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Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck
Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck

Chapter XIV · Chapter 14

Chapter 14 of Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck is here in full — 79 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck
Context Illustration Reading 1/15 · 5 lines
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SAM HELLER'S EVIDENCE "Young gentlemen, I have a serious matter to bring before you.
A very serious matter, involving not only the personal honor and reputation of every student here, but the school itself.
I must ask for your close attention."
It was Doctor Pliny Meredith who was speaking, and the place was chapel, after the usual morning exercises.
The students had been about to go to their lectures when the venerable head of the school, entering most unexpectedly, asked them to remain a moment.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck

Chapter XIV · Chapter 14

Chapter 14 of Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck is here in full — 79 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/15 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
SAM HELLER'S EVIDENCE "Young gentlemen, I have a serious matter to bring before you.
/sæm ˈhelərz ˈevədəns jʌŋ ˈdʒentəlmɪn aɪ hæv ə ˈsɪriəs ˈmætər tuː brɪŋ bɪˈfɔːr juː/
Line 2
A very serious matter, involving not only the personal honor and reputation of every student here, but the school itself.
/ə ˈveri ˈsɪriəs ˈmætər ˌɪnˈvɑːlvɪŋ nɑːt ˈoʊnli ðə ˈpɜːrsɪnəl ˈɑːnər ənd ˌrepjəˈteɪʃən ʌv ˈevəri ˈstuːdənt hiːr bʌt ðə skuːl ˌɪtˈself/
Line 3
I must ask for your close attention."
/aɪ mʌst æsk fɔːr jɔːr kloʊs əˈtenʃən/
Line 4
It was Doctor Pliny Meredith who was speaking, and the place was chapel, after the usual morning exercises.
/ɪt wɑːz ˈdɑːktər ˈplɪni ˈmerɪdɪθ huː wɑːz ˈspiːkɪŋ ənd ðə pleɪs wɑːz ˈtʃæpəl ˈæftər ðə ˈjuːʒəwəl ˈmɔːrnɪŋ ˈeksərsaɪzəz/
Line 5
The students had been about to go to their lectures when the venerable head of the school, entering most unexpectedly, asked them to remain a moment.
/ðə ˈstuːdənts hæd bɪn əˈbaʊt tuː ɡoʊ tuː ðer ˈlektʃərz wen ðə ˈvenərəbəl hed ʌv ðə skuːl ˈentərɪŋ moʊst ˌʌnɪkˈspektɪdli æskt ðem tuː rɪˈmeɪn ə ˈmoʊmənt/

Learner Dictionary

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.

exercises noun US /ˈeksərsaɪzəz/

plural of “exercise” — the activity of exerting your muscles in various ways to keep fit

From this reading “It was Doctor Pliny Meredith who was speaking, and the place was chapel, after the usual morning exercises.”

heller's noun US /ˈhelərz/

possessive form of “heller” — 100 halers equal 1 koruna Slovakia

From this reading “SAM HELLER'S EVIDENCE "Young gentlemen, I have a serious matter to bring before you.”

involving verb US /ˌɪnˈvɑːlvɪŋ/

-ing form of “involve” — connect closely and often incriminatingly

From this reading “A very serious matter, involving not only the personal honor and reputation of every student here, but the school itself.”

lectures noun US /ˈlektʃərz/

plural of “lecture” — a speech that is open to the public

From this reading “The students had been about to go to their lectures when the venerable head of the school, entering most unexpectedly, asked them to remain a moment.”

Meredith noun US /ˈmerɪdɪθ/

United States civil rights leader whose college registration caused riots in traditionally segregated Mississippi (born in 1933)

From this reading “It was Doctor Pliny Meredith who was speaking, and the place was chapel, after the usual morning exercises.”

Pliny noun US /ˈplɪni/

Roman writer and nephew of Pliny the Elder; author of books of letters that commented on affairs of the day (62-113)

From this reading “It was Doctor Pliny Meredith who was speaking, and the place was chapel, after the usual morning exercises.”

students noun US /ˈstuːdənts/

plural of “student” — a learner who is enrolled in an educational institution

From this reading “The students had been about to go to their lectures when the venerable head of the school, entering most unexpectedly, asked them to remain a moment.”

unexpectedly adverb US /ˌʌnɪkˈspektɪdli/

in a way that was not expected

From this reading “The students had been about to go to their lectures when the venerable head of the school, entering most unexpectedly, asked them to remain a moment.”

All words in this reading · 66

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading SAM HELLER'S EVIDENCE "Young gentlemen, I have a serious matter to bring before you.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading The students had been about to go to their lectures when the venerable head of the school, entering most unexpectedly, asked them to remain a moment.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading It was Doctor Pliny Meredith who was speaking, and the place was chapel, after the usual morning exercises.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading A very serious matter, involving not only the personal honor and reputation of every student here, but the school itself.

askverbUS /æsk/

make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading I must ask for your close attention."

askedverbUS /æskt/

past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading The students had been about to go to their lectures when the venerable head of the school, entering most unexpectedly, asked them to remain a moment.

attentionnounUS /əˈtenʃən/

the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others

From this reading I must ask for your close attention."

