Chapter 15 of Stories in Light and Shadow is here in full — 188 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of Stories in Light and Shadow is here in full — 188 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I laid down the guide-book in breathless astonishment. “And you never heard of this in all these years?” “Nefer! I asked no questions, I read no pooks. I have no ledders from home.”
Chapter 15 of Stories in Light and Shadow is here in full — 188 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/37 · 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 feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading “I laid down the guide-book in breathless astonishment.”
not breathing or able to breathe except with difficulty
From this reading “I laid down the guide-book in breathless astonishment.”
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading ““And you never heard of this in all these years?””
where you live at a particular time
From this reading “I have no ledders from home.””
set down according to a plan
From this reading “I laid down the guide-book in breathless astonishment.”
plural of “question” — an instance of questioning
From this reading “I asked no questions, I read no pooks.”
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading “I asked no questions, I read no pooks.”
a late time of life
From this reading ““And you never heard of this in all these years?””
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.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading “And you never heard of this in all these years?”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “And you never heard of this in all these years?”
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading I asked no questions, I read no pooks.
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading I laid down the guide-book in breathless astonishment.
not breathing or able to breathe except with difficulty
From this reading I laid down the guide-book in breathless astonishment.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading I laid down the guide-book in breathless astonishment.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading I have no ledders from home.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I laid down the guide-book in breathless astonishment.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I have no ledders from home.”
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading “And you never heard of this in all these years?”
where you live at a particular time
From this reading I have no ledders from home.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I laid down the guide-book in breathless astonishment.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I laid down the guide-book in breathless astonishment.
set down according to a plan
From this reading I laid down the guide-book in breathless astonishment.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I have no ledders from home.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Nefer!
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading “And you never heard of this in all these years?”
not any; not one
From this reading I asked no questions, I read no pooks.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “And you never heard of this in all these years?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I asked no questions, I read no pooks.
plural of “question” — an instance of questioning
From this reading I asked no questions, I read no pooks.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading I asked no questions, I read no pooks.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I laid down the guide-book in breathless astonishment.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading “And you never heard of this in all these years?”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “And you never heard of this in all these years?”
a late time of life
From this reading “And you never heard of this in all these years?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “And you never heard of this in all these years?”
Chapter 15 of Stories in Light and Shadow by Bret Harte holds 188 sentences, grouped into 38 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 15 holds 188 sentences of Stories in Light and Shadow, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of Stories in Light and Shadow by Bret Harte exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 188 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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 15 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 Stories in Light and Shadow by Bret Harte on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3160 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2508 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2508, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 263 minutes of reading across 632 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Stories in Light and Shadow section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of Stories in Light and Shadow 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 Stories in Light and Shadow, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
