Chapter 15 of A Book of Ghosts is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of A Book of Ghosts is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I had not sufficient moral energy or physical force in me to rise, pursue, and stamp on the finger, and grind it with my heel into the floor. Both seemed drained out of me. What became of the finger, whither it went, how it managed to secrete itself, I do not know. I had lost the power to inquire. I sat in my chair, chilled, staring before me into space.
Chapter 15 of A Book of Ghosts is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
past form of “chill” — depress or discourage
From this reading “I sat in my chair, chilled, staring before me into space.”
emptied or exhausted of (as by drawing off e.g. water or other liquid)
From this reading “Both seemed drained out of me.”
press or grind with a crushing noise
From this reading “I had not sufficient moral energy or physical force in me to rise, pursue, and stamp on the finger, and grind it with my heel into the floor.”
the bottom of a shoe or boot; the back part of a shoe or boot that touches the ground and provides elevation
From this reading “I had not sufficient moral energy or physical force in me to rise, pursue, and stamp on the finger, and grind it with my heel into the floor.”
address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading “I had lost the power to inquire.”
carry out or participate in an activity; be involved in
From this reading “I had not sufficient moral energy or physical force in me to rise, pursue, and stamp on the finger, and grind it with my heel into the floor.”
generate and separate from cells or bodily fluids
From this reading “What became of the finger, whither it went, how it managed to secrete itself, I do not know.”
walk heavily
From this reading “I had not sufficient moral energy or physical force in me to rise, pursue, and stamp on the finger, and grind it with my heel into the floor.”
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.
In this reading “I had not sufficient moral energy or physical force in me to rise, pursue, and stamp on the finger, and grind it with my heel into the floor.”
In this reading “I sat in my chair, chilled, staring before me into space.”
In this reading “I had not sufficient moral energy or physical force in me to rise, pursue, and stamp on the finger, and grind it with my heel into the floor.”
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 I had not sufficient moral energy or physical force in me to rise, pursue, and stamp on the finger, and grind it with my heel into the floor.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading What became of the finger, whither it went, how it managed to secrete itself, I do not know.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading I sat in my chair, chilled, staring before me into space.
the two together, not just one
From this reading Both seemed drained out of me.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading I sat in my chair, chilled, staring before me into space.
past form of “chill” — depress or discourage
From this reading I sat in my chair, chilled, staring before me into space.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading What became of the finger, whither it went, how it managed to secrete itself, I do not know.
emptied or exhausted of (as by drawing off e.g. water or other liquid)
From this reading Both seemed drained out of me.
(physics) a thermodynamic quantity equivalent to the capacity of a physical system to do work; the units of energy are joules or ergs
From this reading I had not sufficient moral energy or physical force in me to rise, pursue, and stamp on the finger, and grind it with my heel into the floor.
feel or handle with the fingers
From this reading I had not sufficient moral energy or physical force in me to rise, pursue, and stamp on the finger, and grind it with my heel into the floor.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading I had not sufficient moral energy or physical force in me to rise, pursue, and stamp on the finger, and grind it with my heel into the floor.
a powerful effect or influence
From this reading I had not sufficient moral energy or physical force in me to rise, pursue, and stamp on the finger, and grind it with my heel into the floor.
press or grind with a crushing noise
From this reading I had not sufficient moral energy or physical force in me to rise, pursue, and stamp on the finger, and grind it with my heel into the floor.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I had not sufficient moral energy or physical force in me to rise, pursue, and stamp on the finger, and grind it with my heel into the floor.
the bottom of a shoe or boot; the back part of a shoe or boot that touches the ground and provides elevation
From this reading I had not sufficient moral energy or physical force in me to rise, pursue, and stamp on the finger, and grind it with my heel into the floor.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What became of the finger, whither it went, how it managed to secrete itself, I do not know.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I had not sufficient moral energy or physical force in me to rise, pursue, and stamp on the finger, and grind it with my heel into the floor.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I had not sufficient moral energy or physical force in me to rise, pursue, and stamp on the finger, and grind it with my heel into the floor.
