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Children of the Ghetto
Children of the Ghetto

Chapter XXXVII · Chapter 37

Chapter 37 of Children of the Ghetto is here in full — 192 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Israel Zangwill • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for Children of the Ghetto
Context Illustration Reading 1/38 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE PRODIGAL SON.
The New Year dawned upon the Ghetto, heralded by a month of special matins and the long-sustained note of the ram's horn.
It was in the midst of the Ten Days of Repentance which find their awful climax in the Day of Atonement that a strange letter for Hannah came to startle the breakfast-table at Reb Shemuel's.
Hannah read it with growing pallor and perturbation.
"What is the matter, my dear?" asked the Reb, anxiously.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Children of the Ghetto

Chapter XXXVII · Chapter 37

Chapter 37 of Children of the Ghetto is here in full — 192 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/38 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE PRODIGAL SON.
/ðə ˈprɑːdɪɡəl sʌn/
Line 2
The New Year dawned upon the Ghetto, heralded by a month of special matins and the long-sustained note of the ram's horn.
Line 3
It was in the midst of the Ten Days of Repentance which find their awful climax in the Day of Atonement that a strange letter for Hannah came to startle the breakfast-table at Reb Shemuel's.
Line 4
Hannah read it with growing pallor and perturbation.
Line 5
"What is the matter, my dear?" asked the Reb, anxiously.

Learner Dictionary

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.

Atonement noun US /əˈtoʊnmənt/

compensation for a wrong

From this reading “It was in the midst of the Ten Days of Repentance which find their awful climax in the Day of Atonement that a strange letter for Hannah came to startle the breakfast-table at Reb Shemuel's.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
climax noun US /ˈklaɪmæks/

the highest point of anything conceived of as growing or developing or unfolding

From this reading “It was in the midst of the Ten Days of Repentance which find their awful climax in the Day of Atonement that a strange letter for Hannah came to startle the breakfast-table at Reb Shemuel's.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
dawned verb US /dɔːnd/

past form of “dawn” — become clear or enter one's consciousness or emotions

From this reading “The New Year dawned upon the Ghetto, heralded by a month of special matins and the long-sustained note of the ram's horn.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Ghetto noun US /ˈɡetoʊ/

formerly the restricted quarter of many European cities in which Jews were required to live

From this reading “The New Year dawned upon the Ghetto, heralded by a month of special matins and the long-sustained note of the ram's horn.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
heralded adjective US /ˈherəldɪd/

publicly announced

From this reading “The New Year dawned upon the Ghetto, heralded by a month of special matins and the long-sustained note of the ram's horn.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
perturbation noun US /ˌpɜːrtərˈbeɪʃən/

an unhappy and worried mental state

From this reading “Hannah read it with growing pallor and perturbation.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
prodigal noun US /ˈprɑːdɪɡəl/

a recklessly extravagant consumer

From this reading “THE PRODIGAL SON.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
startle verb US /ˈstɑːrtəl/

to stimulate to action

From this reading “It was in the midst of the Ten Days of Repentance which find their awful climax in the Day of Atonement that a strange letter for Hannah came to startle the breakfast-table at Reb Shemuel's.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

All words in this reading · 58

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading The New Year dawned upon the Ghetto, heralded by a month of special matins and the long-sustained note of the ram's horn.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading The New Year dawned upon the Ghetto, heralded by a month of special matins and the long-sustained note of the ram's horn.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
anxiouslyadverbUS /ˈæŋkʃəsli/

with anxiety or apprehension

From this reading "What is the matter, my dear?" asked the Reb, anxiously.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
askedverbUS /æskt/

past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading "What is the matter, my dear?" asked the Reb, anxiously.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading It was in the midst of the Ten Days of Repentance which find their awful climax in the Day of Atonement that a strange letter for Hannah came to startle the breakfast-table at Reb Shemuel's.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
AtonementnounUS /əˈtoʊnmənt/

compensation for a wrong

From this reading It was in the midst of the Ten Days of Repentance which find their awful climax in the Day of Atonement that a strange letter for Hannah came to startle the breakfast-table at Reb Shemuel's.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
awfuladjectiveUS /ˈɑːfəl/

exceptionally bad or displeasing

From this reading It was in the midst of the Ten Days of Repentance which find their awful climax in the Day of Atonement that a strange letter for Hannah came to startle the breakfast-table at Reb Shemuel's.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
breakfast-table

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was in the midst of the Ten Days of Repentance which find their awful climax in the Day of Atonement that a strange letter for Hannah came to startle the breakfast-table at Reb Shemuel's.

