Chapter 13 of The Web of Life is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of The Web of Life is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
When Sommers reached his rooms that evening, he found Mrs. Ducharme waiting for him. She held in her hand his card. "I thought you'd give me the go-by," she exclaimed, as he entered. "Your kind is smooth enough, but they don't want to be bothered. But I came all the same--on the chance."
Chapter 13 of The Web of Life is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
caused to show discomposure
From this reading “"Your kind is smooth enough, but they don't want to be bothered.”
one of a set of small pieces of stiff paper marked in various ways and used for playing games or for telling fortunes
From this reading “She held in her hand his card.”
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading “But I came all the same--on the chance."”
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading “"I thought you'd give me the go-by," she exclaimed, as he entered.”
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “"I thought you'd give me the go-by," she exclaimed, as he entered.”
apartment consisting of a series of connected rooms used as a living unit (as in a hotel)
From this reading “When Sommers reached his rooms that evening, he found Mrs. Ducharme waiting for him.”
having a surface free from roughness or bumps or ridges or irregularities
From this reading “"Your kind is smooth enough, but they don't want to be bothered.”
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading “When Sommers reached his rooms that evening, he found Mrs. Ducharme waiting for him.”
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.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading But I came all the same--on the chance."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "I thought you'd give me the go-by," she exclaimed, as he entered.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Your kind is smooth enough, but they don't want to be bothered.
caused to show discomposure
From this reading "Your kind is smooth enough, but they don't want to be bothered.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Your kind is smooth enough, but they don't want to be bothered.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading But I came all the same--on the chance."
one of a set of small pieces of stiff paper marked in various ways and used for playing games or for telling fortunes
From this reading She held in her hand his card.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading But I came all the same--on the chance."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Your kind is smooth enough, but they don't want to be bothered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Sommers reached his rooms that evening, he found Mrs. Ducharme waiting for him.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading "Your kind is smooth enough, but they don't want to be bothered.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading "I thought you'd give me the go-by," she exclaimed, as he entered.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading When Sommers reached his rooms that evening, he found Mrs. Ducharme waiting for him.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading "I thought you'd give me the go-by," she exclaimed, as he entered.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading When Sommers reached his rooms that evening, he found Mrs. Ducharme waiting for him.
set up or found
From this reading When Sommers reached his rooms that evening, he found Mrs. Ducharme waiting for him.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading "I thought you'd give me the go-by," she exclaimed, as he entered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I thought you'd give me the go-by," she exclaimed, as he entered.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading She held in her hand his card.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When Sommers reached his rooms that evening, he found Mrs. Ducharme waiting for him.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading She held in her hand his card.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She held in her hand his card.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading When Sommers reached his rooms that evening, he found Mrs. Ducharme waiting for him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading When Sommers reached his rooms that evening, he found Mrs. Ducharme waiting for him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I thought you'd give me the go-by," she exclaimed, as he entered.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She held in her hand his card.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Your kind is smooth enough, but they don't want to be bothered.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading "Your kind is smooth enough, but they don't want to be bothered.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "I thought you'd give me the go-by," she exclaimed, as he entered.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading When Sommers reached his rooms that evening, he found Mrs. Ducharme waiting for him.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading But I came all the same--on the chance."
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading When Sommers reached his rooms that evening, he found Mrs. Ducharme waiting for him.
apartment consisting of a series of connected rooms used as a living unit (as in a hotel)
From this reading When Sommers reached his rooms that evening, he found Mrs. Ducharme waiting for him.
Identical; not different.
From this reading But I came all the same--on the chance."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She held in her hand his card.
having a surface free from roughness or bumps or ridges or irregularities
From this reading "Your kind is smooth enough, but they don't want to be bothered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Sommers reached his rooms that evening, he found Mrs. Ducharme waiting for him.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading When Sommers reached his rooms that evening, he found Mrs. Ducharme waiting for him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I thought you'd give me the go-by," she exclaimed, as he entered.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Your kind is smooth enough, but they don't want to be bothered.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "I thought you'd give me the go-by," she exclaimed, as he entered.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Your kind is smooth enough, but they don't want to be bothered.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading When Sommers reached his rooms that evening, he found Mrs. Ducharme waiting for him.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading "Your kind is smooth enough, but they don't want to be bothered.
at the time that
From this reading When Sommers reached his rooms that evening, he found Mrs. Ducharme waiting for him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I thought you'd give me the go-by," she exclaimed, as he entered.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Your kind is smooth enough, but they don't want to be bothered.
Chapter 13 of The Web of Life by Robert Herrick holds 119 sentences, grouped into 24 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 13 holds 119 sentences of The Web of Life, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of The Web of Life by Robert Herrick exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 119 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 13 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 Web of Life by Robert Herrick on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5943 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7828 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7828, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 495 minutes of reading across 1189 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Web of Life section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 37 chapters of The Web of Life 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 Web of Life, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
