Chapter 23 of The Foolish Virgin is here in full — 152 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of The Foolish Virgin is here in full — 152 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Mary stood overwhelmed by the tragedy she had witnessed. For the time her brain refused to record sensations. She had seen too much, felt too much in the past eight hours. Soul and body were numb. The first impressions of returning consciousness were fixed on Nance.
Chapter 23 of The Foolish Virgin is here in full — 152 sentences across 31 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/30 · 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 “impression” — a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
From this reading “The first impressions of returning consciousness were fixed on Nance.”
offensive term for a homosexual man
From this reading “The first impressions of returning consciousness were fixed on Nance.”
lacking sensation
From this reading “Soul and body were numb.”
past form of “overwhelm” — overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli
From this reading “Mary stood overwhelmed by the tragedy she had witnessed.”
anything (such as a document or a phonograph record or a photograph) providing permanent evidence of or information about past events
From this reading “For the time her brain refused to record sensations.”
plural of “sensation” — an unelaborated elementary awareness of stimulation
From this reading “For the time her brain refused to record sensations.”
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading “Mary stood overwhelmed by the tragedy she had witnessed.”
past form of “witness” — be a witness to
From this reading “Mary stood overwhelmed by the tragedy she had witnessed.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Soul and body were numb.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading Soul and body were numb.
that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord
From this reading For the time her brain refused to record sensations.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Mary stood overwhelmed by the tragedy she had witnessed.
an alert cognitive state in which you are aware of yourself and your situation
From this reading The first impressions of returning consciousness were fixed on Nance.
being one more than seven
From this reading She had seen too much, felt too much in the past eight hours.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading She had seen too much, felt too much in the past eight hours.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The first impressions of returning consciousness were fixed on Nance.
(of a number) having a fixed and unchanging value
From this reading The first impressions of returning consciousness were fixed on Nance.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For the time her brain refused to record sensations.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Mary stood overwhelmed by the tragedy she had witnessed.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading For the time her brain refused to record sensations.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading She had seen too much, felt too much in the past eight hours.
plural of “impression” — a vague idea in which some confidence is placed
From this reading The first impressions of returning consciousness were fixed on Nance.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She had seen too much, felt too much in the past eight hours.
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading Mary stood overwhelmed by the tragedy she had witnessed.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading She had seen too much, felt too much in the past eight hours.
offensive term for a homosexual man
From this reading The first impressions of returning consciousness were fixed on Nance.
lacking sensation
From this reading Soul and body were numb.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The first impressions of returning consciousness were fixed on Nance.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The first impressions of returning consciousness were fixed on Nance.
past form of “overwhelm” — overcome, as with emotions or perceptual stimuli
From this reading Mary stood overwhelmed by the tragedy she had witnessed.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading She had seen too much, felt too much in the past eight hours.
anything (such as a document or a phonograph record or a photograph) providing permanent evidence of or information about past events
From this reading For the time her brain refused to record sensations.
past form of “refuse” — show unwillingness towards
From this reading For the time her brain refused to record sensations.
tending to return to an earlier state
From this reading The first impressions of returning consciousness were fixed on Nance.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading She had seen too much, felt too much in the past eight hours.
plural of “sensation” — an unelaborated elementary awareness of stimulation
From this reading For the time her brain refused to record sensations.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Mary stood overwhelmed by the tragedy she had witnessed.
the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life
From this reading Soul and body were numb.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Mary stood overwhelmed by the tragedy she had witnessed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Mary stood overwhelmed by the tragedy she had witnessed.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading For the time her brain refused to record sensations.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading For the time her brain refused to record sensations.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading She had seen too much, felt too much in the past eight hours.
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading Mary stood overwhelmed by the tragedy she had witnessed.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Soul and body were numb.
past form of “witness” — be a witness to
From this reading Mary stood overwhelmed by the tragedy she had witnessed.
Chapter 23 of The Foolish Virgin by Thomas, Jr. Dixon holds 152 sentences, grouped into 31 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 23 holds 152 sentences of The Foolish Virgin, unabridged, divided into 31 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of The Foolish Virgin by Thomas, Jr. Dixon exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 152 sentences, grouped into 31 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 31 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 31 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.
Common questions about reading The Foolish Virgin by Thomas, Jr. Dixon on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5614 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1634 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1634, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 467 minutes of reading across 1123 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Foolish Virgin section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Foolish Virgin 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 Foolish Virgin, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
