A boy's voyage round the world

Chapter XVII · Chapter 17

Chapter 17 of A boy's voyage round the world is here in full — 214 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Samuel Smiles • Curated US English Learning Edition

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PLACES ABOUT.

VISIT TO BALLARAT--THE JOURNEY BY COACH--BALLARAT FOUNDED ON GOLD--DESCRIPTION OF THE TOWN--BALLARAT "CORNER"--THE SPECULATIVE COBBLER--FIRE BRIGADES--RETURN JOURNEY--CRAB-HOLES--THE TALBOT BALL--THE TALBOT FETE--THE AVOCA RACES--SUNRISE IN THE BUSH.

One of the most interesting visits to places that I made while staying at Majorca was to Ballarat, the mining capital of the colony, sometimes called here the Victorian Manchester.

The time of my visit was not the most propitious, for it was shortly after a heavy fall of rain, which had left the roads in a very bad state.

But I will describe my journey.

Narrator

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LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XVII Reading 1/42

A boy's voyage round the world Samuel Smiles

Chapter XVII

Chapter 17

Chapter 17 of A boy's voyage round the world is here in full — 214 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

PLACES ABOUT. VISIT TO BALLARAT--THE JOURNEY BY COACH--BALLARAT FOUNDED ON GOLD--DESCRIPTION OF THE TOWN--BALLARAT "CORNER"--THE SPECULATIVE COBBLER--FIRE BRIGADES--RETURN JOURNEY--CRAB-HOLES--THE TALBOT BALL--THE TALBOT FETE--THE AVOCA RACES--SUNRISE IN THE BUSH. One of the most interesting visits to places that I made while staying at Majorca was to Ballarat, the mining capital of the colony, sometimes called here the Victorian Manchester. The time of my visit was not the most propitious, for it was shortly after a heavy fall of rain, which had left the roads in a very bad state. But I will describe my journey.

A boy's voyage round the world

Chapter XVII · Chapter 17

Chapter 17 of A boy's voyage round the world is here in full — 214 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/42 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

PLACES ABOUT.

/ˈpleɪsəz əˈbaʊt/

Line 2

Line 3

One of the most interesting visits to places that I made while staying at Majorca was to Ballarat, the mining capital of the colony, sometimes called here the Victorian Manchester.

Line 4

The time of my visit was not the most propitious, for it was shortly after a heavy fall of rain, which had left the roads in a very bad state.

/ðə taɪm ʌv maɪ ˈvɪzɪt wɑːz nɑːt ðə moʊst prəˈpɪʃəs fɔːr ɪt wɑːz ˈʃɔːrtli ˈæftər ə ˈhevi fɔːl ʌv reɪn wɪtʃ hæd left ðə roʊdz ɪn ə ˈveri bæd steɪt/

Line 5

But I will describe my journey.

/bʌt aɪ wɪl dɪˈskraɪb maɪ ˈdʒɜːrni/

Learner Dictionary

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.

brigades noun US /brɪˈɡeɪdz/

plural of “brigade” — army unit smaller than a division

From this reading “VISIT TO BALLARAT--THE JOURNEY BY COACH--BALLARAT FOUNDED ON GOLD--DESCRIPTION OF THE TOWN--BALLARAT "CORNER"--THE SPECULATIVE COBBLER--FIRE BRIGADES--RETURN JOURNEY--CRAB-HOLES--THE TALBOT BALL--THE TALBOT FETE--THE AVOCA RACES--SUNRISE IN THE BUSH.”

cobbler noun US /ˈkɑːblər/

a person who makes or repairs shoes

fete verb US /feɪt/

have a celebration

Majorca noun US /maɪˈɔːrkə/

the largest of the Balearic Islands

From this reading “One of the most interesting visits to places that I made while staying at Majorca was to Ballarat, the mining capital of the colony, sometimes called here the Victorian Manchester.”

Manchester noun US /ˈmæntʃestər/

largest city in New Hampshire; located in southeastern New Hampshire on the Merrimack river

propitious adjective US /prəˈpɪʃəs/

presenting favorable circumstances; likely to result in or show signs of success

From this reading “The time of my visit was not the most propitious, for it was shortly after a heavy fall of rain, which had left the roads in a very bad state.”

speculative adjective US /ˈspekjələtɪv/

not financially safe or secure

Victorian adjective US /vɪkˈtɔːriən/

of or relating to Queen Victoria of Great Britain or to the age in which she ruled

All words in this reading · 72

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading The time of my visit was not the most propitious, for it was shortly after a heavy fall of rain, which had left the roads in a very bad state.

ABOUTprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading PLACES ABOUT.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading The time of my visit was not the most propitious, for it was shortly after a heavy fall of rain, which had left the roads in a very bad state.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading One of the most interesting visits to places that I made while staying at Majorca was to Ballarat, the mining capital of the colony, sometimes called here the Victorian Manchester.

