Chapter 13 of The Lamp in the Desert is here in full — 492 sentences across 99 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of The Lamp in the Desert is here in full — 492 sentences across 99 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE OASIS For two months Tommy possessed his impulsive soul in patience. For two months he watched Monck go his impassive and inscrutable way, asking no further question. The gaieties of the station were in full swing. Christmas was close at hand. Stella was making definite plans for departure in the New Year.
Chapter 13 of The Lamp in the Desert is here in full — 492 sentences across 99 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/98 · 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.
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading “Christmas was close at hand.”
precise; explicit and clearly defined
From this reading “Stella was making definite plans for departure in the New Year.”
having or revealing little emotion or sensibility; not easily aroused or excited
From this reading “For two months he watched Monck go his impassive and inscrutable way, asking no further question.”
proceeding from natural feeling or impulse without external stimulus
From this reading “THE OASIS For two months Tommy possessed his impulsive soul in patience.”
of an obscure nature
From this reading “For two months he watched Monck go his impassive and inscrutable way, asking no further question.”
a fertile tract in a desert (where the water table approaches the surface)
From this reading “THE OASIS For two months Tommy possessed his impulsive soul in patience.”
United States minimalist painter (born in 1936)
From this reading “Stella was making definite plans for departure in the New Year.”
move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading “The gaieties of the station were in full swing.”
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 For two months he watched Monck go his impassive and inscrutable way, asking no further question.
the verbal act of requesting
From this reading For two months he watched Monck go his impassive and inscrutable way, asking no further question.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Christmas was close at hand.
period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6
From this reading Christmas was close at hand.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading Christmas was close at hand.
precise; explicit and clearly defined
From this reading Stella was making definite plans for departure in the New Year.
the act of departing
From this reading Stella was making definite plans for departure in the New Year.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading THE OASIS For two months Tommy possessed his impulsive soul in patience.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading The gaieties of the station were in full swing.
to or at a greater extent or degree or a more advanced stage (“further” is used more often than “farther” in this abstract sense)
From this reading For two months he watched Monck go his impassive and inscrutable way, asking no further question.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The gaieties of the station were in full swing.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading For two months he watched Monck go his impassive and inscrutable way, asking no further question.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Christmas was close at hand.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For two months he watched Monck go his impassive and inscrutable way, asking no further question.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading THE OASIS For two months Tommy possessed his impulsive soul in patience.
having or revealing little emotion or sensibility; not easily aroused or excited
From this reading For two months he watched Monck go his impassive and inscrutable way, asking no further question.
proceeding from natural feeling or impulse without external stimulus
From this reading THE OASIS For two months Tommy possessed his impulsive soul in patience.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE OASIS For two months Tommy possessed his impulsive soul in patience.
of an obscure nature
From this reading For two months he watched Monck go his impassive and inscrutable way, asking no further question.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading Stella was making definite plans for departure in the New Year.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading For two months he watched Monck go his impassive and inscrutable way, asking no further question.
plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading THE OASIS For two months Tommy possessed his impulsive soul in patience.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading Stella was making definite plans for departure in the New Year.
not any; not one
From this reading For two months he watched Monck go his impassive and inscrutable way, asking no further question.
a fertile tract in a desert (where the water table approaches the surface)
From this reading THE OASIS For two months Tommy possessed his impulsive soul in patience.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The gaieties of the station were in full swing.
good-natured tolerance of delay or incompetence
From this reading THE OASIS For two months Tommy possessed his impulsive soul in patience.
plural of “plan” — a series of steps to be carried out or goals to be accomplished
From this reading Stella was making definite plans for departure in the New Year.
influenced or controlled by a powerful force such as a strong emotion
From this reading THE OASIS For two months Tommy possessed his impulsive soul in patience.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading For two months he watched Monck go his impassive and inscrutable way, asking no further question.
the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life
From this reading THE OASIS For two months Tommy possessed his impulsive soul in patience.
a facility equipped with special equipment and personnel for a particular purpose
From this reading The gaieties of the station were in full swing.
United States minimalist painter (born in 1936)
From this reading Stella was making definite plans for departure in the New Year.
move in a curve or arc, usually with the intent of hitting
From this reading The gaieties of the station were in full swing.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE OASIS For two months Tommy possessed his impulsive soul in patience.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE OASIS For two months Tommy possessed his impulsive soul in patience.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading THE OASIS For two months Tommy possessed his impulsive soul in patience.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Christmas was close at hand.
past form of “watch” — look attentively
From this reading For two months he watched Monck go his impassive and inscrutable way, asking no further question.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading For two months he watched Monck go his impassive and inscrutable way, asking no further question.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The gaieties of the station were in full swing.
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading Stella was making definite plans for departure in the New Year.
Chapter 13 of The Lamp in the Desert by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell holds 492 sentences, grouped into 99 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 13 holds 492 sentences of The Lamp in the Desert, unabridged, divided into 99 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of The Lamp in the Desert by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 492 sentences, grouped into 99 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 99 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 99 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 13 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 Lamp in the Desert by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 10475 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13763 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #13763, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2095 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Lamp in the Desert section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 35 chapters of The Lamp in the Desert 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 Lamp in the Desert, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