address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading I had lost the power to inquire.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading I had not sufficient moral energy or physical force in me to rise, pursue, and stamp on the finger, and grind it with my heel into the floor.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I had not sufficient moral energy or physical force in me to rise, pursue, and stamp on the finger, and grind it with my heel into the floor.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading What became of the finger, whither it went, how it managed to secrete itself, I do not know.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading What became of the finger, whither it went, how it managed to secrete itself, I do not know.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading I had lost the power to inquire.
past form of “manage” — be successful; achieve a goal
From this reading What became of the finger, whither it went, how it managed to secrete itself, I do not know.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I had not sufficient moral energy or physical force in me to rise, pursue, and stamp on the finger, and grind it with my heel into the floor.
concerned with principles of right and wrong or conforming to standards of behavior and character based on those principles
From this reading I had not sufficient moral energy or physical force in me to rise, pursue, and stamp on the finger, and grind it with my heel into the floor.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I had not sufficient moral energy or physical force in me to rise, pursue, and stamp on the finger, and grind it with my heel into the floor.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I had not sufficient moral energy or physical force in me to rise, pursue, and stamp on the finger, and grind it with my heel into the floor.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Both seemed drained out of me.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I had not sufficient moral energy or physical force in me to rise, pursue, and stamp on the finger, and grind it with my heel into the floor.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading I had not sufficient moral energy or physical force in me to rise, pursue, and stamp on the finger, and grind it with my heel into the floor.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Both seemed drained out of me.
involving the body as distinguished from the mind or spirit
From this reading I had not sufficient moral energy or physical force in me to rise, pursue, and stamp on the finger, and grind it with my heel into the floor.
possession of controlling influence
From this reading I had lost the power to inquire.
carry out or participate in an activity; be involved in
From this reading I had not sufficient moral energy or physical force in me to rise, pursue, and stamp on the finger, and grind it with my heel into the floor.
move upward
From this reading I had not sufficient moral energy or physical force in me to rise, pursue, and stamp on the finger, and grind it with my heel into the floor.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading I sat in my chair, chilled, staring before me into space.
generate and separate from cells or bodily fluids
From this reading What became of the finger, whither it went, how it managed to secrete itself, I do not know.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Both seemed drained out of me.
the unlimited expanse in which everything is located
From this reading I sat in my chair, chilled, staring before me into space.
walk heavily
From this reading I had not sufficient moral energy or physical force in me to rise, pursue, and stamp on the finger, and grind it with my heel into the floor.
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading I sat in my chair, chilled, staring before me into space.
of a quantity that can fulfill a need or requirement but without being abundant
From this reading I had not sufficient moral energy or physical force in me to rise, pursue, and stamp on the finger, and grind it with my heel into the floor.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I had not sufficient moral energy or physical force in me to rise, pursue, and stamp on the finger, and grind it with my heel into the floor.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I had not sufficient moral energy or physical force in me to rise, pursue, and stamp on the finger, and grind it with my heel into the floor.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading What became of the finger, whither it went, how it managed to secrete itself, I do not know.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What became of the finger, whither it went, how it managed to secrete itself, I do not know.
an old word meaning “to where”
From this reading What became of the finger, whither it went, how it managed to secrete itself, I do not know.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I had not sufficient moral energy or physical force in me to rise, pursue, and stamp on the finger, and grind it with my heel into the floor.
Chapter 15 of A Book of Ghosts by S. (Sabine) Baring-Gould holds 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 15 holds 409 sentences of A Book of Ghosts, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of A Book of Ghosts by S. (Sabine) Baring-Gould exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 15 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 A Book of Ghosts by S. (Sabine) Baring-Gould on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7626 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36638 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #36638, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1526 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Book of Ghosts section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of A Book of Ghosts 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 A Book of Ghosts, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
