Chapter 16 of The World's Illusion, Volume 2 (of 2): Ruth is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of The World's Illusion, Volume 2 (of 2): Ruth is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
III In the little rear room he had now been sleeping for fourteen hours. The widow Engelschall determined to go to him. She passed through the half-dark passage-way in which the supplies were stored. Hams and smoked sausages dangled from the ceiling. On the floor stood kegs with sardines, herrings, and pickled gherkins.
Chapter 16 of The World's Illusion, Volume 2 (of 2): Ruth is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 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.
past form of “dangle” — hang freely
From this reading “Hams and smoked sausages dangled from the ceiling.”
plural of “ham” — meat cut from the thigh of a hog (usually smoked)
From this reading “Hams and smoked sausages dangled from the ceiling.”
plural of “herring” — valuable flesh of fatty fish from shallow waters of northern Atlantic or Pacific; usually salted or pickled
From this reading “On the floor stood kegs with sardines, herrings, and pickled gherkins.”
plural of “keg” — the quantity contained in a keg
From this reading “On the floor stood kegs with sardines, herrings, and pickled gherkins.”
(used of foods) preserved in a pickling liquid
From this reading “On the floor stood kegs with sardines, herrings, and pickled gherkins.”
plural of “sardine” — small fatty fish usually canned
From this reading “On the floor stood kegs with sardines, herrings, and pickled gherkins.”
plural of “sausage” — highly seasoned minced meat stuffed in casings
From this reading “Hams and smoked sausages dangled from the ceiling.”
past form of “store” — keep or lay aside for future use
From this reading “She passed through the half-dark passage-way in which the supplies were stored.”
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 “III In the little rear room he had now been sleeping for fourteen hours.”
make a passage or journey from one place to another
In this reading “She passed through the half-dark passage-way in which the supplies were stored.”
In this reading “On the floor stood kegs with sardines, herrings, and pickled gherkins.”
In this reading “Hams and smoked sausages dangled from the ceiling.”
In this reading “Hams and smoked sausages dangled from the ceiling.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Hams and smoked sausages dangled from the ceiling.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading III In the little rear room he had now been sleeping for fourteen hours.
the overhead upper surface of a covered space
From this reading Hams and smoked sausages dangled from the ceiling.
past form of “dangle” — hang freely
From this reading Hams and smoked sausages dangled from the ceiling.
characterized by great determination
From this reading The widow Engelschall determined to go to him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The widow Engelschall determined to go to him.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading On the floor stood kegs with sardines, herrings, and pickled gherkins.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading III In the little rear room he had now been sleeping for fourteen hours.
the cardinal number that is the sum of thirteen and one
From this reading III In the little rear room he had now been sleeping for fourteen hours.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Hams and smoked sausages dangled from the ceiling.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On the floor stood kegs with sardines, herrings, and pickled gherkins.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading The widow Engelschall determined to go to him.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading III In the little rear room he had now been sleeping for fourteen hours.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She passed through the half-dark passage-way in which the supplies were stored.
plural of “ham” — meat cut from the thigh of a hog (usually smoked)
From this reading Hams and smoked sausages dangled from the ceiling.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading III In the little rear room he had now been sleeping for fourteen hours.
plural of “herring” — valuable flesh of fatty fish from shallow waters of northern Atlantic or Pacific; usually salted or pickled
From this reading On the floor stood kegs with sardines, herrings, and pickled gherkins.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The widow Engelschall determined to go to him.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading III In the little rear room he had now been sleeping for fourteen hours.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading III In the little rear room he had now been sleeping for fourteen hours.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading III In the little rear room he had now been sleeping for fourteen hours.
plural of “keg” — the quantity contained in a keg
From this reading On the floor stood kegs with sardines, herrings, and pickled gherkins.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading III In the little rear room he had now been sleeping for fourteen hours.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading III In the little rear room he had now been sleeping for fourteen hours.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On the floor stood kegs with sardines, herrings, and pickled gherkins.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She passed through the half-dark passage-way in which the supplies were stored.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading She passed through the half-dark passage-way in which the supplies were stored.
(used of foods) preserved in a pickling liquid
From this reading On the floor stood kegs with sardines, herrings, and pickled gherkins.
the back of a military formation or procession
From this reading III In the little rear room he had now been sleeping for fourteen hours.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading III In the little rear room he had now been sleeping for fourteen hours.
plural of “sardine” — small fatty fish usually canned
From this reading On the floor stood kegs with sardines, herrings, and pickled gherkins.
plural of “sausage” — highly seasoned minced meat stuffed in casings
From this reading Hams and smoked sausages dangled from the ceiling.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She passed through the half-dark passage-way in which the supplies were stored.
the state of being asleep
From this reading III In the little rear room he had now been sleeping for fourteen hours.
(used especially of meats and fish) dried and cured by hanging in wood smoke
From this reading Hams and smoked sausages dangled from the ceiling.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading On the floor stood kegs with sardines, herrings, and pickled gherkins.
past form of “store” — keep or lay aside for future use
From this reading She passed through the half-dark passage-way in which the supplies were stored.
plural of “supply” — an amount of something available for use
From this reading She passed through the half-dark passage-way in which the supplies were stored.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading III In the little rear room he had now been sleeping for fourteen hours.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading She passed through the half-dark passage-way in which the supplies were stored.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The widow Engelschall determined to go to him.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading She passed through the half-dark passage-way in which the supplies were stored.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading She passed through the half-dark passage-way in which the supplies were stored.
a woman whose husband is dead especially one who has not remarried
From this reading The widow Engelschall determined to go to him.
in the company of; together with
From this reading On the floor stood kegs with sardines, herrings, and pickled gherkins.
Chapter 16 of The World's Illusion, Volume 2 (of 2): Ruth by Jakob Wassermann holds 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 16 holds 410 sentences of The World's Illusion, Volume 2 (of 2): Ruth, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 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 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 16 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.
