Chapter 23 of Erik Dorn is here in full — 457 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Erik Dorn is here in full — 457 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A kaleidoscope of cities. A new garrulity. Words like busy little brooms sweeping up after a war. A world of foreigners. Europe was running about with empty pockets and a cracked head.
Chapter 23 of Erik Dorn is here in full — 457 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/91 · 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.
plural of “broom” — a cleaning implement for sweeping; bundle of straws or twigs attached to a long handle
From this reading “Words like busy little brooms sweeping up after a war.”
plural of “city” — a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading “A kaleidoscope of cities.”
used of skin roughened as a result of cold or exposure
From this reading “Europe was running about with empty pockets and a cracked head.”
the 2nd smallest continent (actually a vast peninsula of Eurasia); the British use “Europe” to refer to all of the continent except the British Isles
From this reading “Europe was running about with empty pockets and a cracked head.”
plural of “foreigner” — a person who comes from a foreign country; someone who does not owe allegiance to your country
From this reading “A world of foreigners.”
a complex pattern of constantly changing colors and shapes
From this reading “A kaleidoscope of cities.”
plural of “pocket” — a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading “Europe was running about with empty pockets and a cracked head.”
taking in or moving over (or as if over) a wide area; often used in combination
From this reading “Words like busy little brooms sweeping up after a war.”
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 kaleidoscope of cities.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Europe was running about with empty pockets and a cracked head.
later than; following
From this reading Words like busy little brooms sweeping up after a war.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Europe was running about with empty pockets and a cracked head.
plural of “broom” — a cleaning implement for sweeping; bundle of straws or twigs attached to a long handle
From this reading Words like busy little brooms sweeping up after a war.
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading Words like busy little brooms sweeping up after a war.
plural of “city” — a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading A kaleidoscope of cities.
used of skin roughened as a result of cold or exposure
From this reading Europe was running about with empty pockets and a cracked head.
make void or empty of contents
From this reading Europe was running about with empty pockets and a cracked head.
the 2nd smallest continent (actually a vast peninsula of Eurasia); the British use “Europe” to refer to all of the continent except the British Isles
From this reading Europe was running about with empty pockets and a cracked head.
plural of “foreigner” — a person who comes from a foreign country; someone who does not owe allegiance to your country
From this reading A world of foreigners.
the quality of being wordy and talkative
From this reading A new garrulity.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Europe was running about with empty pockets and a cracked head.
a complex pattern of constantly changing colors and shapes
From this reading A kaleidoscope of cities.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Words like busy little brooms sweeping up after a war.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Words like busy little brooms sweeping up after a war.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading A new garrulity.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A kaleidoscope of cities.
plural of “pocket” — a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading Europe was running about with empty pockets and a cracked head.
(of fluids) moving or issuing in a stream
From this reading Europe was running about with empty pockets and a cracked head.
taking in or moving over (or as if over) a wide area; often used in combination
From this reading Words like busy little brooms sweeping up after a war.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Words like busy little brooms sweeping up after a war.
the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading Words like busy little brooms sweeping up after a war.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Europe was running about with empty pockets and a cracked head.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Europe was running about with empty pockets and a cracked head.
the words that are spoken
From this reading Words like busy little brooms sweeping up after a war.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading A world of foreigners.
Chapter 23 of Erik Dorn by Ben Hecht holds 457 sentences, grouped into 92 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 23 holds 457 sentences of Erik Dorn, unabridged, divided into 92 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Erik Dorn by Ben Hecht exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 457 sentences, grouped into 92 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 92 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 92 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 23 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 Erik Dorn by Ben Hecht on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9290 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22358 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #22358, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1858 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Erik Dorn section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of Erik Dorn 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 Erik Dorn, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
