Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Children of the Soil
Children of the Soil

Chapter XVII

Chapter 17 of Children of the Soil is here in full — 457 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Children of the Soil
Context Illustration Reading 1/91 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Pan Stanislav was not mistaken.
Everything went so favorably for Mashko, Pani and Panna Kraslavski acted so admirably, that he was more and more alarmed.
At moments he laughed at this; and since he had had no secret from Pan Stanislav for some time, he said one day, with complete cynicism,-- "My dear, those are simply angels; but my hair stands on end, for something is hidden in this."
"Better thank the Lord God."
"They are too ideal; they are faultless; they are even without vanity.
0:00 / 0:00
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.

Children of the Soil

Chapter XVII

Chapter 17 of Children of the Soil is here in full — 457 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/91 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Pan Stanislav was not mistaken.
Line 2
Everything went so favorably for Mashko, Pani and Panna Kraslavski acted so admirably, that he was more and more alarmed.
Line 3
At moments he laughed at this; and since he had had no secret from Pan Stanislav for some time, he said one day, with complete cynicism,-- "My dear, those are simply angels; but my hair stands on end, for something is hidden in this."
Line 4
"Better thank the Lord God."
/ˈbetər θæŋk ðə lɔːrd ɡɑːd/
Line 5
"They are too ideal; they are faultless; they are even without vanity.

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.

admirably adverb US /ˈædmərəbli/

in an admirable manner

From this reading “Everything went so favorably for Mashko, Pani and Panna Kraslavski acted so admirably, that he was more and more alarmed.”

alarmed adjective US /əˈlɑːrmd/

experiencing a sudden sense of danger

From this reading “Everything went so favorably for Mashko, Pani and Panna Kraslavski acted so admirably, that he was more and more alarmed.”

angels noun US /ˈeɪndʒəlz/

plural of “angel” — spiritual being attendant upon God

From this reading “At moments he laughed at this; and since he had had no secret from Pan Stanislav for some time, he said one day, with complete cynicism,-- "My dear, those are simply angels; but my hair stands on end, for something is hidden in this."”

cynicism noun US /ˈsɪnɪsɪzəm/

a cynical feeling of distrust

From this reading “At moments he laughed at this; and since he had had no secret from Pan Stanislav for some time, he said one day, with complete cynicism,-- "My dear, those are simply angels; but my hair stands on end, for something is hidden in this."”

favorably adverb US /ˈfeɪvərəbli/

showing approval

From this reading “Everything went so favorably for Mashko, Pani and Panna Kraslavski acted so admirably, that he was more and more alarmed.”

ideal adjective US /aɪˈdiːl/

conforming to an ultimate standard of perfection or excellence; embodying an ideal

From this reading “"They are too ideal; they are faultless; they are even without vanity.”

Pan verb US /pæn/

make a sweeping movement

From this reading “Pan Stanislav was not mistaken.”

vanity noun US /ˈvænəti/

feelings of excessive pride

From this reading “"They are too ideal; they are faultless; they are even without vanity.”

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.

some time adjective + noun

In this reading “At moments he laughed at this; and since he had had no secret from Pan Stanislav for some time, he said one day, with complete cynicism,-- "My dear, those are simply angels; but my hair stands on end, for something is hidden in this."”

without vanity preposition + noun

In this reading “"They are too ideal; they are faultless; they are even without vanity.”

stands on verb + particle counted as “stand on”

In this reading “At moments he laughed at this; and since he had had no secret from Pan Stanislav for some time, he said one day, with complete cynicism,-- "My dear, those are simply angels; but my hair stands on end, for something is hidden in this."”

