Chapter 19 of The Quest is here in full — 126 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIX
Chapter 19 of The Quest is here in full — 126 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Señor Custodio and His Establishment--The Free Life. And he was in the midst of the most ravishing dreams when a harsh voice recalled him to the bitter, impure realities of existence. "What are you doing there, loafer?" some one was asking him. "I!" mumbled Manuel, opening his eyes and staring at his questioner.
Chapter 19 of The Quest is here in full — 126 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/25 · 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 forming or establishing something
From this reading “Señor Custodio and His Establishment--The Free Life.”
unpleasantly stern
From this reading “And he was in the midst of the most ravishing dreams when a harsh voice recalled him to the bitter, impure realities of existence.”
combined with extraneous elements
From this reading “And he was in the midst of the most ravishing dreams when a harsh voice recalled him to the bitter, impure realities of existence.”
person who does no work
From this reading “"What are you doing there, loafer?" some one was asking him.”
past form of “mumble” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading “"I!" mumbled Manuel, opening his eyes and staring at his questioner.”
someone who asks a question
From this reading “"I!" mumbled Manuel, opening his eyes and staring at his questioner.”
stunningly beautiful
From this reading “And he was in the midst of the most ravishing dreams when a harsh voice recalled him to the bitter, impure realities of existence.”
plural of “reality” — all of your experiences that determine how things appear to you
From this reading “And he was in the midst of the most ravishing dreams when a harsh voice recalled him to the bitter, impure realities of existence.”
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 And he was in the midst of the most ravishing dreams when a harsh voice recalled him to the bitter, impure realities of existence.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Señor Custodio and His Establishment--The Free Life.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "What are you doing there, loafer?" some one was asking him.
the verbal act of requesting
From this reading "What are you doing there, loafer?" some one was asking him.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "I!" mumbled Manuel, opening his eyes and staring at his questioner.
marked by strong resentment or cynicism
From this reading And he was in the midst of the most ravishing dreams when a harsh voice recalled him to the bitter, impure realities of existence.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Señor Custodio and His Establishment--The Free Life.
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading "What are you doing there, loafer?" some one was asking him.
plural of “dream” — a series of mental images and emotions occurring during sleep
From this reading And he was in the midst of the most ravishing dreams when a harsh voice recalled him to the bitter, impure realities of existence.
the act of forming or establishing something
From this reading Señor Custodio and His Establishment--The Free Life.
the state or fact of existing
From this reading And he was in the midst of the most ravishing dreams when a harsh voice recalled him to the bitter, impure realities of existence.
opinion or judgment
From this reading "I!" mumbled Manuel, opening his eyes and staring at his questioner.
grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading Señor Custodio and His Establishment--The Free Life.
unpleasantly stern
From this reading And he was in the midst of the most ravishing dreams when a harsh voice recalled him to the bitter, impure realities of existence.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And he was in the midst of the most ravishing dreams when a harsh voice recalled him to the bitter, impure realities of existence.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading And he was in the midst of the most ravishing dreams when a harsh voice recalled him to the bitter, impure realities of existence.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Señor Custodio and His Establishment--The Free Life.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I!" mumbled Manuel, opening his eyes and staring at his questioner.
combined with extraneous elements
From this reading And he was in the midst of the most ravishing dreams when a harsh voice recalled him to the bitter, impure realities of existence.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading And he was in the midst of the most ravishing dreams when a harsh voice recalled him to the bitter, impure realities of existence.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Señor Custodio and His Establishment--The Free Life.
person who does no work
From this reading "What are you doing there, loafer?" some one was asking him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I!" mumbled Manuel, opening his eyes and staring at his questioner.
the location of something surrounded by other things
From this reading And he was in the midst of the most ravishing dreams when a harsh voice recalled him to the bitter, impure realities of existence.
used to form the superlative
From this reading And he was in the midst of the most ravishing dreams when a harsh voice recalled him to the bitter, impure realities of existence.
past form of “mumble” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading "I!" mumbled Manuel, opening his eyes and staring at his questioner.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And he was in the midst of the most ravishing dreams when a harsh voice recalled him to the bitter, impure realities of existence.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "What are you doing there, loafer?" some one was asking him.
an open or empty space in or between things
From this reading "I!" mumbled Manuel, opening his eyes and staring at his questioner.
someone who asks a question
From this reading "I!" mumbled Manuel, opening his eyes and staring at his questioner.
stunningly beautiful
From this reading And he was in the midst of the most ravishing dreams when a harsh voice recalled him to the bitter, impure realities of existence.
plural of “reality” — all of your experiences that determine how things appear to you
From this reading And he was in the midst of the most ravishing dreams when a harsh voice recalled him to the bitter, impure realities of existence.
past form of “recall” — recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
From this reading And he was in the midst of the most ravishing dreams when a harsh voice recalled him to the bitter, impure realities of existence.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Señor Custodio and His Establishment--The Free Life.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "What are you doing there, loafer?" some one was asking him.
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading "I!" mumbled Manuel, opening his eyes and staring at his questioner.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Señor Custodio and His Establishment--The Free Life.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "What are you doing there, loafer?" some one was asking him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And he was in the midst of the most ravishing dreams when a harsh voice recalled him to the bitter, impure realities of existence.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading And he was in the midst of the most ravishing dreams when a harsh voice recalled him to the bitter, impure realities of existence.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And he was in the midst of the most ravishing dreams when a harsh voice recalled him to the bitter, impure realities of existence.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What are you doing there, loafer?" some one was asking him.
at the time that
From this reading And he was in the midst of the most ravishing dreams when a harsh voice recalled him to the bitter, impure realities of existence.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What are you doing there, loafer?" some one was asking him.
Chapter 19 of The Quest by Pío Baroja holds 126 sentences, grouped into 26 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 19 holds 126 sentences of The Quest, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 19 of The Quest by Pío Baroja exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 126 sentences, grouped into 26 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 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 26 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 19 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 Quest by Pío Baroja on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3824 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8496 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8496, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 318 minutes of reading across 765 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Quest section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of The Quest 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 Quest, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