Pending verification
byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading The New Year dawned upon the Ghetto, heralded by a month of special matins and the long-sustained note of the ram's horn.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading It was in the midst of the Ten Days of Repentance which find their awful climax in the Day of Atonement that a strange letter for Hannah came to startle the breakfast-table at Reb Shemuel's.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
climaxnounUS /ˈklaɪmæks/

the highest point of anything conceived of as growing or developing or unfolding

From this reading It was in the midst of the Ten Days of Repentance which find their awful climax in the Day of Atonement that a strange letter for Hannah came to startle the breakfast-table at Reb Shemuel's.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
dawnedverbUS /dɔːnd/

past form of “dawn” — become clear or enter one's consciousness or emotions

From this reading The New Year dawned upon the Ghetto, heralded by a month of special matins and the long-sustained note of the ram's horn.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
DaynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading It was in the midst of the Ten Days of Repentance which find their awful climax in the Day of Atonement that a strange letter for Hannah came to startle the breakfast-table at Reb Shemuel's.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
DaysnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading It was in the midst of the Ten Days of Repentance which find their awful climax in the Day of Atonement that a strange letter for Hannah came to startle the breakfast-table at Reb Shemuel's.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
dearadjectiveUS /dɪr/

dearly loved

From this reading "What is the matter, my dear?" asked the Reb, anxiously.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
findverbUS /faɪnd/

come upon, as if by accident; meet with

From this reading It was in the midst of the Ten Days of Repentance which find their awful climax in the Day of Atonement that a strange letter for Hannah came to startle the breakfast-table at Reb Shemuel's.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading It was in the midst of the Ten Days of Repentance which find their awful climax in the Day of Atonement that a strange letter for Hannah came to startle the breakfast-table at Reb Shemuel's.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
GhettonounUS /ˈɡetoʊ/

formerly the restricted quarter of many European cities in which Jews were required to live

From this reading The New Year dawned upon the Ghetto, heralded by a month of special matins and the long-sustained note of the ram's horn.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
growingnounUS /ˈɡroʊɪŋ/

(biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level

From this reading Hannah read it with growing pallor and perturbation.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Hannah

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was in the midst of the Ten Days of Repentance which find their awful climax in the Day of Atonement that a strange letter for Hannah came to startle the breakfast-table at Reb Shemuel's.

Pending verification
heraldedadjectiveUS /ˈherəldɪd/

publicly announced

From this reading The New Year dawned upon the Ghetto, heralded by a month of special matins and the long-sustained note of the ram's horn.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hornnounUS /hɔːrn/

a noisemaker (as at parties or games) that makes a loud noise when you blow through it

From this reading The New Year dawned upon the Ghetto, heralded by a month of special matins and the long-sustained note of the ram's horn.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading It was in the midst of the Ten Days of Repentance which find their awful climax in the Day of Atonement that a strange letter for Hannah came to startle the breakfast-table at Reb Shemuel's.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "What is the matter, my dear?" asked the Reb, anxiously.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was in the midst of the Ten Days of Repentance which find their awful climax in the Day of Atonement that a strange letter for Hannah came to startle the breakfast-table at Reb Shemuel's.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
letternounUS /ˈletər/

a written message addressed to a person or organization

From this reading It was in the midst of the Ten Days of Repentance which find their awful climax in the Day of Atonement that a strange letter for Hannah came to startle the breakfast-table at Reb Shemuel's.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
long-sustained

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The New Year dawned upon the Ghetto, heralded by a month of special matins and the long-sustained note of the ram's horn.

Pending verification
matinsnoun

the first canonical hour; at daybreak

From this reading The New Year dawned upon the Ghetto, heralded by a month of special matins and the long-sustained note of the ram's horn.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
matternounUS /ˈmætər/

a vaguely specified concern

From this reading "What is the matter, my dear?" asked the Reb, anxiously.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
midstnounUS /mɪdst/

the location of something surrounded by other things

From this reading It was in the midst of the Ten Days of Repentance which find their awful climax in the Day of Atonement that a strange letter for Hannah came to startle the breakfast-table at Reb Shemuel's.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
monthnounUS /mʌnθ/

one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year

From this reading The New Year dawned upon the Ghetto, heralded by a month of special matins and the long-sustained note of the ram's horn.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading "What is the matter, my dear?" asked the Reb, anxiously.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
NewadjectiveUS /nuː/

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

From this reading The New Year dawned upon the Ghetto, heralded by a month of special matins and the long-sustained note of the ram's horn.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
notenounUS /noʊt/

a brief written record

From this reading The New Year dawned upon the Ghetto, heralded by a month of special matins and the long-sustained note of the ram's horn.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The New Year dawned upon the Ghetto, heralded by a month of special matins and the long-sustained note of the ram's horn.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
pallornoun

unnatural lack of color in the skin (as from bruising or sickness or emotional distress)

From this reading Hannah read it with growing pallor and perturbation.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
perturbationnounUS /ˌpɜːrtərˈbeɪʃən/

an unhappy and worried mental state

From this reading Hannah read it with growing pallor and perturbation.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
PRODIGALnounUS /ˈprɑːdɪɡəl/

a recklessly extravagant consumer

From this reading THE PRODIGAL SON.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ram's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The New Year dawned upon the Ghetto, heralded by a month of special matins and the long-sustained note of the ram's horn.

