Chapter 13 of The World's Illusion, Volume 2 (of 2): Ruth is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of The World's Illusion, Volume 2 (of 2): Ruth is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
For a little she held her father’s letter uncertainly in her hand. Then she folded it again, and laid it on the table beside her slightly disordered books and writing utensils. She closed the books that were open, and made a little pile of them. The dog had noiselessly followed her into the room. It followed her as she left.
Chapter 13 of The World's Illusion, Volume 2 (of 2): Ruth is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
thrown into a state of disarray or confusion
From this reading “Then she folded it again, and laid it on the table beside her slightly disordered books and writing utensils.”
possessive form of “father” — a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
past form of “fold” — bend or lay so that one part covers the other
From this reading “Then she folded it again, and laid it on the table beside her slightly disordered books and writing utensils.”
a collection of objects laid on top of each other
From this reading “She closed the books that were open, and made a little pile of them.”
to a small degree or extent
From this reading “Then she folded it again, and laid it on the table beside her slightly disordered books and writing utensils.”
in an unsteady manner
From this reading “For a little she held her father’s letter uncertainly in her hand.”
plural of “utensil” — an implement for practical use (especially in a household)
From this reading “Then she folded it again, and laid it on the table beside her slightly disordered books and writing utensils.”
the act of creating written works
From this reading “Then she folded it again, and laid it on the table beside her slightly disordered books and writing utensils.”
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.
able to be negotiated or arranged by compromise
In this reading “Then she folded it again, and laid it on the table beside her slightly disordered books and writing utensils.”
In this reading “The dog had noiselessly followed her into the room.”
In this reading “She closed the books that were open, and made a little pile of them.”
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 For a little she held her father’s letter uncertainly in her hand.
anew
From this reading Then she folded it again, and laid it on the table beside her slightly disordered books and writing utensils.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Then she folded it again, and laid it on the table beside her slightly disordered books and writing utensils.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It followed her as she left.
next to; at the side of
From this reading Then she folded it again, and laid it on the table beside her slightly disordered books and writing utensils.
Bound written or printed works.
From this reading Then she folded it again, and laid it on the table beside her slightly disordered books and writing utensils.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading She closed the books that were open, and made a little pile of them.
thrown into a state of disarray or confusion
From this reading Then she folded it again, and laid it on the table beside her slightly disordered books and writing utensils.
a member of the genus Canis (probably descended from the common wolf) that has been domesticated by man since prehistoric times; occurs in many breeds
From this reading The dog had noiselessly followed her into the room.
possessive form of “father” — a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading For a little she held her father’s letter uncertainly in her hand.
past form of “fold” — bend or lay so that one part covers the other
From this reading Then she folded it again, and laid it on the table beside her slightly disordered books and writing utensils.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading The dog had noiselessly followed her into the room.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a little she held her father’s letter uncertainly in her hand.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The dog had noiselessly followed her into the room.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading For a little she held her father’s letter uncertainly in her hand.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading For a little she held her father’s letter uncertainly in her hand.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading For a little she held her father’s letter uncertainly in her hand.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading For a little she held her father’s letter uncertainly in her hand.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The dog had noiselessly followed her into the room.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Then she folded it again, and laid it on the table beside her slightly disordered books and writing utensils.
set down according to a plan
From this reading Then she folded it again, and laid it on the table beside her slightly disordered books and writing utensils.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading It followed her as she left.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading For a little she held her father’s letter uncertainly in her hand.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading For a little she held her father’s letter uncertainly in her hand.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading She closed the books that were open, and made a little pile of them.
without a sound
From this reading The dog had noiselessly followed her into the room.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She closed the books that were open, and made a little pile of them.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Then she folded it again, and laid it on the table beside her slightly disordered books and writing utensils.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading She closed the books that were open, and made a little pile of them.
a collection of objects laid on top of each other
From this reading She closed the books that were open, and made a little pile of them.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading The dog had noiselessly followed her into the room.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For a little she held her father’s letter uncertainly in her hand.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading Then she folded it again, and laid it on the table beside her slightly disordered books and writing utensils.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading Then she folded it again, and laid it on the table beside her slightly disordered books and writing utensils.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She closed the books that were open, and made a little pile of them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Then she folded it again, and laid it on the table beside her slightly disordered books and writing utensils.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading She closed the books that were open, and made a little pile of them.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then she folded it again, and laid it on the table beside her slightly disordered books and writing utensils.
in an unsteady manner
From this reading For a little she held her father’s letter uncertainly in her hand.
plural of “utensil” — an implement for practical use (especially in a household)
From this reading Then she folded it again, and laid it on the table beside her slightly disordered books and writing utensils.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading She closed the books that were open, and made a little pile of them.
the act of creating written works
From this reading Then she folded it again, and laid it on the table beside her slightly disordered books and writing utensils.
Chapter 13 of The World's Illusion, Volume 2 (of 2): Ruth by Jakob Wassermann holds 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 13 holds 411 sentences of The World's Illusion, Volume 2 (of 2): Ruth, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 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 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 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.
