Chapter 23 of The Confession: A Novel is here in full — 254 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of The Confession: A Novel is here in full — 254 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I awoke. There was noise, whistling, hubbub, as if at a meeting of all the devils. I looked out into the court. It was full of youngsters and Mikhail was among them, in a white shirt, looking like a sailboat among small canoes. He stood laughing with his head on one side, his mouth wide open and his eyes twinkling.
Chapter 23 of The Confession: A Novel is here in full — 254 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/50 · 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.
plural of “canoe” — small and light boat; pointed at both ends; propelled with a paddle
From this reading “It was full of youngsters and Mikhail was among them, in a white shirt, looking like a sailboat among small canoes.”
plural of “devil” — (Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading “There was noise, whistling, hubbub, as if at a meeting of all the devils.”
loud confused noise from many sources
From this reading “There was noise, whistling, hubbub, as if at a meeting of all the devils.”
a small sailing vessel; usually with a single mast
From this reading “It was full of youngsters and Mikhail was among them, in a white shirt, looking like a sailboat among small canoes.”
a garment worn on the upper half of the body
From this reading “It was full of youngsters and Mikhail was among them, in a white shirt, looking like a sailboat among small canoes.”
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading “He stood laughing with his head on one side, his mouth wide open and his eyes twinkling.”
the sound made by something moving rapidly or by steam coming out of a small aperture
From this reading “There was noise, whistling, hubbub, as if at a meeting of all the devils.”
plural of “youngster” — a young person of either sex
From this reading “It was full of youngsters and Mikhail was among them, in a white shirt, looking like a sailboat among small canoes.”
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 “It was full of youngsters and Mikhail was among them, in a white shirt, looking like a sailboat among small canoes.”
In this reading “He stood laughing with his head on one side, his mouth wide open and his eyes twinkling.”
In this reading “It was full of youngsters and Mikhail was among them, in a white shirt, looking like a sailboat among small canoes.”
be vigilant, be on the lookout or be careful
In this reading “I looked out into the court.”
In this reading “I looked out into the court.”
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 There was noise, whistling, hubbub, as if at a meeting of all the devils.
(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 There was noise, whistling, hubbub, as if at a meeting of all the devils.
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading It was full of youngsters and Mikhail was among them, in a white shirt, looking like a sailboat among small canoes.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was full of youngsters and Mikhail was among them, in a white shirt, looking like a sailboat among small canoes.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading There was noise, whistling, hubbub, as if at a meeting of all the devils.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading There was noise, whistling, hubbub, as if at a meeting of all the devils.
inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping
From this reading I awoke.
plural of “canoe” — small and light boat; pointed at both ends; propelled with a paddle
From this reading It was full of youngsters and Mikhail was among them, in a white shirt, looking like a sailboat among small canoes.
an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business
From this reading I looked out into the court.
plural of “devil” — (Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading There was noise, whistling, hubbub, as if at a meeting of all the devils.
opinion or judgment
From this reading He stood laughing with his head on one side, his mouth wide open and his eyes twinkling.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading It was full of youngsters and Mikhail was among them, in a white shirt, looking like a sailboat among small canoes.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He stood laughing with his head on one side, his mouth wide open and his eyes twinkling.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading He stood laughing with his head on one side, his mouth wide open and his eyes twinkling.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He stood laughing with his head on one side, his mouth wide open and his eyes twinkling.
loud confused noise from many sources
From this reading There was noise, whistling, hubbub, as if at a meeting of all the devils.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I awoke.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading There was noise, whistling, hubbub, as if at a meeting of all the devils.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was full of youngsters and Mikhail was among them, in a white shirt, looking like a sailboat among small canoes.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading I looked out into the court.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was full of youngsters and Mikhail was among them, in a white shirt, looking like a sailboat among small canoes.
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading He stood laughing with his head on one side, his mouth wide open and his eyes twinkling.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading It was full of youngsters and Mikhail was among them, in a white shirt, looking like a sailboat among small canoes.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading I looked out into the court.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading It was full of youngsters and Mikhail was among them, in a white shirt, looking like a sailboat among small canoes.
a formally arranged gathering
From this reading There was noise, whistling, hubbub, as if at a meeting of all the devils.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was full of youngsters and Mikhail was among them, in a white shirt, looking like a sailboat among small canoes.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading He stood laughing with his head on one side, his mouth wide open and his eyes twinkling.
sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
From this reading There was noise, whistling, hubbub, as if at a meeting of all the devils.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There was noise, whistling, hubbub, as if at a meeting of all the devils.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He stood laughing with his head on one side, his mouth wide open and his eyes twinkling.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading He stood laughing with his head on one side, his mouth wide open and his eyes twinkling.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading He stood laughing with his head on one side, his mouth wide open and his eyes twinkling.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading I looked out into the court.
a small sailing vessel; usually with a single mast
From this reading It was full of youngsters and Mikhail was among them, in a white shirt, looking like a sailboat among small canoes.
a garment worn on the upper half of the body
From this reading It was full of youngsters and Mikhail was among them, in a white shirt, looking like a sailboat among small canoes.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading He stood laughing with his head on one side, his mouth wide open and his eyes twinkling.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading It was full of youngsters and Mikhail was among them, in a white shirt, looking like a sailboat among small canoes.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading He stood laughing with his head on one side, his mouth wide open and his eyes twinkling.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There was noise, whistling, hubbub, as if at a meeting of all the devils.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading It was full of youngsters and Mikhail was among them, in a white shirt, looking like a sailboat among small canoes.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was noise, whistling, hubbub, as if at a meeting of all the devils.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading He stood laughing with his head on one side, his mouth wide open and his eyes twinkling.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was noise, whistling, hubbub, as if at a meeting of all the devils.
the sound made by something moving rapidly or by steam coming out of a small aperture
From this reading There was noise, whistling, hubbub, as if at a meeting of all the devils.
a Caucasian
From this reading It was full of youngsters and Mikhail was among them, in a white shirt, looking like a sailboat among small canoes.
having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading He stood laughing with his head on one side, his mouth wide open and his eyes twinkling.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He stood laughing with his head on one side, his mouth wide open and his eyes twinkling.
plural of “youngster” — a young person of either sex
From this reading It was full of youngsters and Mikhail was among them, in a white shirt, looking like a sailboat among small canoes.
Chapter 23 of The Confession: A Novel by Maksim Gorky holds 254 sentences, grouped into 51 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 23 holds 254 sentences of The Confession: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 51 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of The Confession: A Novel by Maksim Gorky exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 254 sentences, grouped into 51 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 51 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 51 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 23 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.
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Yes. All 5472 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55828 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #55828, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 456 minutes of reading across 1095 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Confession: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of The Confession: A Novel 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 Confession: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
