Chapter 2 of The World's Illusion, Volume 2 (of 2): Ruth is here in full — 395 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The World's Illusion, Volume 2 (of 2): Ruth is here in full — 395 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I must continue. I no longer felt at home in those handsome rooms. At night I often stood alone in the darkness, and listened for sounds from the rooms of the other two. I conquered my aversion, and sought out the woman when she was alone. She was talkative in a disagreeable way.
Chapter 2 of The World's Illusion, Volume 2 (of 2): Ruth is here in full — 395 sentences across 79 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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 feeling of intense dislike
From this reading “I conquered my aversion, and sought out the woman when she was alone.”
past form of “conquer” — bring under control by force or authority
From this reading “I conquered my aversion, and sought out the woman when she was alone.”
continue a certain state, condition, or activity
From this reading ““I must continue.”
not to your liking
From this reading “She was talkative in a disagreeable way.”
apartment consisting of a series of connected rooms used as a living unit (as in a hotel)
From this reading “I no longer felt at home in those handsome rooms.”
that is looked for
From this reading “I conquered my aversion, and sought out the woman when she was alone.”
plural of “sound” — the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading “At night I often stood alone in the darkness, and listened for sounds from the rooms of the other two.”
full of trivial conversation
From this reading “She was talkative in a disagreeable way.”
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.
a reception held in your own home
In this reading “I no longer felt at home in those handsome rooms.”
In this reading “At night I often stood alone in the darkness, and listened for sounds from the rooms of the other two.”
In this reading “At night I often stood alone in the darkness, and listened for sounds from the rooms of the other two.”
In this reading “At night I often stood alone in the darkness, and listened for sounds from the rooms of the other two.”
In this reading “At night I often stood alone in the darkness, and listened for sounds from the rooms of the other two.”
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 She was talkative in a disagreeable way.
Having no one else present.
From this reading At night I often stood alone in the darkness, and listened for sounds from the rooms of the other two.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading At night I often stood alone in the darkness, and listened for sounds from the rooms of the other two.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I no longer felt at home in those handsome rooms.
a feeling of intense dislike
From this reading I conquered my aversion, and sought out the woman when she was alone.
past form of “conquer” — bring under control by force or authority
From this reading I conquered my aversion, and sought out the woman when she was alone.
continue a certain state, condition, or activity
From this reading “I must continue.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading At night I often stood alone in the darkness, and listened for sounds from the rooms of the other two.
not to your liking
From this reading She was talkative in a disagreeable way.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading I no longer felt at home in those handsome rooms.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading At night I often stood alone in the darkness, and listened for sounds from the rooms of the other two.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading At night I often stood alone in the darkness, and listened for sounds from the rooms of the other two.
pleasing in appearance especially by reason of conformity to ideals of form and proportion
From this reading I no longer felt at home in those handsome rooms.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading I no longer felt at home in those handsome rooms.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I must continue.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I no longer felt at home in those handsome rooms.
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading At night I often stood alone in the darkness, and listened for sounds from the rooms of the other two.
for more time
From this reading I no longer felt at home in those handsome rooms.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “I must continue.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I conquered my aversion, and sought out the woman when she was alone.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading At night I often stood alone in the darkness, and listened for sounds from the rooms of the other two.
not any; not one
From this reading I no longer felt at home in those handsome rooms.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading At night I often stood alone in the darkness, and listened for sounds from the rooms of the other two.
many times at short intervals
From this reading At night I often stood alone in the darkness, and listened for sounds from the rooms of the other two.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading At night I often stood alone in the darkness, and listened for sounds from the rooms of the other two.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading I conquered my aversion, and sought out the woman when she was alone.
apartment consisting of a series of connected rooms used as a living unit (as in a hotel)
From this reading I no longer felt at home in those handsome rooms.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I conquered my aversion, and sought out the woman when she was alone.
that is looked for
From this reading I conquered my aversion, and sought out the woman when she was alone.
plural of “sound” — the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading At night I often stood alone in the darkness, and listened for sounds from the rooms of the other two.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading At night I often stood alone in the darkness, and listened for sounds from the rooms of the other two.
full of trivial conversation
From this reading She was talkative in a disagreeable way.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading At night I often stood alone in the darkness, and listened for sounds from the rooms of the other two.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading I no longer felt at home in those handsome rooms.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading At night I often stood alone in the darkness, and listened for sounds from the rooms of the other two.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I conquered my aversion, and sought out the woman when she was alone.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading She was talkative in a disagreeable way.
at the time that
From this reading I conquered my aversion, and sought out the woman when she was alone.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading I conquered my aversion, and sought out the woman when she was alone.
Chapter 2 of The World's Illusion, Volume 2 (of 2): Ruth by Jakob Wassermann holds 395 sentences, grouped into 79 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 2 holds 395 sentences of The World's Illusion, Volume 2 (of 2): Ruth, unabridged, divided into 79 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The World's Illusion, Volume 2 (of 2): Ruth by Jakob Wassermann exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 395 sentences, grouped into 79 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 79 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 79 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 2 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 World's Illusion, Volume 2 (of 2): Ruth by Jakob Wassermann on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 10248 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57847 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #57847, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2050 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The World's Illusion, Volume 2 (of 2): Ruth section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of The World's Illusion, Volume 2 (of 2): Ruth 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 World's Illusion, Volume 2 (of 2): Ruth, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
