Chapter 24 of The Brightener is here in full — 246 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIV
Chapter 24 of The Brightener is here in full — 246 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE LAST SEANCE The only way in which I could keep Joyce with me for a little while longer was by pretending to be ill. _That_ fetched her. And it wasn't all pretense, either, because I was horribly worried, not only about her and Robert, but about Jim. And about myself. I said not a word to Joyce of Jim and his mission.
Chapter 24 of The Brightener is here in full — 246 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/49 · 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.
past form of “fetch” — go or come after and bring or take back
From this reading “_That_ fetched her.”
of a dreadful kind
From this reading “And it wasn't all pretense, either, because I was horribly worried, not only about her and Robert, but about Jim.”
influential Irish writer noted for his many innovations (such as stream of consciousness writing) (1882-1941)
From this reading “THE LAST SEANCE The only way in which I could keep Joyce with me for a little while longer was by pretending to be ill.”
an organization of missionaries in a foreign land sent to carry on religious work
From this reading “I said not a word to Joyce of Jim and his mission.”
the act of giving a false appearance
From this reading “THE LAST SEANCE The only way in which I could keep Joyce with me for a little while longer was by pretending to be ill.”
the act of giving a false appearance
From this reading “And it wasn't all pretense, either, because I was horribly worried, not only about her and Robert, but about Jim.”
a meeting of spiritualists
From this reading “THE LAST SEANCE The only way in which I could keep Joyce with me for a little while longer was by pretending to be ill.”
afflicted with or marked by anxious uneasiness or trouble or grief
From this reading “And it wasn't all pretense, either, because I was horribly worried, not only about her and Robert, but about Jim.”
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 “THE LAST SEANCE The only way in which I could keep Joyce with me for a little while longer was by pretending to be ill.”
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 LAST SEANCE The only way in which I could keep Joyce with me for a little while longer was by pretending to be ill.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading And it wasn't all pretense, either, because I was horribly worried, not only about her and Robert, but about Jim.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading And it wasn't all pretense, either, because I was horribly worried, not only about her and Robert, but about Jim.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And it wasn't all pretense, either, because I was horribly worried, not only about her and Robert, but about Jim.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading THE LAST SEANCE The only way in which I could keep Joyce with me for a little while longer was by pretending to be ill.
for the reason that
From this reading And it wasn't all pretense, either, because I was horribly worried, not only about her and Robert, but about Jim.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading And it wasn't all pretense, either, because I was horribly worried, not only about her and Robert, but about Jim.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading THE LAST SEANCE The only way in which I could keep Joyce with me for a little while longer was by pretending to be ill.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading THE LAST SEANCE The only way in which I could keep Joyce with me for a little while longer was by pretending to be ill.
one or the other of two
From this reading And it wasn't all pretense, either, because I was horribly worried, not only about her and Robert, but about Jim.
past form of “fetch” — go or come after and bring or take back
From this reading _That_ fetched her.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading THE LAST SEANCE The only way in which I could keep Joyce with me for a little while longer was by pretending to be ill.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading _That_ fetched her.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading I said not a word to Joyce of Jim and his mission.
of a dreadful kind
From this reading And it wasn't all pretense, either, because I was horribly worried, not only about her and Robert, but about Jim.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading THE LAST SEANCE The only way in which I could keep Joyce with me for a little while longer was by pretending to be ill.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading THE LAST SEANCE The only way in which I could keep Joyce with me for a little while longer was by pretending to be ill.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE LAST SEANCE The only way in which I could keep Joyce with me for a little while longer was by pretending to be ill.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And it wasn't all pretense, either, because I was horribly worried, not only about her and Robert, but about Jim.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And it wasn't all pretense, either, because I was horribly worried, not only about her and Robert, but about Jim.
influential Irish writer noted for his many innovations (such as stream of consciousness writing) (1882-1941)
From this reading THE LAST SEANCE The only way in which I could keep Joyce with me for a little while longer was by pretending to be ill.
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading THE LAST SEANCE The only way in which I could keep Joyce with me for a little while longer was by pretending to be ill.
immediately past
From this reading THE LAST SEANCE The only way in which I could keep Joyce with me for a little while longer was by pretending to be ill.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading THE LAST SEANCE The only way in which I could keep Joyce with me for a little while longer was by pretending to be ill.
for more time
From this reading THE LAST SEANCE The only way in which I could keep Joyce with me for a little while longer was by pretending to be ill.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading THE LAST SEANCE The only way in which I could keep Joyce with me for a little while longer was by pretending to be ill.
an organization of missionaries in a foreign land sent to carry on religious work
From this reading I said not a word to Joyce of Jim and his mission.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading And about myself.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading And it wasn't all pretense, either, because I was horribly worried, not only about her and Robert, but about Jim.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I said not a word to Joyce of Jim and his mission.
and nothing more
From this reading THE LAST SEANCE The only way in which I could keep Joyce with me for a little while longer was by pretending to be ill.
the act of giving a false appearance
From this reading THE LAST SEANCE The only way in which I could keep Joyce with me for a little while longer was by pretending to be ill.
the act of giving a false appearance
From this reading And it wasn't all pretense, either, because I was horribly worried, not only about her and Robert, but about Jim.
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading And it wasn't all pretense, either, because I was horribly worried, not only about her and Robert, but about Jim.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading I said not a word to Joyce of Jim and his mission.
a meeting of spiritualists
From this reading THE LAST SEANCE The only way in which I could keep Joyce with me for a little while longer was by pretending to be ill.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading _That_ fetched her.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE LAST SEANCE The only way in which I could keep Joyce with me for a little while longer was by pretending to be ill.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE LAST SEANCE The only way in which I could keep Joyce with me for a little while longer was by pretending to be ill.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE LAST SEANCE The only way in which I could keep Joyce with me for a little while longer was by pretending to be ill.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And it wasn't all pretense, either, because I was horribly worried, not only about her and Robert, but about Jim.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading THE LAST SEANCE The only way in which I could keep Joyce with me for a little while longer was by pretending to be ill.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading THE LAST SEANCE The only way in which I could keep Joyce with me for a little while longer was by pretending to be ill.
during the time that
From this reading THE LAST SEANCE The only way in which I could keep Joyce with me for a little while longer was by pretending to be ill.
in the company of; together with
From this reading THE LAST SEANCE The only way in which I could keep Joyce with me for a little while longer was by pretending to be ill.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading I said not a word to Joyce of Jim and his mission.
afflicted with or marked by anxious uneasiness or trouble or grief
From this reading And it wasn't all pretense, either, because I was horribly worried, not only about her and Robert, but about Jim.
Chapter 24 of The Brightener by A. M. (Alice Muriel) Williamson holds 246 sentences, grouped into 50 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 24 holds 246 sentences of The Brightener, unabridged, divided into 50 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 24 of The Brightener by A. M. (Alice Muriel) Williamson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 246 sentences, grouped into 50 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 50 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 50 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 24 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 Brightener by A. M. (Alice Muriel) Williamson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6166 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32428 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #32428, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 513 minutes of reading across 1234 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Brightener section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 37 chapters of The Brightener 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 Brightener, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
