Chapter 31 of Winding Paths is here in full — 242 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXI
Chapter 31 of Winding Paths is here in full — 242 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
When they were half-way through dinner Hal asked, a trifle abruptly: “Now, what about this piece of news? What does it mean?” He looked away, unable to meet her candid eyes, and said: “I will tell you presently.”
Chapter 31 of Winding Paths is here in full — 242 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/48 · 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.
quickly and without warning
From this reading “When they were half-way through dinner Hal asked, a trifle abruptly:”
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading “He looked away, unable to meet her candid eyes, and said:”
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading “When they were half-way through dinner Hal asked, a trifle abruptly:”
information about recent and important events
From this reading ““Now, what about this piece of news?”
a separate part of a whole
From this reading ““Now, what about this piece of news?”
in the near future
From this reading ““I will tell you presently.””
a cold pudding made of layers of sponge cake spread with fruit or jelly; may be decorated with nuts, cream, or chocolate
From this reading “When they were half-way through dinner Hal asked, a trifle abruptly:”
(usually followed by “to”) not having the necessary means or skill or know-how
From this reading “He looked away, unable to meet her candid eyes, and said:”
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 When they were half-way through dinner Hal asked, a trifle abruptly:
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “Now, what about this piece of news?
quickly and without warning
From this reading When they were half-way through dinner Hal asked, a trifle abruptly:
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He looked away, unable to meet her candid eyes, and said:
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading When they were half-way through dinner Hal asked, a trifle abruptly:
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading He looked away, unable to meet her candid eyes, and said:
characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion
From this reading He looked away, unable to meet her candid eyes, and said:
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading When they were half-way through dinner Hal asked, a trifle abruptly:
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading What does it mean?”
opinion or judgment
From this reading He looked away, unable to meet her candid eyes, and said:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When they were half-way through dinner Hal asked, a trifle abruptly:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When they were half-way through dinner Hal asked, a trifle abruptly:
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He looked away, unable to meet her candid eyes, and said:
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He looked away, unable to meet her candid eyes, and said:
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I will tell you presently.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading What does it mean?”
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He looked away, unable to meet her candid eyes, and said:
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading What does it mean?”
come together
From this reading He looked away, unable to meet her candid eyes, and said:
information about recent and important events
From this reading “Now, what about this piece of news?
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “Now, what about this piece of news?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Now, what about this piece of news?
a separate part of a whole
From this reading “Now, what about this piece of news?
in the near future
From this reading “I will tell you presently.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading He looked away, unable to meet her candid eyes, and said:
express in words
From this reading “I will tell you presently.”
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When they were half-way through dinner Hal asked, a trifle abruptly:
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “Now, what about this piece of news?
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading When they were half-way through dinner Hal asked, a trifle abruptly:
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He looked away, unable to meet her candid eyes, and said:
a cold pudding made of layers of sponge cake spread with fruit or jelly; may be decorated with nuts, cream, or chocolate
From this reading When they were half-way through dinner Hal asked, a trifle abruptly:
(usually followed by “to”) not having the necessary means or skill or know-how
From this reading He looked away, unable to meet her candid eyes, and said:
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading When they were half-way through dinner Hal asked, a trifle abruptly:
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “Now, what about this piece of news?
at the time that
From this reading When they were half-way through dinner Hal asked, a trifle abruptly:
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “I will tell you presently.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I will tell you presently.”
Chapter 31 of Winding Paths by Gertrude Page holds 242 sentences, grouped into 49 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 31 holds 242 sentences of Winding Paths, unabridged, divided into 49 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of Winding Paths by Gertrude Page exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 242 sentences, grouped into 49 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 49 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 49 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 31 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 Winding Paths by Gertrude Page on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7191 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5636 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5636, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 599 minutes of reading across 1439 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Winding Paths section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Winding Paths 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 Winding Paths, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
