Chapter 16 of A Woman Named Smith is here in full — 340 sentences across 68 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of A Woman Named Smith is here in full — 340 sentences across 68 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
ON THE KNEES OF THE GODS We gave over the futile search at last. Mr. Jelnik sat down and took his head in his hands, for the moment a prey to overwhelming disappointment. I could have wept for him. Presently: "Is it so hard to lose that which you never possessed?" I ventured to ask.
Chapter 16 of A Woman Named Smith is here in full — 340 sentences across 68 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/68 · 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.
a feeling of dissatisfaction that results when your expectations are not realized
From this reading “Mr. Jelnik sat down and took his head in his hands, for the moment a prey to overwhelming disappointment.”
producing no result or effect
From this reading “ON THE KNEES OF THE GODS We gave over the futile search at last.”
plural of “god” — the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading “ON THE KNEES OF THE GODS We gave over the futile search at last.”
so strong as to be irresistible
From this reading “Mr. Jelnik sat down and took his head in his hands, for the moment a prey to overwhelming disappointment.”
influenced or controlled by a powerful force such as a strong emotion
From this reading “Presently: "Is it so hard to lose that which you never possessed?"”
a person who is the aim of an attack (especially a victim of ridicule or exploitation) by some hostile person or influence
From this reading “Mr. Jelnik sat down and took his head in his hands, for the moment a prey to overwhelming disappointment.”
past form of “venture” — proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers
From this reading “I ventured to ask.”
inflected form of “weep” — shed tears because of sadness, rage, or pain
From this reading “I could have wept for him.”
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 Mr. Jelnik sat down and took his head in his hands, for the moment a prey to overwhelming disappointment.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Mr. Jelnik sat down and took his head in his hands, for the moment a prey to overwhelming disappointment.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading I ventured to ask.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading ON THE KNEES OF THE GODS We gave over the futile search at last.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading I could have wept for him.
a feeling of dissatisfaction that results when your expectations are not realized
From this reading Mr. Jelnik sat down and took his head in his hands, for the moment a prey to overwhelming disappointment.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Mr. Jelnik sat down and took his head in his hands, for the moment a prey to overwhelming disappointment.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Mr. Jelnik sat down and took his head in his hands, for the moment a prey to overwhelming disappointment.
producing no result or effect
From this reading ON THE KNEES OF THE GODS We gave over the futile search at last.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading ON THE KNEES OF THE GODS We gave over the futile search at last.
plural of “god” — the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading ON THE KNEES OF THE GODS We gave over the futile search at last.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Mr. Jelnik sat down and took his head in his hands, for the moment a prey to overwhelming disappointment.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading Presently: "Is it so hard to lose that which you never possessed?"
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I could have wept for him.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Mr. Jelnik sat down and took his head in his hands, for the moment a prey to overwhelming disappointment.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I could have wept for him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Mr. Jelnik sat down and took his head in his hands, for the moment a prey to overwhelming disappointment.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I could have wept for him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Mr. Jelnik sat down and took his head in his hands, for the moment a prey to overwhelming disappointment.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Presently: "Is it so hard to lose that which you never possessed?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Presently: "Is it so hard to lose that which you never possessed?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Jelnik sat down and took his head in his hands, for the moment a prey to overwhelming disappointment.
plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading ON THE KNEES OF THE GODS We gave over the futile search at last.
immediately past
From this reading ON THE KNEES OF THE GODS We gave over the futile search at last.
fail to keep or to maintain; cease to have, either physically or in an abstract sense
From this reading Presently: "Is it so hard to lose that which you never possessed?"
a particular point in time
From this reading Mr. Jelnik sat down and took his head in his hands, for the moment a prey to overwhelming disappointment.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Jelnik sat down and took his head in his hands, for the moment a prey to overwhelming disappointment.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Presently: "Is it so hard to lose that which you never possessed?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading ON THE KNEES OF THE GODS We gave over the futile search at last.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading ON THE KNEES OF THE GODS We gave over the futile search at last.
above and across; more than
From this reading ON THE KNEES OF THE GODS We gave over the futile search at last.
so strong as to be irresistible
From this reading Mr. Jelnik sat down and took his head in his hands, for the moment a prey to overwhelming disappointment.
influenced or controlled by a powerful force such as a strong emotion
From this reading Presently: "Is it so hard to lose that which you never possessed?"
in the near future
From this reading Presently: "Is it so hard to lose that which you never possessed?"
a person who is the aim of an attack (especially a victim of ridicule or exploitation) by some hostile person or influence
From this reading Mr. Jelnik sat down and took his head in his hands, for the moment a prey to overwhelming disappointment.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Mr. Jelnik sat down and took his head in his hands, for the moment a prey to overwhelming disappointment.
try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of
From this reading ON THE KNEES OF THE GODS We gave over the futile search at last.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Presently: "Is it so hard to lose that which you never possessed?"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Presently: "Is it so hard to lose that which you never possessed?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ON THE KNEES OF THE GODS We gave over the futile search at last.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mr. Jelnik sat down and took his head in his hands, for the moment a prey to overwhelming disappointment.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Mr. Jelnik sat down and took his head in his hands, for the moment a prey to overwhelming disappointment.
past form of “venture” — proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers
From this reading I ventured to ask.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading ON THE KNEES OF THE GODS We gave over the futile search at last.
inflected form of “weep” — shed tears because of sadness, rage, or pain
From this reading I could have wept for him.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Presently: "Is it so hard to lose that which you never possessed?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Presently: "Is it so hard to lose that which you never possessed?"
Chapter 16 of A Woman Named Smith by Marie Conway Oemler holds 340 sentences, grouped into 68 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 340 sentences of A Woman Named Smith, unabridged, divided into 68 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of A Woman Named Smith by Marie Conway Oemler exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 340 sentences, grouped into 68 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 68 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 68 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.
Common questions about reading A Woman Named Smith by Marie Conway Oemler on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5345 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #15591 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #15591, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 445 minutes of reading across 1069 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Woman Named Smith section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of A Woman Named Smith 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 Woman Named Smith, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