Pending verification
readverbUS /red/

interpret something that is written or printed

From this reading Hannah read it with growing pallor and perturbation.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Rebnoun

“Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms

From this reading It was in the midst of the Ten Days of Repentance which find their awful climax in the Day of Atonement that a strange letter for Hannah came to startle the breakfast-table at Reb Shemuel's.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
RepentancenounUS /rɪˈpentəns/

remorse for your past conduct

From this reading It was in the midst of the Ten Days of Repentance which find their awful climax in the Day of Atonement that a strange letter for Hannah came to startle the breakfast-table at Reb Shemuel's.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Shemuel's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was in the midst of the Ten Days of Repentance which find their awful climax in the Day of Atonement that a strange letter for Hannah came to startle the breakfast-table at Reb Shemuel's.

Pending verification
SONnounUS /sʌn/

a male human offspring

From this reading THE PRODIGAL SON.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
specialadjectiveUS /ˈspeʃəl/

unique or specific to a person or thing or category

From this reading The New Year dawned upon the Ghetto, heralded by a month of special matins and the long-sustained note of the ram's horn.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
startleverbUS /ˈstɑːrtəl/

to stimulate to action

From this reading It was in the midst of the Ten Days of Repentance which find their awful climax in the Day of Atonement that a strange letter for Hannah came to startle the breakfast-table at Reb Shemuel's.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
strangeadjectiveUS /streɪndʒ/

being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird

From this reading It was in the midst of the Ten Days of Repentance which find their awful climax in the Day of Atonement that a strange letter for Hannah came to startle the breakfast-table at Reb Shemuel's.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
TennounUS /ten/

the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system

From this reading It was in the midst of the Ten Days of Repentance which find their awful climax in the Day of Atonement that a strange letter for Hannah came to startle the breakfast-table at Reb Shemuel's.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading It was in the midst of the Ten Days of Repentance which find their awful climax in the Day of Atonement that a strange letter for Hannah came to startle the breakfast-table at Reb Shemuel's.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading THE PRODIGAL SON.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading It was in the midst of the Ten Days of Repentance which find their awful climax in the Day of Atonement that a strange letter for Hannah came to startle the breakfast-table at Reb Shemuel's.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading It was in the midst of the Ten Days of Repentance which find their awful climax in the Day of Atonement that a strange letter for Hannah came to startle the breakfast-table at Reb Shemuel's.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading The New Year dawned upon the Ghetto, heralded by a month of special matins and the long-sustained note of the ram's horn.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading It was in the midst of the Ten Days of Repentance which find their awful climax in the Day of Atonement that a strange letter for Hannah came to startle the breakfast-table at Reb Shemuel's.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
WhatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading "What is the matter, my dear?" asked the Reb, anxiously.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading It was in the midst of the Ten Days of Repentance which find their awful climax in the Day of Atonement that a strange letter for Hannah came to startle the breakfast-table at Reb Shemuel's.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Hannah read it with growing pallor and perturbation.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
YearnounUS /jɪr/

a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days

From this reading The New Year dawned upon the Ghetto, heralded by a month of special matins and the long-sustained note of the ram's horn.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Chapter 37 of Children of the Ghetto by Israel Zangwill holds 192 sentences, grouped into 39 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.

What does chapter 37 of Children of the Ghetto contain?

Chapter 37 holds 192 sentences of Children of the Ghetto, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 37 of Children of the Ghetto by Israel Zangwill exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 192 sentences, grouped into 39 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.

How do I study chapter 37 of Children of the Ghetto?

Work through the 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 39 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.

Can chapter 37 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 37 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.

Questions about reading Children of the Ghetto

Common questions about reading Children of the Ghetto by Israel Zangwill on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Children of the Ghetto?

Yes. All 13165 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12680 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Children of the Ghetto is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #12680, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Children of the Ghetto take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 2633 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Children of the Ghetto section by section

How to work through Children of the Ghetto section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  2. Read one section

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  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Children of the Ghetto

Words and structures a reader meets early in Children of the Ghetto, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Bread
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Children of the Ghetto; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Affliction
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Children of the Ghetto; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Called
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Children of the Ghetto; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Street
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Children of the Ghetto; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.