Chapter 17 of A Yankee from the West: A Novel is here in full — 190 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of A Yankee from the West: A Novel is here in full — 190 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AN AMBITION. In the evening the hired man returned with his trousers drawing shorter every moment. He swore that he was going to kill the peddler, which of course meant that he would buy another pair from him. He would take off the wretched leg-wear and hang weights to the legs, he said. No peddler could get ahead of him.
Chapter 17 of A Yankee from the West: A Novel is here in full — 190 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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 cherished desire
From this reading “AN AMBITION.”
having services engaged for a fee
From this reading “In the evening the hired man returned with his trousers drawing shorter every moment.”
someone who travels about selling his wares (as on the streets or at carnivals)
From this reading “He swore that he was going to kill the peddler, which of course meant that he would buy another pair from him.”
comparative of “short” — primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading “In the evening the hired man returned with his trousers drawing shorter every moment.”
inflected form of “swear” — utter obscenities or profanities
From this reading “He swore that he was going to kill the peddler, which of course meant that he would buy another pair from him.”
(usually in the plural) a garment extending from the waist to the knee or ankle, covering each leg separately
From this reading “In the evening the hired man returned with his trousers drawing shorter every moment.”
plural of “weight” — the vertical force exerted by a mass as a result of gravity
From this reading “He would take off the wretched leg-wear and hang weights to the legs, he said.”
of very poor quality or condition
From this reading “He would take off the wretched leg-wear and hang weights to the legs, he said.”
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.
a hired laborer on a farm or ranch
In this reading “In the evening the hired man returned with his trousers drawing shorter every moment.”
as might be expected
In this reading “He swore that he was going to kill the peddler, which of course meant that he would buy another pair from him.”
leave
In this reading “He would take off the wretched leg-wear and hang weights to the legs, he said.”
obtain advantages, such as points, etc.
In this reading “No peddler could get ahead of him.”
In this reading “In the evening the hired man returned with his trousers drawing shorter every moment.”
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.
at or in the front
From this reading No peddler could get ahead of him.
a cherished desire
From this reading AN AMBITION.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN AMBITION.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He would take off the wretched leg-wear and hang weights to the legs, he said.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading He swore that he was going to kill the peddler, which of course meant that he would buy another pair from him.
obtain by purchase; acquire by means of a financial transaction
From this reading He swore that he was going to kill the peddler, which of course meant that he would buy another pair from him.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading No peddler could get ahead of him.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading He swore that he was going to kill the peddler, which of course meant that he would buy another pair from him.
an illustration that is drawn by hand and published in a book, magazine, or newspaper
From this reading In the evening the hired man returned with his trousers drawing shorter every moment.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading In the evening the hired man returned with his trousers drawing shorter every moment.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading In the evening the hired man returned with his trousers drawing shorter every moment.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He swore that he was going to kill the peddler, which of course meant that he would buy another pair from him.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading No peddler could get ahead of him.
the act of departing
From this reading He swore that he was going to kill the peddler, which of course meant that he would buy another pair from him.
be suspended or hanging
From this reading He would take off the wretched leg-wear and hang weights to the legs, he said.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He swore that he was going to kill the peddler, which of course meant that he would buy another pair from him.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He swore that he was going to kill the peddler, which of course meant that he would buy another pair from him.
having services engaged for a fee
From this reading In the evening the hired man returned with his trousers drawing shorter every moment.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading In the evening the hired man returned with his trousers drawing shorter every moment.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the evening the hired man returned with his trousers drawing shorter every moment.
cause to die; put to death, usually intentionally or knowingly
From this reading He swore that he was going to kill the peddler, which of course meant that he would buy another pair from him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He would take off the wretched leg-wear and hang weights to the legs, he said.
staying power
From this reading He would take off the wretched leg-wear and hang weights to the legs, he said.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading In the evening the hired man returned with his trousers drawing shorter every moment.
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading He swore that he was going to kill the peddler, which of course meant that he would buy another pair from him.
a particular point in time
From this reading In the evening the hired man returned with his trousers drawing shorter every moment.
not any; not one
From this reading No peddler could get ahead of him.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He swore that he was going to kill the peddler, which of course meant that he would buy another pair from him.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading He would take off the wretched leg-wear and hang weights to the legs, he said.
a set of two similar things considered as a unit
From this reading He swore that he was going to kill the peddler, which of course meant that he would buy another pair from him.
someone who travels about selling his wares (as on the streets or at carnivals)
From this reading He swore that he was going to kill the peddler, which of course meant that he would buy another pair from him.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading In the evening the hired man returned with his trousers drawing shorter every moment.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading He would take off the wretched leg-wear and hang weights to the legs, he said.
comparative of “short” — primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading In the evening the hired man returned with his trousers drawing shorter every moment.
inflected form of “swear” — utter obscenities or profanities
From this reading He swore that he was going to kill the peddler, which of course meant that he would buy another pair from him.
carry out
From this reading He would take off the wretched leg-wear and hang weights to the legs, he said.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading He swore that he was going to kill the peddler, which of course meant that he would buy another pair from him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In the evening the hired man returned with his trousers drawing shorter every moment.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He swore that he was going to kill the peddler, which of course meant that he would buy another pair from him.
(usually in the plural) a garment extending from the waist to the knee or ankle, covering each leg separately
From this reading In the evening the hired man returned with his trousers drawing shorter every moment.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He swore that he was going to kill the peddler, which of course meant that he would buy another pair from him.
plural of “weight” — the vertical force exerted by a mass as a result of gravity
From this reading He would take off the wretched leg-wear and hang weights to the legs, he said.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading He swore that he was going to kill the peddler, which of course meant that he would buy another pair from him.
in the company of; together with
From this reading In the evening the hired man returned with his trousers drawing shorter every moment.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading He swore that he was going to kill the peddler, which of course meant that he would buy another pair from him.
of very poor quality or condition
From this reading He would take off the wretched leg-wear and hang weights to the legs, he said.
Chapter 17 of A Yankee from the West: A Novel by Opie Percival Read holds 190 sentences, grouped into 38 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 190 sentences of A Yankee from the West: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of A Yankee from the West: A Novel by Opie Percival Read exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 190 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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.
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Project Gutenberg eBook #33773, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 493 minutes of reading across 1185 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in A Yankee from the West: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
