Chapter 36 of Tarr is here in full — 56 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXVI
Chapter 36 of Tarr is here in full — 56 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He went slowly up the stairs feeling for his key. He arrived at the door without having found it. The door was ajar. At first this seemed natural to him, and he continued the search for the key. Then he suddenly dropped that occupation, pushed the door open and went into his studio.
Chapter 36 of Tarr is here in full — 56 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/11 · 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.
slightly open
From this reading “The door was ajar.”
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading “Then he suddenly dropped that occupation, pushed the door open and went into his studio.”
metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated
From this reading “He went slowly up the stairs feeling for his key.”
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading “Then he suddenly dropped that occupation, pushed the door open and went into his studio.”
past form of “push” — move with force
From this reading “Then he suddenly dropped that occupation, pushed the door open and went into his studio.”
try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of
From this reading “At first this seemed natural to him, and he continued the search for the key.”
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading “He went slowly up the stairs feeling for his key.”
workplace for the teaching or practice of an art
From this reading “Then he suddenly dropped that occupation, pushed the door open and went into his studio.”
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.
reach a destination, either real or abstract
In this reading “He arrived at the door without having found it.”
In this reading “At first this seemed natural to him, and he continued the search for the key.”
In this reading “Then he suddenly dropped that occupation, pushed the door open and went into his studio.”
In this reading “He arrived at the door without having found it.”
to come or go into
In this reading “Then he suddenly dropped that occupation, pushed the door open and went into his studio.”
In this reading “He went slowly up the stairs feeling for his key.”
In this reading “He went slowly up the stairs feeling for his key.”
In this reading “At first this seemed natural to him, and he continued the search for the key.”
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.
slightly open
From this reading The door was ajar.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading At first this seemed natural to him, and he continued the search for the key.
past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading He arrived at the door without having found it.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He arrived at the door without having found it.
without stop or interruption
From this reading At first this seemed natural to him, and he continued the search for the key.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading He arrived at the door without having found it.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading Then he suddenly dropped that occupation, pushed the door open and went into his studio.
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading He went slowly up the stairs feeling for his key.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading At first this seemed natural to him, and he continued the search for the key.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He went slowly up the stairs feeling for his key.
set up or found
From this reading He arrived at the door without having found it.
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading He arrived at the door without having found it.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He went slowly up the stairs feeling for his key.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading At first this seemed natural to him, and he continued the search for the key.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He went slowly up the stairs feeling for his key.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Then he suddenly dropped that occupation, pushed the door open and went into his studio.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He arrived at the door without having found it.
metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated
From this reading He went slowly up the stairs feeling for his key.
in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature
From this reading At first this seemed natural to him, and he continued the search for the key.
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading Then he suddenly dropped that occupation, pushed the door open and went into his studio.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading Then he suddenly dropped that occupation, pushed the door open and went into his studio.
past form of “push” — move with force
From this reading Then he suddenly dropped that occupation, pushed the door open and went into his studio.
try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of
From this reading At first this seemed natural to him, and he continued the search for the key.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading At first this seemed natural to him, and he continued the search for the key.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading He went slowly up the stairs feeling for his key.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading He went slowly up the stairs feeling for his key.
workplace for the teaching or practice of an art
From this reading Then he suddenly dropped that occupation, pushed the door open and went into his studio.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Then he suddenly dropped that occupation, pushed the door open and went into his studio.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Then he suddenly dropped that occupation, pushed the door open and went into his studio.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He went slowly up the stairs feeling for his key.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he suddenly dropped that occupation, pushed the door open and went into his studio.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading At first this seemed natural to him, and he continued the search for the key.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading At first this seemed natural to him, and he continued the search for the key.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He went slowly up the stairs feeling for his key.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The door was ajar.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading He went slowly up the stairs feeling for his key.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading He arrived at the door without having found it.
Chapter 36 of Tarr by Wyndham Lewis holds 56 sentences, grouped into 12 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 36 holds 56 sentences of Tarr, unabridged, divided into 12 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 36 of Tarr by Wyndham Lewis exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 56 sentences, grouped into 12 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 12 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 12 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 36 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 Tarr by Wyndham Lewis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8072 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #58340 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #58340, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1615 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tarr section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 38 chapters of Tarr 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 Tarr, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
