Chapter 19 of The Bat is here in full — 218 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIX
Chapter 19 of The Bat is here in full — 218 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Rouse yourself, man!” he said. “What has happened to you?” “I’m dazed!” said the Unknown thickly and slowly. “I can’t remember.” He passed a hand weakly over his forehead.
Chapter 19 of The Bat is here in full — 218 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.
in a state of mental numbness especially as resulting from shock
From this reading ““I’m dazed!” said the Unknown thickly and slowly.”
the part of the face above the eyes
From this reading “He passed a hand weakly over his forehead.”
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading ““What has happened to you?””
become active
From this reading ““Rouse yourself, man!” he said.”
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading ““I’m dazed!” said the Unknown thickly and slowly.”
spoken with poor articulation as if with a thick tongue
From this reading ““I’m dazed!” said the Unknown thickly and slowly.”
not known
From this reading ““I’m dazed!” said the Unknown thickly and slowly.”
in a weak or feeble manner or to a minor degree
From this reading “He passed a hand weakly over his forehead.”
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 He passed a hand weakly over his forehead.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “I’m dazed!” said the Unknown thickly and slowly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I can’t remember.”
in a state of mental numbness especially as resulting from shock
From this reading “I’m dazed!” said the Unknown thickly and slowly.
the part of the face above the eyes
From this reading He passed a hand weakly over his forehead.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading He passed a hand weakly over his forehead.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading “What has happened to you?”
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “What has happened to you?”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Rouse yourself, man!” he said.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He passed a hand weakly over his forehead.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I can’t remember.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I’m dazed!” said the Unknown thickly and slowly.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “Rouse yourself, man!” he said.
above and across; more than
From this reading He passed a hand weakly over his forehead.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading He passed a hand weakly over his forehead.
To recall to mind.
From this reading “I can’t remember.”
become active
From this reading “Rouse yourself, man!” he said.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Rouse yourself, man!” he said.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading “I’m dazed!” said the Unknown thickly and slowly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I’m dazed!” said the Unknown thickly and slowly.
spoken with poor articulation as if with a thick tongue
From this reading “I’m dazed!” said the Unknown thickly and slowly.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “What has happened to you?”
not known
From this reading “I’m dazed!” said the Unknown thickly and slowly.
in a weak or feeble manner or to a minor degree
From this reading He passed a hand weakly over his forehead.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What has happened to you?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “What has happened to you?”
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading “Rouse yourself, man!” he said.
Chapter 19 of The Bat by Stephen Vincent Benét holds 218 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 19 holds 218 sentences of The Bat, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 19 of The Bat by Stephen Vincent Benét exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 218 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 19 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.
