Chapter 21 of The Top of the World is here in full — 117 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of The Top of the World is here in full — 117 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE SEED "Well!" said Mrs. Merston, with her thin smile. "Are you still enjoying the Garden of Eden, Mrs. Ranger?" Sylvia, white and tired after her ride, tried to smile in answer and failed. "I shall be glad when the winter is over," she said. Mrs. Merston's colourless eyes narrowed a little, taking her in.
Chapter 21 of The Top of the World is here in full — 117 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading “"Are you still enjoying the Garden of Eden, Mrs. Ranger?"”
-ing form of “enjoy” — derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in
From this reading “"Are you still enjoying the Garden of Eden, Mrs. Ranger?"”
past form of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading “Sylvia, white and tired after her ride, tried to smile in answer and failed.”
reduced in size as by squeezing together
From this reading “Mrs. Merston's colourless eyes narrowed a little, taking her in.”
a member of the Texas state highway patrol; formerly a mounted lawman who maintained order on the frontier
From this reading “"Are you still enjoying the Garden of Eden, Mrs. Ranger?"”
sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading “Sylvia, white and tired after her ride, tried to smile in answer and failed.”
a small hard fruit
From this reading “THE SEED "Well!" said Mrs. Merston, with her thin smile.”
Having little thickness or extent.
From this reading “THE SEED "Well!" said Mrs. Merston, with her thin smile.”
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 Mrs. Merston's colourless eyes narrowed a little, taking her in.
later than; following
From this reading Sylvia, white and tired after her ride, tried to smile in answer and failed.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Sylvia, white and tired after her ride, tried to smile in answer and failed.
react verbally
From this reading Sylvia, white and tired after her ride, tried to smile in answer and failed.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Are you still enjoying the Garden of Eden, Mrs. Ranger?"
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "I shall be glad when the winter is over," she said.
lacking in variety and interest
From this reading Mrs. Merston's colourless eyes narrowed a little, taking her in.
any place of complete bliss and delight and peace
From this reading "Are you still enjoying the Garden of Eden, Mrs. Ranger?"
-ing form of “enjoy” — derive or receive pleasure from; get enjoyment from; take pleasure in
From this reading "Are you still enjoying the Garden of Eden, Mrs. Ranger?"
opinion or judgment
From this reading Mrs. Merston's colourless eyes narrowed a little, taking her in.
past form of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading Sylvia, white and tired after her ride, tried to smile in answer and failed.
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading "Are you still enjoying the Garden of Eden, Mrs. Ranger?"
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading "I shall be glad when the winter is over," she said.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading THE SEED "Well!" said Mrs. Merston, with her thin smile.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I shall be glad when the winter is over," she said.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Sylvia, white and tired after her ride, tried to smile in answer and failed.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I shall be glad when the winter is over," she said.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Mrs. Merston's colourless eyes narrowed a little, taking her in.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE SEED "Well!" said Mrs. Merston, with her thin smile.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Merston's colourless eyes narrowed a little, taking her in.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading THE SEED "Well!" said Mrs. Merston, with her thin smile.
reduced in size as by squeezing together
From this reading Mrs. Merston's colourless eyes narrowed a little, taking her in.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Are you still enjoying the Garden of Eden, Mrs. Ranger?"
above and across; more than
From this reading "I shall be glad when the winter is over," she said.
a member of the Texas state highway patrol; formerly a mounted lawman who maintained order on the frontier
From this reading "Are you still enjoying the Garden of Eden, Mrs. Ranger?"
sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading Sylvia, white and tired after her ride, tried to smile in answer and failed.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading THE SEED "Well!" said Mrs. Merston, with her thin smile.
a small hard fruit
From this reading THE SEED "Well!" said Mrs. Merston, with her thin smile.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading "I shall be glad when the winter is over," she said.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I shall be glad when the winter is over," she said.
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading THE SEED "Well!" said Mrs. Merston, with her thin smile.
not in physical motion
From this reading "Are you still enjoying the Garden of Eden, Mrs. Ranger?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sylvia, white and tired after her ride, tried to smile in answer and failed.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading Mrs. Merston's colourless eyes narrowed a little, taking her in.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE SEED "Well!" said Mrs. Merston, with her thin smile.
Having little thickness or extent.
From this reading THE SEED "Well!" said Mrs. Merston, with her thin smile.
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading Sylvia, white and tired after her ride, tried to smile in answer and failed.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Sylvia, white and tired after her ride, tried to smile in answer and failed.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading Sylvia, white and tired after her ride, tried to smile in answer and failed.
(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 THE SEED "Well!" said Mrs. Merston, with her thin smile.
at the time that
From this reading "I shall be glad when the winter is over," she said.
a Caucasian
From this reading Sylvia, white and tired after her ride, tried to smile in answer and failed.
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading "I shall be glad when the winter is over," she said.
in the company of; together with
From this reading THE SEED "Well!" said Mrs. Merston, with her thin smile.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Are you still enjoying the Garden of Eden, Mrs. Ranger?"
Chapter 21 of The Top of the World by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell holds 117 sentences, grouped into 24 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 117 sentences of The Top of the World, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of The Top of the World by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 117 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 Top of the World by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 10126 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12360 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12360, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2026 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Top of the World section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Top of the World 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 Top of the World, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
