Chapter 23 of A Second Coming is here in full — 117 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of A Second Coming is here in full — 117 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AND THE CHILD The noise in the street had continued without ceasing. It grew louder. A sound arose as of many voices shrieking. While it still filled the air the lame man and the charcoal-burner descended from an upper room. They spoke of the tumult.
Chapter 23 of A Second Coming is here in full — 117 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
inflected form of “arise” — come into existence; take on form or shape
From this reading “A sound arose as of many voices shrieking.”
-ing form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading “AND THE CHILD The noise in the street had continued without ceasing.”
past form of “descend” — move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading “While it still filled the air the lame man and the charcoal-burner descended from an upper room.”
someone who doesn't understand what is going on
From this reading “While it still filled the air the lame man and the charcoal-burner descended from an upper room.”
comparative of “loud” — characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
From this reading “It grew louder.”
sharp piercing cry
From this reading “A sound arose as of many voices shrieking.”
a state of commotion and noise and confusion
From this reading “They spoke of the tumult.”
the topmost one of two
From this reading “While it still filled the air the lame man and the charcoal-burner descended from an upper room.”
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 “It grew louder.”
In this reading “While it still filled the air the lame man and the charcoal-burner descended from an upper room.”
In this reading “While it still filled the air the lame man and the charcoal-burner descended from an upper room.”
In this reading “While it still filled the air the lame man and the charcoal-burner descended from an upper room.”
In this reading “AND THE CHILD The noise in the street had continued without ceasing.”
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 sound arose as of many voices shrieking.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading While it still filled the air the lame man and the charcoal-burner descended from an upper room.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading While it still filled the air the lame man and the charcoal-burner descended from an upper room.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading AND THE CHILD The noise in the street had continued without ceasing.
inflected form of “arise” — come into existence; take on form or shape
From this reading A sound arose as of many voices shrieking.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading A sound arose as of many voices shrieking.
-ing form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading AND THE CHILD The noise in the street had continued without ceasing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading While it still filled the air the lame man and the charcoal-burner descended from an upper room.
a young person of either sex
From this reading AND THE CHILD The noise in the street had continued without ceasing.
without stop or interruption
From this reading AND THE CHILD The noise in the street had continued without ceasing.
past form of “descend” — move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading While it still filled the air the lame man and the charcoal-burner descended from an upper room.
(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with
From this reading While it still filled the air the lame man and the charcoal-burner descended from an upper room.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading While it still filled the air the lame man and the charcoal-burner descended from an upper room.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading It grew louder.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading AND THE CHILD The noise in the street had continued without ceasing.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading AND THE CHILD The noise in the street had continued without ceasing.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It grew louder.
someone who doesn't understand what is going on
From this reading While it still filled the air the lame man and the charcoal-burner descended from an upper room.
comparative of “loud” — characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
From this reading It grew louder.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading While it still filled the air the lame man and the charcoal-burner descended from an upper room.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading A sound arose as of many voices shrieking.
sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
From this reading AND THE CHILD The noise in the street had continued without ceasing.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A sound arose as of many voices shrieking.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading While it still filled the air the lame man and the charcoal-burner descended from an upper room.
sharp piercing cry
From this reading A sound arose as of many voices shrieking.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading A sound arose as of many voices shrieking.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading They spoke of the tumult.
not in physical motion
From this reading While it still filled the air the lame man and the charcoal-burner descended from an upper room.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading AND THE CHILD The noise in the street had continued without ceasing.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AND THE CHILD The noise in the street had continued without ceasing.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They spoke of the tumult.
a state of commotion and noise and confusion
From this reading They spoke of the tumult.
the topmost one of two
From this reading While it still filled the air the lame man and the charcoal-burner descended from an upper room.
plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading A sound arose as of many voices shrieking.
during the time that
From this reading While it still filled the air the lame man and the charcoal-burner descended from an upper room.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading AND THE CHILD The noise in the street had continued without ceasing.
Chapter 23 of A Second Coming by Richard Marsh holds 117 sentences, grouped into 24 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 23 holds 117 sentences of A Second Coming, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of A Second Coming by Richard Marsh exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 117 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 23 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 Second Coming by Richard Marsh on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4506 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #38156 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #38156, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 375 minutes of reading across 902 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Second Coming section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of A Second Coming 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 Second Coming, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