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading The students had been about to go to their lectures when the venerable head of the school, entering most unexpectedly, asked them to remain a moment.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading SAM HELLER'S EVIDENCE "Young gentlemen, I have a serious matter to bring before you.

bringverbUS /brɪŋ/

take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

From this reading SAM HELLER'S EVIDENCE "Young gentlemen, I have a serious matter to bring before you.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading A very serious matter, involving not only the personal honor and reputation of every student here, but the school itself.

chapelnounUS /ˈtʃæpəl/

a place of worship that has its own altar

From this reading It was Doctor Pliny Meredith who was speaking, and the place was chapel, after the usual morning exercises.

closeadjectiveUS /kloʊs/

at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other

From this reading I must ask for your close attention."

DoctornounUS /ˈdɑːktər/

a licensed medical practitioner

From this reading It was Doctor Pliny Meredith who was speaking, and the place was chapel, after the usual morning exercises.

enteringnounUS /ˈentərɪŋ/

a movement into or inward

From this reading The students had been about to go to their lectures when the venerable head of the school, entering most unexpectedly, asked them to remain a moment.

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading A very serious matter, involving not only the personal honor and reputation of every student here, but the school itself.

EVIDENCEnounUS /ˈevədəns/

your basis for belief or disbelief; knowledge on which to base belief

From this reading SAM HELLER'S EVIDENCE "Young gentlemen, I have a serious matter to bring before you.

exercisesnounUS /ˈeksərsaɪzəz/

plural of “exercise” — the activity of exerting your muscles in various ways to keep fit

From this reading It was Doctor Pliny Meredith who was speaking, and the place was chapel, after the usual morning exercises.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading I must ask for your close attention."

gentlemennounUS /ˈdʒentəlmɪn/

plural of “gentleman” — a man of refinement

From this reading SAM HELLER'S EVIDENCE "Young gentlemen, I have a serious matter to bring before you.

goverbUS /ɡoʊ/

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading The students had been about to go to their lectures when the venerable head of the school, entering most unexpectedly, asked them to remain a moment.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading The students had been about to go to their lectures when the venerable head of the school, entering most unexpectedly, asked them to remain a moment.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading SAM HELLER'S EVIDENCE "Young gentlemen, I have a serious matter to bring before you.

headnounUS /hed/

the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains

From this reading The students had been about to go to their lectures when the venerable head of the school, entering most unexpectedly, asked them to remain a moment.

HELLER'SnounUS /ˈhelərz/

possessive form of “heller” — 100 halers equal 1 koruna Slovakia

From this reading SAM HELLER'S EVIDENCE "Young gentlemen, I have a serious matter to bring before you.

hereadverbUS /hiːr/

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading A very serious matter, involving not only the personal honor and reputation of every student here, but the school itself.

honornounUS /ˈɑːnər/

a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction

From this reading A very serious matter, involving not only the personal honor and reputation of every student here, but the school itself.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading SAM HELLER'S EVIDENCE "Young gentlemen, I have a serious matter to bring before you.

involvingverbUS /ˌɪnˈvɑːlvɪŋ/

-ing form of “involve” — connect closely and often incriminatingly

From this reading A very serious matter, involving not only the personal honor and reputation of every student here, but the school itself.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was Doctor Pliny Meredith who was speaking, and the place was chapel, after the usual morning exercises.

itselfpronounUS /ˌɪtˈself/

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading A very serious matter, involving not only the personal honor and reputation of every student here, but the school itself.

lecturesnounUS /ˈlektʃərz/

plural of “lecture” — a speech that is open to the public

From this reading The students had been about to go to their lectures when the venerable head of the school, entering most unexpectedly, asked them to remain a moment.

matternounUS /ˈmætər/

a vaguely specified concern

From this reading SAM HELLER'S EVIDENCE "Young gentlemen, I have a serious matter to bring before you.

MeredithnounUS /ˈmerɪdɪθ/

United States civil rights leader whose college registration caused riots in traditionally segregated Mississippi (born in 1933)

From this reading It was Doctor Pliny Meredith who was speaking, and the place was chapel, after the usual morning exercises.

momentnounUS /ˈmoʊmənt/

a particular point in time

From this reading The students had been about to go to their lectures when the venerable head of the school, entering most unexpectedly, asked them to remain a moment.

morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading It was Doctor Pliny Meredith who was speaking, and the place was chapel, after the usual morning exercises.

mostadverbUS /moʊst/

used to form the superlative

From this reading The students had been about to go to their lectures when the venerable head of the school, entering most unexpectedly, asked them to remain a moment.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading I must ask for your close attention."

