
incapable of being avoided or prevented
From this reading “There he was in the flesh, dear old John, tall and grave and courteous, like any Spanish don, in a clean tussore suit and the inevitable cigar stuck in a corner of his mouth.”
the Romance language spoken in most of Spain and the countries colonized by Spain
From this reading “There he was in the flesh, dear old John, tall and grave and courteous, like any Spanish don, in a clean tussore suit and the inevitable cigar stuck in a corner of his mouth.”
caught or fixed
From this reading “There he was in the flesh, dear old John, tall and grave and courteous, like any Spanish don, in a clean tussore suit and the inevitable cigar stuck in a corner of his mouth.”
be agreeable or acceptable to
From this reading “There he was in the flesh, dear old John, tall and grave and courteous, like any Spanish don, in a clean tussore suit and the inevitable cigar stuck in a corner of his mouth.”
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.
used with question words to convey surprise
In this reading “"How on earth did you ever get here?"”
In this reading “There he was in the flesh, dear old John, tall and grave and courteous, like any Spanish don, in a clean tussore suit and the inevitable cigar stuck in a corner of his mouth.”
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 THE END OF A DREAM I don't think I was ever so glad in my life before to see anyone.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading There he was in the flesh, dear old John, tall and grave and courteous, like any Spanish don, in a clean tussore suit and the inevitable cigar stuck in a corner of his mouth.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading There he was in the flesh, dear old John, tall and grave and courteous, like any Spanish don, in a clean tussore suit and the inevitable cigar stuck in a corner of his mouth.
any person at all
From this reading THE END OF A DREAM I don't think I was ever so glad in my life before to see anyone.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading THE END OF A DREAM I don't think I was ever so glad in my life before to see anyone.
a roll of tobacco for smoking
From this reading There he was in the flesh, dear old John, tall and grave and courteous, like any Spanish don, in a clean tussore suit and the inevitable cigar stuck in a corner of his mouth.
free from dirt or impurities; or having clean habits
From this reading There he was in the flesh, dear old John, tall and grave and courteous, like any Spanish don, in a clean tussore suit and the inevitable cigar stuck in a corner of his mouth.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading There he was in the flesh, dear old John, tall and grave and courteous, like any Spanish don, in a clean tussore suit and the inevitable cigar stuck in a corner of his mouth.
exhibiting courtesy and politeness
From this reading There he was in the flesh, dear old John, tall and grave and courteous, like any Spanish don, in a clean tussore suit and the inevitable cigar stuck in a corner of his mouth.
dearly loved
From this reading There he was in the flesh, dear old John, tall and grave and courteous, like any Spanish don, in a clean tussore suit and the inevitable cigar stuck in a corner of his mouth.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "How on earth did you ever get here?"
a Spanish gentleman or nobleman
From this reading There he was in the flesh, dear old John, tall and grave and courteous, like any Spanish don, in a clean tussore suit and the inevitable cigar stuck in a corner of his mouth.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE END OF A DREAM I don't think I was ever so glad in my life before to see anyone.
A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.
From this reading THE END OF A DREAM I don't think I was ever so glad in my life before to see anyone.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading "How on earth did you ever get here?"
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading THE END OF A DREAM I don't think I was ever so glad in my life before to see anyone.
at any time
From this reading THE END OF A DREAM I don't think I was ever so glad in my life before to see anyone.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading I exclaimed.
the soft tissue of the body of a vertebrate: mainly muscle tissue and fat
From this reading There he was in the flesh, dear old John, tall and grave and courteous, like any Spanish don, in a clean tussore suit and the inevitable cigar stuck in a corner of his mouth.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "How on earth did you ever get here?"
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading THE END OF A DREAM I don't think I was ever so glad in my life before to see anyone.
death of a person
From this reading There he was in the flesh, dear old John, tall and grave and courteous, like any Spanish don, in a clean tussore suit and the inevitable cigar stuck in a corner of his mouth.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading There he was in the flesh, dear old John, tall and grave and courteous, like any Spanish don, in a clean tussore suit and the inevitable cigar stuck in a corner of his mouth.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "How on earth did you ever get here?"
