Chapter 14 of The Seats of the Mighty, Complete is here in full — 392 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of The Seats of the Mighty, Complete is here in full — 392 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Your first duty," said his Excellency, "will be to--reconnoitre; and if you come back safe, we will talk further." While he was speaking I kept looking at the list of prisoners which still lay upon his table. It ran thus: Monsieur and Madame Joubert. Monsieur and Madame Carcanal. Madame Rousillon.
Chapter 14 of The Seats of the Mighty, Complete is here in full — 392 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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.
the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force
From this reading “"Your first duty," said his Excellency, "will be to--reconnoitre; and if you come back safe, we will talk further."”
a title used to address dignitaries (such as ambassadors or governors); usually preceded by “Your” or “His” or “Her”
From this reading “"Your first duty," said his Excellency, "will be to--reconnoitre; and if you come back safe, we will talk further."”
give or make a list of; name individually; give the names of
From this reading “While he was speaking I kept looking at the list of prisoners which still lay upon his table.”
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading “It ran thus: Monsieur and Madame Joubert.”
plural of “prisoner” — a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading “While he was speaking I kept looking at the list of prisoners which still lay upon his table.”
explore, often with the goal of finding something or somebody
From this reading “"Your first duty," said his Excellency, "will be to--reconnoitre; and if you come back safe, we will talk further."”
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading “"Your first duty," said his Excellency, "will be to--reconnoitre; and if you come back safe, we will talk further."”
the utterance of intelligible speech
From this reading “While he was speaking I kept looking at the list of prisoners which still lay upon his table.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Your first duty," said his Excellency, "will be to--reconnoitre; and if you come back safe, we will talk further."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading While he was speaking I kept looking at the list of prisoners which still lay upon his table.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading "Your first duty," said his Excellency, "will be to--reconnoitre; and if you come back safe, we will talk further."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Your first duty," said his Excellency, "will be to--reconnoitre; and if you come back safe, we will talk further."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Monsieur and Madame Carcanal.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Your first duty," said his Excellency, "will be to--reconnoitre; and if you come back safe, we will talk further."
the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force
From this reading "Your first duty," said his Excellency, "will be to--reconnoitre; and if you come back safe, we will talk further."
a title used to address dignitaries (such as ambassadors or governors); usually preceded by “Your” or “His” or “Her”
From this reading "Your first duty," said his Excellency, "will be to--reconnoitre; and if you come back safe, we will talk further."
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading "Your first duty," said his Excellency, "will be to--reconnoitre; and if you come back safe, we will talk further."
to or at a greater extent or degree or a more advanced stage (“further” is used more often than “farther” in this abstract sense)
From this reading "Your first duty," said his Excellency, "will be to--reconnoitre; and if you come back safe, we will talk further."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading While he was speaking I kept looking at the list of prisoners which still lay upon his table.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "Your first duty," said his Excellency, "will be to--reconnoitre; and if you come back safe, we will talk further."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading While he was speaking I kept looking at the list of prisoners which still lay upon his table.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Your first duty," said his Excellency, "will be to--reconnoitre; and if you come back safe, we will talk further."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It ran thus: Monsieur and Madame Joubert.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It ran thus: Monsieur and Madame Joubert.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading While he was speaking I kept looking at the list of prisoners which still lay upon his table.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading While he was speaking I kept looking at the list of prisoners which still lay upon his table.
give or make a list of; name individually; give the names of
From this reading While he was speaking I kept looking at the list of prisoners which still lay upon his table.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading While he was speaking I kept looking at the list of prisoners which still lay upon his table.
title used for a married Frenchwoman
From this reading It ran thus: Monsieur and Madame Joubert.
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading It ran thus: Monsieur and Madame Joubert.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading While he was speaking I kept looking at the list of prisoners which still lay upon his table.
plural of “prisoner” — a person who is confined; especially a prisoner of war
From this reading While he was speaking I kept looking at the list of prisoners which still lay upon his table.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading It ran thus: Monsieur and Madame Joubert.
explore, often with the goal of finding something or somebody
From this reading "Your first duty," said his Excellency, "will be to--reconnoitre; and if you come back safe, we will talk further."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Madame Rousillon.
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading "Your first duty," said his Excellency, "will be to--reconnoitre; and if you come back safe, we will talk further."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Your first duty," said his Excellency, "will be to--reconnoitre; and if you come back safe, we will talk further."
the utterance of intelligible speech
From this reading While he was speaking I kept looking at the list of prisoners which still lay upon his table.
not in physical motion
From this reading While he was speaking I kept looking at the list of prisoners which still lay upon his table.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading While he was speaking I kept looking at the list of prisoners which still lay upon his table.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading "Your first duty," said his Excellency, "will be to--reconnoitre; and if you come back safe, we will talk further."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading While he was speaking I kept looking at the list of prisoners which still lay upon his table.
(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result
From this reading It ran thus: Monsieur and Madame Joubert.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Your first duty," said his Excellency, "will be to--reconnoitre; and if you come back safe, we will talk further."
a formal word for “on”
From this reading While he was speaking I kept looking at the list of prisoners which still lay upon his table.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading While he was speaking I kept looking at the list of prisoners which still lay upon his table.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Your first duty," said his Excellency, "will be to--reconnoitre; and if you come back safe, we will talk further."
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading While he was speaking I kept looking at the list of prisoners which still lay upon his table.
during the time that
From this reading While he was speaking I kept looking at the list of prisoners which still lay upon his table.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "Your first duty," said his Excellency, "will be to--reconnoitre; and if you come back safe, we will talk further."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Your first duty," said his Excellency, "will be to--reconnoitre; and if you come back safe, we will talk further."
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Your first duty," said his Excellency, "will be to--reconnoitre; and if you come back safe, we will talk further."
Chapter 14 of The Seats of the Mighty, Complete by Gilbert Parker holds 392 sentences, grouped into 79 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 14 holds 392 sentences of The Seats of the Mighty, Complete, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of The Seats of the Mighty, Complete by Gilbert Parker exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 392 sentences, grouped into 79 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 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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 14 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 Seats of the Mighty, Complete by Gilbert Parker on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6865 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6229 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #6229, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 572 minutes of reading across 1373 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Seats of the Mighty, Complete section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of The Seats of the Mighty, Complete 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 Seats of the Mighty, Complete, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
