Chapter 23 of The Road to Understanding is here in full — 187 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of The Road to Understanding is here in full — 187 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"THE PLOT THICKENS" It was shortly before Christmas that Frank Gleason ran up to Dalton. He went first to see Burke Denby. Burke greeted him with hearty cordiality. "Hullo, Gleason! Good--you're just in time for dinner.
Chapter 23 of The Road to Understanding is here in full — 187 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/37 · 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.
British statesman famous for his oratory; pleaded the cause of the American colonists in British Parliament and defended the parliamentary system (1729-1797)
From this reading “He went first to see Burke Denby.”
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading “"THE PLOT THICKENS" It was shortly before Christmas that Frank Gleason ran up to Dalton.”
English chemist and physicist who formulated atomic theory and the law of partial pressures; gave the first description of red-green color blindness (1766-1844)
From this reading “"THE PLOT THICKENS" It was shortly before Christmas that Frank Gleason ran up to Dalton.”
past form of “greet” — express greetings upon meeting someone
From this reading “Burke greeted him with hearty cordiality.”
showing warm and heartfelt friendliness
From this reading “Burke greeted him with hearty cordiality.”
a secret scheme to do something (especially something underhand or illegal)
From this reading “"THE PLOT THICKENS" It was shortly before Christmas that Frank Gleason ran up to Dalton.”
for a short time
From this reading “"THE PLOT THICKENS" It was shortly before Christmas that Frank Gleason ran up to Dalton.”
third-person singular of “thicken” — make thick or thicker
From this reading “"THE PLOT THICKENS" It was shortly before Christmas that Frank Gleason ran up to Dalton.”
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.
pile up (debts or scores)
In this reading “"THE PLOT THICKENS" It was shortly before Christmas that Frank Gleason ran up to Dalton.”
In this reading “Good--you're just in time for dinner.”
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.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading "THE PLOT THICKENS" It was shortly before Christmas that Frank Gleason ran up to Dalton.
British statesman famous for his oratory; pleaded the cause of the American colonists in British Parliament and defended the parliamentary system (1729-1797)
From this reading He went first to see Burke Denby.
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading "THE PLOT THICKENS" It was shortly before Christmas that Frank Gleason ran up to Dalton.
a cordial disposition
From this reading Burke greeted him with hearty cordiality.
English chemist and physicist who formulated atomic theory and the law of partial pressures; gave the first description of red-green color blindness (1766-1844)
From this reading "THE PLOT THICKENS" It was shortly before Christmas that Frank Gleason ran up to Dalton.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He went first to see Burke Denby.
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading Good--you're just in time for dinner.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading He went first to see Burke Denby.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Good--you're just in time for dinner.
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading "THE PLOT THICKENS" It was shortly before Christmas that Frank Gleason ran up to Dalton.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "THE PLOT THICKENS" It was shortly before Christmas that Frank Gleason ran up to Dalton.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Good--you're just in time for dinner.
past form of “greet” — express greetings upon meeting someone
From this reading Burke greeted him with hearty cordiality.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He went first to see Burke Denby.
showing warm and heartfelt friendliness
From this reading Burke greeted him with hearty cordiality.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Burke greeted him with hearty cordiality.
an expression of greeting
From this reading "Hullo, Gleason!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Good--you're just in time for dinner.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "THE PLOT THICKENS" It was shortly before Christmas that Frank Gleason ran up to Dalton.
and nothing more
From this reading Good--you're just in time for dinner.
a secret scheme to do something (especially something underhand or illegal)
From this reading "THE PLOT THICKENS" It was shortly before Christmas that Frank Gleason ran up to Dalton.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading "THE PLOT THICKENS" It was shortly before Christmas that Frank Gleason ran up to Dalton.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading He went first to see Burke Denby.
for a short time
From this reading "THE PLOT THICKENS" It was shortly before Christmas that Frank Gleason ran up to Dalton.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "THE PLOT THICKENS" It was shortly before Christmas that Frank Gleason ran up to Dalton.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "THE PLOT THICKENS" It was shortly before Christmas that Frank Gleason ran up to Dalton.
third-person singular of “thicken” — make thick or thicker
From this reading "THE PLOT THICKENS" It was shortly before Christmas that Frank Gleason ran up to Dalton.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Good--you're just in time for dinner.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "THE PLOT THICKENS" It was shortly before Christmas that Frank Gleason ran up to Dalton.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "THE PLOT THICKENS" It was shortly before Christmas that Frank Gleason ran up to Dalton.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "THE PLOT THICKENS" It was shortly before Christmas that Frank Gleason ran up to Dalton.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading He went first to see Burke Denby.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Burke greeted him with hearty cordiality.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Good--you're just in time for dinner.
Chapter 23 of The Road to Understanding by Eleanor H. (Eleanor Hodgman) Porter holds 187 sentences, grouped into 38 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 187 sentences of The Road to Understanding, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of The Road to Understanding by Eleanor H. (Eleanor Hodgman) Porter exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 187 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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 Road to Understanding by Eleanor H. (Eleanor Hodgman) Porter on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6916 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35093 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #35093, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 576 minutes of reading across 1384 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Road to Understanding section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Road to Understanding 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 Road to Understanding, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
