Chapter XV of The Joss: A Reversion, “An Ultimatum,” is here in full — 269 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter XV of The Joss: A Reversion, “An Ultimatum,” is here in full — 269 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
What had happened I could not think, nor where I was. It was pitch dark. I had been roused from sound sleep, as it seemed, by someone falling over me, who was making vigorous efforts at my expense to regain a footing. I remonstrated. “Who is it? what are you doing?”
Chapter XV of The Joss: A Reversion, “An Ultimatum,” is here in full — 269 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/53 · 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 “effort” — earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading “I had been roused from sound sleep, as it seemed, by someone falling over me, who was making vigorous efforts at my expense to regain a footing.”
amounts paid for goods and services that may be currently tax deductible (as opposed to capital expenditures)
From this reading “I had been roused from sound sleep, as it seemed, by someone falling over me, who was making vigorous efforts at my expense to regain a footing.”
status with respect to the relations between people or groups
From this reading “I had been roused from sound sleep, as it seemed, by someone falling over me, who was making vigorous efforts at my expense to regain a footing.”
the property of sound that varies with variation in the frequency of vibration
From this reading “It was pitch dark.”
get or find back; recover the use of
From this reading “I had been roused from sound sleep, as it seemed, by someone falling over me, who was making vigorous efforts at my expense to regain a footing.”
past form of “rouse” — become active
From this reading “I had been roused from sound sleep, as it seemed, by someone falling over me, who was making vigorous efforts at my expense to regain a footing.”
a person, without saying who
From this reading “I had been roused from sound sleep, as it seemed, by someone falling over me, who was making vigorous efforts at my expense to regain a footing.”
characterized by forceful and energetic action or activity
From this reading “I had been roused from sound sleep, as it seemed, by someone falling over me, who was making vigorous efforts at my expense to regain a footing.”
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 “It was pitch dark.”
In this reading “I had been roused from sound sleep, as it seemed, by someone falling over me, who was making vigorous efforts at my expense to regain a footing.”
In this reading “I had been roused from sound sleep, as it seemed, by someone falling over me, who was making vigorous efforts at my expense to regain a footing.”
In this reading “I had been roused from sound sleep, as it seemed, by someone falling over me, who was making vigorous efforts at my expense to regain a footing.”
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 I had been roused from sound sleep, as it seemed, by someone falling over me, who was making vigorous efforts at my expense to regain a footing.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Who is it? what are you doing?”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I had been roused from sound sleep, as it seemed, by someone falling over me, who was making vigorous efforts at my expense to regain a footing.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I had been roused from sound sleep, as it seemed, by someone falling over me, who was making vigorous efforts at my expense to regain a footing.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading I had been roused from sound sleep, as it seemed, by someone falling over me, who was making vigorous efforts at my expense to regain a footing.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading I had been roused from sound sleep, as it seemed, by someone falling over me, who was making vigorous efforts at my expense to regain a footing.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading What had happened I could not think, nor where I was.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading It was pitch dark.
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading “Who is it? what are you doing?”
plural of “effort” — earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading I had been roused from sound sleep, as it seemed, by someone falling over me, who was making vigorous efforts at my expense to regain a footing.
amounts paid for goods and services that may be currently tax deductible (as opposed to capital expenditures)
From this reading I had been roused from sound sleep, as it seemed, by someone falling over me, who was making vigorous efforts at my expense to regain a footing.
decreasing in amount or degree
From this reading I had been roused from sound sleep, as it seemed, by someone falling over me, who was making vigorous efforts at my expense to regain a footing.
status with respect to the relations between people or groups
From this reading I had been roused from sound sleep, as it seemed, by someone falling over me, who was making vigorous efforts at my expense to regain a footing.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading I had been roused from sound sleep, as it seemed, by someone falling over me, who was making vigorous efforts at my expense to regain a footing.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading What had happened I could not think, nor where I was.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading What had happened I could not think, nor where I was.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading What had happened I could not think, nor where I was.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Who is it? what are you doing?”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was pitch dark.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading I had been roused from sound sleep, as it seemed, by someone falling over me, who was making vigorous efforts at my expense to regain a footing.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I had been roused from sound sleep, as it seemed, by someone falling over me, who was making vigorous efforts at my expense to regain a footing.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I had been roused from sound sleep, as it seemed, by someone falling over me, who was making vigorous efforts at my expense to regain a footing.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading What had happened I could not think, nor where I was.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading What had happened I could not think, nor where I was.
above and across; more than
From this reading I had been roused from sound sleep, as it seemed, by someone falling over me, who was making vigorous efforts at my expense to regain a footing.
the property of sound that varies with variation in the frequency of vibration
From this reading It was pitch dark.
get or find back; recover the use of
From this reading I had been roused from sound sleep, as it seemed, by someone falling over me, who was making vigorous efforts at my expense to regain a footing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I remonstrated.
past form of “rouse” — become active
From this reading I had been roused from sound sleep, as it seemed, by someone falling over me, who was making vigorous efforts at my expense to regain a footing.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading I had been roused from sound sleep, as it seemed, by someone falling over me, who was making vigorous efforts at my expense to regain a footing.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading I had been roused from sound sleep, as it seemed, by someone falling over me, who was making vigorous efforts at my expense to regain a footing.
a person, without saying who
From this reading I had been roused from sound sleep, as it seemed, by someone falling over me, who was making vigorous efforts at my expense to regain a footing.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading I had been roused from sound sleep, as it seemed, by someone falling over me, who was making vigorous efforts at my expense to regain a footing.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading What had happened I could not think, nor where I was.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I had been roused from sound sleep, as it seemed, by someone falling over me, who was making vigorous efforts at my expense to regain a footing.
characterized by forceful and energetic action or activity
From this reading I had been roused from sound sleep, as it seemed, by someone falling over me, who was making vigorous efforts at my expense to regain a footing.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading What had happened I could not think, nor where I was.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What had happened I could not think, nor where I was.
in or at the place that
From this reading What had happened I could not think, nor where I was.
which person or people
From this reading I had been roused from sound sleep, as it seemed, by someone falling over me, who was making vigorous efforts at my expense to regain a footing.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Who is it? what are you doing?”
Chapter 15 of The Joss: A Reversion by Richard Marsh holds 269 sentences, grouped into 54 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 269 sentences of The Joss: A Reversion, unabridged, divided into 54 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of The Joss: A Reversion by Richard Marsh exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 269 sentences, grouped into 54 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 54 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 54 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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Yes. All 7589 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #64997 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #64997, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1518 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Joss: A Reversion section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of The Joss: A Reversion 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 Joss: A Reversion, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
