Keeping Watch

William Wymark JacobsProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.4

Word count: 18K words
Chapters: 2

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Keeping Watch by W. W. JacobsAuthor: Jacobs, W. W. (William Wymark), 1863-1943,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Apr 1, 2004

Editor's review

Keeping Watch is a short story by W. W. Jacobs, published as a public-domain ebook by Project Gutenberg. Jacobs excels at setting stories in ordinary life, advancing them through dialogue and detail, and often closing with an unexpected twist—brisk to read yet rewarding to linger over. This piece is short enough to finish in fragmented time such as a commute or before bed, and works well as practice material for reading English short fiction. While reading, notice how dialogue conveys character and relationships, and how narrative pacing builds toward the ending; for language learning, excerpt expressions from everyday scenes and narrative verbs. As a public-domain ebook, it is easy to obtain and convenient for rereading and comparison. Overall, this is an English short story that combines entertainment with language-learning value, suited to readers who want a light introduction to classic short narrative.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy English short stories and prefer light reading
Literature lovers interested in classic British short narrative
Learners who want to practice English reading in fragmented time
Readers who prefer tight plots and short length

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer long, complex plots and deep character development
Beginners who cannot yet read English originals independently
Readers expecting modern subjects and contemporary narrative style

Reading tips

On the first read, follow the plot; on the second, revisit dialogue and details for foreshadowing.
Excerpt useful expressions from everyday scenes as English-learning material.
After reading, try summarizing the main storyline and the ending twist to check comprehension.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

How difficult is the language in this work?

It is an English public-domain short story with narrative features of the late nineteenth to early twentieth century. Sentence structures are not complex, but some wording and expressions differ from modern English. Readers with intermediate English can finish it fairly smoothly; beginners are advised to read with a dictionary.

Is it suitable as English-learning material?

Yes. It is short, has a complete plot, and contains much dialogue, making it useful for learning everyday expressions and narrative style. It is suggested to read through first for the gist, then read closely to mark new words and good sentences, and finally try retelling the story to practice both comprehension and output.

What is the reading experience like with the public-domain ebook?

The public-domain ebook provided by Project Gutenberg is easy to obtain and can be read on a computer, phone, or e-reader, making it convenient to open anytime and consult repeatedly. Layout may differ across versions; before reading, browse the table of contents and format and choose the device and font size that suit you.

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About the author

William Wymark Jacobs Author · British · 1863–1943

William Wymark Jacobs (1863–1943) was a British short-story writer, born in London in 1863 and died there in 1943. In his early years he lived around the Thames docks and was familiar with the lives of sailors and dockworkers, which led him to write a great many humorous sea stories, often in a light and witty tone. His best-known work, The Monkey's Paw, is a classic horror short story included in The Lady of the Barge (1902); noted for its tight suspense and sudden twists, it is still widely anthologized in horror collections. The library holds 109 of his works, including The Lady of the Barge and Others, Ship's Company, A Tiger's Skin, Captains All, and Night Watches; his common category is inspirational growth. Public information is limited and details of his life are largely unavailable, yet his fiction is distinctive in subject, blending humor with horror, and has had a lasting influence on later short-story writing.