All words in this reading · 65

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.

actedverbUS /ˈæktɪd/

past form of “act” — perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)

From this reading Everything went so favorably for Mashko, Pani and Panna Kraslavski acted so admirably, that he was more and more alarmed.

admirablyadverbUS /ˈædmərəbli/

in an admirable manner

From this reading Everything went so favorably for Mashko, Pani and Panna Kraslavski acted so admirably, that he was more and more alarmed.

alarmedadjectiveUS /əˈlɑːrmd/

experiencing a sudden sense of danger

From this reading Everything went so favorably for Mashko, Pani and Panna Kraslavski acted so admirably, that he was more and more alarmed.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Everything went so favorably for Mashko, Pani and Panna Kraslavski acted so admirably, that he was more and more alarmed.

angelsnounUS /ˈeɪndʒəlz/

plural of “angel” — spiritual being attendant upon God

From this reading At moments he laughed at this; and since he had had no secret from Pan Stanislav for some time, he said one day, with complete cynicism,-- "My dear, those are simply angels; but my hair stands on end, for something is hidden in this."

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading At moments he laughed at this; and since he had had no secret from Pan Stanislav for some time, he said one day, with complete cynicism,-- "My dear, those are simply angels; but my hair stands on end, for something is hidden in this."

AtprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading At moments he laughed at this; and since he had had no secret from Pan Stanislav for some time, he said one day, with complete cynicism,-- "My dear, those are simply angels; but my hair stands on end, for something is hidden in this."

BetteradjectiveUS /ˈbetər/

(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another

From this reading "Better thank the Lord God."

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading At moments he laughed at this; and since he had had no secret from Pan Stanislav for some time, he said one day, with complete cynicism,-- "My dear, those are simply angels; but my hair stands on end, for something is hidden in this."

completeverbUS /kəmˈpliːt/

come or bring to a finish or an end

From this reading At moments he laughed at this; and since he had had no secret from Pan Stanislav for some time, he said one day, with complete cynicism,-- "My dear, those are simply angels; but my hair stands on end, for something is hidden in this."

cynicismnounUS /ˈsɪnɪsɪzəm/

a cynical feeling of distrust

From this reading At moments he laughed at this; and since he had had no secret from Pan Stanislav for some time, he said one day, with complete cynicism,-- "My dear, those are simply angels; but my hair stands on end, for something is hidden in this."

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading At moments he laughed at this; and since he had had no secret from Pan Stanislav for some time, he said one day, with complete cynicism,-- "My dear, those are simply angels; but my hair stands on end, for something is hidden in this."

dearadjectiveUS /dɪr/

dearly loved

From this reading At moments he laughed at this; and since he had had no secret from Pan Stanislav for some time, he said one day, with complete cynicism,-- "My dear, those are simply angels; but my hair stands on end, for something is hidden in this."

endnounUS /end/

either extremity of something that has length

From this reading At moments he laughed at this; and since he had had no secret from Pan Stanislav for some time, he said one day, with complete cynicism,-- "My dear, those are simply angels; but my hair stands on end, for something is hidden in this."

evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

From this reading "They are too ideal; they are faultless; they are even without vanity.

EverythingpronounUS /ˈevriθɪŋ/

all things; all of a situation

From this reading Everything went so favorably for Mashko, Pani and Panna Kraslavski acted so admirably, that he was more and more alarmed.

faultlessadjective

without fault or error

From this reading "They are too ideal; they are faultless; they are even without vanity.

favorablyadverbUS /ˈfeɪvərəbli/

showing approval

From this reading Everything went so favorably for Mashko, Pani and Panna Kraslavski acted so admirably, that he was more and more alarmed.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Everything went so favorably for Mashko, Pani and Panna Kraslavski acted so admirably, that he was more and more alarmed.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading At moments he laughed at this; and since he had had no secret from Pan Stanislav for some time, he said one day, with complete cynicism,-- "My dear, those are simply angels; but my hair stands on end, for something is hidden in this."

GodnounUS /ɡɑːd/

the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions

From this reading "Better thank the Lord God."

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading At moments he laughed at this; and since he had had no secret from Pan Stanislav for some time, he said one day, with complete cynicism,-- "My dear, those are simply angels; but my hair stands on end, for something is hidden in this."

hairnounUS /her/

a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss

From this reading At moments he laughed at this; and since he had had no secret from Pan Stanislav for some time, he said one day, with complete cynicism,-- "My dear, those are simply angels; but my hair stands on end, for something is hidden in this."

