Chapter 22 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 XXII
Chapter 22 of The Bat is here in full — 216 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Look up here!” he commanded. The Unknown stared at him for an instant with blank, vacuous eyes. Then his head dropped back upon his breast again. “Look up, you—” muttered the detective, jerking his head again. “This losing your memory stuff doesn’t go down with me!”
Chapter 22 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.
(of a surface) not written or printed on
From this reading “The Unknown stared at him for an instant with blank, vacuous eyes.”
past form of “command” — be in command of
From this reading ““Look up here!” he commanded.”
a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading ““Look up, you—” muttered the detective, jerking his head again.”
an abrupt spasmodic movement
From this reading ““Look up, you—” muttered the detective, jerking his head again.”
-ing form of “lose” — fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading ““This losing your memory stuff doesn’t go down with me!””
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading ““Look up, you—” muttered the detective, jerking his head again.”
the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object
From this reading ““This losing your memory stuff doesn’t go down with me!””
devoid of intelligence or thought
From this reading “The Unknown stared at him for an instant with blank, vacuous eyes.”
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.
anew
From this reading Then his head dropped back upon his breast again.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The Unknown stared at him for an instant with blank, vacuous eyes.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The Unknown stared at him for an instant with blank, vacuous eyes.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Then his head dropped back upon his breast again.
(of a surface) not written or printed on
From this reading The Unknown stared at him for an instant with blank, vacuous eyes.
the front of the trunk from the neck to the abdomen
From this reading Then his head dropped back upon his breast again.
past form of “command” — be in command of
From this reading “Look up here!” he commanded.
a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading “Look up, you—” muttered the detective, jerking his head again.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “This losing your memory stuff doesn’t go down with me!”
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading “This losing your memory stuff doesn’t go down with me!”
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading Then his head dropped back upon his breast again.
opinion or judgment
From this reading The Unknown stared at him for an instant with blank, vacuous eyes.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The Unknown stared at him for an instant with blank, vacuous eyes.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “This losing your memory stuff doesn’t go down with me!”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Look up here!” he commanded.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Then his head dropped back upon his breast again.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “Look up here!” he commanded.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The Unknown stared at him for an instant with blank, vacuous eyes.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Then his head dropped back upon his breast again.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading The Unknown stared at him for an instant with blank, vacuous eyes.
an abrupt spasmodic movement
From this reading “Look up, you—” muttered the detective, jerking his head again.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading “Look up here!” he commanded.
-ing form of “lose” — fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading “This losing your memory stuff doesn’t go down with me!”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “This losing your memory stuff doesn’t go down with me!”
The faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information and knowledge.
From this reading “This losing your memory stuff doesn’t go down with me!”
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading “Look up, you—” muttered the detective, jerking his head again.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading The Unknown stared at him for an instant with blank, vacuous eyes.
the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object
From this reading “This losing your memory stuff doesn’t go down with me!”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Unknown stared at him for an instant with blank, vacuous eyes.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then his head dropped back upon his breast again.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “This losing your memory stuff doesn’t go down with me!”
not known
From this reading The Unknown stared at him for an instant with blank, vacuous eyes.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “Look up here!” he commanded.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Then his head dropped back upon his breast again.
devoid of intelligence or thought
From this reading The Unknown stared at him for an instant with blank, vacuous eyes.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The Unknown stared at him for an instant with blank, vacuous eyes.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Look up, you—” muttered the detective, jerking his head again.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “This losing your memory stuff doesn’t go down with me!”
Chapter 22 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 22 holds 216 sentences of The Bat, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 22 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 22 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.
