Chapter 24 of The Web of Life is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIV
Chapter 24 of The Web of Life is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Next week Monday is the tenth," Alves announced, glancing at the calendar that hung beside the writing-table. "Well?" Sommers answered. He was preparing to make the daily trip to the post-office on the other side of Perota Lake. "The Chicago schools open this year on the tenth," Alves continued slowly.
Chapter 24 of The Web of Life is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 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.
a system of timekeeping that defines the beginning and length and divisions of the year
From this reading “"Next week Monday is the tenth," Alves announced, glancing at the calendar that hung beside the writing-table.”
largest city in Illinois; a bustling Great Lakes port that extends 26 miles along the southwestern shoreline of Lake Michigan
From this reading “"The Chicago schools open this year on the tenth," Alves continued slowly.”
-ing form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading “"Next week Monday is the tenth," Alves announced, glancing at the calendar that hung beside the writing-table.”
the second day of the week; the first working day
From this reading “"Next week Monday is the tenth," Alves announced, glancing at the calendar that hung beside the writing-table.”
-ing form of “prepare” — make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc
From this reading “He was preparing to make the daily trip to the post-office on the other side of Perota Lake.”
plural of “school” — an educational institution
From this reading “"The Chicago schools open this year on the tenth," Alves continued slowly.”
a tenth part; one part in ten equal parts
From this reading “"Next week Monday is the tenth," Alves announced, glancing at the calendar that hung beside the writing-table.”
a journey for some purpose (usually including the return)
From this reading “He was preparing to make the daily trip to the post-office on the other side of Perota Lake.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Next week Monday is the tenth," Alves announced, glancing at the calendar that hung beside the writing-table.
declared publicly; made widely known
From this reading "Next week Monday is the tenth," Alves announced, glancing at the calendar that hung beside the writing-table.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading Sommers answered.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Next week Monday is the tenth," Alves announced, glancing at the calendar that hung beside the writing-table.
next to; at the side of
From this reading "Next week Monday is the tenth," Alves announced, glancing at the calendar that hung beside the writing-table.
a system of timekeeping that defines the beginning and length and divisions of the year
From this reading "Next week Monday is the tenth," Alves announced, glancing at the calendar that hung beside the writing-table.
largest city in Illinois; a bustling Great Lakes port that extends 26 miles along the southwestern shoreline of Lake Michigan
From this reading "The Chicago schools open this year on the tenth," Alves continued slowly.
without stop or interruption
From this reading "The Chicago schools open this year on the tenth," Alves continued slowly.
every day; without missing a day
From this reading He was preparing to make the daily trip to the post-office on the other side of Perota Lake.
-ing form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading "Next week Monday is the tenth," Alves announced, glancing at the calendar that hung beside the writing-table.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was preparing to make the daily trip to the post-office on the other side of Perota Lake.
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading "Next week Monday is the tenth," Alves announced, glancing at the calendar that hung beside the writing-table.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Next week Monday is the tenth," Alves announced, glancing at the calendar that hung beside the writing-table.
a body of (usually fresh) water surrounded by land
From this reading He was preparing to make the daily trip to the post-office on the other side of Perota Lake.
engage in
From this reading He was preparing to make the daily trip to the post-office on the other side of Perota Lake.
the second day of the week; the first working day
From this reading "Next week Monday is the tenth," Alves announced, glancing at the calendar that hung beside the writing-table.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading "Next week Monday is the tenth," Alves announced, glancing at the calendar that hung beside the writing-table.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He was preparing to make the daily trip to the post-office on the other side of Perota Lake.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He was preparing to make the daily trip to the post-office on the other side of Perota Lake.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading "The Chicago schools open this year on the tenth," Alves continued slowly.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading He was preparing to make the daily trip to the post-office on the other side of Perota Lake.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was preparing to make the daily trip to the post-office on the other side of Perota Lake.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was preparing to make the daily trip to the post-office on the other side of Perota Lake.
-ing form of “prepare” — make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc
From this reading He was preparing to make the daily trip to the post-office on the other side of Perota Lake.
plural of “school” — an educational institution
From this reading "The Chicago schools open this year on the tenth," Alves continued slowly.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading He was preparing to make the daily trip to the post-office on the other side of Perota Lake.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading "The Chicago schools open this year on the tenth," Alves continued slowly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sommers answered.
a tenth part; one part in ten equal parts
From this reading "Next week Monday is the tenth," Alves announced, glancing at the calendar that hung beside the writing-table.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Next week Monday is the tenth," Alves announced, glancing at the calendar that hung beside the writing-table.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Next week Monday is the tenth," Alves announced, glancing at the calendar that hung beside the writing-table.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "The Chicago schools open this year on the tenth," Alves continued slowly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He was preparing to make the daily trip to the post-office on the other side of Perota Lake.
a journey for some purpose (usually including the return)
From this reading He was preparing to make the daily trip to the post-office on the other side of Perota Lake.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was preparing to make the daily trip to the post-office on the other side of Perota Lake.
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading "Next week Monday is the tenth," Alves announced, glancing at the calendar that hung beside the writing-table.
(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?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Next week Monday is the tenth," Alves announced, glancing at the calendar that hung beside the writing-table.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading "The Chicago schools open this year on the tenth," Alves continued slowly.
Chapter 24 of The Web of Life by Robert Herrick holds 120 sentences, grouped into 24 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 24 holds 120 sentences of The Web of Life, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 24 of The Web of Life by Robert Herrick exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 120 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 24 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, a public-domain edition. 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.
