All-Hallow Eve

Chapter XVI

Chapter 16 of All-Hallow Eve is here in full — 123 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Robert Curtis • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

Tom spent the remainder of that day very quietly, most of it in his own room.

His first employment, whatever it may have been, was over an old portfolio, where he kept his own writing materials.

What were the chief subjects of his caligraphy is not known.

Perhaps love-letters to such of his numerous _enamoratas_ as could read may have formed a portion, nor is it impossible but the police might have given a trifle to have laid their hands upon some others.

Neither were likely to see the light, however, as Tom Murdock kept that old portfolio carefully locked up in his box.

Narrator

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.

Chapter XVI Reading 1/24

All-Hallow Eve Robert Curtis

Chapter XVI

Chapter 16 of All-Hallow Eve is here in full — 123 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Tom spent the remainder of that day very quietly, most of it in his own room. His first employment, whatever it may have been, was over an old portfolio, where he kept his own writing materials. What were the chief subjects of his caligraphy is not known. Perhaps love-letters to such of his numerous _enamoratas_ as could read may have formed a portion, nor is it impossible but the police might have given a trifle to have laid their hands upon some others. Neither were likely to see the light, however, as Tom Murdock kept that old portfolio carefully locked up in his box.

All-Hallow Eve

Chapter XVI

Chapter 16 of All-Hallow Eve is here in full — 123 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/24 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Tom spent the remainder of that day very quietly, most of it in his own room.

/tɑːm spent ðə rɪˈmeɪndər ʌv ðæt deɪ ˈveri ˈkwaɪətli moʊst ʌv ɪt ɪn hɪz oʊn ruːm/

Line 2

His first employment, whatever it may have been, was over an old portfolio, where he kept his own writing materials.

/hɪz fɜːrst emˈplɔɪmənt ˌwʌˈtevər ɪt meɪ hæv bɪn wɑːz ˈoʊvər æn oʊld pɔːrtˈfoʊlioʊ wer hiː kept hɪz oʊn ˈraɪtɪŋ məˈtɪriəlz/

Line 3

What were the chief subjects of his caligraphy is not known.

Line 4

Line 5

Neither were likely to see the light, however, as Tom Murdock kept that old portfolio carefully locked up in his box.

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.

employment noun US /emˈplɔɪmənt/

the state of being employed or having a job

From this reading “His first employment, whatever it may have been, was over an old portfolio, where he kept his own writing materials.”

locked verb US /lɑːkt/

past form of “lock” — fasten with a lock

From this reading “Neither were likely to see the light, however, as Tom Murdock kept that old portfolio carefully locked up in his box.”

materials noun US /məˈtɪriəlz/

plural of “material” — the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object

From this reading “His first employment, whatever it may have been, was over an old portfolio, where he kept his own writing materials.”

numerous adjective US /ˈnuːmərəs/

amounting to a large indefinite number

From this reading “Perhaps love-letters to such of his numerous _enamoratas_ as could read may have formed a portion, nor is it impossible but the police might have given a trifle to have laid their hands upon some others.”

portfolio noun US /pɔːrtˈfoʊlioʊ/

a large, flat, thin case for carrying loose papers or drawings or maps; usually leather

From this reading “His first employment, whatever it may have been, was over an old portfolio, where he kept his own writing materials.”

remainder noun US /rɪˈmeɪndər/

something left after other parts have been taken away

From this reading “Tom spent the remainder of that day very quietly, most of it in his own room.”

subjects noun US /ˈsʌbdʒɪkts/

plural of “subject” — the subject matter of a conversation or discussion

From this reading “What were the chief subjects of his caligraphy is not known.”

trifle noun US /ˈtraɪfəl/

a cold pudding made of layers of sponge cake spread with fruit or jelly; may be decorated with nuts, cream, or chocolate

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

locked up verb + adjective counted as “lock up”

secure by locking

In this reading “Neither were likely to see the light, however, as Tom Murdock kept that old portfolio carefully locked up in his box.”

own room verb + noun

In this reading “Tom spent the remainder of that day very quietly, most of it in his own room.”