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading There he was in the flesh, dear old John, tall and grave and courteous, like any Spanish don, in a clean tussore suit and the inevitable cigar stuck in a corner of his mouth.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How on earth did you ever get here?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading THE END OF A DREAM I don't think I was ever so glad in my life before to see anyone.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE END OF A DREAM I don't think I was ever so glad in my life before to see anyone.
incapable of being avoided or prevented
From this reading There he was in the flesh, dear old John, tall and grave and courteous, like any Spanish don, in a clean tussore suit and the inevitable cigar stuck in a corner of his mouth.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading There he was in the flesh, dear old John, tall and grave and courteous, like any Spanish don, in a clean tussore suit and the inevitable cigar stuck in a corner of his mouth.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading THE END OF A DREAM I don't think I was ever so glad in my life before to see anyone.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading There he was in the flesh, dear old John, tall and grave and courteous, like any Spanish don, in a clean tussore suit and the inevitable cigar stuck in a corner of his mouth.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading There he was in the flesh, dear old John, tall and grave and courteous, like any Spanish don, in a clean tussore suit and the inevitable cigar stuck in a corner of his mouth.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading THE END OF A DREAM I don't think I was ever so glad in my life before to see anyone.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE END OF A DREAM I don't think I was ever so glad in my life before to see anyone.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading There he was in the flesh, dear old John, tall and grave and courteous, like any Spanish don, in a clean tussore suit and the inevitable cigar stuck in a corner of his mouth.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "How on earth did you ever get here?"
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading THE END OF A DREAM I don't think I was ever so glad in my life before to see anyone.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading THE END OF A DREAM I don't think I was ever so glad in my life before to see anyone.
the Romance language spoken in most of Spain and the countries colonized by Spain
From this reading There he was in the flesh, dear old John, tall and grave and courteous, like any Spanish don, in a clean tussore suit and the inevitable cigar stuck in a corner of his mouth.
caught or fixed
From this reading There he was in the flesh, dear old John, tall and grave and courteous, like any Spanish don, in a clean tussore suit and the inevitable cigar stuck in a corner of his mouth.
be agreeable or acceptable to
From this reading There he was in the flesh, dear old John, tall and grave and courteous, like any Spanish don, in a clean tussore suit and the inevitable cigar stuck in a corner of his mouth.
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading There he was in the flesh, dear old John, tall and grave and courteous, like any Spanish don, in a clean tussore suit and the inevitable cigar stuck in a corner of his mouth.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE END OF A DREAM I don't think I was ever so glad in my life before to see anyone.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There he was in the flesh, dear old John, tall and grave and courteous, like any Spanish don, in a clean tussore suit and the inevitable cigar stuck in a corner of his mouth.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading THE END OF A DREAM I don't think I was ever so glad in my life before to see anyone.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE END OF A DREAM I don't think I was ever so glad in my life before to see anyone.
oriental moth that produces brownish silk
From this reading There he was in the flesh, dear old John, tall and grave and courteous, like any Spanish don, in a clean tussore suit and the inevitable cigar stuck in a corner of his mouth.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE END OF A DREAM I don't think I was ever so glad in my life before to see anyone.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "How on earth did you ever get here?"
Chapter 25 of The Return of Clubfoot by Valentine Williams holds 163 sentences, grouped into 33 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 25 holds 163 sentences of The Return of Clubfoot, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 25 of The Return of Clubfoot by Valentine Williams exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 163 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 25 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 Return of Clubfoot by Valentine Williams on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4503 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #59898 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #59898, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 375 minutes of reading across 901 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Return of Clubfoot section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Return of Clubfoot 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 Return of Clubfoot, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
