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The Serf
The Serf

Chapter XV

Chapter 15 of The Serf is here in full — 211 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Serf
Context Illustration Reading 1/42 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"Though you be in a place of safety, do not, on that account, think yourself secure."--SAINT BERNARD.
Brother Felix, the monk who had come to them from Icomb, bade them rest another day before setting out over the lake.
"Ye have had a shrewd shog, Lisolé, in the news that Hyla brought, and he also has gone hardly of late.
Let us rest a day and eat well, and talk withal.
There is a bottle of clary that the Prior sent.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Serf

Chapter XV

Chapter 15 of The Serf is here in full — 211 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/42 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"Though you be in a place of safety, do not, on that account, think yourself secure."--SAINT BERNARD.
Line 2
Brother Felix, the monk who had come to them from Icomb, bade them rest another day before setting out over the lake.
Line 3
"Ye have had a shrewd shog, Lisolé, in the news that Hyla brought, and he also has gone hardly of late.
Line 4
Let us rest a day and eat well, and talk withal.
Line 5
There is a bottle of clary that the Prior sent.
/ðer ɪz ə ˈbɑːtəl ʌv ˈkleri ðæt ðə ˈpraɪər sent/

Learner Dictionary

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.

bade noun US /beɪd/

a Chadic language spoken in northern Nigeria

From this reading “Brother Felix, the monk who had come to them from Icomb, bade them rest another day before setting out over the lake.”

bernard noun US /bərˈnɑːrd/

French physiologist noted for research on secretions of the alimentary canal and the glycogenic function of the liver (1813-1878)

From this reading “"Though you be in a place of safety, do not, on that account, think yourself secure."--SAINT BERNARD.”

clary noun US /ˈkleri/

aromatic herb of southern Europe; cultivated in Great Britain as a potherb and widely as an ornamental

From this reading “There is a bottle of clary that the Prior sent.”

monk noun US /mʌŋk/

a male religious living in a cloister and devoting himself to contemplation and prayer and work

From this reading “Brother Felix, the monk who had come to them from Icomb, bade them rest another day before setting out over the lake.”

Prior adjective US /ˈpraɪər/

earlier in time

From this reading “There is a bottle of clary that the Prior sent.”

saint noun US /seɪnt/

a person who has died and has been declared a saint by canonization

From this reading “"Though you be in a place of safety, do not, on that account, think yourself secure."--SAINT BERNARD.”

secure verb US /sɪˈkjʊr/

get by special effort

From this reading “"Though you be in a place of safety, do not, on that account, think yourself secure."--SAINT BERNARD.”

shrewd adjective US /ʃruːd/

marked by practical hardheaded intelligence

From this reading “"Ye have had a shrewd shog, Lisolé, in the news that Hyla brought, and he also has gone hardly of late.”

All words in this reading · 65

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading "Though you be in a place of safety, do not, on that account, think yourself secure."--SAINT BERNARD.

accountnounUS /əˈkaʊnt/

a record or narrative description of past events

From this reading "Though you be in a place of safety, do not, on that account, think yourself secure."--SAINT BERNARD.

alsoadverbUS /ˈɔːlsoʊ/

in addition

From this reading "Ye have had a shrewd shog, Lisolé, in the news that Hyla brought, and he also has gone hardly of late.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading "Ye have had a shrewd shog, Lisolé, in the news that Hyla brought, and he also has gone hardly of late.

anotherdeterminerUS /əˈnʌðər/

one more of the same kind, or a different one

From this reading Brother Felix, the monk who had come to them from Icomb, bade them rest another day before setting out over the lake.

badenounUS /beɪd/

a Chadic language spoken in northern Nigeria

From this reading Brother Felix, the monk who had come to them from Icomb, bade them rest another day before setting out over the lake.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading "Though you be in a place of safety, do not, on that account, think yourself secure."--SAINT BERNARD.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading Brother Felix, the monk who had come to them from Icomb, bade them rest another day before setting out over the lake.

