Chapter 26 of The Samurai Strategy is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVI
Chapter 26 of The Samurai Strategy is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I figured there would be time for exactly two more strokes, but they had to be right, intuitively perfect. So at that moment I shut down my rational mind, took a deep breath, and gave my life to Zen. Mental autopilot. The connecting doors slid open, and there stood the guards. We'd caught them both flat-footed.
Chapter 26 of The Samurai Strategy is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
a cognitive state in which you act without self-awareness
From this reading “Mental autopilot.”
-ing form of “connect” — connect, fasten, or put together two or more pieces
From this reading “The connecting doors slid open, and there stood the guards.”
(of e.g. fabric design) adorned with patterns
From this reading “I figured there would be time for exactly two more strokes, but they had to be right, intuitively perfect.”
in an intuitive manner
From this reading “I figured there would be time for exactly two more strokes, but they had to be right, intuitively perfect.”
Based on or in accordance with reason or logic rather than turbulent emotions.
From this reading “So at that moment I shut down my rational mind, took a deep breath, and gave my life to Zen.”
inflected form of “slide” — move obliquely or sideways, usually in an uncontrolled manner
From this reading “The connecting doors slid open, and there stood the guards.”
plural of “stroke” — (sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand
From this reading “I figured there would be time for exactly two more strokes, but they had to be right, intuitively perfect.”
school of Mahayana Buddhism asserting that enlightenment can come through meditation and intuition rather than faith; China and Japan
From this reading “So at that moment I shut down my rational mind, took a deep breath, and gave my life to Zen.”
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 “So at that moment I shut down my rational mind, took a deep breath, and gave my life to Zen.”
cease to operate or cause to cease operating
In this reading “So at that moment I shut down my rational mind, took a deep breath, and gave my life to Zen.”
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 So at that moment I shut down my rational mind, took a deep breath, and gave my life to Zen.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading So at that moment I shut down my rational mind, took a deep breath, and gave my life to Zen.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading So at that moment I shut down my rational mind, took a deep breath, and gave my life to Zen.
a cognitive state in which you act without self-awareness
From this reading Mental autopilot.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I figured there would be time for exactly two more strokes, but they had to be right, intuitively perfect.
the two together, not just one
From this reading We'd caught them both flat-footed.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading So at that moment I shut down my rational mind, took a deep breath, and gave my life to Zen.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I figured there would be time for exactly two more strokes, but they had to be right, intuitively perfect.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading We'd caught them both flat-footed.
-ing form of “connect” — connect, fasten, or put together two or more pieces
From this reading The connecting doors slid open, and there stood the guards.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading So at that moment I shut down my rational mind, took a deep breath, and gave my life to Zen.
plural of “door” — a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading The connecting doors slid open, and there stood the guards.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading So at that moment I shut down my rational mind, took a deep breath, and gave my life to Zen.
indicating exactness or preciseness
From this reading I figured there would be time for exactly two more strokes, but they had to be right, intuitively perfect.
(of e.g. fabric design) adorned with patterns
From this reading I figured there would be time for exactly two more strokes, but they had to be right, intuitively perfect.
with feet flat on the ground; not tiptoe
From this reading We'd caught them both flat-footed.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I figured there would be time for exactly two more strokes, but they had to be right, intuitively perfect.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading So at that moment I shut down my rational mind, took a deep breath, and gave my life to Zen.
plural of “guard” — a person who keeps watch over something or someone
From this reading The connecting doors slid open, and there stood the guards.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I figured there would be time for exactly two more strokes, but they had to be right, intuitively perfect.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I figured there would be time for exactly two more strokes, but they had to be right, intuitively perfect.
in an intuitive manner
From this reading I figured there would be time for exactly two more strokes, but they had to be right, intuitively perfect.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading So at that moment I shut down my rational mind, took a deep breath, and gave my life to Zen.
involving the mind or an intellectual process
From this reading Mental autopilot.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading So at that moment I shut down my rational mind, took a deep breath, and gave my life to Zen.
a particular point in time
From this reading So at that moment I shut down my rational mind, took a deep breath, and gave my life to Zen.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading I figured there would be time for exactly two more strokes, but they had to be right, intuitively perfect.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading So at that moment I shut down my rational mind, took a deep breath, and gave my life to Zen.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading The connecting doors slid open, and there stood the guards.
being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish
From this reading I figured there would be time for exactly two more strokes, but they had to be right, intuitively perfect.
Based on or in accordance with reason or logic rather than turbulent emotions.
From this reading So at that moment I shut down my rational mind, took a deep breath, and gave my life to Zen.
precisely, exactly
From this reading I figured there would be time for exactly two more strokes, but they had to be right, intuitively perfect.
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading So at that moment I shut down my rational mind, took a deep breath, and gave my life to Zen.
inflected form of “slide” — move obliquely or sideways, usually in an uncontrolled manner
From this reading The connecting doors slid open, and there stood the guards.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So at that moment I shut down my rational mind, took a deep breath, and gave my life to Zen.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading The connecting doors slid open, and there stood the guards.
plural of “stroke” — (sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand
From this reading I figured there would be time for exactly two more strokes, but they had to be right, intuitively perfect.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading So at that moment I shut down my rational mind, took a deep breath, and gave my life to Zen.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The connecting doors slid open, and there stood the guards.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading We'd caught them both flat-footed.
in or at that place or location
From this reading I figured there would be time for exactly two more strokes, but they had to be right, intuitively perfect.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I figured there would be time for exactly two more strokes, but they had to be right, intuitively perfect.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading I figured there would be time for exactly two more strokes, but they had to be right, intuitively perfect.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I figured there would be time for exactly two more strokes, but they had to be right, intuitively perfect.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading So at that moment I shut down my rational mind, took a deep breath, and gave my life to Zen.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading I figured there would be time for exactly two more strokes, but they had to be right, intuitively perfect.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We'd caught them both flat-footed.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading I figured there would be time for exactly two more strokes, but they had to be right, intuitively perfect.
school of Mahayana Buddhism asserting that enlightenment can come through meditation and intuition rather than faith; China and Japan
From this reading So at that moment I shut down my rational mind, took a deep breath, and gave my life to Zen.
Chapter 26 of The Samurai Strategy by Thomas Hoover holds 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 26 holds 412 sentences of The Samurai Strategy, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 of The Samurai Strategy by Thomas Hoover exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 26 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 Samurai Strategy by Thomas Hoover on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 11816 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34323 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34323, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2364 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Samurai Strategy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Samurai Strategy 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 Samurai Strategy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
