Chapter 13 of Williwaw: A Novel is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of Williwaw: A Novel is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Then he was able to move again. He walked, without thinking, to the forward deck. A wet wind chilled his face as he looked out to sea. The snow clouds were still thinning. In places dim stars shone in the sky.
Chapter 13 of Williwaw: A Novel is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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 “chill” — depress or discourage
From this reading “A wet wind chilled his face as he looked out to sea.”
plural of “cloud” — any collection of particles (e.g., smoke or dust) or gases that is visible
From this reading “The snow clouds were still thinning.”
any of various platforms built into a vessel
From this reading “He walked, without thinking, to the forward deck.”
lacking in light; not bright or harsh
From this reading “In places dim stars shone in the sky.”
inflected form of “shine” — be bright by reflecting or casting light
From this reading “In places dim stars shone in the sky.”
plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading “In places dim stars shone in the sky.”
the act of diluting something
From this reading “The snow clouds were still thinning.”
covered or soaked with a liquid such as water
From this reading “A wet wind chilled his face as he looked out to sea.”
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 “He walked, without thinking, to the forward deck.”
be vigilant, be on the lookout or be careful
In this reading “A wet wind chilled his face as he looked out to sea.”
In this reading “In places dim stars shone in the sky.”
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 A wet wind chilled his face as he looked out to sea.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading Then he was able to move again.
anew
From this reading Then he was able to move again.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading A wet wind chilled his face as he looked out to sea.
past form of “chill” — depress or discourage
From this reading A wet wind chilled his face as he looked out to sea.
plural of “cloud” — any collection of particles (e.g., smoke or dust) or gases that is visible
From this reading The snow clouds were still thinning.
any of various platforms built into a vessel
From this reading He walked, without thinking, to the forward deck.
lacking in light; not bright or harsh
From this reading In places dim stars shone in the sky.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading A wet wind chilled his face as he looked out to sea.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading He walked, without thinking, to the forward deck.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then he was able to move again.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A wet wind chilled his face as he looked out to sea.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In places dim stars shone in the sky.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading A wet wind chilled his face as he looked out to sea.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Then he was able to move again.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading A wet wind chilled his face as he looked out to sea.
plural of “place” — a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading In places dim stars shone in the sky.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading A wet wind chilled his face as he looked out to sea.
inflected form of “shine” — be bright by reflecting or casting light
From this reading In places dim stars shone in the sky.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading In places dim stars shone in the sky.
precipitation falling from clouds in the form of ice crystals
From this reading The snow clouds were still thinning.
plural of “star” — (astronomy) a celestial body of hot gases that radiates energy derived from thermonuclear reactions in the interior
From this reading In places dim stars shone in the sky.
not in physical motion
From this reading The snow clouds were still thinning.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He walked, without thinking, to the forward deck.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he was able to move again.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading He walked, without thinking, to the forward deck.
the act of diluting something
From this reading The snow clouds were still thinning.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Then he was able to move again.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading He walked, without thinking, to the forward deck.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Then he was able to move again.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The snow clouds were still thinning.
covered or soaked with a liquid such as water
From this reading A wet wind chilled his face as he looked out to sea.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading A wet wind chilled his face as he looked out to sea.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading He walked, without thinking, to the forward deck.
Chapter 13 of Williwaw: A Novel by Gore Vidal holds 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 416 sentences of Williwaw: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of Williwaw: A Novel by Gore Vidal exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Williwaw: A Novel by Gore Vidal on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6242 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #66691 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #66691, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 520 minutes of reading across 1249 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Williwaw: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of Williwaw: 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 Williwaw: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