AVOCA

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading VISIT TO BALLARAT--THE JOURNEY BY COACH--BALLARAT FOUNDED ON GOLD--DESCRIPTION OF THE TOWN--BALLARAT "CORNER"--THE SPECULATIVE COBBLER--FIRE BRIGADES--RETURN JOURNEY--CRAB-HOLES--THE TALBOT BALL--THE TALBOT FETE--THE AVOCA RACES--SUNRISE IN THE BUSH.

badadjectiveUS /bæd/

having undesirable or negative qualities

From this reading The time of my visit was not the most propitious, for it was shortly after a heavy fall of rain, which had left the roads in a very bad state.

BALLnounUS /bɔːl/

round object that is hit or thrown or kicked in games

BALLARAT

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

BRIGADESnounUS /brɪˈɡeɪdz/

plural of “brigade” — army unit smaller than a division

BUSHnounUS /bʊʃ/

a low woody perennial plant usually having several major stems

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But I will describe my journey.

BYprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

calledverbUS /kɔːld/

past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading One of the most interesting visits to places that I made while staying at Majorca was to Ballarat, the mining capital of the colony, sometimes called here the Victorian Manchester.

capitalnounUS /ˈkæpətəl/

assets available for use in the production of further assets

From this reading One of the most interesting visits to places that I made while staying at Majorca was to Ballarat, the mining capital of the colony, sometimes called here the Victorian Manchester.

COACHverbUS /koʊtʃ/

teach and supervise (someone); act as a trainer or coach (to), as in sports

COBBLERnounUS /ˈkɑːblər/

a person who makes or repairs shoes

colonynounUS /ˈkɑːləni/

a body of people who settle far from home but maintain ties with their homeland; inhabitants remain nationals of their home state but are not literally under the home state's system of government

From this reading One of the most interesting visits to places that I made while staying at Majorca was to Ballarat, the mining capital of the colony, sometimes called here the Victorian Manchester.

CORNERnounUS /ˈkɔːrnər/

a place off to the side of an area

CRAB-HOLES

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

describeverbUS /dɪˈskraɪb/

give a description of

From this reading But I will describe my journey.

DESCRIPTIONnounUS /dɪˈskrɪpʃən/

a statement that represents something in words

fallverbUS /fɔːl/

descend in free fall under the influence of gravity

From this reading The time of my visit was not the most propitious, for it was shortly after a heavy fall of rain, which had left the roads in a very bad state.

FETEverbUS /feɪt/

have a celebration

FIREverbUS /ˈfaɪər/

start firing a weapon

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading The time of my visit was not the most propitious, for it was shortly after a heavy fall of rain, which had left the roads in a very bad state.

FOUNDEDverbUS /ˈfaʊndɪd/

past form of “found” — set up or found

GOLDnounUS /ɡoʊld/

coins made of gold

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading The time of my visit was not the most propitious, for it was shortly after a heavy fall of rain, which had left the roads in a very bad state.

heavyadjectiveUS /ˈhevi/

of comparatively great physical weight or density

From this reading The time of my visit was not the most propitious, for it was shortly after a heavy fall of rain, which had left the roads in a very bad state.

hereadverbUS /hiːr/

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading One of the most interesting visits to places that I made while staying at Majorca was to Ballarat, the mining capital of the colony, sometimes called here the Victorian Manchester.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading One of the most interesting visits to places that I made while staying at Majorca was to Ballarat, the mining capital of the colony, sometimes called here the Victorian Manchester.

INprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

interestingadjectiveUS /ˈɪntrəstɪŋ/

arousing or holding the attention

From this reading One of the most interesting visits to places that I made while staying at Majorca was to Ballarat, the mining capital of the colony, sometimes called here the Victorian Manchester.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading The time of my visit was not the most propitious, for it was shortly after a heavy fall of rain, which had left the roads in a very bad state.

JOURNEYverbUS /ˈdʒɜːrni/

undertake a journey or trip

leftnounUS /left/

location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east

From this reading The time of my visit was not the most propitious, for it was shortly after a heavy fall of rain, which had left the roads in a very bad state.

madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading One of the most interesting visits to places that I made while staying at Majorca was to Ballarat, the mining capital of the colony, sometimes called here the Victorian Manchester.

MajorcanounUS /maɪˈɔːrkə/

the largest of the Balearic Islands

From this reading One of the most interesting visits to places that I made while staying at Majorca was to Ballarat, the mining capital of the colony, sometimes called here the Victorian Manchester.

