Chapter 25 of The Helpmate is here in full — 232 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXV
Chapter 25 of The Helpmate is here in full — 232 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The light burned in Edith's room till morning; for her spine kept sleep from her through many nights. They no longer said, "She is better, or certainly no worse." They said, "She is worse, or certainly no better." The progress of her death could be reckoned by weeks and measured by inches. Soon they would be giving her morphia, to make her sleep.
Chapter 25 of The Helpmate is here in full — 232 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/46 · 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.
treated by heating to a high temperature but below the melting or fusing point
From this reading “The light burned in Edith's room till morning; for her spine kept sleep from her through many nights.”
plural of “inch” — a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot
From this reading “The progress of her death could be reckoned by weeks and measured by inches.”
having notes of fixed rhythmic value
From this reading “The progress of her death could be reckoned by weeks and measured by inches.”
Periods of darkness between sunset and sunrise.
From this reading “The light burned in Edith's room till morning; for her spine kept sleep from her through many nights.”
gradual improvement or growth or development
From this reading “The progress of her death could be reckoned by weeks and measured by inches.”
past form of “reckon” — expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading “The progress of her death could be reckoned by weeks and measured by inches.”
the series of vertebrae forming the axis of the skeleton and protecting the spinal cord
From this reading “The light burned in Edith's room till morning; for her spine kept sleep from her through many nights.”
plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading “The progress of her death could be reckoned by weeks and measured by inches.”
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 The progress of her death could be reckoned by weeks and measured by inches.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading The progress of her death could be reckoned by weeks and measured by inches.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading They no longer said, "She is better, or certainly no worse."
treated by heating to a high temperature but below the melting or fusing point
From this reading The light burned in Edith's room till morning; for her spine kept sleep from her through many nights.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The progress of her death could be reckoned by weeks and measured by inches.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading They no longer said, "She is better, or certainly no worse."
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading The progress of her death could be reckoned by weeks and measured by inches.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading The progress of her death could be reckoned by weeks and measured by inches.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The light burned in Edith's room till morning; for her spine kept sleep from her through many nights.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The light burned in Edith's room till morning; for her spine kept sleep from her through many nights.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The light burned in Edith's room till morning; for her spine kept sleep from her through many nights.
the act of giving
From this reading Soon they would be giving her morphia, to make her sleep.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The light burned in Edith's room till morning; for her spine kept sleep from her through many nights.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The light burned in Edith's room till morning; for her spine kept sleep from her through many nights.
plural of “inch” — a unit of length equal to one twelfth of a foot
From this reading The progress of her death could be reckoned by weeks and measured by inches.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading They no longer said, "She is better, or certainly no worse."
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading The light burned in Edith's room till morning; for her spine kept sleep from her through many nights.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading The light burned in Edith's room till morning; for her spine kept sleep from her through many nights.
for more time
From this reading They no longer said, "She is better, or certainly no worse."
engage in
From this reading Soon they would be giving her morphia, to make her sleep.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading The light burned in Edith's room till morning; for her spine kept sleep from her through many nights.
having notes of fixed rhythmic value
From this reading The progress of her death could be reckoned by weeks and measured by inches.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading The light burned in Edith's room till morning; for her spine kept sleep from her through many nights.
an alkaloid narcotic drug extracted from opium; a powerful, habit-forming narcotic used to relieve pain
From this reading Soon they would be giving her morphia, to make her sleep.
Periods of darkness between sunset and sunrise.
From this reading The light burned in Edith's room till morning; for her spine kept sleep from her through many nights.
not any; not one
From this reading They no longer said, "She is better, or certainly no worse."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The progress of her death could be reckoned by weeks and measured by inches.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading They no longer said, "She is better, or certainly no worse."
gradual improvement or growth or development
From this reading The progress of her death could be reckoned by weeks and measured by inches.
past form of “reckon” — expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading The progress of her death could be reckoned by weeks and measured by inches.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading The light burned in Edith's room till morning; for her spine kept sleep from her through many nights.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading They no longer said, "She is better, or certainly no worse."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They no longer said, "She is better, or certainly no worse."
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading The light burned in Edith's room till morning; for her spine kept sleep from her through many nights.
in the near future
From this reading Soon they would be giving her morphia, to make her sleep.
the series of vertebrae forming the axis of the skeleton and protecting the spinal cord
From this reading The light burned in Edith's room till morning; for her spine kept sleep from her through many nights.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The light burned in Edith's room till morning; for her spine kept sleep from her through many nights.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They no longer said, "She is better, or certainly no worse."
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading The light burned in Edith's room till morning; for her spine kept sleep from her through many nights.
up to a particular time
From this reading The light burned in Edith's room till morning; for her spine kept sleep from her through many nights.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Soon they would be giving her morphia, to make her sleep.
plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading The progress of her death could be reckoned by weeks and measured by inches.
(comparative of “bad”) inferior to another in quality or condition or desirability
From this reading They no longer said, "She is better, or certainly no worse."
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Soon they would be giving her morphia, to make her sleep.
Chapter 25 of The Helpmate by May Sinclair holds 232 sentences, grouped into 47 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 25 holds 232 sentences of The Helpmate, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 25 of The Helpmate by May Sinclair exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 232 sentences, grouped into 47 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 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 47 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 25 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 Helpmate by May Sinclair on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9581 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #17867 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #17867, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1917 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Helpmate section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 38 chapters of The Helpmate 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 Helpmate, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