BERNARDnounUS /bərˈnɑːrd/

French physiologist noted for research on secretions of the alimentary canal and the glycogenic function of the liver (1813-1878)

From this reading "Though you be in a place of safety, do not, on that account, think yourself secure."--SAINT BERNARD.

bottlenounUS /ˈbɑːtəl/

a glass or plastic vessel used for storing drinks or other liquids; typically cylindrical without handles and with a narrow neck that can be plugged or capped

From this reading There is a bottle of clary that the Prior sent.

BrothernounUS /ˈbrʌðər/

a male with the same parents as someone else

From this reading Brother Felix, the monk who had come to them from Icomb, bade them rest another day before setting out over the lake.

broughtverbUS /brɔːt/

inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

From this reading "Ye have had a shrewd shog, Lisolé, in the news that Hyla brought, and he also has gone hardly of late.

clarynounUS /ˈkleri/

aromatic herb of southern Europe; cultivated in Great Britain as a potherb and widely as an ornamental

From this reading There is a bottle of clary that the Prior sent.

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading Brother Felix, the monk who had come to them from Icomb, bade them rest another day before setting out over the lake.

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading Brother Felix, the monk who had come to them from Icomb, bade them rest another day before setting out over the lake.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading "Though you be in a place of safety, do not, on that account, think yourself secure."--SAINT BERNARD.

eatverbUS /iːt/

take in solid food

From this reading Let us rest a day and eat well, and talk withal.

Felix

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Brother Felix, the monk who had come to them from Icomb, bade them rest another day before setting out over the lake.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Brother Felix, the monk who had come to them from Icomb, bade them rest another day before setting out over the lake.

goneadjectiveUS /ɡɔːn/

destroyed or killed

From this reading "Ye have had a shrewd shog, Lisolé, in the news that Hyla brought, and he also has gone hardly of late.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Brother Felix, the monk who had come to them from Icomb, bade them rest another day before setting out over the lake.

hardlyadverbUS /ˈhɑːrdli/

only a very short time before

From this reading "Ye have had a shrewd shog, Lisolé, in the news that Hyla brought, and he also has gone hardly of late.

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "Ye have had a shrewd shog, Lisolé, in the news that Hyla brought, and he also has gone hardly of late.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "Ye have had a shrewd shog, Lisolé, in the news that Hyla brought, and he also has gone hardly of late.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "Ye have had a shrewd shog, Lisolé, in the news that Hyla brought, and he also has gone hardly of late.

Hylanoun

the type genus of the Hylidae; tree toads

From this reading "Ye have had a shrewd shog, Lisolé, in the news that Hyla brought, and he also has gone hardly of late.

Icomb

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Brother Felix, the monk who had come to them from Icomb, bade them rest another day before setting out over the lake.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading "Though you be in a place of safety, do not, on that account, think yourself secure."--SAINT BERNARD.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading There is a bottle of clary that the Prior sent.

lakenounUS /leɪk/

a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land

From this reading Brother Felix, the monk who had come to them from Icomb, bade them rest another day before setting out over the lake.

lateadjectiveUS /leɪt/

being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time

From this reading "Ye have had a shrewd shog, Lisolé, in the news that Hyla brought, and he also has gone hardly of late.

Letauxiliary verbUS /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading Let us rest a day and eat well, and talk withal.

Lisolé

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Ye have had a shrewd shog, Lisolé, in the news that Hyla brought, and he also has gone hardly of late.

monknounUS /mʌŋk/

a male religious living in a cloister and devoting himself to contemplation and prayer and work

From this reading Brother Felix, the monk who had come to them from Icomb, bade them rest another day before setting out over the lake.

newsnounUS /nuːz/

information about recent and important events

From this reading "Ye have had a shrewd shog, Lisolé, in the news that Hyla brought, and he also has gone hardly of late.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading "Though you be in a place of safety, do not, on that account, think yourself secure."--SAINT BERNARD.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading "Though you be in a place of safety, do not, on that account, think yourself secure."--SAINT BERNARD.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading "Though you be in a place of safety, do not, on that account, think yourself secure."--SAINT BERNARD.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading Brother Felix, the monk who had come to them from Icomb, bade them rest another day before setting out over the lake.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading Brother Felix, the monk who had come to them from Icomb, bade them rest another day before setting out over the lake.

placenounUS /pleɪs/

a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading "Though you be in a place of safety, do not, on that account, think yourself secure."--SAINT BERNARD.

