Chapter 22 of Bloom of Cactus is here in full — 220 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXII
Chapter 22 of Bloom of Cactus is here in full — 220 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE SACRIFICE The treacherous blow was just hard enough to stun Lennon. His unconsciousness probably lasted only a few seconds. He roused to the sound of heavy firing and the pungent odour of powder. He opened his eyes. One of the candles had been extinguished.
Chapter 22 of Bloom of Cactus is here in full — 220 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/44 · 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.
of a conditioned response; caused to die out because of the absence or withdrawal of reinforcement
From this reading “One of the candles had been extinguished.”
the act of firing weapons or artillery at an enemy
From this reading “He roused to the sound of heavy firing and the pungent odour of powder.”
English rock star and guitarist and songwriter who with Paul McCartney wrote most of the music for the Beatles (1940-1980)
From this reading “THE SACRIFICE The treacherous blow was just hard enough to stun Lennon.”
the sensation that results when olfactory receptors in the nose are stimulated by particular chemicals in gaseous form
From this reading “He roused to the sound of heavy firing and the pungent odour of powder.”
strong and sharp
From this reading “He roused to the sound of heavy firing and the pungent odour of powder.”
make senseless or dizzy by or as if by a blow
From this reading “THE SACRIFICE The treacherous blow was just hard enough to stun Lennon.”
dangerously unstable and unpredictable
From this reading “THE SACRIFICE The treacherous blow was just hard enough to stun Lennon.”
a state lacking normal awareness of the self or environment
From this reading “His unconsciousness probably lasted only a few seconds.”
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 His unconsciousness probably lasted only a few seconds.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He roused to the sound of heavy firing and the pungent odour of powder.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading One of the candles had been extinguished.
exhale hard
From this reading THE SACRIFICE The treacherous blow was just hard enough to stun Lennon.
plural of “candle” — stick of wax with a wick in the middle
From this reading One of the candles had been extinguished.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading THE SACRIFICE The treacherous blow was just hard enough to stun Lennon.
of a conditioned response; caused to die out because of the absence or withdrawal of reinforcement
From this reading One of the candles had been extinguished.
opinion or judgment
From this reading He opened his eyes.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading His unconsciousness probably lasted only a few seconds.
the act of firing weapons or artillery at an enemy
From this reading He roused to the sound of heavy firing and the pungent odour of powder.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading One of the candles had been extinguished.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading THE SACRIFICE The treacherous blow was just hard enough to stun Lennon.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He roused to the sound of heavy firing and the pungent odour of powder.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading He roused to the sound of heavy firing and the pungent odour of powder.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His unconsciousness probably lasted only a few seconds.
and nothing more
From this reading THE SACRIFICE The treacherous blow was just hard enough to stun Lennon.
past form of “last” — persist for a specified period of time
From this reading His unconsciousness probably lasted only a few seconds.
English rock star and guitarist and songwriter who with Paul McCartney wrote most of the music for the Beatles (1940-1980)
From this reading THE SACRIFICE The treacherous blow was just hard enough to stun Lennon.
the sensation that results when olfactory receptors in the nose are stimulated by particular chemicals in gaseous form
From this reading He roused to the sound of heavy firing and the pungent odour of powder.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He roused to the sound of heavy firing and the pungent odour of powder.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One of the candles had been extinguished.
and nothing more
From this reading His unconsciousness probably lasted only a few seconds.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading He opened his eyes.
a solid substance in the form of tiny loose particles; a solid that has been pulverized
From this reading He roused to the sound of heavy firing and the pungent odour of powder.
with considerable certainty; without much doubt
From this reading His unconsciousness probably lasted only a few seconds.
strong and sharp
From this reading He roused to the sound of heavy firing and the pungent odour of powder.
past form of “rouse” — become active
From this reading He roused to the sound of heavy firing and the pungent odour of powder.
the act of losing or surrendering something as a penalty for a mistake or fault or failure to perform etc.
From this reading THE SACRIFICE The treacherous blow was just hard enough to stun Lennon.
plural of “second” — 1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading His unconsciousness probably lasted only a few seconds.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading He roused to the sound of heavy firing and the pungent odour of powder.
make senseless or dizzy by or as if by a blow
From this reading THE SACRIFICE The treacherous blow was just hard enough to stun Lennon.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE SACRIFICE The treacherous blow was just hard enough to stun Lennon.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE SACRIFICE The treacherous blow was just hard enough to stun Lennon.
dangerously unstable and unpredictable
From this reading THE SACRIFICE The treacherous blow was just hard enough to stun Lennon.
a state lacking normal awareness of the self or environment
From this reading His unconsciousness probably lasted only a few seconds.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE SACRIFICE The treacherous blow was just hard enough to stun Lennon.
Chapter 22 of Bloom of Cactus by Robert Ames Bennet holds 220 sentences, grouped into 44 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 22 holds 220 sentences of Bloom of Cactus, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 22 of Bloom of Cactus by Robert Ames Bennet exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 220 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 22 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 Bloom of Cactus by Robert Ames Bennet on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4237 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22270 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #22270, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 353 minutes of reading across 848 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Bloom of Cactus section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of Bloom of Cactus 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 Bloom of Cactus, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
