Chapter 16 of A Parisian Sultana, Vol. 1 (of 3) is here in full — 87 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of A Parisian Sultana, Vol. 1 (of 3) is here in full — 87 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"At first, it is true, I did not see much. My head shut out the day-light, and kept everything in shadow. But, after a moment, my eyes became accustomed to the gloom; through the intervals between the port-hole and my head came the rays of light, and I saw—what? Can you guess? Do you give it up?
Chapter 16 of A Parisian Sultana, Vol. 1 (of 3) is here in full — 87 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/17 · 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.
commonly used or practiced; usual
From this reading “But, after a moment, my eyes became accustomed to the gloom; through the intervals between the port-hole and my head came the rays of light, and I saw—what?”
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading “But, after a moment, my eyes became accustomed to the gloom; through the intervals between the port-hole and my head came the rays of light, and I saw—what?”
a state of partial or total darkness
From this reading “But, after a moment, my eyes became accustomed to the gloom; through the intervals between the port-hole and my head came the rays of light, and I saw—what?”
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading “Can you guess?”
plural of “interval” — a definite length of time marked off by two instants
From this reading “But, after a moment, my eyes became accustomed to the gloom; through the intervals between the port-hole and my head came the rays of light, and I saw—what?”
plural of “ray” — a column of light (as from a beacon)
From this reading “But, after a moment, my eyes became accustomed to the gloom; through the intervals between the port-hole and my head came the rays of light, and I saw—what?”
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading “My head shut out the day-light, and kept everything in shadow.”
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading “My head shut out the day-light, and kept everything in shadow.”
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.
In this reading “But, after a moment, my eyes became accustomed to the gloom; through the intervals between the port-hole and my head came the rays of light, and I saw—what?”
prevent from entering; shut out
In this reading “My head shut out the day-light, and kept everything in shadow.”
In this reading “But, after a moment, my eyes became accustomed to the gloom; through the intervals between the port-hole and my head came the rays of light, and I saw—what?”
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 But, after a moment, my eyes became accustomed to the gloom; through the intervals between the port-hole and my head came the rays of light, and I saw—what?
commonly used or practiced; usual
From this reading But, after a moment, my eyes became accustomed to the gloom; through the intervals between the port-hole and my head came the rays of light, and I saw—what?
later than; following
From this reading But, after a moment, my eyes became accustomed to the gloom; through the intervals between the port-hole and my head came the rays of light, and I saw—what?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading My head shut out the day-light, and kept everything in shadow.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "At first, it is true, I did not see much.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading But, after a moment, my eyes became accustomed to the gloom; through the intervals between the port-hole and my head came the rays of light, and I saw—what?
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading But, after a moment, my eyes became accustomed to the gloom; through the intervals between the port-hole and my head came the rays of light, and I saw—what?
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But, after a moment, my eyes became accustomed to the gloom; through the intervals between the port-hole and my head came the rays of light, and I saw—what?
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading But, after a moment, my eyes became accustomed to the gloom; through the intervals between the port-hole and my head came the rays of light, and I saw—what?
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Can you guess?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading My head shut out the day-light, and kept everything in shadow.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "At first, it is true, I did not see much.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Do you give it up?
all things; all of a situation
From this reading My head shut out the day-light, and kept everything in shadow.
opinion or judgment
From this reading But, after a moment, my eyes became accustomed to the gloom; through the intervals between the port-hole and my head came the rays of light, and I saw—what?
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading "At first, it is true, I did not see much.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Do you give it up?
a state of partial or total darkness
From this reading But, after a moment, my eyes became accustomed to the gloom; through the intervals between the port-hole and my head came the rays of light, and I saw—what?
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading Can you guess?
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading My head shut out the day-light, and kept everything in shadow.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "At first, it is true, I did not see much.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading My head shut out the day-light, and kept everything in shadow.
plural of “interval” — a definite length of time marked off by two instants
From this reading But, after a moment, my eyes became accustomed to the gloom; through the intervals between the port-hole and my head came the rays of light, and I saw—what?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "At first, it is true, I did not see much.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "At first, it is true, I did not see much.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading My head shut out the day-light, and kept everything in shadow.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading But, after a moment, my eyes became accustomed to the gloom; through the intervals between the port-hole and my head came the rays of light, and I saw—what?
a particular point in time
From this reading But, after a moment, my eyes became accustomed to the gloom; through the intervals between the port-hole and my head came the rays of light, and I saw—what?
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "At first, it is true, I did not see much.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My head shut out the day-light, and kept everything in shadow.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "At first, it is true, I did not see much.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading But, after a moment, my eyes became accustomed to the gloom; through the intervals between the port-hole and my head came the rays of light, and I saw—what?
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading My head shut out the day-light, and kept everything in shadow.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But, after a moment, my eyes became accustomed to the gloom; through the intervals between the port-hole and my head came the rays of light, and I saw—what?
plural of “ray” — a column of light (as from a beacon)
From this reading But, after a moment, my eyes became accustomed to the gloom; through the intervals between the port-hole and my head came the rays of light, and I saw—what?
cut with a saw
From this reading But, after a moment, my eyes became accustomed to the gloom; through the intervals between the port-hole and my head came the rays of light, and I saw—what?
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "At first, it is true, I did not see much.
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading My head shut out the day-light, and kept everything in shadow.
move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut
From this reading My head shut out the day-light, and kept everything in shadow.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading My head shut out the day-light, and kept everything in shadow.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading But, after a moment, my eyes became accustomed to the gloom; through the intervals between the port-hole and my head came the rays of light, and I saw—what?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But, after a moment, my eyes became accustomed to the gloom; through the intervals between the port-hole and my head came the rays of light, and I saw—what?
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading "At first, it is true, I did not see much.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Do you give it up?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading But, after a moment, my eyes became accustomed to the gloom; through the intervals between the port-hole and my head came the rays of light, and I saw—what?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Can you guess?
Chapter 16 of A Parisian Sultana, Vol. 1 (of 3) by Adolphe Belot holds 87 sentences, grouped into 18 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 16 holds 87 sentences of A Parisian Sultana, Vol. 1 (of 3), unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of A Parisian Sultana, Vol. 1 (of 3) by Adolphe Belot exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 87 sentences, grouped into 18 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 18 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 18 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.
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Yes. All 3702 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #58677 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #58677, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 308 minutes of reading across 741 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Parisian Sultana, Vol. 1 (of 3) section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of A Parisian Sultana, Vol. 1 (of 3) to begin.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in A Parisian Sultana, Vol. 1 (of 3), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
