Chapter 23 of Spirits Do Return is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Spirits Do Return is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
PRAYER-MEETING IN PRISON. “That is the first time I have seen you break down.” “Yes, Pearson, I am heart-broken. I shall never forget Pat, not for the sickness he feigned, but for the feeling that came over me when he was praying. I have never prayed, but I am going to this day.
Chapter 23 of Spirits Do Return is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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.
terminate
From this reading ““That is the first time I have seen you break down.””
not genuine
From this reading “I shall never forget Pat, not for the sickness he feigned, but for the feeling that came over me when he was praying.”
dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading “I shall never forget Pat, not for the sickness he feigned, but for the feeling that came over me when he was praying.”
pat or squeeze fondly or playfully, especially under the chin
From this reading “I shall never forget Pat, not for the sickness he feigned, but for the feeling that came over me when he was praying.”
past form of “pray” — address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship; say a prayer
From this reading “I have never prayed, but I am going to this day.”
-ing form of “pray” — address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship; say a prayer
From this reading “I shall never forget Pat, not for the sickness he feigned, but for the feeling that came over me when he was praying.”
a correctional institution where persons are confined while on trial or for punishment
From this reading “PRAYER-MEETING IN PRISON.”
impairment of normal physiological function affecting part or all of an organism
From this reading “I shall never forget Pat, not for the sickness he feigned, but for the feeling that came over me when he was praying.”
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 ““That is the first time I have seen you break down.””
make ineffective
In this reading ““That is the first time I have seen you break down.””
In this reading “PRAYER-MEETING IN PRISON.”
communicate the intended meaning or impression
In this reading “I shall never forget Pat, not for the sickness he feigned, but for the feeling that came over me when he was praying.”
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.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “Yes, Pearson, I am heart-broken.
terminate
From this reading “That is the first time I have seen you break down.”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I shall never forget Pat, not for the sickness he feigned, but for the feeling that came over me when he was praying.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading I shall never forget Pat, not for the sickness he feigned, but for the feeling that came over me when he was praying.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading I have never prayed, but I am going to this day.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading “That is the first time I have seen you break down.”
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading I shall never forget Pat, not for the sickness he feigned, but for the feeling that came over me when he was praying.
not genuine
From this reading I shall never forget Pat, not for the sickness he feigned, but for the feeling that came over me when he was praying.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading “That is the first time I have seen you break down.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading I shall never forget Pat, not for the sickness he feigned, but for the feeling that came over me when he was praying.
dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading I shall never forget Pat, not for the sickness he feigned, but for the feeling that came over me when he was praying.
the act of departing
From this reading I have never prayed, but I am going to this day.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “That is the first time I have seen you break down.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I shall never forget Pat, not for the sickness he feigned, but for the feeling that came over me when he was praying.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Yes, Pearson, I am heart-broken.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “That is the first time I have seen you break down.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading PRAYER-MEETING IN PRISON.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “That is the first time I have seen you break down.”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I shall never forget Pat, not for the sickness he feigned, but for the feeling that came over me when he was praying.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I shall never forget Pat, not for the sickness he feigned, but for the feeling that came over me when he was praying.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I shall never forget Pat, not for the sickness he feigned, but for the feeling that came over me when he was praying.
above and across; more than
From this reading I shall never forget Pat, not for the sickness he feigned, but for the feeling that came over me when he was praying.
pat or squeeze fondly or playfully, especially under the chin
From this reading I shall never forget Pat, not for the sickness he feigned, but for the feeling that came over me when he was praying.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Yes, Pearson, I am heart-broken.
past form of “pray” — address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship; say a prayer
From this reading I have never prayed, but I am going to this day.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading PRAYER-MEETING IN PRISON.
-ing form of “pray” — address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship; say a prayer
From this reading I shall never forget Pat, not for the sickness he feigned, but for the feeling that came over me when he was praying.
a correctional institution where persons are confined while on trial or for punishment
From this reading PRAYER-MEETING IN PRISON.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “That is the first time I have seen you break down.”
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading I shall never forget Pat, not for the sickness he feigned, but for the feeling that came over me when he was praying.
impairment of normal physiological function affecting part or all of an organism
From this reading I shall never forget Pat, not for the sickness he feigned, but for the feeling that came over me when he was praying.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “That is the first time I have seen you break down.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “That is the first time I have seen you break down.”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading I have never prayed, but I am going to this day.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading “That is the first time I have seen you break down.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I have never prayed, but I am going to this day.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I shall never forget Pat, not for the sickness he feigned, but for the feeling that came over me when he was praying.
at the time that
From this reading I shall never forget Pat, not for the sickness he feigned, but for the feeling that came over me when he was praying.
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes, Pearson, I am heart-broken.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “That is the first time I have seen you break down.”
Chapter 23 of Spirits Do Return by Ida Belle White holds 97 sentences, grouped into 20 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 23 holds 97 sentences of Spirits Do Return, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Spirits Do Return by Ida Belle White exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 97 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 23 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 Spirits Do Return by Ida Belle White on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3810 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57302 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #57302, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 317 minutes of reading across 762 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Spirits Do Return section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of Spirits Do Return 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 Spirits Do Return, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
