Chapter 15 of The Loom of Youth is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of The Loom of Youth is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Like a huge reel of thread the long winter term unrolled itself. November drifted by with its gusty winds that shrieked in the empty cloisters. December came with its dark mornings and steadily falling rains. The First Fifteen matches were over. Dulbridge and Tonford had both been beaten handsomely; Mansell had got his Firsts.
Chapter 15 of The Loom of Youth is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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 “cloister” — residence that is a place of religious seclusion (such as a monastery)
From this reading “November drifted by with its gusty winds that shrieked in the empty cloisters.”
plural of “first” — the first or highest in an ordering or series
From this reading “Dulbridge and Tonford had both been beaten handsomely; Mansell had got his Firsts.”
blowing in puffs or short intermittent blasts
From this reading “November drifted by with its gusty winds that shrieked in the empty cloisters.”
in an attractively handsome manner
From this reading “Dulbridge and Tonford had both been beaten handsomely; Mansell had got his Firsts.”
plural of “morning” — the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading “December came with its dark mornings and steadily falling rains.”
plural of “rain” — water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading “December came with its dark mornings and steadily falling rains.”
walk as if unable to control one's movements
From this reading “Like a huge reel of thread the long winter term unrolled itself.”
past form of “unroll” — reverse the winding or twisting of
From this reading “Like a huge reel of thread the long winter term unrolled itself.”
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 Like a huge reel of thread the long winter term unrolled itself.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading December came with its dark mornings and steadily falling rains.
formed or made thin by hammering
From this reading Dulbridge and Tonford had both been beaten handsomely; Mansell had got his Firsts.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Dulbridge and Tonford had both been beaten handsomely; Mansell had got his Firsts.
the two together, not just one
From this reading Dulbridge and Tonford had both been beaten handsomely; Mansell had got his Firsts.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading November drifted by with its gusty winds that shrieked in the empty cloisters.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading December came with its dark mornings and steadily falling rains.
plural of “cloister” — residence that is a place of religious seclusion (such as a monastery)
From this reading November drifted by with its gusty winds that shrieked in the empty cloisters.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading December came with its dark mornings and steadily falling rains.
the last (12th) month of the year
From this reading December came with its dark mornings and steadily falling rains.
past form of “drift” — be in motion due to some air or water current
From this reading November drifted by with its gusty winds that shrieked in the empty cloisters.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dulbridge and Tonford had both been beaten handsomely; Mansell had got his Firsts.
make void or empty of contents
From this reading November drifted by with its gusty winds that shrieked in the empty cloisters.
decreasing in amount or degree
From this reading December came with its dark mornings and steadily falling rains.
the cardinal number that is the sum of fourteen and one
From this reading The First Fifteen matches were over.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The First Fifteen matches were over.
plural of “first” — the first or highest in an ordering or series
From this reading Dulbridge and Tonford had both been beaten handsomely; Mansell had got his Firsts.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Dulbridge and Tonford had both been beaten handsomely; Mansell had got his Firsts.
blowing in puffs or short intermittent blasts
From this reading November drifted by with its gusty winds that shrieked in the empty cloisters.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Dulbridge and Tonford had both been beaten handsomely; Mansell had got his Firsts.
in an attractively handsome manner
From this reading Dulbridge and Tonford had both been beaten handsomely; Mansell had got his Firsts.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Dulbridge and Tonford had both been beaten handsomely; Mansell had got his Firsts.
unusually great in size or amount or degree or especially extent or scope
From this reading Like a huge reel of thread the long winter term unrolled itself.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading November drifted by with its gusty winds that shrieked in the empty cloisters.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading November drifted by with its gusty winds that shrieked in the empty cloisters.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading Like a huge reel of thread the long winter term unrolled itself.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Like a huge reel of thread the long winter term unrolled itself.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Like a huge reel of thread the long winter term unrolled itself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dulbridge and Tonford had both been beaten handsomely; Mansell had got his Firsts.
plural of “match” — lighter consisting of a thin piece of wood or cardboard tipped with combustible chemical; ignites with friction
From this reading The First Fifteen matches were over.
plural of “morning” — the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading December came with its dark mornings and steadily falling rains.
the month following October and preceding December
From this reading November drifted by with its gusty winds that shrieked in the empty cloisters.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Like a huge reel of thread the long winter term unrolled itself.
above and across; more than
From this reading The First Fifteen matches were over.
plural of “rain” — water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading December came with its dark mornings and steadily falling rains.
walk as if unable to control one's movements
From this reading Like a huge reel of thread the long winter term unrolled itself.
uttered in a shrill scream as of pain or terror
From this reading November drifted by with its gusty winds that shrieked in the empty cloisters.
at a steady rate or pace
From this reading December came with its dark mornings and steadily falling rains.
a word or expression used for some particular thing
From this reading Like a huge reel of thread the long winter term unrolled itself.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading November drifted by with its gusty winds that shrieked in the empty cloisters.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Like a huge reel of thread the long winter term unrolled itself.
to move or cause to move in a sinuous, spiral, or circular course
From this reading Like a huge reel of thread the long winter term unrolled itself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dulbridge and Tonford had both been beaten handsomely; Mansell had got his Firsts.
past form of “unroll” — reverse the winding or twisting of
From this reading Like a huge reel of thread the long winter term unrolled itself.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The First Fifteen matches were over.
plural of “wind” — air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading November drifted by with its gusty winds that shrieked in the empty cloisters.
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading Like a huge reel of thread the long winter term unrolled itself.
in the company of; together with
From this reading November drifted by with its gusty winds that shrieked in the empty cloisters.
Chapter 15 of The Loom of Youth by Alec Waugh holds 120 sentences, grouped into 24 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 120 sentences of The Loom of Youth, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of The Loom of Youth by Alec Waugh exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 120 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 Loom of Youth by Alec Waugh on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7309 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18863 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18863, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1462 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Loom of Youth section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Loom of Youth 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 Loom of Youth, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
