Chapter XXII of The Sacred Herb, “The Unexpected,” is here in full — 260 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXII
Chapter XXII of The Sacred Herb, “The Unexpected,” is here in full — 260 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Don't talk nonsense to me," cried Lady Sophia, rapping the dinner-table with her lorgnette. "The idea is too ridiculous for words. To marry a girl out of gaol? Monstrous! Your father would turn in his grave, and _he_ wasn't very particular."
Chapter XXII of The Sacred Herb, “The Unexpected,” is here in full — 260 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/52 · 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.
death of a person
From this reading “Your father would turn in his grave, and _he_ wasn't very particular."”
eyeglasses that are held to the eyes with a long handle
From this reading “"Don't talk nonsense to me," cried Lady Sophia, rapping the dinner-table with her lorgnette.”
take in marriage
From this reading “To marry a girl out of gaol?”
abnormally large
From this reading “Monstrous!”
a message that seems to convey no meaning
From this reading “"Don't talk nonsense to me," cried Lady Sophia, rapping the dinner-table with her lorgnette.”
unique or specific to a person or thing or category
From this reading “Your father would turn in his grave, and _he_ wasn't very particular."”
inflected form of “rap” — strike sharply
From this reading “"Don't talk nonsense to me," cried Lady Sophia, rapping the dinner-table with her lorgnette.”
inspiring scornful pity
From this reading “"The idea is too ridiculous for words.”
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 “"Don't talk nonsense to me," cried Lady Sophia, rapping the dinner-table with her lorgnette.”
In this reading “"The idea is too ridiculous for words.”
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 To marry a girl out of gaol?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Your father would turn in his grave, and _he_ wasn't very particular."
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "Don't talk nonsense to me," cried Lady Sophia, rapping the dinner-table with her lorgnette.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Don't talk nonsense to me," cried Lady Sophia, rapping the dinner-table with her lorgnette.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Don't talk nonsense to me," cried Lady Sophia, rapping the dinner-table with her lorgnette.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Your father would turn in his grave, and _he_ wasn't very particular."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "The idea is too ridiculous for words.
a correctional institution used to detain persons who are in the lawful custody of the government (either accused persons awaiting trial or convicted persons serving a sentence)
From this reading To marry a girl out of gaol?
a young female
From this reading To marry a girl out of gaol?
death of a person
From this reading Your father would turn in his grave, and _he_ wasn't very particular."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Your father would turn in his grave, and _he_ wasn't very particular."
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "Don't talk nonsense to me," cried Lady Sophia, rapping the dinner-table with her lorgnette.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Your father would turn in his grave, and _he_ wasn't very particular."
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "The idea is too ridiculous for words.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Your father would turn in his grave, and _he_ wasn't very particular."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "The idea is too ridiculous for words.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading "Don't talk nonsense to me," cried Lady Sophia, rapping the dinner-table with her lorgnette.
eyeglasses that are held to the eyes with a long handle
From this reading "Don't talk nonsense to me," cried Lady Sophia, rapping the dinner-table with her lorgnette.
take in marriage
From this reading To marry a girl out of gaol?
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Don't talk nonsense to me," cried Lady Sophia, rapping the dinner-table with her lorgnette.
abnormally large
From this reading Monstrous!
a message that seems to convey no meaning
From this reading "Don't talk nonsense to me," cried Lady Sophia, rapping the dinner-table with her lorgnette.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading To marry a girl out of gaol?
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading To marry a girl out of gaol?
unique or specific to a person or thing or category
From this reading Your father would turn in his grave, and _he_ wasn't very particular."
inflected form of “rap” — strike sharply
From this reading "Don't talk nonsense to me," cried Lady Sophia, rapping the dinner-table with her lorgnette.
inspiring scornful pity
From this reading "The idea is too ridiculous for words.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Don't talk nonsense to me," cried Lady Sophia, rapping the dinner-table with her lorgnette.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading "Don't talk nonsense to me," cried Lady Sophia, rapping the dinner-table with her lorgnette.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Don't talk nonsense to me," cried Lady Sophia, rapping the dinner-table with her lorgnette.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Don't talk nonsense to me," cried Lady Sophia, rapping the dinner-table with her lorgnette.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "The idea is too ridiculous for words.
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading Your father would turn in his grave, and _he_ wasn't very particular."
precisely as stated
From this reading Your father would turn in his grave, and _he_ wasn't very particular."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Your father would turn in his grave, and _he_ wasn't very particular."
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Don't talk nonsense to me," cried Lady Sophia, rapping the dinner-table with her lorgnette.
the words that are spoken
From this reading "The idea is too ridiculous for words.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Your father would turn in his grave, and _he_ wasn't very particular."
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Your father would turn in his grave, and _he_ wasn't very particular."
Chapter 22 of The Sacred Herb by Fergus Hume holds 260 sentences, grouped into 52 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 22 holds 260 sentences of The Sacred Herb, unabridged, divided into 52 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 22 of The Sacred Herb by Fergus Hume exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 260 sentences, grouped into 52 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 52 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 52 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 22 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 Sacred Herb by Fergus Hume on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5717 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55642 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #55642, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 476 minutes of reading across 1144 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Sacred Herb section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of The Sacred Herb 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 Sacred Herb, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
