Chapter 14 of Wilderness of Spring is here in full — 389 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of Wilderness of Spring is here in full — 389 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Ben felt the fire in his cheeks, and dreaded stammering. "Well, sir, might it not be that sailing with _Artemis_ would help me decide, or at least understand better, what I wish to do?" "It--might.... Mind, I've not said yea or nay. Don't press me more on it now.
Chapter 14 of Wilderness of Spring is here in full — 389 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/77 · 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 mountain or tall hill
From this reading “Ben felt the fire in his cheeks, and dreaded stammering.”
plural of “cheek” — either side of the face below the eyes
From this reading “Ben felt the fire in his cheeks, and dreaded stammering.”
reach, make, or come to a decision about something
From this reading “"Well, sir, might it not be that sailing with _Artemis_ would help me decide, or at least understand better, what I wish to do?"”
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading “Ben felt the fire in his cheeks, and dreaded stammering.”
an old word for “no”
From this reading “Mind, I've not said yea or nay.”
exert pressure or force to or upon
From this reading “Don't press me more on it now.”
the work of a sailor
From this reading “"Well, sir, might it not be that sailing with _Artemis_ would help me decide, or at least understand better, what I wish to do?"”
an old word for “yes”
From this reading “Mind, I've not said yea or nay.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Ben felt the fire in his cheeks, and dreaded stammering.
(Greek mythology) the virgin goddess of the hunt and the Moon; daughter of Leto and twin sister of Apollo; identified with Roman Diana
From this reading "Well, sir, might it not be that sailing with _Artemis_ would help me decide, or at least understand better, what I wish to do?"
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Well, sir, might it not be that sailing with _Artemis_ would help me decide, or at least understand better, what I wish to do?"
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Well, sir, might it not be that sailing with _Artemis_ would help me decide, or at least understand better, what I wish to do?"
a mountain or tall hill
From this reading Ben felt the fire in his cheeks, and dreaded stammering.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "Well, sir, might it not be that sailing with _Artemis_ would help me decide, or at least understand better, what I wish to do?"
plural of “cheek” — either side of the face below the eyes
From this reading Ben felt the fire in his cheeks, and dreaded stammering.
reach, make, or come to a decision about something
From this reading "Well, sir, might it not be that sailing with _Artemis_ would help me decide, or at least understand better, what I wish to do?"
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Well, sir, might it not be that sailing with _Artemis_ would help me decide, or at least understand better, what I wish to do?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Don't press me more on it now.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading Ben felt the fire in his cheeks, and dreaded stammering.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading Ben felt the fire in his cheeks, and dreaded stammering.
start firing a weapon
From this reading Ben felt the fire in his cheeks, and dreaded stammering.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading "Well, sir, might it not be that sailing with _Artemis_ would help me decide, or at least understand better, what I wish to do?"
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Ben felt the fire in his cheeks, and dreaded stammering.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Well, sir, might it not be that sailing with _Artemis_ would help me decide, or at least understand better, what I wish to do?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mind, I've not said yea or nay.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Ben felt the fire in his cheeks, and dreaded stammering.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Well, sir, might it not be that sailing with _Artemis_ would help me decide, or at least understand better, what I wish to do?"
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading "Well, sir, might it not be that sailing with _Artemis_ would help me decide, or at least understand better, what I wish to do?"
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Well, sir, might it not be that sailing with _Artemis_ would help me decide, or at least understand better, what I wish to do?"
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading "Well, sir, might it not be that sailing with _Artemis_ would help me decide, or at least understand better, what I wish to do?"
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading Mind, I've not said yea or nay.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Don't press me more on it now.
an old word for “no”
From this reading Mind, I've not said yea or nay.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Well, sir, might it not be that sailing with _Artemis_ would help me decide, or at least understand better, what I wish to do?"
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Don't press me more on it now.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Don't press me more on it now.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "Well, sir, might it not be that sailing with _Artemis_ would help me decide, or at least understand better, what I wish to do?"
exert pressure or force to or upon
From this reading Don't press me more on it now.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Mind, I've not said yea or nay.
the work of a sailor
From this reading "Well, sir, might it not be that sailing with _Artemis_ would help me decide, or at least understand better, what I wish to do?"
term of address for a man
From this reading "Well, sir, might it not be that sailing with _Artemis_ would help me decide, or at least understand better, what I wish to do?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Ben felt the fire in his cheeks, and dreaded stammering.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Well, sir, might it not be that sailing with _Artemis_ would help me decide, or at least understand better, what I wish to do?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Ben felt the fire in his cheeks, and dreaded stammering.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Well, sir, might it not be that sailing with _Artemis_ would help me decide, or at least understand better, what I wish to do?"
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading "Well, sir, might it not be that sailing with _Artemis_ would help me decide, or at least understand better, what I wish to do?"
(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, sir, might it not be that sailing with _Artemis_ would help me decide, or at least understand better, what I wish to do?"
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Well, sir, might it not be that sailing with _Artemis_ would help me decide, or at least understand better, what I wish to do?"
hope for; have a wish
From this reading "Well, sir, might it not be that sailing with _Artemis_ would help me decide, or at least understand better, what I wish to do?"
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Well, sir, might it not be that sailing with _Artemis_ would help me decide, or at least understand better, what I wish to do?"
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "Well, sir, might it not be that sailing with _Artemis_ would help me decide, or at least understand better, what I wish to do?"
an old word for “yes”
From this reading Mind, I've not said yea or nay.
Chapter 14 of Wilderness of Spring by Edgar Pangborn holds 389 sentences, grouped into 78 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 389 sentences of Wilderness of Spring, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of Wilderness of Spring by Edgar Pangborn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 389 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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 Wilderness of Spring by Edgar Pangborn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8768 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39907 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #39907, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1754 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Wilderness of Spring section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of Wilderness of Spring 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 Wilderness of Spring, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
