Chapter 14 of Metropolis is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of Metropolis is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It was midnight and no light was burning. Only through the window there fell the radiance of the city, lying like a pale gleam upon the face of the girl who sat, leaning back against the wall, without moving, with closed eye-lids, her hands in her lap. “Will you never answer me?” asked the great inventor. Stillness. Silence.
Chapter 14 of Metropolis is here in full — 151 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/30 · 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.
the act of burning something
From this reading “It was midnight and no light was burning.”
be shiny, as if wet
From this reading “Only through the window there fell the radiance of the city, lying like a pale gleam upon the face of the girl who sat, leaning back against the wall, without moving, with closed eye-lids, her hands in her lap.”
someone who is the first to think of or make something
From this reading ““Will you never answer me?” asked the great inventor.”
lie partly over or alongside of something or of one another
From this reading “Only through the window there fell the radiance of the city, lying like a pale gleam upon the face of the girl who sat, leaning back against the wall, without moving, with closed eye-lids, her hands in her lap.”
departing or being caused to depart from the true vertical or horizontal
From this reading “Only through the window there fell the radiance of the city, lying like a pale gleam upon the face of the girl who sat, leaning back against the wall, without moving, with closed eye-lids, her hands in her lap.”
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading “It was midnight and no light was burning.”
the amount of electromagnetic radiation leaving or arriving at a point on a surface
From this reading “Only through the window there fell the radiance of the city, lying like a pale gleam upon the face of the girl who sat, leaning back against the wall, without moving, with closed eye-lids, her hands in her lap.”
(poetic) tranquil silence
From this reading “Stillness.”
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 “Only through the window there fell the radiance of the city, lying like a pale gleam upon the face of the girl who sat, leaning back against the wall, without moving, with closed eye-lids, her hands in her lap.”
In this reading “Only through the window there fell the radiance of the city, lying like a pale gleam upon the face of the girl who sat, leaning back against the wall, without moving, with closed eye-lids, her hands in her lap.”
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 Only through the window there fell the radiance of the city, lying like a pale gleam upon the face of the girl who sat, leaning back against the wall, without moving, with closed eye-lids, her hands in her lap.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Only through the window there fell the radiance of the city, lying like a pale gleam upon the face of the girl who sat, leaning back against the wall, without moving, with closed eye-lids, her hands in her lap.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was midnight and no light was burning.
react verbally
From this reading “Will you never answer me?” asked the great inventor.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Will you never answer me?” asked the great inventor.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Only through the window there fell the radiance of the city, lying like a pale gleam upon the face of the girl who sat, leaning back against the wall, without moving, with closed eye-lids, her hands in her lap.
the act of burning something
From this reading It was midnight and no light was burning.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading Only through the window there fell the radiance of the city, lying like a pale gleam upon the face of the girl who sat, leaning back against the wall, without moving, with closed eye-lids, her hands in her lap.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading Only through the window there fell the radiance of the city, lying like a pale gleam upon the face of the girl who sat, leaning back against the wall, without moving, with closed eye-lids, her hands in her lap.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Only through the window there fell the radiance of the city, lying like a pale gleam upon the face of the girl who sat, leaning back against the wall, without moving, with closed eye-lids, her hands in her lap.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Only through the window there fell the radiance of the city, lying like a pale gleam upon the face of the girl who sat, leaning back against the wall, without moving, with closed eye-lids, her hands in her lap.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading Only through the window there fell the radiance of the city, lying like a pale gleam upon the face of the girl who sat, leaning back against the wall, without moving, with closed eye-lids, her hands in her lap.
a young female
From this reading Only through the window there fell the radiance of the city, lying like a pale gleam upon the face of the girl who sat, leaning back against the wall, without moving, with closed eye-lids, her hands in her lap.
be shiny, as if wet
From this reading Only through the window there fell the radiance of the city, lying like a pale gleam upon the face of the girl who sat, leaning back against the wall, without moving, with closed eye-lids, her hands in her lap.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading “Will you never answer me?” asked the great inventor.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Only through the window there fell the radiance of the city, lying like a pale gleam upon the face of the girl who sat, leaning back against the wall, without moving, with closed eye-lids, her hands in her lap.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Only through the window there fell the radiance of the city, lying like a pale gleam upon the face of the girl who sat, leaning back against the wall, without moving, with closed eye-lids, her hands in her lap.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Only through the window there fell the radiance of the city, lying like a pale gleam upon the face of the girl who sat, leaning back against the wall, without moving, with closed eye-lids, her hands in her lap.
