Chapter 38 of Tarr is here in full — 110 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXVIII
Chapter 38 of Tarr is here in full — 110 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Anastasya and he were dining that night in Montmartre as usual. His piece of news hovered over their conversation like a bird hesitating as to the right spot at which to establish its nest. “I saw Bertha to-day,” he said, forcing the opening at last. “You still see her then.” “Yes.
Chapter 38 of Tarr is here in full — 110 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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.
warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading “His piece of news hovered over their conversation like a bird hesitating as to the right spot at which to establish its nest.”
the act of eating dinner
From this reading “Anastasya and he were dining that night in Montmartre as usual.”
set up or found
From this reading “His piece of news hovered over their conversation like a bird hesitating as to the right spot at which to establish its nest.”
-ing form of “force” — to cause to do through pressure or necessity, by physical, moral or intellectual means
From this reading ““I saw Bertha to-day,” he said, forcing the opening at last.”
lacking decisiveness of character; unable to act or decide quickly or firmly
From this reading “His piece of news hovered over their conversation like a bird hesitating as to the right spot at which to establish its nest.”
past form of “hover” — be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action
From this reading “His piece of news hovered over their conversation like a bird hesitating as to the right spot at which to establish its nest.”
the highest point in Paris; famous for its associations with many artists
From this reading “Anastasya and he were dining that night in Montmartre as usual.”
a structure in which animals lay eggs or give birth to their young
From this reading “His piece of news hovered over their conversation like a bird hesitating as to the right spot at which to establish its nest.”
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 “His piece of news hovered over their conversation like a bird hesitating as to the right spot at which to establish its nest.”
In this reading “His piece of news hovered over their conversation like a bird hesitating as to the right spot at which to establish its nest.”
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 His piece of news hovered over their conversation like a bird hesitating as to the right spot at which to establish its nest.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Anastasya and he were dining that night in Montmartre as usual.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Anastasya and he were dining that night in Montmartre as usual.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Anastasya and he were dining that night in Montmartre as usual.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading His piece of news hovered over their conversation like a bird hesitating as to the right spot at which to establish its nest.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I saw Bertha to-day,” he said, forcing the opening at last.
warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading His piece of news hovered over their conversation like a bird hesitating as to the right spot at which to establish its nest.
the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.
From this reading His piece of news hovered over their conversation like a bird hesitating as to the right spot at which to establish its nest.
the act of eating dinner
From this reading Anastasya and he were dining that night in Montmartre as usual.
set up or found
From this reading His piece of news hovered over their conversation like a bird hesitating as to the right spot at which to establish its nest.
-ing form of “force” — to cause to do through pressure or necessity, by physical, moral or intellectual means
From this reading “I saw Bertha to-day,” he said, forcing the opening at last.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Anastasya and he were dining that night in Montmartre as usual.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “You still see her then.”
lacking decisiveness of character; unable to act or decide quickly or firmly
From this reading His piece of news hovered over their conversation like a bird hesitating as to the right spot at which to establish its nest.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His piece of news hovered over their conversation like a bird hesitating as to the right spot at which to establish its nest.
past form of “hover” — be undecided about something; waver between conflicting positions or courses of action
From this reading His piece of news hovered over their conversation like a bird hesitating as to the right spot at which to establish its nest.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I saw Bertha to-day,” he said, forcing the opening at last.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Anastasya and he were dining that night in Montmartre as usual.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading His piece of news hovered over their conversation like a bird hesitating as to the right spot at which to establish its nest.
immediately past
From this reading “I saw Bertha to-day,” he said, forcing the opening at last.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading His piece of news hovered over their conversation like a bird hesitating as to the right spot at which to establish its nest.
the highest point in Paris; famous for its associations with many artists
From this reading Anastasya and he were dining that night in Montmartre as usual.
a structure in which animals lay eggs or give birth to their young
From this reading His piece of news hovered over their conversation like a bird hesitating as to the right spot at which to establish its nest.
information about recent and important events
From this reading His piece of news hovered over their conversation like a bird hesitating as to the right spot at which to establish its nest.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Anastasya and he were dining that night in Montmartre as usual.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading His piece of news hovered over their conversation like a bird hesitating as to the right spot at which to establish its nest.
an open or empty space in or between things
From this reading “I saw Bertha to-day,” he said, forcing the opening at last.
above and across; more than
From this reading His piece of news hovered over their conversation like a bird hesitating as to the right spot at which to establish its nest.
a separate part of a whole
From this reading His piece of news hovered over their conversation like a bird hesitating as to the right spot at which to establish its nest.
precisely, exactly
From this reading His piece of news hovered over their conversation like a bird hesitating as to the right spot at which to establish its nest.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I saw Bertha to-day,” he said, forcing the opening at last.
cut with a saw
From this reading “I saw Bertha to-day,” he said, forcing the opening at last.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “You still see her then.”
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading His piece of news hovered over their conversation like a bird hesitating as to the right spot at which to establish its nest.
not in physical motion
From this reading “You still see her then.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Anastasya and he were dining that night in Montmartre as usual.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading His piece of news hovered over their conversation like a bird hesitating as to the right spot at which to establish its nest.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading His piece of news hovered over their conversation like a bird hesitating as to the right spot at which to establish its nest.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading “You still see her then.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading His piece of news hovered over their conversation like a bird hesitating as to the right spot at which to establish its nest.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I saw Bertha to-day,” he said, forcing the opening at last.
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading Anastasya and he were dining that night in Montmartre as usual.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Anastasya and he were dining that night in Montmartre as usual.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading His piece of news hovered over their conversation like a bird hesitating as to the right spot at which to establish its nest.
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You still see her then.”
Chapter 38 of Tarr by Wyndham Lewis holds 110 sentences, grouped into 22 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 38 holds 110 sentences of Tarr, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 38 of Tarr by Wyndham Lewis exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 110 sentences, grouped into 22 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 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 22 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 38 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.
