Chapter 31 of Confession is here in full — 181 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXI
Chapter 31 of Confession is here in full — 181 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
TRIAL--THE WOMAN GROWS STRONG. Thus, then, I was once more at sea, rudderless--not yet companionless--perhaps, soon to be so. My relapse was as sudden as my thought. It seemed as if every past misery of doubt and suspicion were at once revived within me. All my day-dreams vanished in an instant.
Chapter 31 of Confession is here in full — 181 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/36 · 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.
third-person singular of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading “TRIAL--THE WOMAN GROWS STRONG.”
a state of ill-being due to affliction or misfortune
From this reading “It seemed as if every past misery of doubt and suspicion were at once revived within me.”
deteriorate in health
From this reading “My relapse was as sudden as my thought.”
restored to consciousness or life or vigor
From this reading “It seemed as if every past misery of doubt and suspicion were at once revived within me.”
aimlessly drifting
From this reading “Thus, then, I was once more at sea, rudderless--not yet companionless--perhaps, soon to be so.”
an impression that something might be the case
From this reading “It seemed as if every past misery of doubt and suspicion were at once revived within me.”
the act of testing something
From this reading “TRIAL--THE WOMAN GROWS STRONG.”
having passed out of existence
From this reading “All my day-dreams vanished in an instant.”
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.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading All my day-dreams vanished in an instant.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading All my day-dreams vanished in an instant.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It seemed as if every past misery of doubt and suspicion were at once revived within me.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading My relapse was as sudden as my thought.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Thus, then, I was once more at sea, rudderless--not yet companionless--perhaps, soon to be so.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Thus, then, I was once more at sea, rudderless--not yet companionless--perhaps, soon to be so.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Thus, then, I was once more at sea, rudderless--not yet companionless--perhaps, soon to be so.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading All my day-dreams vanished in an instant.
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading It seemed as if every past misery of doubt and suspicion were at once revived within me.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading It seemed as if every past misery of doubt and suspicion were at once revived within me.
third-person singular of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading TRIAL--THE WOMAN GROWS STRONG.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Thus, then, I was once more at sea, rudderless--not yet companionless--perhaps, soon to be so.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading It seemed as if every past misery of doubt and suspicion were at once revived within me.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading All my day-dreams vanished in an instant.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading All my day-dreams vanished in an instant.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It seemed as if every past misery of doubt and suspicion were at once revived within me.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It seemed as if every past misery of doubt and suspicion were at once revived within me.
a state of ill-being due to affliction or misfortune
From this reading It seemed as if every past misery of doubt and suspicion were at once revived within me.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Thus, then, I was once more at sea, rudderless--not yet companionless--perhaps, soon to be so.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My relapse was as sudden as my thought.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Thus, then, I was once more at sea, rudderless--not yet companionless--perhaps, soon to be so.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It seemed as if every past misery of doubt and suspicion were at once revived within me.
on one occasion
From this reading Thus, then, I was once more at sea, rudderless--not yet companionless--perhaps, soon to be so.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading It seemed as if every past misery of doubt and suspicion were at once revived within me.
by chance
From this reading Thus, then, I was once more at sea, rudderless--not yet companionless--perhaps, soon to be so.
deteriorate in health
From this reading My relapse was as sudden as my thought.
restored to consciousness or life or vigor
From this reading It seemed as if every past misery of doubt and suspicion were at once revived within me.
aimlessly drifting
From this reading Thus, then, I was once more at sea, rudderless--not yet companionless--perhaps, soon to be so.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading Thus, then, I was once more at sea, rudderless--not yet companionless--perhaps, soon to be so.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It seemed as if every past misery of doubt and suspicion were at once revived within me.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Thus, then, I was once more at sea, rudderless--not yet companionless--perhaps, soon to be so.
in the near future
From this reading Thus, then, I was once more at sea, rudderless--not yet companionless--perhaps, soon to be so.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading TRIAL--THE WOMAN GROWS STRONG.
happening without warning or in a short space of time
From this reading My relapse was as sudden as my thought.
an impression that something might be the case
From this reading It seemed as if every past misery of doubt and suspicion were at once revived within me.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading TRIAL--THE WOMAN GROWS STRONG.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Thus, then, I was once more at sea, rudderless--not yet companionless--perhaps, soon to be so.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading My relapse was as sudden as my thought.
(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result
From this reading Thus, then, I was once more at sea, rudderless--not yet companionless--perhaps, soon to be so.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Thus, then, I was once more at sea, rudderless--not yet companionless--perhaps, soon to be so.
the act of testing something
From this reading TRIAL--THE WOMAN GROWS STRONG.
having passed out of existence
From this reading All my day-dreams vanished in an instant.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Thus, then, I was once more at sea, rudderless--not yet companionless--perhaps, soon to be so.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading It seemed as if every past misery of doubt and suspicion were at once revived within me.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading It seemed as if every past misery of doubt and suspicion were at once revived within me.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading TRIAL--THE WOMAN GROWS STRONG.
but in spite of that
From this reading Thus, then, I was once more at sea, rudderless--not yet companionless--perhaps, soon to be so.
Chapter 31 of Confession by William Gilmore Simms holds 181 sentences, grouped into 37 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 31 holds 181 sentences of Confession, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of Confession by William Gilmore Simms exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 181 sentences, grouped into 37 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 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 37 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 31 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 Confession by William Gilmore Simms on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7827 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6059 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #6059, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1566 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Confession section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Confession 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 Confession, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
