Chapter 23 of The Rocks of Valpré is here in full — 218 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of The Rocks of Valpré is here in full — 218 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE ENEMY MOVES "And you mean to say that this French secretary of Trevor's actually lives in the house?" said Aunt Philippa. "But of course he does," said Chris, opening her eyes wide. "And is Trevor never away?" demanded Aunt Philippa. "He hasn't been, but he talks of spending a night in town next week." "And you will go with him?"
Chapter 23 of The Rocks of Valpré is here in full — 218 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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.
in actual fact
From this reading “THE ENEMY MOVES "And you mean to say that this French secretary of Trevor's actually lives in the house?" said Aunt Philippa.”
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading “"And is Trevor never away?" demanded Aunt Philippa.”
an opposing military force
From this reading “THE ENEMY MOVES "And you mean to say that this French secretary of Trevor's actually lives in the house?" said Aunt Philippa.”
plural of “move” — the act of deciding to do something
From this reading “THE ENEMY MOVES "And you mean to say that this French secretary of Trevor's actually lives in the house?" said Aunt Philippa.”
an open or empty space in or between things
From this reading “"But of course he does," said Chris, opening her eyes wide.”
a person who is head of an administrative department of government
From this reading “THE ENEMY MOVES "And you mean to say that this French secretary of Trevor's actually lives in the house?" said Aunt Philippa.”
the act of spending or disbursing money
From this reading “"He hasn't been, but he talks of spending a night in town next week."”
a discussion intended to produce an agreement
From this reading “"He hasn't been, but he talks of spending a night in town next week."”
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 "He hasn't been, but he talks of spending a night in town next week."
in actual fact
From this reading THE ENEMY MOVES "And you mean to say that this French secretary of Trevor's actually lives in the house?" said Aunt Philippa.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE ENEMY MOVES "And you mean to say that this French secretary of Trevor's actually lives in the house?" said Aunt Philippa.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading THE ENEMY MOVES "And you mean to say that this French secretary of Trevor's actually lives in the house?" said Aunt Philippa.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "And is Trevor never away?" demanded Aunt Philippa.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "He hasn't been, but he talks of spending a night in town next week."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But of course he does," said Chris, opening her eyes wide.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But of course he does," said Chris, opening her eyes wide.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading "But of course he does," said Chris, opening her eyes wide.
past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully
From this reading "And is Trevor never away?" demanded Aunt Philippa.
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "But of course he does," said Chris, opening her eyes wide.
an opposing military force
From this reading THE ENEMY MOVES "And you mean to say that this French secretary of Trevor's actually lives in the house?" said Aunt Philippa.
opinion or judgment
From this reading "But of course he does," said Chris, opening her eyes wide.
the Romance language spoken in France and in countries colonized by France
From this reading THE ENEMY MOVES "And you mean to say that this French secretary of Trevor's actually lives in the house?" said Aunt Philippa.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "And you will go with him?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "He hasn't been, but he talks of spending a night in town next week."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "But of course he does," said Chris, opening her eyes wide.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "But of course he does," said Chris, opening her eyes wide.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "And you will go with him?"
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading THE ENEMY MOVES "And you mean to say that this French secretary of Trevor's actually lives in the house?" said Aunt Philippa.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE ENEMY MOVES "And you mean to say that this French secretary of Trevor's actually lives in the house?" said Aunt Philippa.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "And is Trevor never away?" demanded Aunt Philippa.
plural of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading THE ENEMY MOVES "And you mean to say that this French secretary of Trevor's actually lives in the house?" said Aunt Philippa.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading THE ENEMY MOVES "And you mean to say that this French secretary of Trevor's actually lives in the house?" said Aunt Philippa.
plural of “move” — the act of deciding to do something
From this reading THE ENEMY MOVES "And you mean to say that this French secretary of Trevor's actually lives in the house?" said Aunt Philippa.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "And is Trevor never away?" demanded Aunt Philippa.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading "He hasn't been, but he talks of spending a night in town next week."
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading "He hasn't been, but he talks of spending a night in town next week."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE ENEMY MOVES "And you mean to say that this French secretary of Trevor's actually lives in the house?" said Aunt Philippa.
an open or empty space in or between things
From this reading "But of course he does," said Chris, opening her eyes wide.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE ENEMY MOVES "And you mean to say that this French secretary of Trevor's actually lives in the house?" said Aunt Philippa.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading THE ENEMY MOVES "And you mean to say that this French secretary of Trevor's actually lives in the house?" said Aunt Philippa.
express in words
From this reading THE ENEMY MOVES "And you mean to say that this French secretary of Trevor's actually lives in the house?" said Aunt Philippa.
a person who is head of an administrative department of government
From this reading THE ENEMY MOVES "And you mean to say that this French secretary of Trevor's actually lives in the house?" said Aunt Philippa.
the act of spending or disbursing money
From this reading "He hasn't been, but he talks of spending a night in town next week."
a discussion intended to produce an agreement
From this reading "He hasn't been, but he talks of spending a night in town next week."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading THE ENEMY MOVES "And you mean to say that this French secretary of Trevor's actually lives in the house?" said Aunt Philippa.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE ENEMY MOVES "And you mean to say that this French secretary of Trevor's actually lives in the house?" said Aunt Philippa.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading THE ENEMY MOVES "And you mean to say that this French secretary of Trevor's actually lives in the house?" said Aunt Philippa.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE ENEMY MOVES "And you mean to say that this French secretary of Trevor's actually lives in the house?" said Aunt Philippa.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading "He hasn't been, but he talks of spending a night in town next week."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "And is Trevor never away?" demanded Aunt Philippa.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE ENEMY MOVES "And you mean to say that this French secretary of Trevor's actually lives in the house?" said Aunt Philippa.
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading "He hasn't been, but he talks of spending a night in town next week."
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading "But of course he does," said Chris, opening her eyes wide.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "And you will go with him?"
in the company of; together with
From this reading "And you will go with him?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading THE ENEMY MOVES "And you mean to say that this French secretary of Trevor's actually lives in the house?" said Aunt Philippa.
Chapter 23 of The Rocks of Valpré by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell holds 218 sentences, grouped into 44 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 218 sentences of The Rocks of Valpré, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of The Rocks of Valpré by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 218 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 Rocks of Valpré by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 13142 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13547 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #13547, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2629 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Rocks of Valpré section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Rocks of Valpré 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 Rocks of Valpré, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
