Chapter 15 of The Fallen Leaves is here in full — 134 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of The Fallen Leaves is here in full — 134 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Rufus found his friend at the lodgings, prostrate on the sofa, smoking furiously. Before a word had passed between them, it was plain to the New Englander that something had gone wrong. “Well,” he asked; “and what does Farnaby say?” “Damn Farnaby!” Rufus was secretly conscious of an immense sense of relief.
Chapter 15 of The Fallen Leaves is here in full — 134 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/26 · 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.
used as expletives
From this reading ““Damn Farnaby!””
(of the elements) in a wild and stormy manner
From this reading “Rufus found his friend at the lodgings, prostrate on the sofa, smoking furiously.”
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading “Rufus was secretly conscious of an immense sense of relief.”
temporary living quarters
From this reading “Rufus found his friend at the lodgings, prostrate on the sofa, smoking furiously.”
get into a prostrate position, as in submission
From this reading “Rufus found his friend at the lodgings, prostrate on the sofa, smoking furiously.”
in secrecy; not openly
From this reading “Rufus was secretly conscious of an immense sense of relief.”
the act of smoking tobacco or other substances
From this reading “Rufus found his friend at the lodgings, prostrate on the sofa, smoking furiously.”
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading “Rufus found his friend at the lodgings, prostrate on the sofa, smoking furiously.”
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 Before a word had passed between them, it was plain to the New Englander that something had gone wrong.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Rufus was secretly conscious of an immense sense of relief.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Well,” he asked; “and what does Farnaby say?”
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Well,” he asked; “and what does Farnaby say?”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Rufus found his friend at the lodgings, prostrate on the sofa, smoking furiously.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Before a word had passed between them, it was plain to the New Englander that something had gone wrong.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading Before a word had passed between them, it was plain to the New Englander that something had gone wrong.
intentionally conceived
From this reading Rufus was secretly conscious of an immense sense of relief.
used as expletives
From this reading “Damn Farnaby!”
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Well,” he asked; “and what does Farnaby say?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Before a word had passed between them, it was plain to the New Englander that something had gone wrong.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Well,” he asked; “and what does Farnaby say?”
set up or found
From this reading Rufus found his friend at the lodgings, prostrate on the sofa, smoking furiously.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading Rufus found his friend at the lodgings, prostrate on the sofa, smoking furiously.
(of the elements) in a wild and stormy manner
From this reading Rufus found his friend at the lodgings, prostrate on the sofa, smoking furiously.
destroyed or killed
From this reading Before a word had passed between them, it was plain to the New Englander that something had gone wrong.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Before a word had passed between them, it was plain to the New Englander that something had gone wrong.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Well,” he asked; “and what does Farnaby say?”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Rufus found his friend at the lodgings, prostrate on the sofa, smoking furiously.
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading Rufus was secretly conscious of an immense sense of relief.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Before a word had passed between them, it was plain to the New Englander that something had gone wrong.
temporary living quarters
From this reading Rufus found his friend at the lodgings, prostrate on the sofa, smoking furiously.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading Before a word had passed between them, it was plain to the New Englander that something had gone wrong.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Rufus was secretly conscious of an immense sense of relief.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Rufus found his friend at the lodgings, prostrate on the sofa, smoking furiously.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading Before a word had passed between them, it was plain to the New Englander that something had gone wrong.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading Before a word had passed between them, it was plain to the New Englander that something had gone wrong.
get into a prostrate position, as in submission
From this reading Rufus found his friend at the lodgings, prostrate on the sofa, smoking furiously.
the feeling that comes when something burdensome is removed or reduced
From this reading Rufus was secretly conscious of an immense sense of relief.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Rufus found his friend at the lodgings, prostrate on the sofa, smoking furiously.
express in words
From this reading “Well,” he asked; “and what does Farnaby say?”
in secrecy; not openly
From this reading Rufus was secretly conscious of an immense sense of relief.
a general conscious awareness
From this reading Rufus was secretly conscious of an immense sense of relief.
the act of smoking tobacco or other substances
From this reading Rufus found his friend at the lodgings, prostrate on the sofa, smoking furiously.
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading Rufus found his friend at the lodgings, prostrate on the sofa, smoking furiously.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Before a word had passed between them, it was plain to the New Englander that something had gone wrong.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Before a word had passed between them, it was plain to the New Englander that something had gone wrong.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Rufus found his friend at the lodgings, prostrate on the sofa, smoking furiously.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Before a word had passed between them, it was plain to the New Englander that something had gone wrong.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Before a word had passed between them, it was plain to the New Englander that something had gone wrong.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Before a word had passed between them, it was plain to the New Englander that something had gone wrong.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “Well,” he asked; “and what does Farnaby say?”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “Well,” he asked; “and what does Farnaby say?”
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading Before a word had passed between them, it was plain to the New Englander that something had gone wrong.
not correct; not in conformity with fact or truth
From this reading Before a word had passed between them, it was plain to the New Englander that something had gone wrong.
Chapter 15 of The Fallen Leaves by Wilkie Collins holds 134 sentences, grouped into 27 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 15 holds 134 sentences of The Fallen Leaves, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of The Fallen Leaves by Wilkie Collins exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 134 sentences, grouped into 27 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 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 27 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 15 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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Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Fallen Leaves section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Fallen Leaves 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 Fallen Leaves, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
