Chapter 17 of A Humble Enterprise is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of A Humble Enterprise is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"YOU NEED NOT EXPECT ME BACK" Harry Oxenham, pipe in mouth, stood at the open garden gate. Mary stood on the step of the front door. Conscious of guilt, they greeted him with more than usual cordiality. "And so you have really come, after all, my dear old boy," his sister cried, with her arms about his neck. "This _is_ good of you!
Chapter 17 of A Humble Enterprise is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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.
intentionally conceived
From this reading “Conscious of guilt, they greeted him with more than usual cordiality.”
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading “"YOU NEED NOT EXPECT ME BACK" Harry Oxenham, pipe in mouth, stood at the open garden gate.”
a movable barrier in a fence or wall
From this reading “"YOU NEED NOT EXPECT ME BACK" Harry Oxenham, pipe in mouth, stood at the open garden gate.”
past form of “greet” — express greetings upon meeting someone
From this reading “Conscious of guilt, they greeted him with more than usual cordiality.”
the state of having committed an offense
From this reading “Conscious of guilt, they greeted him with more than usual cordiality.”
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading “"YOU NEED NOT EXPECT ME BACK" Harry Oxenham, pipe in mouth, stood at the open garden gate.”
the part of an organism (human or animal) that connects the head to the rest of the body
From this reading “"And so you have really come, after all, my dear old boy," his sister cried, with her arms about his neck.”
a tube with a small bowl at one end; used for smoking tobacco
From this reading “"YOU NEED NOT EXPECT ME BACK" Harry Oxenham, pipe in mouth, stood at the open garden gate.”
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.
exterior door (at the entrance) at the front of a building
In this reading “Mary stood on the step of the front door.”
In this reading “"YOU NEED NOT EXPECT ME BACK" Harry Oxenham, pipe in mouth, stood at the open garden gate.”
In this reading “Mary stood on the step of the front door.”
a familiar term of address for a man
In this reading “"And so you have really come, after all, my dear old boy," his sister cried, with her arms about his neck.”
In this reading “"YOU NEED NOT EXPECT ME BACK" Harry Oxenham, pipe in mouth, stood at the open garden gate.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "And so you have really come, after all, my dear old boy," his sister cried, with her arms about his neck.
later than; following
From this reading "And so you have really come, after all, my dear old boy," his sister cried, with her arms about his neck.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading "And so you have really come, after all, my dear old boy," his sister cried, with her arms about his neck.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And so you have really come, after all, my dear old boy," his sister cried, with her arms about his neck.
weapons considered collectively
From this reading "And so you have really come, after all, my dear old boy," his sister cried, with her arms about his neck.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "YOU NEED NOT EXPECT ME BACK" Harry Oxenham, pipe in mouth, stood at the open garden gate.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading "YOU NEED NOT EXPECT ME BACK" Harry Oxenham, pipe in mouth, stood at the open garden gate.
a youthful male person
From this reading "And so you have really come, after all, my dear old boy," his sister cried, with her arms about his neck.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "And so you have really come, after all, my dear old boy," his sister cried, with her arms about his neck.
intentionally conceived
From this reading Conscious of guilt, they greeted him with more than usual cordiality.
a cordial disposition
From this reading Conscious of guilt, they greeted him with more than usual cordiality.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "And so you have really come, after all, my dear old boy," his sister cried, with her arms about his neck.
dearly loved
From this reading "And so you have really come, after all, my dear old boy," his sister cried, with her arms about his neck.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Mary stood on the step of the front door.
regard something as probable or likely
From this reading "YOU NEED NOT EXPECT ME BACK" Harry Oxenham, pipe in mouth, stood at the open garden gate.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading Mary stood on the step of the front door.
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading "YOU NEED NOT EXPECT ME BACK" Harry Oxenham, pipe in mouth, stood at the open garden gate.
a movable barrier in a fence or wall
From this reading "YOU NEED NOT EXPECT ME BACK" Harry Oxenham, pipe in mouth, stood at the open garden gate.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "This _is_ good of you!
past form of “greet” — express greetings upon meeting someone
From this reading Conscious of guilt, they greeted him with more than usual cordiality.
the state of having committed an offense
From this reading Conscious of guilt, they greeted him with more than usual cordiality.
annoy continually or chronically
From this reading "YOU NEED NOT EXPECT ME BACK" Harry Oxenham, pipe in mouth, stood at the open garden gate.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "And so you have really come, after all, my dear old boy," his sister cried, with her arms about his neck.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "And so you have really come, after all, my dear old boy," his sister cried, with her arms about his neck.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Conscious of guilt, they greeted him with more than usual cordiality.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "And so you have really come, after all, my dear old boy," his sister cried, with her arms about his neck.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "YOU NEED NOT EXPECT ME BACK" Harry Oxenham, pipe in mouth, stood at the open garden gate.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "This _is_ good of you!
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading Mary stood on the step of the front door.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "YOU NEED NOT EXPECT ME BACK" Harry Oxenham, pipe in mouth, stood at the open garden gate.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Conscious of guilt, they greeted him with more than usual cordiality.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading "YOU NEED NOT EXPECT ME BACK" Harry Oxenham, pipe in mouth, stood at the open garden gate.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "And so you have really come, after all, my dear old boy," his sister cried, with her arms about his neck.
the part of an organism (human or animal) that connects the head to the rest of the body
From this reading "And so you have really come, after all, my dear old boy," his sister cried, with her arms about his neck.
a condition requiring relief
From this reading "YOU NEED NOT EXPECT ME BACK" Harry Oxenham, pipe in mouth, stood at the open garden gate.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "YOU NEED NOT EXPECT ME BACK" Harry Oxenham, pipe in mouth, stood at the open garden gate.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Mary stood on the step of the front door.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "And so you have really come, after all, my dear old boy," his sister cried, with her arms about his neck.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Mary stood on the step of the front door.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading "YOU NEED NOT EXPECT ME BACK" Harry Oxenham, pipe in mouth, stood at the open garden gate.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "YOU NEED NOT EXPECT ME BACK" Harry Oxenham, pipe in mouth, stood at the open garden gate.
a tube with a small bowl at one end; used for smoking tobacco
From this reading "YOU NEED NOT EXPECT ME BACK" Harry Oxenham, pipe in mouth, stood at the open garden gate.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading "And so you have really come, after all, my dear old boy," his sister cried, with her arms about his neck.
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading "And so you have really come, after all, my dear old boy," his sister cried, with her arms about his neck.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "And so you have really come, after all, my dear old boy," his sister cried, with her arms about his neck.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading Mary stood on the step of the front door.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading "YOU NEED NOT EXPECT ME BACK" Harry Oxenham, pipe in mouth, stood at the open garden gate.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Conscious of guilt, they greeted him with more than usual cordiality.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "YOU NEED NOT EXPECT ME BACK" Harry Oxenham, pipe in mouth, stood at the open garden gate.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Conscious of guilt, they greeted him with more than usual cordiality.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "This _is_ good of you!
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading Conscious of guilt, they greeted him with more than usual cordiality.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Conscious of guilt, they greeted him with more than usual cordiality.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "YOU NEED NOT EXPECT ME BACK" Harry Oxenham, pipe in mouth, stood at the open garden gate.
Chapter 17 of A Humble Enterprise by Ada Cambridge holds 162 sentences, grouped into 33 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 162 sentences of A Humble Enterprise, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of A Humble Enterprise by Ada Cambridge exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 162 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 Humble Enterprise by Ada Cambridge on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2717 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37866 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #37866, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 226 minutes of reading across 544 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Humble Enterprise section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of A Humble Enterprise 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 Humble Enterprise, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
