Chapter 17 of A Diversity of Creatures is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of A Diversity of Creatures is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Midmore fairly gasped. 'Then, why the devil did you turn my carts back when--when I sent them up here to do it throughout for you?' Mr. Sidney sat down on the floodgates, his eyebrows knitted in thought. 'I'll tell you,' he said slowly. ''Twas too dam' like cheatin' a suckin' baby.
Chapter 17 of A Diversity of Creatures is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
plural of “cart” — a heavy open wagon usually having two wheels and drawn by an animal
From this reading “'Then, why the devil did you turn my carts back when--when I sent them up here to do it throughout for you?'”
a barrier constructed to contain the flow of water or to keep out the sea
From this reading “''Twas too dam' like cheatin' a suckin' baby.”
plural of “eyebrow” — the arch of hair above each eye
From this reading “Mr. Sidney sat down on the floodgates, his eyebrows knitted in thought.”
plural of “floodgate” — something that restrains a flood or outpouring
From this reading “Mr. Sidney sat down on the floodgates, his eyebrows knitted in thought.”
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading “Midmore fairly gasped.”
made by intertwining threads in a series of connected loops rather than by weaving
From this reading “Mr. Sidney sat down on the floodgates, his eyebrows knitted in thought.”
English poet (1554-1586)
From this reading “Mr. Sidney sat down on the floodgates, his eyebrows knitted in thought.”
in every part of a place, or for the whole of a period
From this reading “'Then, why the devil did you turn my carts back when--when I sent them up here to do it throughout for you?'”
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 ''Twas too dam' like cheatin' a suckin' baby.
a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading ''Twas too dam' like cheatin' a suckin' baby.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading 'Then, why the devil did you turn my carts back when--when I sent them up here to do it throughout for you?'
plural of “cart” — a heavy open wagon usually having two wheels and drawn by an animal
From this reading 'Then, why the devil did you turn my carts back when--when I sent them up here to do it throughout for you?'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ''Twas too dam' like cheatin' a suckin' baby.
a barrier constructed to contain the flow of water or to keep out the sea
From this reading ''Twas too dam' like cheatin' a suckin' baby.
(Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading 'Then, why the devil did you turn my carts back when--when I sent them up here to do it throughout for you?'
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading 'Then, why the devil did you turn my carts back when--when I sent them up here to do it throughout for you?'
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading 'Then, why the devil did you turn my carts back when--when I sent them up here to do it throughout for you?'
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Mr. Sidney sat down on the floodgates, his eyebrows knitted in thought.
plural of “eyebrow” — the arch of hair above each eye
From this reading Mr. Sidney sat down on the floodgates, his eyebrows knitted in thought.
to certain extent or degree
From this reading Midmore fairly gasped.
plural of “floodgate” — something that restrains a flood or outpouring
From this reading Mr. Sidney sat down on the floodgates, his eyebrows knitted in thought.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading 'Then, why the devil did you turn my carts back when--when I sent them up here to do it throughout for you?'
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading Midmore fairly gasped.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading 'I'll tell you,' he said slowly.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading 'Then, why the devil did you turn my carts back when--when I sent them up here to do it throughout for you?'
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Mr. Sidney sat down on the floodgates, his eyebrows knitted in thought.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading 'Then, why the devil did you turn my carts back when--when I sent them up here to do it throughout for you?'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'I'll tell you,' he said slowly.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Mr. Sidney sat down on the floodgates, his eyebrows knitted in thought.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading 'Then, why the devil did you turn my carts back when--when I sent them up here to do it throughout for you?'
made by intertwining threads in a series of connected loops rather than by weaving
From this reading Mr. Sidney sat down on the floodgates, his eyebrows knitted in thought.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading ''Twas too dam' like cheatin' a suckin' baby.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Midmore fairly gasped.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Sidney sat down on the floodgates, his eyebrows knitted in thought.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading 'Then, why the devil did you turn my carts back when--when I sent them up here to do it throughout for you?'
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Mr. Sidney sat down on the floodgates, his eyebrows knitted in thought.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading 'I'll tell you,' he said slowly.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Mr. Sidney sat down on the floodgates, his eyebrows knitted in thought.
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading 'Then, why the devil did you turn my carts back when--when I sent them up here to do it throughout for you?'
English poet (1554-1586)
From this reading Mr. Sidney sat down on the floodgates, his eyebrows knitted in thought.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading 'I'll tell you,' he said slowly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ''Twas too dam' like cheatin' a suckin' baby.
express in words
From this reading 'I'll tell you,' he said slowly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading 'Then, why the devil did you turn my carts back when--when I sent them up here to do it throughout for you?'
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading 'Then, why the devil did you turn my carts back when--when I sent them up here to do it throughout for you?'
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading 'Then, why the devil did you turn my carts back when--when I sent them up here to do it throughout for you?'
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Mr. Sidney sat down on the floodgates, his eyebrows knitted in thought.
in every part of a place, or for the whole of a period
From this reading 'Then, why the devil did you turn my carts back when--when I sent them up here to do it throughout for you?'
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading 'Then, why the devil did you turn my carts back when--when I sent them up here to do it throughout for you?'
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading ''Twas too dam' like cheatin' a suckin' baby.
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading 'Then, why the devil did you turn my carts back when--when I sent them up here to do it throughout for you?'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ''Twas too dam' like cheatin' a suckin' baby.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading 'Then, why the devil did you turn my carts back when--when I sent them up here to do it throughout for you?'
at the time that
From this reading 'Then, why the devil did you turn my carts back when--when I sent them up here to do it throughout for you?'
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading 'Then, why the devil did you turn my carts back when--when I sent them up here to do it throughout for you?'
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading 'Then, why the devil did you turn my carts back when--when I sent them up here to do it throughout for you?'
Chapter 17 of A Diversity of Creatures by Rudyard Kipling holds 413 sentences, grouped into 83 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 17 holds 413 sentences of A Diversity of Creatures, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of A Diversity of Creatures by Rudyard Kipling exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 413 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 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.
Common questions about reading A Diversity of Creatures by Rudyard Kipling on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8131 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13085 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #13085, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1627 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Diversity of Creatures section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of A Diversity of Creatures 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 Diversity of Creatures, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
