Chapter 17 of Antennae is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Antennae is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“So long, Wilfred,” said Elaine in her boyish way. “Ta-ta, old man,” said Joe ironically. You be damned! thought Wilfred, looking straight ahead of him. He went out stiffly. Silence in the room behind him.
Chapter 17 of Antennae is here in full — 411 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
at or in the front
From this reading “You be damned! thought Wilfred, looking straight ahead of him.”
at or toward the back of something
From this reading “Silence in the room behind him.”
befitting or characteristic of a young boy
From this reading ““So long, Wilfred,” said Elaine in her boyish way.”
expletives used informally as intensifiers
From this reading “You be damned! thought Wilfred, looking straight ahead of him.”
contrary to plan or expectation
From this reading ““Ta-ta, old man,” said Joe ironically.”
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading “Silence in the room behind him.”
in a stiff manner
From this reading “He went out stiffly.”
successive (without a break)
From this reading “You be damned! thought Wilfred, looking straight ahead of him.”
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 man who is very old
In this reading ““Ta-ta, old man,” said Joe ironically.”
move out of or depart from
In this reading “He went out stiffly.”
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 You be damned! thought Wilfred, looking straight ahead of him.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading You be damned! thought Wilfred, looking straight ahead of him.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Silence in the room behind him.
befitting or characteristic of a young boy
From this reading “So long, Wilfred,” said Elaine in her boyish way.
expletives used informally as intensifiers
From this reading You be damned! thought Wilfred, looking straight ahead of him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “So long, Wilfred,” said Elaine in her boyish way.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He went out stiffly.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “So long, Wilfred,” said Elaine in her boyish way.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading You be damned! thought Wilfred, looking straight ahead of him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “So long, Wilfred,” said Elaine in her boyish way.
contrary to plan or expectation
From this reading “Ta-ta, old man,” said Joe ironically.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Ta-ta, old man,” said Joe ironically.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading “So long, Wilfred,” said Elaine in her boyish way.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading You be damned! thought Wilfred, looking straight ahead of him.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “Ta-ta, old man,” said Joe ironically.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading You be damned! thought Wilfred, looking straight ahead of him.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading “Ta-ta, old man,” said Joe ironically.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading He went out stiffly.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Silence in the room behind him.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “So long, Wilfred,” said Elaine in her boyish way.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading Silence in the room behind him.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “So long, Wilfred,” said Elaine in her boyish way.
in a stiff manner
From this reading He went out stiffly.
successive (without a break)
From this reading You be damned! thought Wilfred, looking straight ahead of him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Ta-ta, old man,” said Joe ironically.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Silence in the room behind him.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading You be damned! thought Wilfred, looking straight ahead of him.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading “So long, Wilfred,” said Elaine in her boyish way.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading He went out stiffly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “So long, Wilfred,” said Elaine in her boyish way.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You be damned! thought Wilfred, looking straight ahead of him.
Chapter 17 of Antennae by Hulbert Footner holds 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 411 sentences of Antennae, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Antennae by Hulbert Footner exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 411 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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.
Common questions about reading Antennae by Hulbert Footner on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 10170 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #69701 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #69701, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2034 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Antennae section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of Antennae 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 Antennae, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
