Chapter 15 of The Bat is here in full — 216 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of The Bat is here in full — 216 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The detective looked Beresford over till the latter grew a little uncomfortable. “I don’t suppose it has any bearing on the case,” admitted the latter uneasily. “But it’s interesting.” The detective seemed to agree. At least he slipped the watch in his pocket.
Chapter 15 of The Bat is here in full — 216 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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.
inflected form of “admit” — declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading ““I don’t suppose it has any bearing on the case,” admitted the latter uneasily.”
be in accord; be in agreement
From this reading “The detective seemed to agree.”
relevant relation or interconnection
From this reading ““I don’t suppose it has any bearing on the case,” admitted the latter uneasily.”
a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading “The detective looked Beresford over till the latter grew a little uncomfortable.”
arousing or holding the attention
From this reading ““But it’s interesting.””
inflected form of “slip” — move stealthily
From this reading “At least he slipped the watch in his pocket.”
conducive to or feeling mental discomfort
From this reading “The detective looked Beresford over till the latter grew a little uncomfortable.”
with anxiety or apprehension
From this reading ““I don’t suppose it has any bearing on the case,” admitted the latter uneasily.”
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 The detective looked Beresford over till the latter grew a little uncomfortable.
inflected form of “admit” — declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading “I don’t suppose it has any bearing on the case,” admitted the latter uneasily.
be in accord; be in agreement
From this reading The detective seemed to agree.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading “I don’t suppose it has any bearing on the case,” admitted the latter uneasily.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At least he slipped the watch in his pocket.
relevant relation or interconnection
From this reading “I don’t suppose it has any bearing on the case,” admitted the latter uneasily.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The detective looked Beresford over till the latter grew a little uncomfortable.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But it’s interesting.”
an occurrence of something
From this reading “I don’t suppose it has any bearing on the case,” admitted the latter uneasily.
a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading The detective looked Beresford over till the latter grew a little uncomfortable.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I don’t suppose it has any bearing on the case,” admitted the latter uneasily.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading The detective looked Beresford over till the latter grew a little uncomfortable.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “I don’t suppose it has any bearing on the case,” admitted the latter uneasily.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading At least he slipped the watch in his pocket.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading At least he slipped the watch in his pocket.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I don’t suppose it has any bearing on the case,” admitted the latter uneasily.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading At least he slipped the watch in his pocket.
arousing or holding the attention
From this reading “But it’s interesting.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “I don’t suppose it has any bearing on the case,” admitted the latter uneasily.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “But it’s interesting.”
referring to the second of two things or persons mentioned (or the last one or ones of several)
From this reading The detective looked Beresford over till the latter grew a little uncomfortable.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading At least he slipped the watch in his pocket.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The detective looked Beresford over till the latter grew a little uncomfortable.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The detective looked Beresford over till the latter grew a little uncomfortable.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “I don’t suppose it has any bearing on the case,” admitted the latter uneasily.
above and across; more than
From this reading The detective looked Beresford over till the latter grew a little uncomfortable.
a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles
From this reading At least he slipped the watch in his pocket.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The detective seemed to agree.
inflected form of “slip” — move stealthily
From this reading At least he slipped the watch in his pocket.
express a supposition
From this reading “I don’t suppose it has any bearing on the case,” admitted the latter uneasily.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The detective looked Beresford over till the latter grew a little uncomfortable.
up to a particular time
From this reading The detective looked Beresford over till the latter grew a little uncomfortable.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The detective seemed to agree.
conducive to or feeling mental discomfort
From this reading The detective looked Beresford over till the latter grew a little uncomfortable.
with anxiety or apprehension
From this reading “I don’t suppose it has any bearing on the case,” admitted the latter uneasily.
look attentively
From this reading At least he slipped the watch in his pocket.
Chapter 15 of The Bat by Stephen Vincent Benét holds 216 sentences, grouped into 44 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 216 sentences of The Bat, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of The Bat by Stephen Vincent Benét exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 216 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 The Bat by Stephen Vincent Benét on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4997 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2019 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2019, a public-domain edition. 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 The Bat section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of The Bat 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 The Bat, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
