Chapter 14 of The Tyranny of Weakness is here in full — 185 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of The Tyranny of Weakness is here in full — 185 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
When the bridesmaids entered it was a pale but firm face that greeted them. "It was panic," said Conscience slowly. "If I hadn't decided freely and fully and finally, I wouldn't have come this far. No one has forced me.... He, Eben, is worth a dozen of me....
Chapter 14 of The Tyranny of Weakness is here in full — 185 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/37 · 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.
plural of “bridesmaid” — an unmarried woman who attends the bride at a wedding
From this reading “When the bridesmaids entered it was a pale but firm face that greeted them.”
motivation deriving logically from ethical or moral principles that govern a person's thoughts and actions
From this reading “"It was panic," said Conscience slowly.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading “He, Eben, is worth a dozen of me....”
marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable
From this reading “When the bridesmaids entered it was a pale but firm face that greeted them.”
in a free manner
From this reading “"If I hadn't decided freely and fully and finally, I wouldn't have come this far.”
to the greatest degree or extent; completely or entirely; (“full” in this sense is used as a combining form)
From this reading “"If I hadn't decided freely and fully and finally, I wouldn't have come this far.”
past form of “greet” — express greetings upon meeting someone
From this reading “When the bridesmaids entered it was a pale but firm face that greeted them.”
an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety
From this reading “"It was panic," said Conscience slowly.”
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 When the bridesmaids entered it was a pale but firm face that greeted them.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "If I hadn't decided freely and fully and finally, I wouldn't have come this far.
plural of “bridesmaid” — an unmarried woman who attends the bride at a wedding
From this reading When the bridesmaids entered it was a pale but firm face that greeted them.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading When the bridesmaids entered it was a pale but firm face that greeted them.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "If I hadn't decided freely and fully and finally, I wouldn't have come this far.
motivation deriving logically from ethical or moral principles that govern a person's thoughts and actions
From this reading "It was panic," said Conscience slowly.
recognizable; marked
From this reading "If I hadn't decided freely and fully and finally, I wouldn't have come this far.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one
From this reading He, Eben, is worth a dozen of me....
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He, Eben, is worth a dozen of me....
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading When the bridesmaids entered it was a pale but firm face that greeted them.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading When the bridesmaids entered it was a pale but firm face that greeted them.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading "If I hadn't decided freely and fully and finally, I wouldn't have come this far.
after an unspecified period of time or an especially long delay
From this reading "If I hadn't decided freely and fully and finally, I wouldn't have come this far.
marked by firm determination or resolution; not shakable
From this reading When the bridesmaids entered it was a pale but firm face that greeted them.
produced by or subjected to forcing
From this reading No one has forced me....
in a free manner
From this reading "If I hadn't decided freely and fully and finally, I wouldn't have come this far.
to the greatest degree or extent; completely or entirely; (“full” in this sense is used as a combining form)
From this reading "If I hadn't decided freely and fully and finally, I wouldn't have come this far.
past form of “greet” — express greetings upon meeting someone
From this reading When the bridesmaids entered it was a pale but firm face that greeted them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "If I hadn't decided freely and fully and finally, I wouldn't have come this far.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading No one has forced me....
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "If I hadn't decided freely and fully and finally, I wouldn't have come this far.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He, Eben, is worth a dozen of me....
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "If I hadn't decided freely and fully and finally, I wouldn't have come this far.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "If I hadn't decided freely and fully and finally, I wouldn't have come this far.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He, Eben, is worth a dozen of me....
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading When the bridesmaids entered it was a pale but firm face that greeted them.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading No one has forced me....
not any; not one
From this reading No one has forced me....
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He, Eben, is worth a dozen of me....
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading No one has forced me....
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading When the bridesmaids entered it was a pale but firm face that greeted them.
an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety
From this reading "It was panic," said Conscience slowly.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "It was panic," said Conscience slowly.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading "It was panic," said Conscience slowly.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading When the bridesmaids entered it was a pale but firm face that greeted them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When the bridesmaids entered it was a pale but firm face that greeted them.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading When the bridesmaids entered it was a pale but firm face that greeted them.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "If I hadn't decided freely and fully and finally, I wouldn't have come this far.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When the bridesmaids entered it was a pale but firm face that greeted them.
at the time that
From this reading When the bridesmaids entered it was a pale but firm face that greeted them.
an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value
From this reading He, Eben, is worth a dozen of me....
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "If I hadn't decided freely and fully and finally, I wouldn't have come this far.
Chapter 14 of The Tyranny of Weakness by Charles Neville Buck holds 185 sentences, grouped into 37 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 185 sentences of The Tyranny of Weakness, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of The Tyranny of Weakness by Charles Neville Buck exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 185 sentences, grouped into 37 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 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 37 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 Tyranny of Weakness by Charles Neville Buck on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5356 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21689 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21689, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 446 minutes of reading across 1072 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Tyranny of Weakness section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of The Tyranny of Weakness 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 Tyranny of Weakness, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
