Chapter 25 of The White Desert is here in full — 247 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXV
Chapter 25 of The White Desert is here in full — 247 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It was staggering in its unexpectedness. A gasp came from the lips of Barry Houston. He felt himself reeling,--only to suddenly straighten, as though a crushing weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He whirled excitedly and grasped the nearest onlooker. "Go get Medaine Robinette.
Chapter 25 of The White Desert is here in full — 247 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/49 · 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.
physically or spiritually devastating; often used in combination
From this reading “He felt himself reeling,--only to suddenly straighten, as though a crushing weight had been lifted from his shoulders.”
with excitement; in an excited manner
From this reading “He whirled excitedly and grasped the nearest onlooker.”
a short labored intake of breath with the mouth open
From this reading “A gasp came from the lips of Barry Houston.”
the largest city in Texas; located in southeastern Texas near the Gulf of Mexico; site of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
From this reading “A gasp came from the lips of Barry Houston.”
someone who looks on
From this reading “He whirled excitedly and grasped the nearest onlooker.”
-ing form of “reel” — walk as if unable to control one's movements
From this reading “He felt himself reeling,--only to suddenly straighten, as though a crushing weight had been lifted from his shoulders.”
so surprisingly impressive as to stun or overwhelm
From this reading “It was staggering in its unexpectedness.”
straighten up or out; make straight
From this reading “He felt himself reeling,--only to suddenly straighten, as though a crushing weight had been lifted from his shoulders.”
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 A gasp came from the lips of Barry Houston.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He whirled excitedly and grasped the nearest onlooker.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He felt himself reeling,--only to suddenly straighten, as though a crushing weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A gasp came from the lips of Barry Houston.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading He felt himself reeling,--only to suddenly straighten, as though a crushing weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading A gasp came from the lips of Barry Houston.
physically or spiritually devastating; often used in combination
From this reading He felt himself reeling,--only to suddenly straighten, as though a crushing weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
with excitement; in an excited manner
From this reading He whirled excitedly and grasped the nearest onlooker.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading He felt himself reeling,--only to suddenly straighten, as though a crushing weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading A gasp came from the lips of Barry Houston.
a short labored intake of breath with the mouth open
From this reading A gasp came from the lips of Barry Houston.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "Go get Medaine Robinette.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Go get Medaine Robinette.
past form of “grasp” — hold firmly
From this reading He whirled excitedly and grasped the nearest onlooker.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He felt himself reeling,--only to suddenly straighten, as though a crushing weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He felt himself reeling,--only to suddenly straighten, as though a crushing weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He felt himself reeling,--only to suddenly straighten, as though a crushing weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He felt himself reeling,--only to suddenly straighten, as though a crushing weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
the largest city in Texas; located in southeastern Texas near the Gulf of Mexico; site of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
From this reading A gasp came from the lips of Barry Houston.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was staggering in its unexpectedness.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was staggering in its unexpectedness.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading It was staggering in its unexpectedness.
held up in the air
From this reading He felt himself reeling,--only to suddenly straighten, as though a crushing weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading A gasp came from the lips of Barry Houston.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Go get Medaine Robinette.
(superlative of “near” or “close”) within the shortest distance
From this reading He whirled excitedly and grasped the nearest onlooker.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A gasp came from the lips of Barry Houston.
someone who looks on
From this reading He whirled excitedly and grasped the nearest onlooker.
and nothing more
From this reading He felt himself reeling,--only to suddenly straighten, as though a crushing weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
-ing form of “reel” — walk as if unable to control one's movements
From this reading He felt himself reeling,--only to suddenly straighten, as though a crushing weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Go get Medaine Robinette.
plural of “shoulder” — the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm
From this reading He felt himself reeling,--only to suddenly straighten, as though a crushing weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
so surprisingly impressive as to stun or overwhelm
From this reading It was staggering in its unexpectedness.
straighten up or out; make straight
From this reading He felt himself reeling,--only to suddenly straighten, as though a crushing weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading He felt himself reeling,--only to suddenly straighten, as though a crushing weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A gasp came from the lips of Barry Houston.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading He felt himself reeling,--only to suddenly straighten, as though a crushing weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He felt himself reeling,--only to suddenly straighten, as though a crushing weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
extraordinariness by virtue of being unexpected
From this reading It was staggering in its unexpectedness.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was staggering in its unexpectedness.
the vertical force exerted by a mass as a result of gravity
From this reading He felt himself reeling,--only to suddenly straighten, as though a crushing weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
past form of “whirl” — turn in a twisting or spinning motion
From this reading He whirled excitedly and grasped the nearest onlooker.
Chapter 25 of The White Desert by Courtney Ryley Cooper holds 247 sentences, grouped into 50 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 25 holds 247 sentences of The White Desert, unabridged, divided into 50 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 25 of The White Desert by Courtney Ryley Cooper exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 247 sentences, grouped into 50 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 50 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 50 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 25 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 White Desert by Courtney Ryley Cooper on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5458 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #20155 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #20155, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 454 minutes of reading across 1092 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The White Desert section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of The White Desert 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 White Desert, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
