Chapter 17 of The Demi-Gods is here in full — 29 sentences across 6 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Demi-Gods is here in full — 29 sentences across 6 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Mac Cann was asleep, but when Finaun's voice ceased he awakened and stretched himself with a loud yawn. "I didn't hear a word of that story," said he. "I heard it," said Eileen Ni Cooley; "it was a good story." "What was it about?" "I don't know," she replied.
Chapter 17 of The Demi-Gods is here in full — 29 sentences across 6 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/5 · 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 sleep
From this reading “Mac Cann was asleep, but when Finaun's voice ceased he awakened and stretched himself with a loud yawn.”
aroused or activated
From this reading “Mac Cann was asleep, but when Finaun's voice ceased he awakened and stretched himself with a loud yawn.”
past form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading “Mac Cann was asleep, but when Finaun's voice ceased he awakened and stretched himself with a loud yawn.”
characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
From this reading “Mac Cann was asleep, but when Finaun's voice ceased he awakened and stretched himself with a loud yawn.”
a waterproof raincoat made of rubberized fabric
From this reading “Mac Cann was asleep, but when Finaun's voice ceased he awakened and stretched himself with a loud yawn.”
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading “"I didn't hear a word of that story," said he.”
(of muscles) relieved of stiffness by stretching
From this reading “Mac Cann was asleep, but when Finaun's voice ceased he awakened and stretched himself with a loud yawn.”
utter a yawn, as from lack of oxygen or when one is tired
From this reading “Mac Cann was asleep, but when Finaun's voice ceased he awakened and stretched himself with a loud yawn.”
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 “"I didn't hear a word of that story," said he.”
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 Mac Cann was asleep, but when Finaun's voice ceased he awakened and stretched himself with a loud yawn.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "What was it about?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Mac Cann was asleep, but when Finaun's voice ceased he awakened and stretched himself with a loud yawn.
in a state of sleep
From this reading Mac Cann was asleep, but when Finaun's voice ceased he awakened and stretched himself with a loud yawn.
aroused or activated
From this reading Mac Cann was asleep, but when Finaun's voice ceased he awakened and stretched himself with a loud yawn.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Mac Cann was asleep, but when Finaun's voice ceased he awakened and stretched himself with a loud yawn.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mac Cann was asleep, but when Finaun's voice ceased he awakened and stretched himself with a loud yawn.
past form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading Mac Cann was asleep, but when Finaun's voice ceased he awakened and stretched himself with a loud yawn.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I heard it," said Eileen Ni Cooley; "it was a good story."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I didn't hear a word of that story," said he.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't know," she replied.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I heard it," said Eileen Ni Cooley; "it was a good story."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mac Cann was asleep, but when Finaun's voice ceased he awakened and stretched himself with a loud yawn.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "I heard it," said Eileen Ni Cooley; "it was a good story."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Mac Cann was asleep, but when Finaun's voice ceased he awakened and stretched himself with a loud yawn.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading "I didn't hear a word of that story," said he.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading "I heard it," said Eileen Ni Cooley; "it was a good story."
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Mac Cann was asleep, but when Finaun's voice ceased he awakened and stretched himself with a loud yawn.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I didn't hear a word of that story," said he.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I heard it," said Eileen Ni Cooley; "it was a good story."
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I don't know," she replied.
characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity
From this reading Mac Cann was asleep, but when Finaun's voice ceased he awakened and stretched himself with a loud yawn.
a waterproof raincoat made of rubberized fabric
From this reading Mac Cann was asleep, but when Finaun's voice ceased he awakened and stretched himself with a loud yawn.
a hard malleable ductile silvery metallic element that is resistant to corrosion; used in alloys; occurs in pentlandite and smaltite and garnierite and millerite
From this reading "I heard it," said Eileen Ni Cooley; "it was a good story."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "I didn't hear a word of that story," said he.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "I don't know," she replied.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I didn't hear a word of that story," said he.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I don't know," she replied.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading "I didn't hear a word of that story," said he.
(of muscles) relieved of stiffness by stretching
From this reading Mac Cann was asleep, but when Finaun's voice ceased he awakened and stretched himself with a loud yawn.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I didn't hear a word of that story," said he.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Mac Cann was asleep, but when Finaun's voice ceased he awakened and stretched himself with a loud yawn.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mac Cann was asleep, but when Finaun's voice ceased he awakened and stretched himself with a loud yawn.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What was it about?"
at the time that
From this reading Mac Cann was asleep, but when Finaun's voice ceased he awakened and stretched himself with a loud yawn.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Mac Cann was asleep, but when Finaun's voice ceased he awakened and stretched himself with a loud yawn.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading "I didn't hear a word of that story," said he.
utter a yawn, as from lack of oxygen or when one is tired
From this reading Mac Cann was asleep, but when Finaun's voice ceased he awakened and stretched himself with a loud yawn.
Chapter 17 of The Demi-Gods by James Stephens holds 29 sentences, grouped into 6 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 17 holds 29 sentences of The Demi-Gods, unabridged, divided into 6 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Demi-Gods by James Stephens exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 29 sentences, grouped into 6 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 6 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 6 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 17 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 Demi-Gods by James Stephens on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2399 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #46558 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #46558, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 199 minutes of reading across 480 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Demi-Gods section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 35 chapters of The Demi-Gods 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 Demi-Gods, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
