Chapter 17 of Light is here in full — 146 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Light is here in full — 146 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
EYES THAT SEE Two days have passed. I get up, dress myself, and open my shutters. It is Sunday, as you can see in the street. I put on my clothes of former days. I catch myself paying spruce attention to my toilet, since it is Sunday, by reason of the compulsion one feels to do the same things again.
Chapter 17 of Light is here in full — 146 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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.
discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading “I catch myself paying spruce attention to my toilet, since it is Sunday, by reason of the compulsion one feels to do the same things again.”
an urge to do or say something that might be better left undone or unsaid
From this reading “I catch myself paying spruce attention to my toilet, since it is Sunday, by reason of the compulsion one feels to do the same things again.”
plural of “feel” — an intuitive awareness
From this reading “I catch myself paying spruce attention to my toilet, since it is Sunday, by reason of the compulsion one feels to do the same things again.”
yielding a fair profit
From this reading “I catch myself paying spruce attention to my toilet, since it is Sunday, by reason of the compulsion one feels to do the same things again.”
plural of “shutter” — a mechanical device on a camera that opens and closes to control the time of a photographic exposure
From this reading “I get up, dress myself, and open my shutters.”
light soft moderately strong wood of spruce trees; used especially for timbers and millwork
From this reading “I catch myself paying spruce attention to my toilet, since it is Sunday, by reason of the compulsion one feels to do the same things again.”
first day of the week; observed as a day of rest and worship by most Christians
From this reading “It is Sunday, as you can see in the street.”
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading “I catch myself paying spruce attention to my toilet, since it is Sunday, by reason of the compulsion one feels to do the same things again.”
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.
anew
From this reading I catch myself paying spruce attention to my toilet, since it is Sunday, by reason of the compulsion one feels to do the same things again.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I get up, dress myself, and open my shutters.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It is Sunday, as you can see in the street.
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading I catch myself paying spruce attention to my toilet, since it is Sunday, by reason of the compulsion one feels to do the same things again.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading I catch myself paying spruce attention to my toilet, since it is Sunday, by reason of the compulsion one feels to do the same things again.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading It is Sunday, as you can see in the street.
discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading I catch myself paying spruce attention to my toilet, since it is Sunday, by reason of the compulsion one feels to do the same things again.
clothing in general
From this reading I put on my clothes of former days.
an urge to do or say something that might be better left undone or unsaid
From this reading I catch myself paying spruce attention to my toilet, since it is Sunday, by reason of the compulsion one feels to do the same things again.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading EYES THAT SEE Two days have passed.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I catch myself paying spruce attention to my toilet, since it is Sunday, by reason of the compulsion one feels to do the same things again.
put on clothes
From this reading I get up, dress myself, and open my shutters.
opinion or judgment
From this reading EYES THAT SEE Two days have passed.
plural of “feel” — an intuitive awareness
From this reading I catch myself paying spruce attention to my toilet, since it is Sunday, by reason of the compulsion one feels to do the same things again.
referring to the first of two things or persons mentioned (or the earlier one or ones of several)
From this reading I put on my clothes of former days.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading I get up, dress myself, and open my shutters.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading EYES THAT SEE Two days have passed.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I get up, dress myself, and open my shutters.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It is Sunday, as you can see in the street.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is Sunday, as you can see in the street.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is Sunday, as you can see in the street.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I get up, dress myself, and open my shutters.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading I get up, dress myself, and open my shutters.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I put on my clothes of former days.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I put on my clothes of former days.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading I catch myself paying spruce attention to my toilet, since it is Sunday, by reason of the compulsion one feels to do the same things again.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading I get up, dress myself, and open my shutters.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading EYES THAT SEE Two days have passed.
yielding a fair profit
From this reading I catch myself paying spruce attention to my toilet, since it is Sunday, by reason of the compulsion one feels to do the same things again.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading I put on my clothes of former days.
a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading I catch myself paying spruce attention to my toilet, since it is Sunday, by reason of the compulsion one feels to do the same things again.
Identical; not different.
From this reading I catch myself paying spruce attention to my toilet, since it is Sunday, by reason of the compulsion one feels to do the same things again.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading EYES THAT SEE Two days have passed.
plural of “shutter” — a mechanical device on a camera that opens and closes to control the time of a photographic exposure
From this reading I get up, dress myself, and open my shutters.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading I catch myself paying spruce attention to my toilet, since it is Sunday, by reason of the compulsion one feels to do the same things again.
light soft moderately strong wood of spruce trees; used especially for timbers and millwork
From this reading I catch myself paying spruce attention to my toilet, since it is Sunday, by reason of the compulsion one feels to do the same things again.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading It is Sunday, as you can see in the street.
first day of the week; observed as a day of rest and worship by most Christians
From this reading It is Sunday, as you can see in the street.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading EYES THAT SEE Two days have passed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It is Sunday, as you can see in the street.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading I catch myself paying spruce attention to my toilet, since it is Sunday, by reason of the compulsion one feels to do the same things again.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I catch myself paying spruce attention to my toilet, since it is Sunday, by reason of the compulsion one feels to do the same things again.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading I catch myself paying spruce attention to my toilet, since it is Sunday, by reason of the compulsion one feels to do the same things again.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading EYES THAT SEE Two days have passed.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I get up, dress myself, and open my shutters.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading It is Sunday, as you can see in the street.
Chapter 17 of Light by Henri Barbusse holds 146 sentences, grouped into 30 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 146 sentences of Light, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Light by Henri Barbusse exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 146 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 Light by Henri Barbusse on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5323 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12904 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12904, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 443 minutes of reading across 1065 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Light section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of Light 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 Light, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
