Chapter 24 of The Undying Past is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIV
Chapter 24 of The Undying Past is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"She _shall_ not speak," exclaimed Felicitas, clasping her hands. "I pray you, dearest, to prevent it. You must put a seal on her lips; promise that you will." He laughed gloomily. "There is one means by which I might prevent her," he said; "and if she insists, I could resort to it."
Chapter 24 of The Undying Past is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
a beloved person; used as terms of endearment
From this reading “"I pray you, dearest, to prevent it.”
with gloom
From this reading “He laughed gloomily.”
third-person singular of “insist” — be emphatic or resolute and refuse to budge
From this reading “"There is one means by which I might prevent her," he said; "and if she insists, I could resort to it."”
address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship; say a prayer
From this reading “"I pray you, dearest, to prevent it.”
keep from happening or arising; make impossible
From this reading “"I pray you, dearest, to prevent it.”
make a promise or commitment
From this reading “You must put a seal on her lips; promise that you will."”
a hotel located in a resort area
From this reading “"There is one means by which I might prevent her," he said; "and if she insists, I could resort to it."”
make tight; secure against leakage
From this reading “You must put a seal on her lips; promise that you will."”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading You must put a seal on her lips; promise that you will."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "There is one means by which I might prevent her," he said; "and if she insists, I could resort to it."
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "There is one means by which I might prevent her," he said; "and if she insists, I could resort to it."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "She _shall_ not speak," exclaimed Felicitas, clasping her hands.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "There is one means by which I might prevent her," he said; "and if she insists, I could resort to it."
a beloved person; used as terms of endearment
From this reading "I pray you, dearest, to prevent it.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading "She _shall_ not speak," exclaimed Felicitas, clasping her hands.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "She _shall_ not speak," exclaimed Felicitas, clasping her hands.
with gloom
From this reading He laughed gloomily.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading "She _shall_ not speak," exclaimed Felicitas, clasping her hands.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He laughed gloomily.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "She _shall_ not speak," exclaimed Felicitas, clasping her hands.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I pray you, dearest, to prevent it.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "There is one means by which I might prevent her," he said; "and if she insists, I could resort to it."
third-person singular of “insist” — be emphatic or resolute and refuse to budge
From this reading "There is one means by which I might prevent her," he said; "and if she insists, I could resort to it."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "There is one means by which I might prevent her," he said; "and if she insists, I could resort to it."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "I pray you, dearest, to prevent it.
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading He laughed gloomily.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading You must put a seal on her lips; promise that you will."
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading "There is one means by which I might prevent her," he said; "and if she insists, I could resort to it."
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading "There is one means by which I might prevent her," he said; "and if she insists, I could resort to it."
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading You must put a seal on her lips; promise that you will."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "She _shall_ not speak," exclaimed Felicitas, clasping her hands.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading You must put a seal on her lips; promise that you will."
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "There is one means by which I might prevent her," he said; "and if she insists, I could resort to it."
address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship; say a prayer
From this reading "I pray you, dearest, to prevent it.
keep from happening or arising; make impossible
From this reading "I pray you, dearest, to prevent it.
make a promise or commitment
From this reading You must put a seal on her lips; promise that you will."
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading You must put a seal on her lips; promise that you will."
a hotel located in a resort area
From this reading "There is one means by which I might prevent her," he said; "and if she insists, I could resort to it."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "There is one means by which I might prevent her," he said; "and if she insists, I could resort to it."
make tight; secure against leakage
From this reading You must put a seal on her lips; promise that you will."
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading "She _shall_ not speak," exclaimed Felicitas, clasping her hands.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "She _shall_ not speak," exclaimed Felicitas, clasping her hands.
express in speech
From this reading "She _shall_ not speak," exclaimed Felicitas, clasping her hands.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading You must put a seal on her lips; promise that you will."
in or at that place or location
From this reading "There is one means by which I might prevent her," he said; "and if she insists, I could resort to it."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I pray you, dearest, to prevent it.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading "There is one means by which I might prevent her," he said; "and if she insists, I could resort to it."
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading You must put a seal on her lips; promise that you will."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I pray you, dearest, to prevent it.
Chapter 24 of The Undying Past by Hermann Sudermann holds 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 24 holds 416 sentences of The Undying Past, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 24 of The Undying Past by Hermann Sudermann exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 24 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 Undying Past by Hermann Sudermann on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 10467 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34156 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34156, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2094 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Undying Past section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Undying Past 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 Undying Past, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
