Chapter 17 of Alvira: The Heroine of Vesuvius is here in full — 110 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Alvira: The Heroine of Vesuvius is here in full — 110 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Honor Saved. A series of surprises followed this memorable conversion. Alvira's absence from the garrison was the subject of serious comment. Rumor was busy, and disposed of the young captain by every imaginable violent death. One report seemed the most probable and gained ground.
Chapter 17 of Alvira: The Heroine of Vesuvius is here in full — 110 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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 statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information
From this reading “Alvira's absence from the garrison was the subject of serious comment.”
an event that results in a transformation
From this reading “A series of surprises followed this memorable conversion.”
a fortified military post where troops are stationed
From this reading “Alvira's absence from the garrison was the subject of serious comment.”
capable of being imagined
From this reading “Rumor was busy, and disposed of the young captain by every imaginable violent death.”
worth remembering
From this reading “A series of surprises followed this memorable conversion.”
likely but not certain to be or become true or real
From this reading “One report seemed the most probable and gained ground.”
gossip (usually a mixture of truth and untruth) passed around by word of mouth
From this reading “Rumor was busy, and disposed of the young captain by every imaginable violent death.”
plural of “surprise” — the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading “A series of surprises followed this memorable conversion.”
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 A series of surprises followed this memorable conversion.
the state of being absent
From this reading Alvira's absence from the garrison was the subject of serious comment.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alvira's absence from the garrison was the subject of serious comment.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Rumor was busy, and disposed of the young captain by every imaginable violent death.
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading Rumor was busy, and disposed of the young captain by every imaginable violent death.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Rumor was busy, and disposed of the young captain by every imaginable violent death.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading Rumor was busy, and disposed of the young captain by every imaginable violent death.
a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information
From this reading Alvira's absence from the garrison was the subject of serious comment.
an event that results in a transformation
From this reading A series of surprises followed this memorable conversion.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading Rumor was busy, and disposed of the young captain by every imaginable violent death.
having made preparations
From this reading Rumor was busy, and disposed of the young captain by every imaginable violent death.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading Rumor was busy, and disposed of the young captain by every imaginable violent death.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading A series of surprises followed this memorable conversion.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Alvira's absence from the garrison was the subject of serious comment.
past form of “gain” — obtain
From this reading One report seemed the most probable and gained ground.
a fortified military post where troops are stationed
From this reading Alvira's absence from the garrison was the subject of serious comment.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading One report seemed the most probable and gained ground.
a tangible symbol signifying approval or distinction
From this reading Honor Saved.
capable of being imagined
From this reading Rumor was busy, and disposed of the young captain by every imaginable violent death.
worth remembering
From this reading A series of surprises followed this memorable conversion.
used to form the superlative
From this reading One report seemed the most probable and gained ground.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A series of surprises followed this memorable conversion.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One report seemed the most probable and gained ground.
likely but not certain to be or become true or real
From this reading One report seemed the most probable and gained ground.
to give an account or representation of in words
From this reading One report seemed the most probable and gained ground.
gossip (usually a mixture of truth and untruth) passed around by word of mouth
From this reading Rumor was busy, and disposed of the young captain by every imaginable violent death.
rescued; especially from the power and consequences of sin
From this reading Honor Saved.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading One report seemed the most probable and gained ground.
similar things placed in order or happening one after another
From this reading A series of surprises followed this memorable conversion.
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading Alvira's absence from the garrison was the subject of serious comment.
the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading Alvira's absence from the garrison was the subject of serious comment.
plural of “surprise” — the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading A series of surprises followed this memorable conversion.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Alvira's absence from the garrison was the subject of serious comment.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading A series of surprises followed this memorable conversion.
acting with or marked by or resulting from great force or energy or emotional intensity
From this reading Rumor was busy, and disposed of the young captain by every imaginable violent death.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Alvira's absence from the garrison was the subject of serious comment.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading Rumor was busy, and disposed of the young captain by every imaginable violent death.
Chapter 17 of Alvira: The Heroine of Vesuvius by A. J. (Augustine J.) O'Reilly holds 110 sentences, grouped into 22 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.
Chapter 17 holds 110 sentences of Alvira: The Heroine of Vesuvius, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Alvira: The Heroine of Vesuvius by A. J. (Augustine J.) O'Reilly exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 110 sentences, grouped into 22 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 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 22 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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About 113 minutes of reading across 272 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Alvira: The Heroine of Vesuvius section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of Alvira: The Heroine of Vesuvius to begin.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Alvira: The Heroine of Vesuvius, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
