Chapter 11 of When God Laughs, and Other Stories is here in full — 246 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XI
Chapter 11 of When God Laughs, and Other Stories is here in full — 246 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
His whole body gave a spasmodic start, as though the revolver had been fired. It was the voice of Al, close at his back. “Here's your gun,” Al said. “I'll stay.” The servant appeared among the trees, approaching rapidly and calling anxiously.
Chapter 11 of When God Laughs, and Other Stories is here in full — 246 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/49 · 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.
with anxiety or apprehension
From this reading “The servant appeared among the trees, approaching rapidly and calling anxiously.”
the event of one object coming closer to another
From this reading “The servant appeared among the trees, approaching rapidly and calling anxiously.”
the particular occupation for which you are trained
From this reading “The servant appeared among the trees, approaching rapidly and calling anxiously.”
having lost your job
From this reading “His whole body gave a spasmodic start, as though the revolver had been fired.”
a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading ““Here's your gun,” Al said.”
with speed
From this reading “The servant appeared among the trees, approaching rapidly and calling anxiously.”
a pistol with a revolving cylinder (usually having six chambers for bullets)
From this reading “His whole body gave a spasmodic start, as though the revolver had been fired.”
affected by involuntary jerky muscular contractions; resembling a spasm
From this reading “His whole body gave a spasmodic start, as though the revolver had been fired.”
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 His whole body gave a spasmodic start, as though the revolver had been fired.
a silvery ductile metallic element found primarily in bauxite
From this reading It was the voice of Al, close at his back.
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading The servant appeared among the trees, approaching rapidly and calling anxiously.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The servant appeared among the trees, approaching rapidly and calling anxiously.
with anxiety or apprehension
From this reading The servant appeared among the trees, approaching rapidly and calling anxiously.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The servant appeared among the trees, approaching rapidly and calling anxiously.
the event of one object coming closer to another
From this reading The servant appeared among the trees, approaching rapidly and calling anxiously.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading His whole body gave a spasmodic start, as though the revolver had been fired.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading It was the voice of Al, close at his back.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading It was the voice of Al, close at his back.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading His whole body gave a spasmodic start, as though the revolver had been fired.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading His whole body gave a spasmodic start, as though the revolver had been fired.
the particular occupation for which you are trained
From this reading The servant appeared among the trees, approaching rapidly and calling anxiously.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading It was the voice of Al, close at his back.
having lost your job
From this reading His whole body gave a spasmodic start, as though the revolver had been fired.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading His whole body gave a spasmodic start, as though the revolver had been fired.
a weapon that discharges a missile at high velocity (especially from a metal tube or barrel)
From this reading “Here's your gun,” Al said.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading His whole body gave a spasmodic start, as though the revolver had been fired.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Here's your gun,” Al said.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His whole body gave a spasmodic start, as though the revolver had been fired.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I'll stay.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was the voice of Al, close at his back.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was the voice of Al, close at his back.
with speed
From this reading The servant appeared among the trees, approaching rapidly and calling anxiously.
a pistol with a revolving cylinder (usually having six chambers for bullets)
From this reading His whole body gave a spasmodic start, as though the revolver had been fired.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Here's your gun,” Al said.
a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading The servant appeared among the trees, approaching rapidly and calling anxiously.
affected by involuntary jerky muscular contractions; resembling a spasm
From this reading His whole body gave a spasmodic start, as though the revolver had been fired.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading His whole body gave a spasmodic start, as though the revolver had been fired.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “I'll stay.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading His whole body gave a spasmodic start, as though the revolver had been fired.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading His whole body gave a spasmodic start, as though the revolver had been fired.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading The servant appeared among the trees, approaching rapidly and calling anxiously.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading It was the voice of Al, close at his back.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was the voice of Al, close at his back.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading His whole body gave a spasmodic start, as though the revolver had been fired.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Here's your gun,” Al said.
Chapter 11 of When God Laughs, and Other Stories by Jack London holds 246 sentences, grouped into 50 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 11 holds 246 sentences of When God Laughs, and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 50 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 11 of When God Laughs, and Other Stories by Jack London exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 246 sentences, grouped into 50 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 50 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 50 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 11 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 When God Laughs, and Other Stories by Jack London on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3846 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2545 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2545, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 320 minutes of reading across 770 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through When God Laughs, and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of When God Laughs, and Other Stories 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 When God Laughs, and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
