Chapter 17 of Aunt Jane's Nieces Abroad is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Aunt Jane's Nieces Abroad is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE HIDDEN VALLEY Uncle John's first inspiration was to sit down upon a stone to think. He drew out his pipe and lighted it, to assist his meditations. These were none too pleasant. That he had been cleverly entrapped, and that by a child scarcely in its teens, was too evident to need reflection. And what a secure trap it was!
Chapter 17 of Aunt Jane's Nieces Abroad is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading “He drew out his pipe and lighted it, to assist his meditations.”
in a clever manner
From this reading “That he had been cleverly entrapped, and that by a child scarcely in its teens, was too evident to need reflection.”
inflected form of “entrap” — take or catch as if in a snare or trap
From this reading “That he had been cleverly entrapped, and that by a child scarcely in its teens, was too evident to need reflection.”
arousal of the mind to special unusual activity or creativity
From this reading “THE HIDDEN VALLEY Uncle John's first inspiration was to sit down upon a stone to think.”
possessive form of “john” — a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading “THE HIDDEN VALLEY Uncle John's first inspiration was to sit down upon a stone to think.”
plural of “meditation” — continuous and profound contemplation or musing on a subject or series of subjects of a deep or abstruse nature
From this reading “He drew out his pipe and lighted it, to assist his meditations.”
the time of life between the ages of 12 and 20
From this reading “That he had been cleverly entrapped, and that by a child scarcely in its teens, was too evident to need reflection.”
a device in which something (usually an animal) can be caught and penned
From this reading “And what a secure trap it was!”
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 THE HIDDEN VALLEY Uncle John's first inspiration was to sit down upon a stone to think.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He drew out his pipe and lighted it, to assist his meditations.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading He drew out his pipe and lighted it, to assist his meditations.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading That he had been cleverly entrapped, and that by a child scarcely in its teens, was too evident to need reflection.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading That he had been cleverly entrapped, and that by a child scarcely in its teens, was too evident to need reflection.
a young person of either sex
From this reading That he had been cleverly entrapped, and that by a child scarcely in its teens, was too evident to need reflection.
in a clever manner
From this reading That he had been cleverly entrapped, and that by a child scarcely in its teens, was too evident to need reflection.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading THE HIDDEN VALLEY Uncle John's first inspiration was to sit down upon a stone to think.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading He drew out his pipe and lighted it, to assist his meditations.
inflected form of “entrap” — take or catch as if in a snare or trap
From this reading That he had been cleverly entrapped, and that by a child scarcely in its teens, was too evident to need reflection.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading That he had been cleverly entrapped, and that by a child scarcely in its teens, was too evident to need reflection.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading THE HIDDEN VALLEY Uncle John's first inspiration was to sit down upon a stone to think.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading That he had been cleverly entrapped, and that by a child scarcely in its teens, was too evident to need reflection.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He drew out his pipe and lighted it, to assist his meditations.
not accessible to view
From this reading THE HIDDEN VALLEY Uncle John's first inspiration was to sit down upon a stone to think.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He drew out his pipe and lighted it, to assist his meditations.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading That he had been cleverly entrapped, and that by a child scarcely in its teens, was too evident to need reflection.
arousal of the mind to special unusual activity or creativity
From this reading THE HIDDEN VALLEY Uncle John's first inspiration was to sit down upon a stone to think.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He drew out his pipe and lighted it, to assist his meditations.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading That he had been cleverly entrapped, and that by a child scarcely in its teens, was too evident to need reflection.
possessive form of “john” — a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading THE HIDDEN VALLEY Uncle John's first inspiration was to sit down upon a stone to think.
set afire or burning
From this reading He drew out his pipe and lighted it, to assist his meditations.
plural of “meditation” — continuous and profound contemplation or musing on a subject or series of subjects of a deep or abstruse nature
From this reading He drew out his pipe and lighted it, to assist his meditations.
a condition requiring relief
From this reading That he had been cleverly entrapped, and that by a child scarcely in its teens, was too evident to need reflection.
not one, and not any
From this reading These were none too pleasant.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading He drew out his pipe and lighted it, to assist his meditations.
a tube with a small bowl at one end; used for smoking tobacco
From this reading He drew out his pipe and lighted it, to assist his meditations.
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading These were none too pleasant.
a calm, lengthy, intent consideration
From this reading That he had been cleverly entrapped, and that by a child scarcely in its teens, was too evident to need reflection.
only a very short time before
From this reading That he had been cleverly entrapped, and that by a child scarcely in its teens, was too evident to need reflection.
get by special effort
From this reading And what a secure trap it was!
be seated
From this reading THE HIDDEN VALLEY Uncle John's first inspiration was to sit down upon a stone to think.
a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter
From this reading THE HIDDEN VALLEY Uncle John's first inspiration was to sit down upon a stone to think.
the time of life between the ages of 12 and 20
From this reading That he had been cleverly entrapped, and that by a child scarcely in its teens, was too evident to need reflection.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That he had been cleverly entrapped, and that by a child scarcely in its teens, was too evident to need reflection.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE HIDDEN VALLEY Uncle John's first inspiration was to sit down upon a stone to think.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading These were none too pleasant.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading THE HIDDEN VALLEY Uncle John's first inspiration was to sit down upon a stone to think.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE HIDDEN VALLEY Uncle John's first inspiration was to sit down upon a stone to think.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading These were none too pleasant.
a device in which something (usually an animal) can be caught and penned
From this reading And what a secure trap it was!
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading THE HIDDEN VALLEY Uncle John's first inspiration was to sit down upon a stone to think.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading THE HIDDEN VALLEY Uncle John's first inspiration was to sit down upon a stone to think.
a long depression in the surface of the land that usually contains a river
From this reading THE HIDDEN VALLEY Uncle John's first inspiration was to sit down upon a stone to think.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE HIDDEN VALLEY Uncle John's first inspiration was to sit down upon a stone to think.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading These were none too pleasant.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading And what a secure trap it was!
Chapter 17 of Aunt Jane's Nieces Abroad by L. Frank (Lyman Frank) Baum holds 160 sentences, grouped into 32 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 160 sentences of Aunt Jane's Nieces Abroad, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Aunt Jane's Nieces Abroad by L. Frank (Lyman Frank) Baum exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 160 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.
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.
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 Aunt Jane's Nieces Abroad by L. Frank (Lyman Frank) Baum on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3824 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #16566 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #16566, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 318 minutes of reading across 765 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Aunt Jane's Nieces Abroad section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of Aunt Jane's Nieces Abroad 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 Aunt Jane's Nieces Abroad, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