PrioradjectiveUS /ˈpraɪər/

earlier in time

From this reading There is a bottle of clary that the Prior sent.

restverbUS /rest/

not move; be in a resting position

From this reading Brother Felix, the monk who had come to them from Icomb, bade them rest another day before setting out over the lake.

safetynounUS /ˈseɪfti/

the state of being certain that adverse effects will not be caused by some agent under defined conditions

From this reading "Though you be in a place of safety, do not, on that account, think yourself secure."--SAINT BERNARD.

SAINTnounUS /seɪnt/

a person who has died and has been declared a saint by canonization

From this reading "Though you be in a place of safety, do not, on that account, think yourself secure."--SAINT BERNARD.

secureverbUS /sɪˈkjʊr/

get by special effort

From this reading "Though you be in a place of safety, do not, on that account, think yourself secure."--SAINT BERNARD.

sentnounUS /sent/

100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia

From this reading There is a bottle of clary that the Prior sent.

settingnounUS /ˈsetɪŋ/

the context and environment in which something is set

From this reading Brother Felix, the monk who had come to them from Icomb, bade them rest another day before setting out over the lake.

shog

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Ye have had a shrewd shog, Lisolé, in the news that Hyla brought, and he also has gone hardly of late.

shrewdadjectiveUS /ʃruːd/

marked by practical hardheaded intelligence

From this reading "Ye have had a shrewd shog, Lisolé, in the news that Hyla brought, and he also has gone hardly of late.

talkverbUS /tɔːk/

exchange thoughts; talk with

From this reading Let us rest a day and eat well, and talk withal.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "Though you be in a place of safety, do not, on that account, think yourself secure."--SAINT BERNARD.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Brother Felix, the monk who had come to them from Icomb, bade them rest another day before setting out over the lake.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Brother Felix, the monk who had come to them from Icomb, bade them rest another day before setting out over the lake.

ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading There is a bottle of clary that the Prior sent.

thinkverbUS /θɪŋk/

judge or regard; look upon; judge

From this reading "Though you be in a place of safety, do not, on that account, think yourself secure."--SAINT BERNARD.

ThoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading "Though you be in a place of safety, do not, on that account, think yourself secure."--SAINT BERNARD.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Brother Felix, the monk who had come to them from Icomb, bade them rest another day before setting out over the lake.

uspronounUS /ʌs/

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Let us rest a day and eat well, and talk withal.

welladverbUS /wel/

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading Let us rest a day and eat well, and talk withal.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading Brother Felix, the monk who had come to them from Icomb, bade them rest another day before setting out over the lake.

withaladverb

despite anything to the contrary (usually preceding a concession)

From this reading Let us rest a day and eat well, and talk withal.

YepronounUS /jiː/

an old word for “you”, speaking to more than one person

From this reading "Ye have had a shrewd shog, Lisolé, in the news that Hyla brought, and he also has gone hardly of late.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "Though you be in a place of safety, do not, on that account, think yourself secure."--SAINT BERNARD.

yourselfpronounUS /jərˈself/

used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action

From this reading "Though you be in a place of safety, do not, on that account, think yourself secure."--SAINT BERNARD.

Chapter 15 of The Serf by Guy Thorne holds 211 sentences, grouped into 43 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.

What does chapter 15 of The Serf contain?

Chapter 15 holds 211 sentences of The Serf, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 15 of The Serf by Guy Thorne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 211 sentences, grouped into 43 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.

How do I study chapter 15 of The Serf?

Work through the 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 43 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.

Can chapter 15 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 15 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.

Questions about reading The Serf

Common questions about reading The Serf by Guy Thorne on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Serf?

Yes. All 3706 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #41829 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Serf is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #41829, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Serf take to read?

About 308 minutes of reading across 742 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Serf section by section

How to work through The Serf section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 17 chapters of The Serf to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Serf

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Serf, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Serf; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Cause
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Serf; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Fenno
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Serf; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Company
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Serf; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.