Chapter 21 of The Son of His Father is here in full — 221 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of The Son of His Father is here in full — 221 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A TRIFLE Few men were less given to dreaming than James Carbhoy. Usually he had no spare time on his hands for such a pastime. Dreams? Well, perhaps he occasionally let imagination run riot amidst seas of amazing figures, but that was all. All other dreams left him cold.
Chapter 21 of The Son of His Father is here in full — 221 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/44 · 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.
surprising greatly
From this reading “Well, perhaps he occasionally let imagination run riot amidst seas of amazing figures, but that was all.”
in the middle of; surrounded by
From this reading “Well, perhaps he occasionally let imagination run riot amidst seas of amazing figures, but that was all.”
imaginative thoughts indulged in while awake
From this reading “A TRIFLE Few men were less given to dreaming than James Carbhoy.”
sporadically and infrequently
From this reading “Well, perhaps he occasionally let imagination run riot amidst seas of amazing figures, but that was all.”
a diversion that occupies one's time and thoughts (usually pleasantly)
From this reading “Usually he had no spare time on his hands for such a pastime.”
a public act of violence by an unruly mob
From this reading “Well, perhaps he occasionally let imagination run riot amidst seas of amazing figures, but that was all.”
plural of “sea” — a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading “Well, perhaps he occasionally let imagination run riot amidst seas of amazing figures, but that was all.”
a cold pudding made of layers of sponge cake spread with fruit or jelly; may be decorated with nuts, cream, or chocolate
From this reading “A TRIFLE Few men were less given to dreaming than James Carbhoy.”
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 “Well, perhaps he occasionally let imagination run riot amidst seas of amazing figures, but that was all.”
time available for hobbies and other activities that you enjoy
In this reading “Usually he had no spare time on his hands for such a pastime.”
In this reading “A TRIFLE Few men were less given to dreaming than James Carbhoy.”
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 A TRIFLE Few men were less given to dreaming than James Carbhoy.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Well, perhaps he occasionally let imagination run riot amidst seas of amazing figures, but that was all.
surprising greatly
From this reading Well, perhaps he occasionally let imagination run riot amidst seas of amazing figures, but that was all.
in the middle of; surrounded by
From this reading Well, perhaps he occasionally let imagination run riot amidst seas of amazing figures, but that was all.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Well, perhaps he occasionally let imagination run riot amidst seas of amazing figures, but that was all.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A TRIFLE Few men were less given to dreaming than James Carbhoy.
having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration
From this reading All other dreams left him cold.
imaginative thoughts indulged in while awake
From this reading A TRIFLE Few men were less given to dreaming than James Carbhoy.
plural of “dream” — a series of mental images and emotions occurring during sleep
From this reading Dreams?
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading A TRIFLE Few men were less given to dreaming than James Carbhoy.
plural of “figure” — a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading Well, perhaps he occasionally let imagination run riot amidst seas of amazing figures, but that was all.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Usually he had no spare time on his hands for such a pastime.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading A TRIFLE Few men were less given to dreaming than James Carbhoy.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Usually he had no spare time on his hands for such a pastime.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Usually he had no spare time on his hands for such a pastime.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Usually he had no spare time on his hands for such a pastime.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading All other dreams left him cold.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Usually he had no spare time on his hands for such a pastime.
the formation of a mental image of something that is not perceived as real and is not present to the senses
From this reading Well, perhaps he occasionally let imagination run riot amidst seas of amazing figures, but that was all.
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading A TRIFLE Few men were less given to dreaming than James Carbhoy.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading All other dreams left him cold.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading A TRIFLE Few men were less given to dreaming than James Carbhoy.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading Well, perhaps he occasionally let imagination run riot amidst seas of amazing figures, but that was all.
the force of workers available
From this reading A TRIFLE Few men were less given to dreaming than James Carbhoy.
not any; not one
From this reading Usually he had no spare time on his hands for such a pastime.
sporadically and infrequently
From this reading Well, perhaps he occasionally let imagination run riot amidst seas of amazing figures, but that was all.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Well, perhaps he occasionally let imagination run riot amidst seas of amazing figures, but that was all.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Usually he had no spare time on his hands for such a pastime.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading All other dreams left him cold.
a diversion that occupies one's time and thoughts (usually pleasantly)
From this reading Usually he had no spare time on his hands for such a pastime.
by chance
From this reading Well, perhaps he occasionally let imagination run riot amidst seas of amazing figures, but that was all.
a public act of violence by an unruly mob
From this reading Well, perhaps he occasionally let imagination run riot amidst seas of amazing figures, but that was all.
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading Well, perhaps he occasionally let imagination run riot amidst seas of amazing figures, but that was all.
plural of “sea” — a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading Well, perhaps he occasionally let imagination run riot amidst seas of amazing figures, but that was all.
refrain from harming
From this reading Usually he had no spare time on his hands for such a pastime.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Usually he had no spare time on his hands for such a pastime.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading A TRIFLE Few men were less given to dreaming than James Carbhoy.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Well, perhaps he occasionally let imagination run riot amidst seas of amazing figures, but that was all.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Usually he had no spare time on his hands for such a pastime.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A TRIFLE Few men were less given to dreaming than James Carbhoy.
a cold pudding made of layers of sponge cake spread with fruit or jelly; may be decorated with nuts, cream, or chocolate
From this reading A TRIFLE Few men were less given to dreaming than James Carbhoy.
under normal conditions
From this reading Usually he had no spare time on his hands for such a pastime.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Well, perhaps he occasionally let imagination run riot amidst seas of amazing figures, but that was all.
(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 Well, perhaps he occasionally let imagination run riot amidst seas of amazing figures, but that was all.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading A TRIFLE Few men were less given to dreaming than James Carbhoy.
Chapter 21 of The Son of His Father by Ridgwell Cullum holds 221 sentences, grouped into 45 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 21 holds 221 sentences of The Son of His Father, unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of The Son of His Father by Ridgwell Cullum exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 221 sentences, grouped into 45 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 45 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 45 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 21 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 Son of His Father by Ridgwell Cullum on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7807 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36170 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #36170, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1562 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Son of His Father section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Son of His Father 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 Son of His Father, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
