Chapter 16 of A Dark Night's Work is here in full — 236 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of A Dark Night's Work is here in full — 236 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Is Judge Corbet at home? Can I see him?" she asked of the footman, who at length answered the door. He looked at her curiously, and a little familiarly, before he replied, "Why, yes! He's pretty sure to be at home at this time of day; but whether he'll see you is quite another thing." "Would you be so good as to ask him?
Chapter 16 of A Dark Night's Work is here in full — 236 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/47 · 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.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “"Would you be so good as to ask him?”
in a manner differing from the usual or expected
From this reading “He looked at her curiously, and a little familiarly, before he replied, "Why, yes!”
a man employed as a servant in a large establishment (as a palace) to run errands and do chores
From this reading “Can I see him?" she asked of the footman, who at length answered the door.”
determine the result of (a competition)
From this reading “"Is Judge Corbet at home?”
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading “Can I see him?" she asked of the footman, who at length answered the door.”
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading “He's pretty sure to be at home at this time of day; but whether he'll see you is quite another thing."”
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading “He's pretty sure to be at home at this time of day; but whether he'll see you is quite another thing."”
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading “He's pretty sure to be at home at this time of day; but whether he'll see you is quite another thing."”
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 He looked at her curiously, and a little familiarly, before he replied, "Why, yes!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He looked at her curiously, and a little familiarly, before he replied, "Why, yes!
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading He's pretty sure to be at home at this time of day; but whether he'll see you is quite another thing."
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading Can I see him?" she asked of the footman, who at length answered the door.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Would you be so good as to ask him?
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Would you be so good as to ask him?
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Can I see him?" she asked of the footman, who at length answered the door.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Is Judge Corbet at home?
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He's pretty sure to be at home at this time of day; but whether he'll see you is quite another thing."
earlier than; in front of
From this reading He looked at her curiously, and a little familiarly, before he replied, "Why, yes!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading He's pretty sure to be at home at this time of day; but whether he'll see you is quite another thing."
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Can I see him?" she asked of the footman, who at length answered the door.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Is Judge Corbet at home?
in a manner differing from the usual or expected
From this reading He looked at her curiously, and a little familiarly, before he replied, "Why, yes!
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading He's pretty sure to be at home at this time of day; but whether he'll see you is quite another thing."
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Can I see him?" she asked of the footman, who at length answered the door.
in an intimately familiar manner
From this reading He looked at her curiously, and a little familiarly, before he replied, "Why, yes!
a man employed as a servant in a large establishment (as a palace) to run errands and do chores
From this reading Can I see him?" she asked of the footman, who at length answered the door.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Would you be so good as to ask him?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He looked at her curiously, and a little familiarly, before he replied, "Why, yes!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He's pretty sure to be at home at this time of day; but whether he'll see you is quite another thing."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He's pretty sure to be at home at this time of day; but whether he'll see you is quite another thing."
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He looked at her curiously, and a little familiarly, before he replied, "Why, yes!
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Can I see him?" she asked of the footman, who at length answered the door.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading "Is Judge Corbet at home?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Can I see him?" she asked of the footman, who at length answered the door.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Is Judge Corbet at home?
determine the result of (a competition)
From this reading "Is Judge Corbet at home?
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading Can I see him?" she asked of the footman, who at length answered the door.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He looked at her curiously, and a little familiarly, before he replied, "Why, yes!
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He looked at her curiously, and a little familiarly, before he replied, "Why, yes!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Can I see him?" she asked of the footman, who at length answered the door.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading He's pretty sure to be at home at this time of day; but whether he'll see you is quite another thing."
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading He's pretty sure to be at home at this time of day; but whether he'll see you is quite another thing."
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading He looked at her curiously, and a little familiarly, before he replied, "Why, yes!
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Can I see him?" she asked of the footman, who at length answered the door.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Can I see him?" she asked of the footman, who at length answered the door.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Would you be so good as to ask him?
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading He's pretty sure to be at home at this time of day; but whether he'll see you is quite another thing."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Can I see him?" she asked of the footman, who at length answered the door.
a special situation
From this reading He's pretty sure to be at home at this time of day; but whether he'll see you is quite another thing."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading He's pretty sure to be at home at this time of day; but whether he'll see you is quite another thing."
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading He's pretty sure to be at home at this time of day; but whether he'll see you is quite another thing."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He's pretty sure to be at home at this time of day; but whether he'll see you is quite another thing."
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading He's pretty sure to be at home at this time of day; but whether he'll see you is quite another thing."
which person or people
From this reading Can I see him?" she asked of the footman, who at length answered the door.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading He looked at her curiously, and a little familiarly, before he replied, "Why, yes!
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "Would you be so good as to ask him?
an affirmative
From this reading He looked at her curiously, and a little familiarly, before he replied, "Why, yes!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading He's pretty sure to be at home at this time of day; but whether he'll see you is quite another thing."
Chapter 16 of A Dark Night's Work by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell holds 236 sentences, grouped into 48 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 16 holds 236 sentences of A Dark Night's Work, unabridged, divided into 48 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of A Dark Night's Work by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 236 sentences, grouped into 48 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 48 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 48 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 16 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 A Dark Night's Work by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2805 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2522 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2522, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 233 minutes of reading across 561 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Dark Night's Work section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of A Dark Night's Work 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 A Dark Night's Work, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
