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Active Service
Active Service

Chapter XVII · Chapter 17

Chapter 17 of Active Service is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Active Service
Context Illustration Reading 1/31 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
" Come out on the balcony," cooed Nora.
"There are some funny old storks on top of some chimneys near here and they clatter like mad all day and night."
They moved together out to the balcony, but Nora retreated with a little cry when she felt the coldness of the night.
She said that she would get a cloak.
Coleman was not unlike a man in a dream.
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Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Active Service

Chapter XVII · Chapter 17

Chapter 17 of Active Service is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/31 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
" Come out on the balcony," cooed Nora.
Line 2
"There are some funny old storks on top of some chimneys near here and they clatter like mad all day and night."
Line 3
They moved together out to the balcony, but Nora retreated with a little cry when she felt the coldness of the night.
Line 4
She said that she would get a cloak.
Line 5
Coleman was not unlike a man in a dream.

Learner Dictionary

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.

Dream noun US /driːm/

A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.

From this reading “Coleman was not unlike a man in a dream.”

All words in this reading · 51

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.

a

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They moved together out to the balcony, but Nora retreated with a little cry when she felt the coldness of the night.

all

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "There are some funny old storks on top of some chimneys near here and they clatter like mad all day and night."

and

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "There are some funny old storks on top of some chimneys near here and they clatter like mad all day and night."

are

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "There are some funny old storks on top of some chimneys near here and they clatter like mad all day and night."

balcony

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading " Come out on the balcony," cooed Nora.

but

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They moved together out to the balcony, but Nora retreated with a little cry when she felt the coldness of the night.

chimneys

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "There are some funny old storks on top of some chimneys near here and they clatter like mad all day and night."

clatter

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "There are some funny old storks on top of some chimneys near here and they clatter like mad all day and night."

cloak

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She said that she would get a cloak.

coldness

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They moved together out to the balcony, but Nora retreated with a little cry when she felt the coldness of the night.

Coleman

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Coleman was not unlike a man in a dream.

Come

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading " Come out on the balcony," cooed Nora.

cooed

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading " Come out on the balcony," cooed Nora.

cry

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They moved together out to the balcony, but Nora retreated with a little cry when she felt the coldness of the night.

day

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "There are some funny old storks on top of some chimneys near here and they clatter like mad all day and night."

dreamnounUS /driːm/

A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.

From this reading Coleman was not unlike a man in a dream.

felt

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They moved together out to the balcony, but Nora retreated with a little cry when she felt the coldness of the night.

funny

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "There are some funny old storks on top of some chimneys near here and they clatter like mad all day and night."

get

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She said that she would get a cloak.

here

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "There are some funny old storks on top of some chimneys near here and they clatter like mad all day and night."

in

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Coleman was not unlike a man in a dream.

like

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "There are some funny old storks on top of some chimneys near here and they clatter like mad all day and night."

little

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They moved together out to the balcony, but Nora retreated with a little cry when she felt the coldness of the night.

mad

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "There are some funny old storks on top of some chimneys near here and they clatter like mad all day and night."

man

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Coleman was not unlike a man in a dream.

moved

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They moved together out to the balcony, but Nora retreated with a little cry when she felt the coldness of the night.

near

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "There are some funny old storks on top of some chimneys near here and they clatter like mad all day and night."

night

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "There are some funny old storks on top of some chimneys near here and they clatter like mad all day and night."

Nora

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading " Come out on the balcony," cooed Nora.

not

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Coleman was not unlike a man in a dream.

of

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "There are some funny old storks on top of some chimneys near here and they clatter like mad all day and night."

old

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "There are some funny old storks on top of some chimneys near here and they clatter like mad all day and night."

on

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading " Come out on the balcony," cooed Nora.

out

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading " Come out on the balcony," cooed Nora.

retreated

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They moved together out to the balcony, but Nora retreated with a little cry when she felt the coldness of the night.

said

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She said that she would get a cloak.

she

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They moved together out to the balcony, but Nora retreated with a little cry when she felt the coldness of the night.

some

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "There are some funny old storks on top of some chimneys near here and they clatter like mad all day and night."

storks

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "There are some funny old storks on top of some chimneys near here and they clatter like mad all day and night."

that

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She said that she would get a cloak.

the

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading " Come out on the balcony," cooed Nora.

There

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "There are some funny old storks on top of some chimneys near here and they clatter like mad all day and night."

they

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "There are some funny old storks on top of some chimneys near here and they clatter like mad all day and night."

to

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They moved together out to the balcony, but Nora retreated with a little cry when she felt the coldness of the night.

together

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They moved together out to the balcony, but Nora retreated with a little cry when she felt the coldness of the night.

top

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "There are some funny old storks on top of some chimneys near here and they clatter like mad all day and night."

unlike

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Coleman was not unlike a man in a dream.

was

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Coleman was not unlike a man in a dream.

when

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They moved together out to the balcony, but Nora retreated with a little cry when she felt the coldness of the night.

with

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading They moved together out to the balcony, but Nora retreated with a little cry when she felt the coldness of the night.

would

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She said that she would get a cloak.

Chapter 17 of Active Service by Stephen Crane holds 159 sentences, grouped into 32 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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.

What does chapter 17 of Active Service contain?

Chapter 17 holds 159 sentences of Active Service, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 17 of Active Service by Stephen Crane exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 159 sentences, grouped into 32 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.

How do I study chapter 17 of Active Service?

Work through the 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 32 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.

Can chapter 17 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Active Service

Common questions about reading Active Service by Stephen Crane on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Active Service?

Yes. All 5592 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2364 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Active Service is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #2364, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Active Service take to read?

About 466 minutes of reading across 1119 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Active Service section by section

How to work through Active Service section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 30 chapters of Active Service to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Active Service

Words and structures a reader meets early in Active Service, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Marjory
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Active Service; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Walked
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Active Service; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Pensively
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Active Service; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Along
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Active Service; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.