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading A very serious matter, involving not only the personal honor and reputation of every student here, but the school itself.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading A very serious matter, involving not only the personal honor and reputation of every student here, but the school itself.

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading A very serious matter, involving not only the personal honor and reputation of every student here, but the school itself.

personaladjectiveUS /ˈpɜːrsɪnəl/

concerning or affecting a particular person or his or her private life and personality

From this reading A very serious matter, involving not only the personal honor and reputation of every student here, but the school itself.

placenounUS /pleɪs/

a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading It was Doctor Pliny Meredith who was speaking, and the place was chapel, after the usual morning exercises.

PlinynounUS /ˈplɪni/

Roman writer and nephew of Pliny the Elder; author of books of letters that commented on affairs of the day (62-113)

From this reading It was Doctor Pliny Meredith who was speaking, and the place was chapel, after the usual morning exercises.

remainverbUS /rɪˈmeɪn/

stay the same; remain in a certain state

From this reading The students had been about to go to their lectures when the venerable head of the school, entering most unexpectedly, asked them to remain a moment.

reputationnounUS /ˌrepjəˈteɪʃən/

the state of being held in high esteem and honor

From this reading A very serious matter, involving not only the personal honor and reputation of every student here, but the school itself.

SAMnounUS /sæm/

a guided missile fired from land or shipboard against an airborne target

From this reading SAM HELLER'S EVIDENCE "Young gentlemen, I have a serious matter to bring before you.

schoolnounUS /skuːl/

an educational institution

From this reading A very serious matter, involving not only the personal honor and reputation of every student here, but the school itself.

seriousadjectiveUS /ˈsɪriəs/

concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities

From this reading SAM HELLER'S EVIDENCE "Young gentlemen, I have a serious matter to bring before you.

speakingnounUS /ˈspiːkɪŋ/

the utterance of intelligible speech

From this reading It was Doctor Pliny Meredith who was speaking, and the place was chapel, after the usual morning exercises.

studentnounUS /ˈstuːdənt/

a learner who is enrolled in an educational institution

From this reading A very serious matter, involving not only the personal honor and reputation of every student here, but the school itself.

studentsnounUS /ˈstuːdənts/

plural of “student” — a learner who is enrolled in an educational institution

From this reading The students had been about to go to their lectures when the venerable head of the school, entering most unexpectedly, asked them to remain a moment.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading A very serious matter, involving not only the personal honor and reputation of every student here, but the school itself.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading The students had been about to go to their lectures when the venerable head of the school, entering most unexpectedly, asked them to remain a moment.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading The students had been about to go to their lectures when the venerable head of the school, entering most unexpectedly, asked them to remain a moment.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading SAM HELLER'S EVIDENCE "Young gentlemen, I have a serious matter to bring before you.

unexpectedlyadverbUS /ˌʌnɪkˈspektɪdli/

in a way that was not expected

From this reading The students had been about to go to their lectures when the venerable head of the school, entering most unexpectedly, asked them to remain a moment.

usualadjectiveUS /ˈjuːʒəwəl/

occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure

From this reading It was Doctor Pliny Meredith who was speaking, and the place was chapel, after the usual morning exercises.

venerableadjectiveUS /ˈvenərəbəl/

impressive by reason of age

From this reading The students had been about to go to their lectures when the venerable head of the school, entering most unexpectedly, asked them to remain a moment.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading A very serious matter, involving not only the personal honor and reputation of every student here, but the school itself.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading It was Doctor Pliny Meredith who was speaking, and the place was chapel, after the usual morning exercises.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading The students had been about to go to their lectures when the venerable head of the school, entering most unexpectedly, asked them to remain a moment.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading It was Doctor Pliny Meredith who was speaking, and the place was chapel, after the usual morning exercises.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading SAM HELLER'S EVIDENCE "Young gentlemen, I have a serious matter to bring before you.

YoungadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading SAM HELLER'S EVIDENCE "Young gentlemen, I have a serious matter to bring before you.

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading I must ask for your close attention."

Chapter 14 of Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck by Allen Chapman holds 79 sentences, grouped into 16 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.

What does chapter 14 of Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck contain?

Chapter 14 holds 79 sentences of Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 14 of Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck by Allen Chapman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 79 sentences, grouped into 16 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.

How do I study chapter 14 of Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck?

Work through the 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 16 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.

Can chapter 14 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck

Common questions about reading Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck by Allen Chapman on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck?

Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck take to read?

About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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  1. Open a chapter

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  3. Listen and tap

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Vocabulary met early in Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck

Words and structures a reader meets early in Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
One of the 0 chapters of Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 2
One of the 0 chapters of Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 3
One of the 0 chapters of Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.