All words in this reading · 74

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Perhaps love-letters to such of his numerous _enamoratas_ as could read may have formed a portion, nor is it impossible but the police might have given a trifle to have laid their hands upon some others.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading His first employment, whatever it may have been, was over an old portfolio, where he kept his own writing materials.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading His first employment, whatever it may have been, was over an old portfolio, where he kept his own writing materials.

boxnounUS /bɑːks/

a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid

From this reading Neither were likely to see the light, however, as Tom Murdock kept that old portfolio carefully locked up in his box.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

caligraphy

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

From this reading What were the chief subjects of his caligraphy is not known.

carefullyadverbUS /ˈkerfəli/

taking care or paying attention

From this reading Neither were likely to see the light, however, as Tom Murdock kept that old portfolio carefully locked up in his box.

chiefnounUS /tʃiːf/

a person who is in charge

From this reading What were the chief subjects of his caligraphy is not known.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading Tom spent the remainder of that day very quietly, most of it in his own room.

employmentnounUS /emˈplɔɪmənt/

the state of being employed or having a job

From this reading His first employment, whatever it may have been, was over an old portfolio, where he kept his own writing materials.

enamoratas

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

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading His first employment, whatever it may have been, was over an old portfolio, where he kept his own writing materials.

formedadjectiveUS /fɔːrmd/

having or given a form or shape

givenadjectiveUS /ˈɡɪvən/

acknowledged as a supposition

handsnounUS /hændz/

(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading His first employment, whatever it may have been, was over an old portfolio, where he kept his own writing materials.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading His first employment, whatever it may have been, was over an old portfolio, where he kept his own writing materials.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Tom spent the remainder of that day very quietly, most of it in his own room.

howeveradverbUS /ˌhaʊˈevər/

used to add a contrasting statement

From this reading Neither were likely to see the light, however, as Tom Murdock kept that old portfolio carefully locked up in his box.

impossibleadjectiveUS /ˌɪmˈpɑːsəbəl/

not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Tom spent the remainder of that day very quietly, most of it in his own room.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading What were the chief subjects of his caligraphy is not known.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Tom spent the remainder of that day very quietly, most of it in his own room.

keptadjectiveUS /kept/

(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded

From this reading His first employment, whatever it may have been, was over an old portfolio, where he kept his own writing materials.

knownadjectiveUS /noʊn/

apprehended with certainty

From this reading What were the chief subjects of his caligraphy is not known.

laidadjectiveUS /leɪd/

set down according to a plan

lightadjectiveUS /laɪt/

of comparatively little physical weight or density

From this reading Neither were likely to see the light, however, as Tom Murdock kept that old portfolio carefully locked up in his box.

likelyadjectiveUS /ˈlaɪkli/

has a good chance of being the case or of coming about

From this reading Neither were likely to see the light, however, as Tom Murdock kept that old portfolio carefully locked up in his box.

lockedverbUS /lɑːkt/

past form of “lock” — fasten with a lock

From this reading Neither were likely to see the light, however, as Tom Murdock kept that old portfolio carefully locked up in his box.

love-letters

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

materialsnounUS /məˈtɪriəlz/

plural of “material” — the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object

From this reading His first employment, whatever it may have been, was over an old portfolio, where he kept his own writing materials.

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading His first employment, whatever it may have been, was over an old portfolio, where he kept his own writing materials.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

mostadverbUS /moʊst/

used to form the superlative

From this reading Tom spent the remainder of that day very quietly, most of it in his own room.

Murdock

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

From this reading Neither were likely to see the light, however, as Tom Murdock kept that old portfolio carefully locked up in his box.

NeitherdeterminerUS /ˈniːðər/

not one and not the other of two

From this reading Neither were likely to see the light, however, as Tom Murdock kept that old portfolio carefully locked up in his box.

norconjunctionUS /nɔːr/

and not; used after a negative to add a second negative

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading What were the chief subjects of his caligraphy is not known.

numerousadjectiveUS /ˈnuːmərəs/

amounting to a large indefinite number

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Tom spent the remainder of that day very quietly, most of it in his own room.

