Chapter 21 of The Lamp in the Desert is here in full — 216 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of The Lamp in the Desert is here in full — 216 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
OUT OF THE DARKNESS "You said Everard was coming. Why doesn't he come? It's very dark--it's very dark! Can he have missed the way?" Feebly, haltingly, the words seemed to wander through the room, breaking a great silence as it were with immense effort.
Chapter 21 of The Lamp in the Desert is here in full — 216 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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.
the act of breaking something
From this reading “Feebly, haltingly, the words seemed to wander through the room, breaking a great silence as it were with immense effort.”
absence of light or illumination
From this reading “OUT OF THE DARKNESS "You said Everard was coming.”
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading “Feebly, haltingly, the words seemed to wander through the room, breaking a great silence as it were with immense effort.”
in a faint and feeble manner
From this reading “Feebly, haltingly, the words seemed to wander through the room, breaking a great silence as it were with immense effort.”
in a halting manner
From this reading “Feebly, haltingly, the words seemed to wander through the room, breaking a great silence as it were with immense effort.”
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading “Feebly, haltingly, the words seemed to wander through the room, breaking a great silence as it were with immense effort.”
not caught with the senses or the mind
From this reading “Can he have missed the way?"”
move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
From this reading “Feebly, haltingly, the words seemed to wander through the room, breaking a great silence as it were with immense effort.”
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 Feebly, haltingly, the words seemed to wander through the room, breaking a great silence as it were with immense effort.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Feebly, haltingly, the words seemed to wander through the room, breaking a great silence as it were with immense effort.
the act of breaking something
From this reading Feebly, haltingly, the words seemed to wander through the room, breaking a great silence as it were with immense effort.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Can he have missed the way?"
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Why doesn't he come?
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading OUT OF THE DARKNESS "You said Everard was coming.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading It's very dark--it's very dark!
absence of light or illumination
From this reading OUT OF THE DARKNESS "You said Everard was coming.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Why doesn't he come?
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading Feebly, haltingly, the words seemed to wander through the room, breaking a great silence as it were with immense effort.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading OUT OF THE DARKNESS "You said Everard was coming.
in a faint and feeble manner
From this reading Feebly, haltingly, the words seemed to wander through the room, breaking a great silence as it were with immense effort.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Feebly, haltingly, the words seemed to wander through the room, breaking a great silence as it were with immense effort.
in a halting manner
From this reading Feebly, haltingly, the words seemed to wander through the room, breaking a great silence as it were with immense effort.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Can he have missed the way?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Why doesn't he come?
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading Feebly, haltingly, the words seemed to wander through the room, breaking a great silence as it were with immense effort.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Feebly, haltingly, the words seemed to wander through the room, breaking a great silence as it were with immense effort.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It's very dark--it's very dark!
not caught with the senses or the mind
From this reading Can he have missed the way?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading OUT OF THE DARKNESS "You said Everard was coming.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading OUT OF THE DARKNESS "You said Everard was coming.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Feebly, haltingly, the words seemed to wander through the room, breaking a great silence as it were with immense effort.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading OUT OF THE DARKNESS "You said Everard was coming.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Feebly, haltingly, the words seemed to wander through the room, breaking a great silence as it were with immense effort.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading Feebly, haltingly, the words seemed to wander through the room, breaking a great silence as it were with immense effort.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading OUT OF THE DARKNESS "You said Everard was coming.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Feebly, haltingly, the words seemed to wander through the room, breaking a great silence as it were with immense effort.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Feebly, haltingly, the words seemed to wander through the room, breaking a great silence as it were with immense effort.
precisely as stated
From this reading It's very dark--it's very dark!
move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
From this reading Feebly, haltingly, the words seemed to wander through the room, breaking a great silence as it were with immense effort.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading OUT OF THE DARKNESS "You said Everard was coming.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Can he have missed the way?"
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Feebly, haltingly, the words seemed to wander through the room, breaking a great silence as it were with immense effort.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why doesn't he come?
in the company of; together with
From this reading Feebly, haltingly, the words seemed to wander through the room, breaking a great silence as it were with immense effort.
the words that are spoken
From this reading Feebly, haltingly, the words seemed to wander through the room, breaking a great silence as it were with immense effort.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading OUT OF THE DARKNESS "You said Everard was coming.
Chapter 21 of The Lamp in the Desert by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell holds 216 sentences, grouped into 44 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 21 holds 216 sentences of The Lamp in the Desert, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 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 216 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 21 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.
