Chapter 12 of The World's Illusion, Volume 2 (of 2): Ruth is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The World's Illusion, Volume 2 (of 2): Ruth is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Don’t ... don’t ... don’t,” Johanna implored him, almost as softly. “Tell me about him,” she went on hastily. “Does he really live in complete poverty? One hears so many things. Last week I was invited by some people, and the company talked of nothing else.
Chapter 12 of The World's Illusion, Volume 2 (of 2): Ruth is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 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.
come or bring to a finish or an end
From this reading ““Does he really live in complete poverty?”
in a hurried or hasty manner
From this reading ““Tell me about him,” she went on hastily.”
third-person singular of “hear” — perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading “One hears so many things.”
past form of “implore” — call upon in supplication; entreat
From this reading ““Don’t ... don’t ... don’t,” Johanna implored him, almost as softly.”
past form of “invite” — increase the likelihood of
From this reading “Last week I was invited by some people, and the company talked of nothing else.”
the state of having little or no money and few or no material possessions
From this reading ““Does he really live in complete poverty?”
with low volume
From this reading ““Don’t ... don’t ... don’t,” Johanna implored him, almost as softly.”
past form of “talk” — exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading “Last week I was invited by some people, and the company talked of nothing else.”
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.
In this reading “Last week I was invited by some people, and the company talked of nothing else.”
In this reading “One hears so many things.”
continue a certain state, condition, or activity
In this reading ““Tell me about him,” she went on hastily.”
live in the house where one works
In this reading ““Does he really live in complete poverty?”
In this reading “Last week I was invited by some people, and the company talked of nothing else.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “Tell me about him,” she went on hastily.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading “Don’t ... don’t ... don’t,” Johanna implored him, almost as softly.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Last week I was invited by some people, and the company talked of nothing else.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “Don’t ... don’t ... don’t,” Johanna implored him, almost as softly.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Last week I was invited by some people, and the company talked of nothing else.
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading Last week I was invited by some people, and the company talked of nothing else.
come or bring to a finish or an end
From this reading “Does he really live in complete poverty?
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Does he really live in complete poverty?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Don’t ... don’t ... don’t,” Johanna implored him, almost as softly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Last week I was invited by some people, and the company talked of nothing else.
in a hurried or hasty manner
From this reading “Tell me about him,” she went on hastily.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Does he really live in complete poverty?
third-person singular of “hear” — perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading One hears so many things.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Don’t ... don’t ... don’t,” Johanna implored him, almost as softly.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Last week I was invited by some people, and the company talked of nothing else.
past form of “implore” — call upon in supplication; entreat
From this reading “Don’t ... don’t ... don’t,” Johanna implored him, almost as softly.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Does he really live in complete poverty?
past form of “invite” — increase the likelihood of
From this reading Last week I was invited by some people, and the company talked of nothing else.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Don’t ... don’t ... don’t,” Johanna implored him, almost as softly.
immediately past
From this reading Last week I was invited by some people, and the company talked of nothing else.
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading “Does he really live in complete poverty?
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading One hears so many things.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Tell me about him,” she went on hastily.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Last week I was invited by some people, and the company talked of nothing else.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Last week I was invited by some people, and the company talked of nothing else.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “Tell me about him,” she went on hastily.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One hears so many things.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading Last week I was invited by some people, and the company talked of nothing else.
the state of having little or no money and few or no material possessions
From this reading “Does he really live in complete poverty?
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading “Does he really live in complete poverty?
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Tell me about him,” she went on hastily.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading One hears so many things.
with low volume
From this reading “Don’t ... don’t ... don’t,” Johanna implored him, almost as softly.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Last week I was invited by some people, and the company talked of nothing else.
past form of “talk” — exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading Last week I was invited by some people, and the company talked of nothing else.
express in words
From this reading “Tell me about him,” she went on hastily.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Last week I was invited by some people, and the company talked of nothing else.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading One hears so many things.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Last week I was invited by some people, and the company talked of nothing else.
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading Last week I was invited by some people, and the company talked of nothing else.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “Tell me about him,” she went on hastily.
Chapter 12 of The World's Illusion, Volume 2 (of 2): Ruth by Jakob Wassermann holds 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 12 holds 399 sentences of The World's Illusion, Volume 2 (of 2): Ruth, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 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 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 12 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.
