Chapter 14 of What the Swallow Sang: A Novel is here in full — 187 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of What the Swallow Sang: A Novel is here in full — 187 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"The better it will be," repeated Gotthold, as he strode through the dark forest. For whom--for me? My fate is decided. For her? What is it to her whether I come or go?
Chapter 14 of What the Swallow Sang: A Novel is here in full — 187 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/37 · 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.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading “"The better it will be," repeated Gotthold, as he strode through the dark forest.”
absence of light or illumination
From this reading “"The better it will be," repeated Gotthold, as he strode through the dark forest.”
recognizable; marked
From this reading “My fate is decided.”
an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading “My fate is decided.”
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading “"The better it will be," repeated Gotthold, as he strode through the dark forest.”
recurring again and again
From this reading “"The better it will be," repeated Gotthold, as he strode through the dark forest.”
inflected form of “stride” — walk with long steps
From this reading “"The better it will be," repeated Gotthold, as he strode through the dark forest.”
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading “What is it to her whether I come or go?”
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 “"The better it will be," repeated Gotthold, as he strode through the dark forest.”
In this reading “"The better it will be," repeated Gotthold, as he strode through the dark forest.”
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.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "The better it will be," repeated Gotthold, as he strode through the dark forest.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "The better it will be," repeated Gotthold, as he strode through the dark forest.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "The better it will be," repeated Gotthold, as he strode through the dark forest.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading What is it to her whether I come or go?
absence of light or illumination
From this reading "The better it will be," repeated Gotthold, as he strode through the dark forest.
recognizable; marked
From this reading My fate is decided.
an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading My fate is decided.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For whom--for me?
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading "The better it will be," repeated Gotthold, as he strode through the dark forest.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading What is it to her whether I come or go?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "The better it will be," repeated Gotthold, as he strode through the dark forest.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "The better it will be," repeated Gotthold, as he strode through the dark forest.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading For her?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading What is it to her whether I come or go?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading My fate is decided.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "The better it will be," repeated Gotthold, as he strode through the dark forest.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading For whom--for me?
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My fate is decided.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading What is it to her whether I come or go?
recurring again and again
From this reading "The better it will be," repeated Gotthold, as he strode through the dark forest.
inflected form of “stride” — walk with long steps
From this reading "The better it will be," repeated Gotthold, as he strode through the dark forest.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The better it will be," repeated Gotthold, as he strode through the dark forest.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading "The better it will be," repeated Gotthold, as he strode through the dark forest.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading What is it to her whether I come or go?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What is it to her whether I come or go?
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading What is it to her whether I come or go?
the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading For whom--for me?
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "The better it will be," repeated Gotthold, as he strode through the dark forest.
Chapter 14 of What the Swallow Sang: A Novel by Friedrich Spielhagen holds 187 sentences, grouped into 38 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 14 holds 187 sentences of What the Swallow Sang: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of What the Swallow Sang: A Novel by Friedrich Spielhagen exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 187 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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 14 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 What the Swallow Sang: A Novel by Friedrich Spielhagen on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4239 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34599 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34599, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 353 minutes of reading across 848 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through What the Swallow Sang: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 35 chapters of What the Swallow Sang: A Novel 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 What the Swallow Sang: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
