Chapter 16 of A Poached Peerage is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of A Poached Peerage is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
So far as he dared, Peckover began to lose his temper. "I wish you would not smash things," he ventured to remonstrate. "I'll take your word for your muscle." "My muscle prefers to speak for itself," was the retort. "It need not talk with such a deuced lot of emphasis," Peckover rejoined.
Chapter 16 of A Poached Peerage is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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.
special importance or significance
From this reading “"It need not talk with such a deuced lot of emphasis," Peckover rejoined.”
one of the contractile organs of the body
From this reading “"I'll take your word for your muscle."”
third-person singular of “prefer” — like better; value more highly
From this reading “"My muscle prefers to speak for itself," was the retort.”
past form of “rejoin” — join again
From this reading “"It need not talk with such a deuced lot of emphasis," Peckover rejoined.”
a quick reply to a question or remark (especially a witty or critical one)
From this reading “"My muscle prefers to speak for itself," was the retort.”
hit hard
From this reading “"I wish you would not smash things," he ventured to remonstrate.”
a sudden outburst of anger
From this reading “So far as he dared, Peckover began to lose his temper.”
past form of “venture” — proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers
From this reading “"I wish you would not smash things," he ventured to remonstrate.”
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 “"It need not talk with such a deuced lot of emphasis," Peckover rejoined.”
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 "It need not talk with such a deuced lot of emphasis," Peckover rejoined.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading So far as he dared, Peckover began to lose his temper.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading So far as he dared, Peckover began to lose his temper.
past form of “dare” — take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading So far as he dared, Peckover began to lose his temper.
expletives used informally as intensifiers
From this reading "It need not talk with such a deuced lot of emphasis," Peckover rejoined.
special importance or significance
From this reading "It need not talk with such a deuced lot of emphasis," Peckover rejoined.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading So far as he dared, Peckover began to lose his temper.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "I'll take your word for your muscle."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading So far as he dared, Peckover began to lose his temper.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading So far as he dared, Peckover began to lose his temper.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I wish you would not smash things," he ventured to remonstrate.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'll take your word for your muscle."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It need not talk with such a deuced lot of emphasis," Peckover rejoined.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading "My muscle prefers to speak for itself," was the retort.
fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading So far as he dared, Peckover began to lose his temper.
(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent
From this reading "It need not talk with such a deuced lot of emphasis," Peckover rejoined.
one of the contractile organs of the body
From this reading "I'll take your word for your muscle."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "My muscle prefers to speak for itself," was the retort.
a condition requiring relief
From this reading "It need not talk with such a deuced lot of emphasis," Peckover rejoined.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "I wish you would not smash things," he ventured to remonstrate.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "It need not talk with such a deuced lot of emphasis," Peckover rejoined.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading So far as he dared, Peckover began to lose his temper.
third-person singular of “prefer” — like better; value more highly
From this reading "My muscle prefers to speak for itself," was the retort.
past form of “rejoin” — join again
From this reading "It need not talk with such a deuced lot of emphasis," Peckover rejoined.
argue in protest or opposition
From this reading "I wish you would not smash things," he ventured to remonstrate.
a quick reply to a question or remark (especially a witty or critical one)
From this reading "My muscle prefers to speak for itself," was the retort.
hit hard
From this reading "I wish you would not smash things," he ventured to remonstrate.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So far as he dared, Peckover began to lose his temper.
express in speech
From this reading "My muscle prefers to speak for itself," was the retort.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading "It need not talk with such a deuced lot of emphasis," Peckover rejoined.
carry out
From this reading "I'll take your word for your muscle."
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading "It need not talk with such a deuced lot of emphasis," Peckover rejoined.
a sudden outburst of anger
From this reading So far as he dared, Peckover began to lose his temper.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "My muscle prefers to speak for itself," was the retort.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading "I wish you would not smash things," he ventured to remonstrate.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading So far as he dared, Peckover began to lose his temper.
past form of “venture” — proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers
From this reading "I wish you would not smash things," he ventured to remonstrate.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "My muscle prefers to speak for itself," was the retort.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading "I wish you would not smash things," he ventured to remonstrate.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "It need not talk with such a deuced lot of emphasis," Peckover rejoined.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading "I'll take your word for your muscle."
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "I wish you would not smash things," he ventured to remonstrate.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I wish you would not smash things," he ventured to remonstrate.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I'll take your word for your muscle."
Chapter 16 of A Poached Peerage by William, Sir Magnay holds 120 sentences, grouped into 24 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 120 sentences of A Poached Peerage, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of A Poached Peerage by William, Sir Magnay exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 120 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 5783 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34088 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34088, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 481 minutes of reading across 1157 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Poached Peerage section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of A Poached Peerage 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 Poached Peerage, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
