Chapter 19 of A Modern Instance is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIX
Chapter 19 of A Modern Instance is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Atherton took up his hat and coat. “I'll walk home with you,” he said. “All right,” returned Halleck, listlessly. “How soon shall you go?” asked the lawyer, when they were in the street. “Oh, there's a ship sailing from New York next week,” said Halleck, in the same tone of weary indifference.
Chapter 19 of A Modern Instance is here in full — 397 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading “Atherton took up his hat and coat.”
unbiased impartial unconcern
From this reading ““Oh, there's a ship sailing from New York next week,” said Halleck, in the same tone of weary indifference.”
a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice
From this reading ““How soon shall you go?” asked the lawyer, when they were in the street.”
in a listless manner
From this reading ““All right,” returned Halleck, listlessly.”
the work of a sailor
From this reading ““Oh, there's a ship sailing from New York next week,” said Halleck, in the same tone of weary indifference.”
transport commercially
From this reading ““Oh, there's a ship sailing from New York next week,” said Halleck, in the same tone of weary indifference.”
exhaust or get tired through overuse or great strain or stress
From this reading ““Oh, there's a ship sailing from New York next week,” said Halleck, in the same tone of weary indifference.”
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading ““Oh, there's a ship sailing from New York next week,” said Halleck, in the same tone of weary indifference.”
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 “Oh, there's a ship sailing from New York next week,” said Halleck, in the same tone of weary indifference.
(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 “All right,” returned Halleck, listlessly.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Atherton took up his hat and coat.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “How soon shall you go?” asked the lawyer, when they were in the street.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Atherton took up his hat and coat.
an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading Atherton took up his hat and coat.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading “Oh, there's a ship sailing from New York next week,” said Halleck, in the same tone of weary indifference.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “How soon shall you go?” asked the lawyer, when they were in the street.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “All right,” returned Halleck, listlessly.
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading Atherton took up his hat and coat.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I'll walk home with you,” he said.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Atherton took up his hat and coat.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading “I'll walk home with you,” he said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “How soon shall you go?” asked the lawyer, when they were in the street.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I'll walk home with you,” he said.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “How soon shall you go?” asked the lawyer, when they were in the street.
unbiased impartial unconcern
From this reading “Oh, there's a ship sailing from New York next week,” said Halleck, in the same tone of weary indifference.
a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice
From this reading “How soon shall you go?” asked the lawyer, when they were in the street.
in a listless manner
From this reading “All right,” returned Halleck, listlessly.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading “Oh, there's a ship sailing from New York next week,” said Halleck, in the same tone of weary indifference.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading “Oh, there's a ship sailing from New York next week,” said Halleck, in the same tone of weary indifference.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Oh, there's a ship sailing from New York next week,” said Halleck, in the same tone of weary indifference.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “Oh, there's a ship sailing from New York next week,” said Halleck, in the same tone of weary indifference.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading “All right,” returned Halleck, listlessly.
precisely, exactly
From this reading “All right,” returned Halleck, listlessly.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I'll walk home with you,” he said.
the work of a sailor
From this reading “Oh, there's a ship sailing from New York next week,” said Halleck, in the same tone of weary indifference.
Identical; not different.
From this reading “Oh, there's a ship sailing from New York next week,” said Halleck, in the same tone of weary indifference.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading “How soon shall you go?” asked the lawyer, when they were in the street.
transport commercially
From this reading “Oh, there's a ship sailing from New York next week,” said Halleck, in the same tone of weary indifference.
in the near future
From this reading “How soon shall you go?” asked the lawyer, when they were in the street.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading “How soon shall you go?” asked the lawyer, when they were in the street.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “How soon shall you go?” asked the lawyer, when they were in the street.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Oh, there's a ship sailing from New York next week,” said Halleck, in the same tone of weary indifference.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “How soon shall you go?” asked the lawyer, when they were in the street.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading “Oh, there's a ship sailing from New York next week,” said Halleck, in the same tone of weary indifference.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Atherton took up his hat and coat.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Atherton took up his hat and coat.
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading “I'll walk home with you,” he said.
exhaust or get tired through overuse or great strain or stress
From this reading “Oh, there's a ship sailing from New York next week,” said Halleck, in the same tone of weary indifference.
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading “Oh, there's a ship sailing from New York next week,” said Halleck, in the same tone of weary indifference.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “How soon shall you go?” asked the lawyer, when they were in the street.
at the time that
From this reading “How soon shall you go?” asked the lawyer, when they were in the street.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “I'll walk home with you,” he said.
the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose
From this reading “Oh, there's a ship sailing from New York next week,” said Halleck, in the same tone of weary indifference.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I'll walk home with you,” he said.
Chapter 19 of A Modern Instance by William Dean Howells holds 397 sentences, grouped into 80 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 19 holds 397 sentences of A Modern Instance, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 19 of A Modern Instance by William Dean Howells exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 397 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 19 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 Modern Instance by William Dean Howells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8969 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8203 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8203, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1794 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Modern Instance section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of A Modern Instance 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 Modern Instance, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
