Chapter 21 of The Web of Life is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of The Web of Life is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"It could not be!" he muttered, as he stumbled on in the dark. He was oversuspicious. But how else could the facts be explained? Such deaths, he knew, did not occur to men in Preston's condition,--calm, easy deaths, without the agony of convulsion. _No_, it _must be_.
Chapter 21 of The Web of Life is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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.
Extreme physical or mental suffering; intense anguish.
From this reading “Such deaths, he knew, did not occur to men in Preston's condition,--calm, easy deaths, without the agony of convulsion.”
a sudden uncontrollable attack
From this reading “Such deaths, he knew, did not occur to men in Preston's condition,--calm, easy deaths, without the agony of convulsion.”
plural of “death” — the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading “Such deaths, he knew, did not occur to men in Preston's condition,--calm, easy deaths, without the agony of convulsion.”
past form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading “But how else could the facts be explained?”
plural of “fact” — a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading “But how else could the facts be explained?”
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading “"It could not be!" he muttered, as he stumbled on in the dark.”
come to pass
From this reading “Such deaths, he knew, did not occur to men in Preston's condition,--calm, easy deaths, without the agony of convulsion.”
past form of “stumble” — walk unsteadily
From this reading “"It could not be!" he muttered, as he stumbled on in the dark.”
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.
Extreme physical or mental suffering; intense anguish.
From this reading Such deaths, he knew, did not occur to men in Preston's condition,--calm, easy deaths, without the agony of convulsion.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "It could not be!" he muttered, as he stumbled on in the dark.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "It could not be!" he muttered, as he stumbled on in the dark.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But how else could the facts be explained?
make calm or still
From this reading Such deaths, he knew, did not occur to men in Preston's condition,--calm, easy deaths, without the agony of convulsion.
a state at a particular time
From this reading Such deaths, he knew, did not occur to men in Preston's condition,--calm, easy deaths, without the agony of convulsion.
a sudden uncontrollable attack
From this reading Such deaths, he knew, did not occur to men in Preston's condition,--calm, easy deaths, without the agony of convulsion.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "It could not be!" he muttered, as he stumbled on in the dark.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading "It could not be!" he muttered, as he stumbled on in the dark.
plural of “death” — the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading Such deaths, he knew, did not occur to men in Preston's condition,--calm, easy deaths, without the agony of convulsion.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Such deaths, he knew, did not occur to men in Preston's condition,--calm, easy deaths, without the agony of convulsion.
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading Such deaths, he knew, did not occur to men in Preston's condition,--calm, easy deaths, without the agony of convulsion.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But how else could the facts be explained?
past form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading But how else could the facts be explained?
plural of “fact” — a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading But how else could the facts be explained?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "It could not be!" he muttered, as he stumbled on in the dark.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But how else could the facts be explained?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "It could not be!" he muttered, as he stumbled on in the dark.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It could not be!" he muttered, as he stumbled on in the dark.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Such deaths, he knew, did not occur to men in Preston's condition,--calm, easy deaths, without the agony of convulsion.
the force of workers available
From this reading Such deaths, he knew, did not occur to men in Preston's condition,--calm, easy deaths, without the agony of convulsion.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading _No_, it _must be_.
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading "It could not be!" he muttered, as he stumbled on in the dark.
not any; not one
From this reading _No_, it _must be_.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "It could not be!" he muttered, as he stumbled on in the dark.
come to pass
From this reading Such deaths, he knew, did not occur to men in Preston's condition,--calm, easy deaths, without the agony of convulsion.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Such deaths, he knew, did not occur to men in Preston's condition,--calm, easy deaths, without the agony of convulsion.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "It could not be!" he muttered, as he stumbled on in the dark.
unduly suspicious
From this reading He was oversuspicious.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Such deaths, he knew, did not occur to men in Preston's condition,--calm, easy deaths, without the agony of convulsion.
past form of “stumble” — walk unsteadily
From this reading "It could not be!" he muttered, as he stumbled on in the dark.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Such deaths, he knew, did not occur to men in Preston's condition,--calm, easy deaths, without the agony of convulsion.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "It could not be!" he muttered, as he stumbled on in the dark.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Such deaths, he knew, did not occur to men in Preston's condition,--calm, easy deaths, without the agony of convulsion.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was oversuspicious.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Such deaths, he knew, did not occur to men in Preston's condition,--calm, easy deaths, without the agony of convulsion.
Chapter 21 of The Web of Life by Robert Herrick holds 122 sentences, grouped into 25 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 122 sentences of The Web of Life, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of The Web of Life by Robert Herrick exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 122 sentences, grouped into 25 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 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 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 Web of Life by Robert Herrick on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5943 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7828 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7828, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 495 minutes of reading across 1189 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Web of Life section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 37 chapters of The Web of Life 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 Web of Life, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
