Chapter 14 of The Sword of Antietam is here in full — 298 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of The Sword of Antietam is here in full — 298 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Dick awoke at sunrise of the last day of the year, and Warner and Pennington were up a moment later. There was no fog. The sun hung a low, red ball in the steel blue sky of winter. No fires had been lighted, cold food being served. He heard far off to right a steady tattoo like the rapid beat of many small drums.
Chapter 14 of The Sword of Antietam is here in full — 298 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/59 · 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.
inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping
From this reading “Dick awoke at sunrise of the last day of the year, and Warner and Pennington were up a moment later.”
plural of “drum” — a musical percussion instrument; usually consists of a hollow cylinder with a membrane stretched across each end
From this reading “He heard far off to right a steady tattoo like the rapid beat of many small drums.”
plural of “fire” — the event of something burning (often destructive)
From this reading “No fires had been lighted, cold food being served.”
droplets of water vapor suspended in the air near the ground
From this reading “There was no fog.”
done or occurring in a brief period of time
From this reading “He heard far off to right a steady tattoo like the rapid beat of many small drums.”
the first light of day
From this reading “Dick awoke at sunrise of the last day of the year, and Warner and Pennington were up a moment later.”
a drumbeat or bugle call that signals the military to return to their quarters
From this reading “He heard far off to right a steady tattoo like the rapid beat of many small drums.”
United States filmmaker who with his brothers founded the movie studio that produced the first talking picture (1881-1958)
From this reading “Dick awoke at sunrise of the last day of the year, and Warner and Pennington were up a moment later.”
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 Dick awoke at sunrise of the last day of the year, and Warner and Pennington were up a moment later.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Dick awoke at sunrise of the last day of the year, and Warner and Pennington were up a moment later.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Dick awoke at sunrise of the last day of the year, and Warner and Pennington were up a moment later.
inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping
From this reading Dick awoke at sunrise of the last day of the year, and Warner and Pennington were up a moment later.
round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games
From this reading The sun hung a low, red ball in the steel blue sky of winter.
come out better in a competition, race, or conflict
From this reading He heard far off to right a steady tattoo like the rapid beat of many small drums.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading No fires had been lighted, cold food being served.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading No fires had been lighted, cold food being served.
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading The sun hung a low, red ball in the steel blue sky of winter.
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 No fires had been lighted, cold food being served.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Dick awoke at sunrise of the last day of the year, and Warner and Pennington were up a moment later.
someone who is a detective
From this reading Dick awoke at sunrise of the last day of the year, and Warner and Pennington were up a moment later.
plural of “drum” — a musical percussion instrument; usually consists of a hollow cylinder with a membrane stretched across each end
From this reading He heard far off to right a steady tattoo like the rapid beat of many small drums.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading He heard far off to right a steady tattoo like the rapid beat of many small drums.
plural of “fire” — the event of something burning (often destructive)
From this reading No fires had been lighted, cold food being served.
droplets of water vapor suspended in the air near the ground
From this reading There was no fog.
any substance that can be metabolized by an animal to give energy and build tissue
From this reading No fires had been lighted, cold food being served.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading No fires had been lighted, cold food being served.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He heard far off to right a steady tattoo like the rapid beat of many small drums.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading He heard far off to right a steady tattoo like the rapid beat of many small drums.
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading The sun hung a low, red ball in the steel blue sky of winter.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The sun hung a low, red ball in the steel blue sky of winter.
immediately past
From this reading Dick awoke at sunrise of the last day of the year, and Warner and Pennington were up a moment later.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading Dick awoke at sunrise of the last day of the year, and Warner and Pennington were up a moment later.
set afire or burning
From this reading No fires had been lighted, cold food being served.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading He heard far off to right a steady tattoo like the rapid beat of many small drums.
less than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading The sun hung a low, red ball in the steel blue sky of winter.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading He heard far off to right a steady tattoo like the rapid beat of many small drums.
a particular point in time
From this reading Dick awoke at sunrise of the last day of the year, and Warner and Pennington were up a moment later.
not any; not one
From this reading There was no fog.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Dick awoke at sunrise of the last day of the year, and Warner and Pennington were up a moment later.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading He heard far off to right a steady tattoo like the rapid beat of many small drums.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dick awoke at sunrise of the last day of the year, and Warner and Pennington were up a moment later.
done or occurring in a brief period of time
From this reading He heard far off to right a steady tattoo like the rapid beat of many small drums.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading The sun hung a low, red ball in the steel blue sky of winter.
precisely, exactly
From this reading He heard far off to right a steady tattoo like the rapid beat of many small drums.
past form of “serve” — serve a purpose, role, or function
From this reading No fires had been lighted, cold food being served.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading The sun hung a low, red ball in the steel blue sky of winter.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He heard far off to right a steady tattoo like the rapid beat of many small drums.
make steady
From this reading He heard far off to right a steady tattoo like the rapid beat of many small drums.
an alloy of iron with small amounts of carbon; widely used in construction; mechanical properties can be varied over a wide range
From this reading The sun hung a low, red ball in the steel blue sky of winter.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading The sun hung a low, red ball in the steel blue sky of winter.
the first light of day
From this reading Dick awoke at sunrise of the last day of the year, and Warner and Pennington were up a moment later.
a drumbeat or bugle call that signals the military to return to their quarters
From this reading He heard far off to right a steady tattoo like the rapid beat of many small drums.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Dick awoke at sunrise of the last day of the year, and Warner and Pennington were up a moment later.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was no fog.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He heard far off to right a steady tattoo like the rapid beat of many small drums.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Dick awoke at sunrise of the last day of the year, and Warner and Pennington were up a moment later.
United States filmmaker who with his brothers founded the movie studio that produced the first talking picture (1881-1958)
From this reading Dick awoke at sunrise of the last day of the year, and Warner and Pennington were up a moment later.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was no fog.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Dick awoke at sunrise of the last day of the year, and Warner and Pennington were up a moment later.
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading The sun hung a low, red ball in the steel blue sky of winter.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading Dick awoke at sunrise of the last day of the year, and Warner and Pennington were up a moment later.
Chapter 14 of The Sword of Antietam by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler holds 298 sentences, grouped into 60 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 298 sentences of The Sword of Antietam, unabridged, divided into 60 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of The Sword of Antietam by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 298 sentences, grouped into 60 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 60 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 60 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 Sword of Antietam by Joseph A. (Joseph Alexander) Altsheler on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5028 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7862 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7862, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 419 minutes of reading across 1006 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Sword of Antietam section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of The Sword of Antietam 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 Sword of Antietam, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