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading His first employment, whatever it may have been, was over an old portfolio, where he kept his own writing materials.

others

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

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading His first employment, whatever it may have been, was over an old portfolio, where he kept his own writing materials.

ownverbUS /oʊn/

have ownership or possession of

From this reading Tom spent the remainder of that day very quietly, most of it in his own room.

PerhapsadverbUS /pərˈhæps/

by chance

policenounUS /pəˈliːs/

the force of policemen and officers

portfolionounUS /pɔːrtˈfoʊlioʊ/

a large, flat, thin case for carrying loose papers or drawings or maps; usually leather

From this reading His first employment, whatever it may have been, was over an old portfolio, where he kept his own writing materials.

portionnounUS /ˈpɔːrʃən/

something determined in relation to something that includes it

quietlyadverbUS /ˈkwaɪətli/

with low volume

From this reading Tom spent the remainder of that day very quietly, most of it in his own room.

readverbUS /red/

interpret something that is written or printed

remaindernounUS /rɪˈmeɪndər/

something left after other parts have been taken away

From this reading Tom spent the remainder of that day very quietly, most of it in his own room.

roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading Tom spent the remainder of that day very quietly, most of it in his own room.

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading Neither were likely to see the light, however, as Tom Murdock kept that old portfolio carefully locked up in his box.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

spentadjectiveUS /spent/

depleted of energy, force, or strength

From this reading Tom spent the remainder of that day very quietly, most of it in his own room.

subjectsnounUS /ˈsʌbdʒɪkts/

plural of “subject” — the subject matter of a conversation or discussion

From this reading What were the chief subjects of his caligraphy is not known.

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Tom spent the remainder of that day very quietly, most of it in his own room.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Tom spent the remainder of that day very quietly, most of it in his own room.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

TomnounUS /tɑːm/

male cat

From this reading Tom spent the remainder of that day very quietly, most of it in his own room.

triflenounUS /ˈtraɪfəl/

a cold pudding made of layers of sponge cake spread with fruit or jelly; may be decorated with nuts, cream, or chocolate

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading Neither were likely to see the light, however, as Tom Murdock kept that old portfolio carefully locked up in his box.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading Tom spent the remainder of that day very quietly, most of it in his own room.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading His first employment, whatever it may have been, was over an old portfolio, where he kept his own writing materials.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading What were the chief subjects of his caligraphy is not known.

WhatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading What were the chief subjects of his caligraphy is not known.

whateverdeterminerUS /ˌwʌˈtevər/

any or all of a kind, it does not matter which

From this reading His first employment, whatever it may have been, was over an old portfolio, where he kept his own writing materials.

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading His first employment, whatever it may have been, was over an old portfolio, where he kept his own writing materials.

writingnounUS /ˈraɪtɪŋ/

the act of creating written works

From this reading His first employment, whatever it may have been, was over an old portfolio, where he kept his own writing materials.

Chapter 16 of All-Hallow Eve by Robert Curtis holds 123 sentences, grouped into 25 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.

What does chapter 16 of All-Hallow Eve contain?

Chapter 16 holds 123 sentences of All-Hallow Eve, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 16 of All-Hallow Eve by Robert Curtis exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 123 sentences, grouped into 25 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 16 of All-Hallow Eve?

Work through the 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 25 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 16 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading All-Hallow Eve

Common questions about reading All-Hallow Eve by Robert Curtis on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of All-Hallow Eve?

Yes. All 3803 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #41096 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of All-Hallow Eve is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #41096, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does All-Hallow Eve take to read?

About 316 minutes of reading across 761 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read All-Hallow Eve section by section

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

Vocabulary met early in All-Hallow Eve

Words and structures a reader meets early in All-Hallow Eve, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Wished: A word that appears in the opening chapter of All-Hallow Eve; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Incidents: A word that appears in the opening chapter of All-Hallow Eve; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Describe: A word that appears in the opening chapter of All-Hallow Eve; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Following: A word that appears in the opening chapter of All-Hallow Eve; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter XVI

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Vocabulary met early in All-Hallow Eve