Chapter XIX of Ruth of the U. S. A., “The Message in Cipher,” is here in full — 247 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIX
Chapter XIX of Ruth of the U. S. A., “The Message in Cipher,” is here in full — 247 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Ruth could see dull eyes in a big, stupid face. The man said something with the inflection of a question. She could not make out the words, but obviously he was asking if anyone was alive under the car. So Ruth answered. The face disappeared; and she heard consultation.
Chapter XIX of Ruth of the U. S. A., “The Message in Cipher,” is here in full — 247 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/49 · 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.
any person at all
From this reading “She could not make out the words, but obviously he was asking if anyone was alive under the car.”
the verbal act of requesting
From this reading “She could not make out the words, but obviously he was asking if anyone was alive under the car.”
a conference (usually with someone important)
From this reading “The face disappeared; and she heard consultation.”
lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading “Ruth could see dull eyes in a big, stupid face.”
a change in the form of a word (usually by adding a suffix) to indicate a change in its grammatical function
From this reading “The man said something with the inflection of a question.”
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading “She could not make out the words, but obviously he was asking if anyone was alive under the car.”
United States professional baseball player famous for hitting home runs (1895-1948)
From this reading “Ruth could see dull eyes in a big, stupid face.”
lacking or marked by lack of intellectual acuity
From this reading “Ruth could see dull eyes in a big, stupid face.”
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.
detect with the senses
In this reading “She could not make out the words, but obviously he was asking if anyone was alive under the car.”
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 Ruth could see dull eyes in a big, stupid face.
possessing life
From this reading She could not make out the words, but obviously he was asking if anyone was alive under the car.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The face disappeared; and she heard consultation.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading So Ruth answered.
any person at all
From this reading She could not make out the words, but obviously he was asking if anyone was alive under the car.
the verbal act of requesting
From this reading She could not make out the words, but obviously he was asking if anyone was alive under the car.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Ruth could see dull eyes in a big, stupid face.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading She could not make out the words, but obviously he was asking if anyone was alive under the car.
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading She could not make out the words, but obviously he was asking if anyone was alive under the car.
a conference (usually with someone important)
From this reading The face disappeared; and she heard consultation.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Ruth could see dull eyes in a big, stupid face.
past form of “disappear” — get lost, as without warning or explanation
From this reading The face disappeared; and she heard consultation.
lacking in liveliness or animation
From this reading Ruth could see dull eyes in a big, stupid face.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Ruth could see dull eyes in a big, stupid face.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Ruth could see dull eyes in a big, stupid face.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She could not make out the words, but obviously he was asking if anyone was alive under the car.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading The face disappeared; and she heard consultation.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading She could not make out the words, but obviously he was asking if anyone was alive under the car.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Ruth could see dull eyes in a big, stupid face.
a change in the form of a word (usually by adding a suffix) to indicate a change in its grammatical function
From this reading The man said something with the inflection of a question.
engage in
From this reading She could not make out the words, but obviously he was asking if anyone was alive under the car.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The man said something with the inflection of a question.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She could not make out the words, but obviously he was asking if anyone was alive under the car.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading She could not make out the words, but obviously he was asking if anyone was alive under the car.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The man said something with the inflection of a question.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading She could not make out the words, but obviously he was asking if anyone was alive under the car.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading The man said something with the inflection of a question.
United States professional baseball player famous for hitting home runs (1895-1948)
From this reading Ruth could see dull eyes in a big, stupid face.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading The man said something with the inflection of a question.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Ruth could see dull eyes in a big, stupid face.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She could not make out the words, but obviously he was asking if anyone was alive under the car.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So Ruth answered.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading The man said something with the inflection of a question.
lacking or marked by lack of intellectual acuity
From this reading Ruth could see dull eyes in a big, stupid face.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The man said something with the inflection of a question.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading She could not make out the words, but obviously he was asking if anyone was alive under the car.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She could not make out the words, but obviously he was asking if anyone was alive under the car.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The man said something with the inflection of a question.
the words that are spoken
From this reading She could not make out the words, but obviously he was asking if anyone was alive under the car.
Chapter 19 of Ruth of the U. S. A. by Edwin Balmer holds 247 sentences, grouped into 50 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 247 sentences of Ruth of the U. S. A., unabridged, divided into 50 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 19 of Ruth of the U. S. A. by Edwin Balmer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 247 sentences, grouped into 50 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 50 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 50 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 Ruth of the U. S. A. by Edwin Balmer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4999 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #68296 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #68296, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 416 minutes of reading across 1000 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Ruth of the U. S. A. section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of Ruth of the U. S. A. 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 Ruth of the U. S. A., each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
