Chapter 17 of Derelicts is here in full — 236 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Derelicts is here in full — 236 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It was night. Yvonne lay wide awake. A suffused sound of breathing filled the air. Now and then a moan or a smothered cry of pain broke sharply upon the stillness. The woman in the adjacent bed began to murmur broken words in her sleep: “For the children’s sake, Joe--my poor little children--I wish we was all dead.”
Chapter 17 of Derelicts is here in full — 236 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/47 · 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.
nearest in space or position; immediately adjoining without intervening space
From this reading “The woman in the adjacent bed began to murmur broken words in her sleep: “For the children’s sake, Joe--my poor little children--I wish we was all dead.””
not in a state of sleep; completely conscious
From this reading “Yvonne lay wide awake.”
the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation
From this reading “A suffused sound of breathing filled the air.”
an utterance expressing pain or disapproval
From this reading “Now and then a moan or a smothered cry of pain broke sharply upon the stillness.”
a low continuous indistinct sound; often accompanied by movement of the lips without the production of articulate speech
From this reading “The woman in the adjacent bed began to murmur broken words in her sleep: “For the children’s sake, Joe--my poor little children--I wish we was all dead.””
held in check with difficulty
From this reading “Now and then a moan or a smothered cry of pain broke sharply upon the stillness.”
(poetic) tranquil silence
From this reading “Now and then a moan or a smothered cry of pain broke sharply upon the stillness.”
past form of “suffuse” — cause to spread or flush or flood through, over, or across
From this reading “A suffused sound of breathing filled the air.”
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.
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 suffused sound of breathing filled the air.
nearest in space or position; immediately adjoining without intervening space
From this reading The woman in the adjacent bed began to murmur broken words in her sleep: “For the children’s sake, Joe--my poor little children--I wish we was all dead.”
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading A suffused sound of breathing filled the air.
(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 The woman in the adjacent bed began to murmur broken words in her sleep: “For the children’s sake, Joe--my poor little children--I wish we was all dead.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Now and then a moan or a smothered cry of pain broke sharply upon the stillness.
not in a state of sleep; completely conscious
From this reading Yvonne lay wide awake.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading The woman in the adjacent bed began to murmur broken words in her sleep: “For the children’s sake, Joe--my poor little children--I wish we was all dead.”
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading The woman in the adjacent bed began to murmur broken words in her sleep: “For the children’s sake, Joe--my poor little children--I wish we was all dead.”
the bodily process of inhalation and exhalation; the process of taking in oxygen from inhaled air and releasing carbon dioxide by exhalation
From this reading A suffused sound of breathing filled the air.
lacking funds
From this reading Now and then a moan or a smothered cry of pain broke sharply upon the stillness.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading The woman in the adjacent bed began to murmur broken words in her sleep: “For the children’s sake, Joe--my poor little children--I wish we was all dead.”
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading The woman in the adjacent bed began to murmur broken words in her sleep: “For the children’s sake, Joe--my poor little children--I wish we was all dead.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The woman in the adjacent bed began to murmur broken words in her sleep: “For the children’s sake, Joe--my poor little children--I wish we was all dead.”
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading Now and then a moan or a smothered cry of pain broke sharply upon the stillness.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading The woman in the adjacent bed began to murmur broken words in her sleep: “For the children’s sake, Joe--my poor little children--I wish we was all dead.”
(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with
From this reading A suffused sound of breathing filled the air.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The woman in the adjacent bed began to murmur broken words in her sleep: “For the children’s sake, Joe--my poor little children--I wish we was all dead.”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The woman in the adjacent bed began to murmur broken words in her sleep: “For the children’s sake, Joe--my poor little children--I wish we was all dead.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading The woman in the adjacent bed began to murmur broken words in her sleep: “For the children’s sake, Joe--my poor little children--I wish we was all dead.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The woman in the adjacent bed began to murmur broken words in her sleep: “For the children’s sake, Joe--my poor little children--I wish we was all dead.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was night.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The woman in the adjacent bed began to murmur broken words in her sleep: “For the children’s sake, Joe--my poor little children--I wish we was all dead.”
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Yvonne lay wide awake.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The woman in the adjacent bed began to murmur broken words in her sleep: “For the children’s sake, Joe--my poor little children--I wish we was all dead.”
an utterance expressing pain or disapproval
From this reading Now and then a moan or a smothered cry of pain broke sharply upon the stillness.
a low continuous indistinct sound; often accompanied by movement of the lips without the production of articulate speech
From this reading The woman in the adjacent bed began to murmur broken words in her sleep: “For the children’s sake, Joe--my poor little children--I wish we was all dead.”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading The woman in the adjacent bed began to murmur broken words in her sleep: “For the children’s sake, Joe--my poor little children--I wish we was all dead.”
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading It was night.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now and then a moan or a smothered cry of pain broke sharply upon the stillness.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A suffused sound of breathing filled the air.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Now and then a moan or a smothered cry of pain broke sharply upon the stillness.
a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder
From this reading Now and then a moan or a smothered cry of pain broke sharply upon the stillness.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading The woman in the adjacent bed began to murmur broken words in her sleep: “For the children’s sake, Joe--my poor little children--I wish we was all dead.”
a reason for wanting something done
From this reading The woman in the adjacent bed began to murmur broken words in her sleep: “For the children’s sake, Joe--my poor little children--I wish we was all dead.”
in an aggressive manner
From this reading Now and then a moan or a smothered cry of pain broke sharply upon the stillness.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading The woman in the adjacent bed began to murmur broken words in her sleep: “For the children’s sake, Joe--my poor little children--I wish we was all dead.”
held in check with difficulty
From this reading Now and then a moan or a smothered cry of pain broke sharply upon the stillness.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading A suffused sound of breathing filled the air.
(poetic) tranquil silence
From this reading Now and then a moan or a smothered cry of pain broke sharply upon the stillness.
past form of “suffuse” — cause to spread or flush or flood through, over, or across
From this reading A suffused sound of breathing filled the air.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A suffused sound of breathing filled the air.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Now and then a moan or a smothered cry of pain broke sharply upon the stillness.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The woman in the adjacent bed began to murmur broken words in her sleep: “For the children’s sake, Joe--my poor little children--I wish we was all dead.”
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Now and then a moan or a smothered cry of pain broke sharply upon the stillness.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was night.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading The woman in the adjacent bed began to murmur broken words in her sleep: “For the children’s sake, Joe--my poor little children--I wish we was all dead.”
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading Yvonne lay wide awake.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading The woman in the adjacent bed began to murmur broken words in her sleep: “For the children’s sake, Joe--my poor little children--I wish we was all dead.”
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading The woman in the adjacent bed began to murmur broken words in her sleep: “For the children’s sake, Joe--my poor little children--I wish we was all dead.”
the words that are spoken
From this reading The woman in the adjacent bed began to murmur broken words in her sleep: “For the children’s sake, Joe--my poor little children--I wish we was all dead.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yvonne lay wide awake.
Chapter 17 of Derelicts by William John Locke holds 236 sentences, grouped into 48 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 17 holds 236 sentences of Derelicts, unabridged, divided into 48 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Derelicts by William John Locke exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 236 sentences, grouped into 48 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 48 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 48 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 17 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 Derelicts by William John Locke on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5902 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55927 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #55927, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 491 minutes of reading across 1181 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Derelicts section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of Derelicts 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 Derelicts, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
