Chapter 11 of A Trace of Memory is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of A Trace of Memory is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_I lay in the dark, the memory of towers and trumpets and fountains of fire in my mind. I put up my hand, felt a coarse garment. Had I but dreamed...? I stirred. Light blazed in a widening band above my face.
Chapter 11 of A Trace of Memory is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/25 · 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 “blaze” — shine brightly and intensively
From this reading “Light blazed in a widening band above my face.”
of textures that are rough to the touch or substances consisting of relatively large particles
From this reading “I put up my hand, felt a coarse garment.”
conceived of or imagined or hoped for
From this reading “Had I but dreamed...?”
plural of “fountain” — a structure from which an artificially produced jet of water arises
From this reading “_I lay in the dark, the memory of towers and trumpets and fountains of fire in my mind.”
an article of clothing
From this reading “I put up my hand, felt a coarse garment.”
plural of “tower” — a structure taller than its diameter; can stand alone or be attached to a larger building
From this reading “_I lay in the dark, the memory of towers and trumpets and fountains of fire in my mind.”
pitcher plant of southeastern United States having erect yellow trumpet-shaped pitchers with wide mouths and erect lids
From this reading “_I lay in the dark, the memory of towers and trumpets and fountains of fire in my mind.”
an increase in width
From this reading “Light blazed in a widening band above my face.”
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.
place so as to be noticed
In this reading “I put up my hand, felt a coarse garment.”
In this reading “_I lay in the dark, the memory of towers and trumpets and fountains of fire in my mind.”
keep or lay aside for future use
In this reading “_I lay in the dark, the memory of towers and trumpets and fountains of fire in my mind.”
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 I put up my hand, felt a coarse garment.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading Light blazed in a widening band above my face.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading _I lay in the dark, the memory of towers and trumpets and fountains of fire in my mind.
an unofficial association of people or groups
From this reading Light blazed in a widening band above my face.
past form of “blaze” — shine brightly and intensively
From this reading Light blazed in a widening band above my face.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Had I but dreamed...?
of textures that are rough to the touch or substances consisting of relatively large particles
From this reading I put up my hand, felt a coarse garment.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading _I lay in the dark, the memory of towers and trumpets and fountains of fire in my mind.
conceived of or imagined or hoped for
From this reading Had I but dreamed...?
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Light blazed in a widening band above my face.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading I put up my hand, felt a coarse garment.
start firing a weapon
From this reading _I lay in the dark, the memory of towers and trumpets and fountains of fire in my mind.
plural of “fountain” — a structure from which an artificially produced jet of water arises
From this reading _I lay in the dark, the memory of towers and trumpets and fountains of fire in my mind.
an article of clothing
From this reading I put up my hand, felt a coarse garment.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Had I but dreamed...?
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading I put up my hand, felt a coarse garment.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading _I lay in the dark, the memory of towers and trumpets and fountains of fire in my mind.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading _I lay in the dark, the memory of towers and trumpets and fountains of fire in my mind.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading _I lay in the dark, the memory of towers and trumpets and fountains of fire in my mind.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading Light blazed in a widening band above my face.
The faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information and knowledge.
From this reading _I lay in the dark, the memory of towers and trumpets and fountains of fire in my mind.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading _I lay in the dark, the memory of towers and trumpets and fountains of fire in my mind.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading _I lay in the dark, the memory of towers and trumpets and fountains of fire in my mind.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading _I lay in the dark, the memory of towers and trumpets and fountains of fire in my mind.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading I put up my hand, felt a coarse garment.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading I stirred.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _I lay in the dark, the memory of towers and trumpets and fountains of fire in my mind.
plural of “tower” — a structure taller than its diameter; can stand alone or be attached to a larger building
From this reading _I lay in the dark, the memory of towers and trumpets and fountains of fire in my mind.
pitcher plant of southeastern United States having erect yellow trumpet-shaped pitchers with wide mouths and erect lids
From this reading _I lay in the dark, the memory of towers and trumpets and fountains of fire in my mind.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I put up my hand, felt a coarse garment.
an increase in width
From this reading Light blazed in a widening band above my face.
Chapter 11 of A Trace of Memory by Keith Laumer holds 129 sentences, grouped into 26 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 11 holds 129 sentences of A Trace of Memory, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of A Trace of Memory by Keith Laumer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 129 sentences, grouped into 26 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 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 26 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 11 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 Trace of Memory by Keith Laumer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5506 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #51712 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #51712, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 458 minutes of reading across 1102 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Trace of Memory section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of A Trace of Memory 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 Trace of Memory, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