someone who is the first to think of or make something
From this reading “Will you never answer me?” asked the great inventor.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was midnight and no light was burning.
lie partly over or alongside of something or of one another
From this reading Only through the window there fell the radiance of the city, lying like a pale gleam upon the face of the girl who sat, leaning back against the wall, without moving, with closed eye-lids, her hands in her lap.
departing or being caused to depart from the true vertical or horizontal
From this reading Only through the window there fell the radiance of the city, lying like a pale gleam upon the face of the girl who sat, leaning back against the wall, without moving, with closed eye-lids, her hands in her lap.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading It was midnight and no light was burning.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Only through the window there fell the radiance of the city, lying like a pale gleam upon the face of the girl who sat, leaning back against the wall, without moving, with closed eye-lids, her hands in her lap.
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading Only through the window there fell the radiance of the city, lying like a pale gleam upon the face of the girl who sat, leaning back against the wall, without moving, with closed eye-lids, her hands in her lap.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Will you never answer me?” asked the great inventor.
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading It was midnight and no light was burning.
in motion
From this reading Only through the window there fell the radiance of the city, lying like a pale gleam upon the face of the girl who sat, leaning back against the wall, without moving, with closed eye-lids, her hands in her lap.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading “Will you never answer me?” asked the great inventor.
not any; not one
From this reading It was midnight and no light was burning.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Only through the window there fell the radiance of the city, lying like a pale gleam upon the face of the girl who sat, leaning back against the wall, without moving, with closed eye-lids, her hands in her lap.
and nothing more
From this reading Only through the window there fell the radiance of the city, lying like a pale gleam upon the face of the girl who sat, leaning back against the wall, without moving, with closed eye-lids, her hands in her lap.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading Only through the window there fell the radiance of the city, lying like a pale gleam upon the face of the girl who sat, leaning back against the wall, without moving, with closed eye-lids, her hands in her lap.
the amount of electromagnetic radiation leaving or arriving at a point on a surface
From this reading Only through the window there fell the radiance of the city, lying like a pale gleam upon the face of the girl who sat, leaning back against the wall, without moving, with closed eye-lids, her hands in her lap.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Only through the window there fell the radiance of the city, lying like a pale gleam upon the face of the girl who sat, leaning back against the wall, without moving, with closed eye-lids, her hands in her lap.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading Silence.
(poetic) tranquil silence
From this reading Stillness.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Only through the window there fell the radiance of the city, lying like a pale gleam upon the face of the girl who sat, leaning back against the wall, without moving, with closed eye-lids, her hands in her lap.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Only through the window there fell the radiance of the city, lying like a pale gleam upon the face of the girl who sat, leaning back against the wall, without moving, with closed eye-lids, her hands in her lap.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Only through the window there fell the radiance of the city, lying like a pale gleam upon the face of the girl who sat, leaning back against the wall, without moving, with closed eye-lids, her hands in her lap.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Only through the window there fell the radiance of the city, lying like a pale gleam upon the face of the girl who sat, leaning back against the wall, without moving, with closed eye-lids, her hands in her lap.
an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading Only through the window there fell the radiance of the city, lying like a pale gleam upon the face of the girl who sat, leaning back against the wall, without moving, with closed eye-lids, her hands in her lap.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was midnight and no light was burning.
which person or people
From this reading Only through the window there fell the radiance of the city, lying like a pale gleam upon the face of the girl who sat, leaning back against the wall, without moving, with closed eye-lids, her hands in her lap.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “Will you never answer me?” asked the great inventor.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading Only through the window there fell the radiance of the city, lying like a pale gleam upon the face of the girl who sat, leaning back against the wall, without moving, with closed eye-lids, her hands in her lap.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Only through the window there fell the radiance of the city, lying like a pale gleam upon the face of the girl who sat, leaning back against the wall, without moving, with closed eye-lids, her hands in her lap.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading Only through the window there fell the radiance of the city, lying like a pale gleam upon the face of the girl who sat, leaning back against the wall, without moving, with closed eye-lids, her hands in her lap.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Will you never answer me?” asked the great inventor.
Chapter 14 of Metropolis by Thea von Harbou holds 151 sentences, grouped into 31 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 14 holds 151 sentences of Metropolis, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of Metropolis by Thea von Harbou exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 151 sentences, grouped into 31 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 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 31 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 14 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 Metropolis by Thea von Harbou on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6191 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #73727 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #73727, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 515 minutes of reading across 1239 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Metropolis section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of Metropolis 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 Metropolis, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
