Chapter 13 of Free, and other stories is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of Free, and other stories is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Not even for a little while?” “Not even for a day. It just can’t be. I’m fond of you, and you’ve been a brick to pull me out of this, but don’t you see that it can’t be? Don’t you really see how it is?”
Chapter 13 of Free, and other stories is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
rectangular block of clay baked by the sun or in a kiln; used as a building or paving material
From this reading “I’m fond of you, and you’ve been a brick to pull me out of this, but don’t you see that it can’t be?”
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading ““Not even for a day.”
divisible by two
From this reading ““Not even for a little while?””
having or displaying warmth or affection
From this reading “I’m fond of you, and you’ve been a brick to pull me out of this, but don’t you see that it can’t be?”
cause to move by pulling
From this reading “I’m fond of you, and you’ve been a brick to pull me out of this, but don’t you see that it can’t be?”
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading “Don’t you really see how it is?””
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “I’m fond of you, and you’ve been a brick to pull me out of this, but don’t you see that it can’t be?”
during the time that
From this reading ““Not even for a little while?””
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 “Not even for a little while?”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I’m fond of you, and you’ve been a brick to pull me out of this, but don’t you see that it can’t be?
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It just can’t be.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading I’m fond of you, and you’ve been a brick to pull me out of this, but don’t you see that it can’t be?
rectangular block of clay baked by the sun or in a kiln; used as a building or paving material
From this reading I’m fond of you, and you’ve been a brick to pull me out of this, but don’t you see that it can’t be?
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I’m fond of you, and you’ve been a brick to pull me out of this, but don’t you see that it can’t be?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It just can’t be.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading “Not even for a day.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I’m fond of you, and you’ve been a brick to pull me out of this, but don’t you see that it can’t be?
divisible by two
From this reading “Not even for a little while?”
having or displaying warmth or affection
From this reading I’m fond of you, and you’ve been a brick to pull me out of this, but don’t you see that it can’t be?
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “Not even for a little while?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Don’t you really see how it is?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I’m fond of you, and you’ve been a brick to pull me out of this, but don’t you see that it can’t be?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Don’t you really see how it is?”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It just can’t be.
and nothing more
From this reading It just can’t be.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “Not even for a little while?”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I’m fond of you, and you’ve been a brick to pull me out of this, but don’t you see that it can’t be?
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Not even for a little while?”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I’m fond of you, and you’ve been a brick to pull me out of this, but don’t you see that it can’t be?
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading I’m fond of you, and you’ve been a brick to pull me out of this, but don’t you see that it can’t be?
cause to move by pulling
From this reading I’m fond of you, and you’ve been a brick to pull me out of this, but don’t you see that it can’t be?
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading Don’t you really see how it is?”
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I’m fond of you, and you’ve been a brick to pull me out of this, but don’t you see that it can’t be?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I’m fond of you, and you’ve been a brick to pull me out of this, but don’t you see that it can’t be?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading I’m fond of you, and you’ve been a brick to pull me out of this, but don’t you see that it can’t be?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I’m fond of you, and you’ve been a brick to pull me out of this, but don’t you see that it can’t be?
during the time that
From this reading “Not even for a little while?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I’m fond of you, and you’ve been a brick to pull me out of this, but don’t you see that it can’t be?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I’m fond of you, and you’ve been a brick to pull me out of this, but don’t you see that it can’t be?
Chapter 13 of Free, and other stories by Theodore Dreiser holds 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 13 holds 409 sentences of Free, and other stories, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of Free, and other stories by Theodore Dreiser exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 13 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 Free, and other stories by Theodore Dreiser on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6241 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #68542 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #68542, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 520 minutes of reading across 1249 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Free, and other stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of Free, and other stories 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 Free, and other stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
