Chapter 19 of Joan of the Journal is here in full — 230 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIX
Chapter 19 of Joan of the Journal is here in full — 230 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE COMMA’S TAIL Tim blinked at Joan’s words. “What do you mean?” He grabbed the paper and bent his dark head over it. “Why, that’s true. The commas are O.K. That lets me out, for this was never written on that ramshackle old machine I wrote on.
Chapter 19 of Joan of the Journal is here in full — 230 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/46 · 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.
a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way
From this reading “He grabbed the paper and bent his dark head over it.”
past form of “blink” — briefly shut the eyes
From this reading “THE COMMA’S TAIL Tim blinked at Joan’s words.”
plural of “comma” — a punctuation mark (,) used to indicate the separation of elements within the grammatical structure of a sentence
From this reading “The commas are O.K. That lets me out, for this was never written on that ramshackle old machine I wrote on.”
inflected form of “grab” — take hold of so as to seize or restrain or stop the motion of
From this reading “He grabbed the paper and bent his dark head over it.”
plural of “let” — a brutal terrorist group active in Kashmir; fights against India with the goal of restoring Islamic rule of India
From this reading “The commas are O.K. That lets me out, for this was never written on that ramshackle old machine I wrote on.”
any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks
From this reading “The commas are O.K. That lets me out, for this was never written on that ramshackle old machine I wrote on.”
in deplorable condition
From this reading “The commas are O.K. That lets me out, for this was never written on that ramshackle old machine I wrote on.”
the posterior part of the body of a vertebrate especially when elongated and extending beyond the trunk or main part of the body
From this reading “THE COMMA’S TAIL Tim blinked at Joan’s words.”
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.
In this reading “THE COMMA’S TAIL Tim blinked at Joan’s words.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He grabbed the paper and bent his dark head over it.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The commas are O.K. That lets me out, for this was never written on that ramshackle old machine I wrote on.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading THE COMMA’S TAIL Tim blinked at Joan’s words.
a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way
From this reading He grabbed the paper and bent his dark head over it.
past form of “blink” — briefly shut the eyes
From this reading THE COMMA’S TAIL Tim blinked at Joan’s words.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE COMMA’S TAIL Tim blinked at Joan’s words.
plural of “comma” — a punctuation mark (,) used to indicate the separation of elements within the grammatical structure of a sentence
From this reading The commas are O.K. That lets me out, for this was never written on that ramshackle old machine I wrote on.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading He grabbed the paper and bent his dark head over it.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “What do you mean?”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The commas are O.K. That lets me out, for this was never written on that ramshackle old machine I wrote on.
inflected form of “grab” — take hold of so as to seize or restrain or stop the motion of
From this reading He grabbed the paper and bent his dark head over it.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He grabbed the paper and bent his dark head over it.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading He grabbed the paper and bent his dark head over it.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He grabbed the paper and bent his dark head over it.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading The commas are O.K. That lets me out, for this was never written on that ramshackle old machine I wrote on.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He grabbed the paper and bent his dark head over it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE COMMA’S TAIL Tim blinked at Joan’s words.
the basic unit of thermodynamic temperature adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading The commas are O.K. That lets me out, for this was never written on that ramshackle old machine I wrote on.
plural of “let” — a brutal terrorist group active in Kashmir; fights against India with the goal of restoring Islamic rule of India
From this reading The commas are O.K. That lets me out, for this was never written on that ramshackle old machine I wrote on.
any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks
From this reading The commas are O.K. That lets me out, for this was never written on that ramshackle old machine I wrote on.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The commas are O.K. That lets me out, for this was never written on that ramshackle old machine I wrote on.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “What do you mean?”
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading The commas are O.K. That lets me out, for this was never written on that ramshackle old machine I wrote on.
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading The commas are O.K. That lets me out, for this was never written on that ramshackle old machine I wrote on.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The commas are O.K. That lets me out, for this was never written on that ramshackle old machine I wrote on.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The commas are O.K. That lets me out, for this was never written on that ramshackle old machine I wrote on.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The commas are O.K. That lets me out, for this was never written on that ramshackle old machine I wrote on.
above and across; more than
From this reading He grabbed the paper and bent his dark head over it.
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading He grabbed the paper and bent his dark head over it.
in deplorable condition
From this reading The commas are O.K. That lets me out, for this was never written on that ramshackle old machine I wrote on.
the posterior part of the body of a vertebrate especially when elongated and extending beyond the trunk or main part of the body
From this reading THE COMMA’S TAIL Tim blinked at Joan’s words.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The commas are O.K. That lets me out, for this was never written on that ramshackle old machine I wrote on.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Why, that’s true.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE COMMA’S TAIL Tim blinked at Joan’s words.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading The commas are O.K. That lets me out, for this was never written on that ramshackle old machine I wrote on.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE COMMA’S TAIL Tim blinked at Joan’s words.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading “Why, that’s true.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The commas are O.K. That lets me out, for this was never written on that ramshackle old machine I wrote on.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What do you mean?”
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Why, that’s true.
the words that are spoken
From this reading THE COMMA’S TAIL Tim blinked at Joan’s words.
set down in writing in any of various ways
From this reading The commas are O.K. That lets me out, for this was never written on that ramshackle old machine I wrote on.
inflected form of “write” — produce a literary work
From this reading The commas are O.K. That lets me out, for this was never written on that ramshackle old machine I wrote on.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “What do you mean?”
Chapter 19 of Joan of the Journal by Helen Diehl Olds holds 230 sentences, grouped into 46 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 19 holds 230 sentences of Joan of the Journal, unabridged, divided into 46 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 19 of Joan of the Journal by Helen Diehl Olds exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 230 sentences, grouped into 46 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 46 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 46 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 19 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 Joan of the Journal by Helen Diehl Olds on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4657 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #47646 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #47646, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 388 minutes of reading across 932 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Joan of the Journal section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of Joan of the Journal 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 Joan of the Journal, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
