Chapter 15 of The Great American Novel is here in full — 49 sentences across 10 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of The Great American Novel is here in full — 49 sentences across 10 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It was another day ended. Another day added to the days that had gone before. Merest superstition. The eternal moment remained twining in its hair the flowers of yesterday and tomorrow. The newer street lights sparked in the dark.
Chapter 15 of The Great American Novel is here in full — 49 sentences across 10 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/9 · 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.
continuing forever or indefinitely
From this reading “The eternal moment remained twining in its hair the flowers of yesterday and tomorrow.”
plural of “light” — (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation
From this reading “The newer street lights sparked in the dark.”
superlative of “mere” — being nothing more than specified
From this reading “Merest superstition.”
comparative of “new” — not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading “The newer street lights sparked in the dark.”
past form of “spark” — put in motion or move to act
From this reading “The newer street lights sparked in the dark.”
an irrational belief arising from ignorance or fear
From this reading “Merest superstition.”
the day after today
From this reading “The eternal moment remained twining in its hair the flowers of yesterday and tomorrow.”
-ing form of “twine” — spin, wind, or twist together
From this reading “The eternal moment remained twining in its hair the flowers of yesterday and tomorrow.”
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 newer street lights sparked in the dark.”
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.
past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading Another day added to the days that had gone before.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The eternal moment remained twining in its hair the flowers of yesterday and tomorrow.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading It was another day ended.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Another day added to the days that had gone before.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading The newer street lights sparked in the dark.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading It was another day ended.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading Another day added to the days that had gone before.
having come or been brought to a conclusion
From this reading It was another day ended.
continuing forever or indefinitely
From this reading The eternal moment remained twining in its hair the flowers of yesterday and tomorrow.
plural of “flower” — a plant cultivated for its blooms or blossoms
From this reading The eternal moment remained twining in its hair the flowers of yesterday and tomorrow.
destroyed or killed
From this reading Another day added to the days that had gone before.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Another day added to the days that had gone before.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading The eternal moment remained twining in its hair the flowers of yesterday and tomorrow.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The eternal moment remained twining in its hair the flowers of yesterday and tomorrow.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was another day ended.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading The eternal moment remained twining in its hair the flowers of yesterday and tomorrow.
plural of “light” — (physics) electromagnetic radiation that can produce a visual sensation
From this reading The newer street lights sparked in the dark.
superlative of “mere” — being nothing more than specified
From this reading Merest superstition.
a particular point in time
From this reading The eternal moment remained twining in its hair the flowers of yesterday and tomorrow.
comparative of “new” — not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading The newer street lights sparked in the dark.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The eternal moment remained twining in its hair the flowers of yesterday and tomorrow.
past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading The eternal moment remained twining in its hair the flowers of yesterday and tomorrow.
past form of “spark” — put in motion or move to act
From this reading The newer street lights sparked in the dark.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading The newer street lights sparked in the dark.
an irrational belief arising from ignorance or fear
From this reading Merest superstition.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Another day added to the days that had gone before.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Another day added to the days that had gone before.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Another day added to the days that had gone before.
the day after today
From this reading The eternal moment remained twining in its hair the flowers of yesterday and tomorrow.
-ing form of “twine” — spin, wind, or twist together
From this reading The eternal moment remained twining in its hair the flowers of yesterday and tomorrow.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was another day ended.
the day immediately before today
From this reading The eternal moment remained twining in its hair the flowers of yesterday and tomorrow.
Chapter 15 of The Great American Novel by William Carlos Williams holds 49 sentences, grouped into 10 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 49 sentences of The Great American Novel, unabridged, divided into 10 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of The Great American Novel by William Carlos Williams exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 49 sentences, grouped into 10 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 10 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 10 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.
Common questions about reading The Great American Novel by William Carlos Williams on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1885 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63888 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #63888, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 157 minutes of reading across 377 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Great American Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of The Great American 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 Great American Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