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading Everything went so favorably for Mashko, Pani and Panna Kraslavski acted so admirably, that he was more and more alarmed.

hiddenadjectiveUS /ˈhɪdən/

not accessible to view

From this reading At moments he laughed at this; and since he had had no secret from Pan Stanislav for some time, he said one day, with complete cynicism,-- "My dear, those are simply angels; but my hair stands on end, for something is hidden in this."

idealadjectiveUS /aɪˈdiːl/

conforming to an ultimate standard of perfection or excellence; embodying an ideal

From this reading "They are too ideal; they are faultless; they are even without vanity.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading At moments he laughed at this; and since he had had no secret from Pan Stanislav for some time, he said one day, with complete cynicism,-- "My dear, those are simply angels; but my hair stands on end, for something is hidden in this."

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading At moments he laughed at this; and since he had had no secret from Pan Stanislav for some time, he said one day, with complete cynicism,-- "My dear, those are simply angels; but my hair stands on end, for something is hidden in this."

Kraslavski

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

From this reading Everything went so favorably for Mashko, Pani and Panna Kraslavski acted so admirably, that he was more and more alarmed.

laughedverbUS /læft/

past form of “laugh” — produce laughter

From this reading At moments he laughed at this; and since he had had no secret from Pan Stanislav for some time, he said one day, with complete cynicism,-- "My dear, those are simply angels; but my hair stands on end, for something is hidden in this."

LordnounUS /lɔːrd/

terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God

From this reading "Better thank the Lord God."

Mashko

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

From this reading Everything went so favorably for Mashko, Pani and Panna Kraslavski acted so admirably, that he was more and more alarmed.

mistakenadjectiveUS /mɪˈsteɪkən/

wrong in e.g. opinion or judgment

From this reading Pan Stanislav was not mistaken.

momentsnounUS /ˈmoʊmənts/

plural of “moment” — a particular point in time

From this reading At moments he laughed at this; and since he had had no secret from Pan Stanislav for some time, he said one day, with complete cynicism,-- "My dear, those are simply angels; but my hair stands on end, for something is hidden in this."

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading Everything went so favorably for Mashko, Pani and Panna Kraslavski acted so admirably, that he was more and more alarmed.

MydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading At moments he laughed at this; and since he had had no secret from Pan Stanislav for some time, he said one day, with complete cynicism,-- "My dear, those are simply angels; but my hair stands on end, for something is hidden in this."

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading At moments he laughed at this; and since he had had no secret from Pan Stanislav for some time, he said one day, with complete cynicism,-- "My dear, those are simply angels; but my hair stands on end, for something is hidden in this."

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Pan Stanislav was not mistaken.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading At moments he laughed at this; and since he had had no secret from Pan Stanislav for some time, he said one day, with complete cynicism,-- "My dear, those are simply angels; but my hair stands on end, for something is hidden in this."

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading At moments he laughed at this; and since he had had no secret from Pan Stanislav for some time, he said one day, with complete cynicism,-- "My dear, those are simply angels; but my hair stands on end, for something is hidden in this."

PanverbUS /pæn/

make a sweeping movement

From this reading Pan Stanislav was not mistaken.

Pani

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

From this reading Everything went so favorably for Mashko, Pani and Panna Kraslavski acted so admirably, that he was more and more alarmed.

Panna

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

From this reading Everything went so favorably for Mashko, Pani and Panna Kraslavski acted so admirably, that he was more and more alarmed.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading At moments he laughed at this; and since he had had no secret from Pan Stanislav for some time, he said one day, with complete cynicism,-- "My dear, those are simply angels; but my hair stands on end, for something is hidden in this."

secretnounUS /ˈsiː.krət/

Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.