ManchesternounUS /ˈmæntʃestər/

largest city in New Hampshire; located in southeastern New Hampshire on the Merrimack river

From this reading One of the most interesting visits to places that I made while staying at Majorca was to Ballarat, the mining capital of the colony, sometimes called here the Victorian Manchester.

miningnounUS /ˈmaɪnɪŋ/

the act of extracting ores or coal etc from the earth

From this reading One of the most interesting visits to places that I made while staying at Majorca was to Ballarat, the mining capital of the colony, sometimes called here the Victorian Manchester.

mostadverbUS /moʊst/

used to form the superlative

From this reading One of the most interesting visits to places that I made while staying at Majorca was to Ballarat, the mining capital of the colony, sometimes called here the Victorian Manchester.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading The time of my visit was not the most propitious, for it was shortly after a heavy fall of rain, which had left the roads in a very bad state.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading The time of my visit was not the most propitious, for it was shortly after a heavy fall of rain, which had left the roads in a very bad state.

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

ONprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

OnepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading One of the most interesting visits to places that I made while staying at Majorca was to Ballarat, the mining capital of the colony, sometimes called here the Victorian Manchester.

PLACESnounUS /ˈpleɪsəz/

plural of “place” — a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading PLACES ABOUT.

propitiousadjectiveUS /prəˈpɪʃəs/

presenting favorable circumstances; likely to result in or show signs of success

From this reading The time of my visit was not the most propitious, for it was shortly after a heavy fall of rain, which had left the roads in a very bad state.

RACESnounUS /ˈreɪsəz/

plural of “race” — any competition

rainnounUS /reɪn/

water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere

From this reading The time of my visit was not the most propitious, for it was shortly after a heavy fall of rain, which had left the roads in a very bad state.

RETURNverbUS /rɪˈtɜːrn/

go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before

roadsnounUS /roʊdz/

a partly sheltered anchorage

From this reading The time of my visit was not the most propitious, for it was shortly after a heavy fall of rain, which had left the roads in a very bad state.

shortlyadverbUS /ˈʃɔːrtli/

for a short time

From this reading The time of my visit was not the most propitious, for it was shortly after a heavy fall of rain, which had left the roads in a very bad state.

sometimesadverbUS /səmˈtaɪmz/

on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always

From this reading One of the most interesting visits to places that I made while staying at Majorca was to Ballarat, the mining capital of the colony, sometimes called here the Victorian Manchester.

SPECULATIVEadjectiveUS /ˈspekjələtɪv/

not financially safe or secure

statenounUS /steɪt/

the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation

From this reading The time of my visit was not the most propitious, for it was shortly after a heavy fall of rain, which had left the roads in a very bad state.

stayingverbUS /ˈsteɪɪŋ/

-ing form of “stay” — stay the same; remain in a certain state

From this reading One of the most interesting visits to places that I made while staying at Majorca was to Ballarat, the mining capital of the colony, sometimes called here the Victorian Manchester.

SUNRISEnounUS /ˈsʌnraɪz/

the first light of day

TALBOTnounUS /ˈtælbət/

English inventor and pioneer in photography who published the first book illustrated with photographs (1800-1877)

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading One of the most interesting visits to places that I made while staying at Majorca was to Ballarat, the mining capital of the colony, sometimes called here the Victorian Manchester.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading The time of my visit was not the most propitious, for it was shortly after a heavy fall of rain, which had left the roads in a very bad state.

TOparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

TOWNnounUS /taʊn/

an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading The time of my visit was not the most propitious, for it was shortly after a heavy fall of rain, which had left the roads in a very bad state.

VictorianadjectiveUS /vɪkˈtɔːriən/

of or relating to Queen Victoria of Great Britain or to the age in which she ruled

From this reading One of the most interesting visits to places that I made while staying at Majorca was to Ballarat, the mining capital of the colony, sometimes called here the Victorian Manchester.

VISITverbUS /ˈvɪzɪt/

go to see a place, as for entertainment

visitsnounUS /ˈvɪzɪts/

plural of “visit” — the act of going to see some person or place or thing for a short time

From this reading One of the most interesting visits to places that I made while staying at Majorca was to Ballarat, the mining capital of the colony, sometimes called here the Victorian Manchester.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading One of the most interesting visits to places that I made while staying at Majorca was to Ballarat, the mining capital of the colony, sometimes called here the Victorian Manchester.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading The time of my visit was not the most propitious, for it was shortly after a heavy fall of rain, which had left the roads in a very bad state.

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading One of the most interesting visits to places that I made while staying at Majorca was to Ballarat, the mining capital of the colony, sometimes called here the Victorian Manchester.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading But I will describe my journey.

Chapter 17 of A boy's voyage round the world by Samuel Smiles holds 214 sentences, grouped into 43 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.

What does chapter 17 of A boy's voyage round the world contain?

Chapter 17 holds 214 sentences of A boy's voyage round the world, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 17 of A boy's voyage round the world by Samuel Smiles exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 214 sentences, grouped into 43 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.

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Each of the 43 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.

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Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 17 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.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #24345, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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Chapter XVII · Chapter 17

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