Chapter 14 of The Oyster is here in full — 1166 sentences across 234 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of The Oyster is here in full — 1166 sentences across 234 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Spring again, dancing backwards from summer's hot grasp. Light winds whispering wantonly as they caressed the waking earth. Soft sunlight, and everywhere the scent of narcissi, the blaze of golden daffodils. The brown drawing-room had known no change during the passing months. It was as stiffly hideous as ever.
Chapter 14 of The Oyster is here in full — 1166 sentences across 234 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/233 · 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.
at or to or toward the back or rear
From this reading “Spring again, dancing backwards from summer's hot grasp.”
past form of “caress” — touch or stroke lightly in a loving or endearing manner
From this reading “Light winds whispering wantonly as they caressed the waking earth.”
plural of “daffodil” — any of numerous varieties of Narcissus plants having showy often yellow flowers with a trumpet-shaped central crown
From this reading “Soft sunlight, and everywhere the scent of narcissi, the blaze of golden daffodils.”
in a stiff manner
From this reading “It was as stiffly hideous as ever.”
possessive form of “summer” — the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading “Spring again, dancing backwards from summer's hot grasp.”
Risen from sleep; conscious.
From this reading “Light winds whispering wantonly as they caressed the waking earth.”
in a wanton manner
From this reading “Light winds whispering wantonly as they caressed the waking earth.”
a light noise, like the noise of silk clothing or leaves blowing in the wind
From this reading “Light winds whispering wantonly as they caressed the waking earth.”
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.
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.
anew
From this reading Spring again, dancing backwards from summer's hot grasp.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Soft sunlight, and everywhere the scent of narcissi, the blaze of golden daffodils.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Light winds whispering wantonly as they caressed the waking earth.
at or to or toward the back or rear
From this reading Spring again, dancing backwards from summer's hot grasp.
a strong flame that burns brightly
From this reading Soft sunlight, and everywhere the scent of narcissi, the blaze of golden daffodils.
an orange of low brightness and saturation
From this reading The brown drawing-room had known no change during the passing months.
past form of “caress” — touch or stroke lightly in a loving or endearing manner
From this reading Light winds whispering wantonly as they caressed the waking earth.
cause to change; make different; cause a transformation
From this reading The brown drawing-room had known no change during the passing months.
plural of “daffodil” — any of numerous varieties of Narcissus plants having showy often yellow flowers with a trumpet-shaped central crown
From this reading Soft sunlight, and everywhere the scent of narcissi, the blaze of golden daffodils.
taking a series of rhythmical steps (and movements) in time to music
From this reading Spring again, dancing backwards from summer's hot grasp.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The brown drawing-room had known no change during the passing months.
all through a period, or at some point within it
From this reading The brown drawing-room had known no change during the passing months.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading Light winds whispering wantonly as they caressed the waking earth.
at any time
From this reading It was as stiffly hideous as ever.
to or in any or all places
From this reading Soft sunlight, and everywhere the scent of narcissi, the blaze of golden daffodils.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Spring again, dancing backwards from summer's hot grasp.
having the deep slightly brownish color of gold
From this reading Soft sunlight, and everywhere the scent of narcissi, the blaze of golden daffodils.
hold firmly
From this reading Spring again, dancing backwards from summer's hot grasp.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The brown drawing-room had known no change during the passing months.
grossly offensive to decency or morality; causing horror
From this reading It was as stiffly hideous as ever.
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading Spring again, dancing backwards from summer's hot grasp.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was as stiffly hideous as ever.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading The brown drawing-room had known no change during the passing months.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading Light winds whispering wantonly as they caressed the waking earth.
plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading The brown drawing-room had known no change during the passing months.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Soft sunlight, and everywhere the scent of narcissi, the blaze of golden daffodils.
not any; not one
From this reading The brown drawing-room had known no change during the passing months.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Soft sunlight, and everywhere the scent of narcissi, the blaze of golden daffodils.
(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate
From this reading The brown drawing-room had known no change during the passing months.
A distinctive smell or aroma.
From this reading Soft sunlight, and everywhere the scent of narcissi, the blaze of golden daffodils.
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading Soft sunlight, and everywhere the scent of narcissi, the blaze of golden daffodils.
the season of growth
From this reading Spring again, dancing backwards from summer's hot grasp.
in a stiff manner
From this reading It was as stiffly hideous as ever.
possessive form of “summer” — the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading Spring again, dancing backwards from summer's hot grasp.
the rays of the sun
From this reading Soft sunlight, and everywhere the scent of narcissi, the blaze of golden daffodils.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Light winds whispering wantonly as they caressed the waking earth.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Light winds whispering wantonly as they caressed the waking earth.
Risen from sleep; conscious.
From this reading Light winds whispering wantonly as they caressed the waking earth.
in a wanton manner
From this reading Light winds whispering wantonly as they caressed the waking earth.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was as stiffly hideous as ever.
a light noise, like the noise of silk clothing or leaves blowing in the wind
From this reading Light winds whispering wantonly as they caressed the waking earth.
plural of “wind” — air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading Light winds whispering wantonly as they caressed the waking earth.
Chapter 14 of The Oyster by Peer holds 1166 sentences, grouped into 234 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 14 holds 1166 sentences of The Oyster, unabridged, divided into 234 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of The Oyster by Peer exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 1166 sentences, grouped into 234 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 234 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 234 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 14 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 Oyster by Peer on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6910 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35217 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #35217, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 575 minutes of reading across 1382 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Oyster section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of The Oyster 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 Oyster, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