From this reading At moments he laughed at this; and since he had had no secret from Pan Stanislav for some time, he said one day, with complete cynicism,-- "My dear, those are simply angels; but my hair stands on end, for something is hidden in this."

simplyadverbUS /ˈsɪmpli/

and nothing more

From this reading At moments he laughed at this; and since he had had no secret from Pan Stanislav for some time, he said one day, with complete cynicism,-- "My dear, those are simply angels; but my hair stands on end, for something is hidden in this."

sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading At moments he laughed at this; and since he had had no secret from Pan Stanislav for some time, he said one day, with complete cynicism,-- "My dear, those are simply angels; but my hair stands on end, for something is hidden in this."

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Everything went so favorably for Mashko, Pani and Panna Kraslavski acted so admirably, that he was more and more alarmed.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

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

From this reading At moments he laughed at this; and since he had had no secret from Pan Stanislav for some time, he said one day, with complete cynicism,-- "My dear, those are simply angels; but my hair stands on end, for something is hidden in this."

somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading At moments he laughed at this; and since he had had no secret from Pan Stanislav for some time, he said one day, with complete cynicism,-- "My dear, those are simply angels; but my hair stands on end, for something is hidden in this."

standsnounUS /stændz/

plural of “stand” — a support or foundation

From this reading At moments he laughed at this; and since he had had no secret from Pan Stanislav for some time, he said one day, with complete cynicism,-- "My dear, those are simply angels; but my hair stands on end, for something is hidden in this."

Stanislav

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

From this reading Pan Stanislav was not mistaken.

thankverbUS /θæŋk/

express gratitude or show appreciation to

From this reading "Better thank the Lord God."

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Everything went so favorably for Mashko, Pani and Panna Kraslavski acted so admirably, that he was more and more alarmed.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading "Better thank the Lord God."

TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "They are too ideal; they are faultless; they are even without vanity.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading At moments he laughed at this; and since he had had no secret from Pan Stanislav for some time, he said one day, with complete cynicism,-- "My dear, those are simply angels; but my hair stands on end, for something is hidden in this."

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading At moments he laughed at this; and since he had had no secret from Pan Stanislav for some time, he said one day, with complete cynicism,-- "My dear, those are simply angels; but my hair stands on end, for something is hidden in this."

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading At moments he laughed at this; and since he had had no secret from Pan Stanislav for some time, he said one day, with complete cynicism,-- "My dear, those are simply angels; but my hair stands on end, for something is hidden in this."

tooadverbUS /tuː/

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading "They are too ideal; they are faultless; they are even without vanity.

vanitynounUS /ˈvænəti/

feelings of excessive pride

From this reading "They are too ideal; they are faultless; they are even without vanity.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Pan Stanislav was not mistaken.

wentverbUS /went/

inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading Everything went so favorably for Mashko, Pani and Panna Kraslavski acted so admirably, that he was more and more alarmed.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading At moments he laughed at this; and since he had had no secret from Pan Stanislav for some time, he said one day, with complete cynicism,-- "My dear, those are simply angels; but my hair stands on end, for something is hidden in this."

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading "They are too ideal; they are faultless; they are even without vanity.

Chapter 17 of Children of the Soil by Henryk Sienkiewicz holds 457 sentences, grouped into 92 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 17 of Children of the Soil contain?

Chapter 17 holds 457 sentences of Children of the Soil, unabridged, divided into 92 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 17 of Children of the Soil by Henryk Sienkiewicz exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 457 sentences, grouped into 92 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 Children of the Soil?

Work through the 92 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 92 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 Children of the Soil

Common questions about reading Children of the Soil by Henryk Sienkiewicz on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Children of the Soil?

Yes. All 13524 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44939 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Children of the Soil is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #44939, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Children of the Soil take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 2705 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Children of the Soil section by section

How to work through Children of the Soil section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 40 chapters of Children of the Soil 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 Children of the Soil

Words and structures a reader meets early in Children of the Soil, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Footnotes
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Children of the Soil; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Appeared
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Children of the Soil; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Bottom
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Children of the Soil; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Containing
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Children of the Soil; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.