Chapter 17 of The Silent Battle is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Silent Battle is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Yes, but not in mercy, not in compassion, not in charity.” “Speak of virtue before you speak of mercy, of pride before compassion, of decency before charity--if you can,” she added contemptuously. “You’re cruel,” he muttered, “horribly so.” “I’m wiser than I was. The world has done me that service.
Chapter 17 of The Silent Battle is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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 foundation created to promote the public good (not for assistance to any particular individuals)
From this reading ““Yes, but not in mercy, not in compassion, not in charity.””
a deep awareness of and sympathy for another's suffering
From this reading ““Yes, but not in mercy, not in compassion, not in charity.””
without respect; in a disdainful manner
From this reading ““Speak of virtue before you speak of mercy, of pride before compassion, of decency before charity--if you can,” she added contemptuously.”
the quality of conforming to standards of propriety and morality
From this reading ““Speak of virtue before you speak of mercy, of pride before compassion, of decency before charity--if you can,” she added contemptuously.”
of a dreadful kind
From this reading ““You’re cruel,” he muttered, “horribly so.””
leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice
From this reading ““Yes, but not in mercy, not in compassion, not in charity.””
Moral excellence and goodness of character; the highest human attainment in Stoic philosophy.
From this reading ““Speak of virtue before you speak of mercy, of pride before compassion, of decency before charity--if you can,” she added contemptuously.”
comparative of “wise” — having or prompted by wisdom or discernment
From this reading ““I’m wiser than I was.”
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 ““Speak of virtue before you speak of mercy, of pride before compassion, of decency before charity--if you can,” she added contemptuously.”
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.
past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading “Speak of virtue before you speak of mercy, of pride before compassion, of decency before charity--if you can,” she added contemptuously.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading “Speak of virtue before you speak of mercy, of pride before compassion, of decency before charity--if you can,” she added contemptuously.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “Yes, but not in mercy, not in compassion, not in charity.”
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “Speak of virtue before you speak of mercy, of pride before compassion, of decency before charity--if you can,” she added contemptuously.
a foundation created to promote the public good (not for assistance to any particular individuals)
From this reading “Yes, but not in mercy, not in compassion, not in charity.”
a deep awareness of and sympathy for another's suffering
From this reading “Yes, but not in mercy, not in compassion, not in charity.”
without respect; in a disdainful manner
From this reading “Speak of virtue before you speak of mercy, of pride before compassion, of decency before charity--if you can,” she added contemptuously.
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading “You’re cruel,” he muttered, “horribly so.”
the quality of conforming to standards of propriety and morality
From this reading “Speak of virtue before you speak of mercy, of pride before compassion, of decency before charity--if you can,” she added contemptuously.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading The world has done me that service.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The world has done me that service.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “You’re cruel,” he muttered, “horribly so.”
of a dreadful kind
From this reading “You’re cruel,” he muttered, “horribly so.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I’m wiser than I was.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I’m wiser than I was.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “Speak of virtue before you speak of mercy, of pride before compassion, of decency before charity--if you can,” she added contemptuously.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Yes, but not in mercy, not in compassion, not in charity.”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The world has done me that service.
leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice
From this reading “Yes, but not in mercy, not in compassion, not in charity.”
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading “You’re cruel,” he muttered, “horribly so.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Yes, but not in mercy, not in compassion, not in charity.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Speak of virtue before you speak of mercy, of pride before compassion, of decency before charity--if you can,” she added contemptuously.
a feeling of self-respect and personal worth
From this reading “Speak of virtue before you speak of mercy, of pride before compassion, of decency before charity--if you can,” she added contemptuously.
work done by one person or group that benefits another
From this reading The world has done me that service.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Speak of virtue before you speak of mercy, of pride before compassion, of decency before charity--if you can,” she added contemptuously.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “You’re cruel,” he muttered, “horribly so.”
express in speech
From this reading “Speak of virtue before you speak of mercy, of pride before compassion, of decency before charity--if you can,” she added contemptuously.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading “I’m wiser than I was.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The world has done me that service.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The world has done me that service.
Moral excellence and goodness of character; the highest human attainment in Stoic philosophy.
From this reading “Speak of virtue before you speak of mercy, of pride before compassion, of decency before charity--if you can,” she added contemptuously.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “I’m wiser than I was.
comparative of “wise” — having or prompted by wisdom or discernment
From this reading “I’m wiser than I was.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading The world has done me that service.
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes, but not in mercy, not in compassion, not in charity.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Speak of virtue before you speak of mercy, of pride before compassion, of decency before charity--if you can,” she added contemptuously.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You’re cruel,” he muttered, “horribly so.”
Chapter 17 of The Silent Battle by George Gibbs holds 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 17 holds 407 sentences of The Silent Battle, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Silent Battle by George Gibbs exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 17 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 Silent Battle by George Gibbs on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8087 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54544 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #54544, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1618 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Silent Battle section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of The Silent Battle 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 Silent Battle, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
