Chapter 16 of Command is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of Command is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"You can have no idea," said the flat and unemotional voice by Mr. Spokesly's shoulder, "simply no idea how miraculous the whole business seems to us. Astonished? No word for it. We were flabbergasted. For you saved the situation.
Chapter 16 of Command is here in full — 416 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading “Astonished?”
as if struck dumb with astonishment and surprise
From this reading “We were flabbergasted.”
having a surface without slope, tilt in which no part is higher or lower than another
From this reading “"You can have no idea," said the flat and unemotional voice by Mr. Spokesly's shoulder, "simply no idea how miraculous the whole business seems to us.”
being or having the character of a miracle
From this reading “"You can have no idea," said the flat and unemotional voice by Mr. Spokesly's shoulder, "simply no idea how miraculous the whole business seems to us.”
rescued; especially from the power and consequences of sin
From this reading “For you saved the situation.”
and nothing more
From this reading “"You can have no idea," said the flat and unemotional voice by Mr. Spokesly's shoulder, "simply no idea how miraculous the whole business seems to us.”
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading “For you saved the situation.”
unsusceptible to or destitute of or showing no emotion
From this reading “"You can have no idea," said the flat and unemotional voice by Mr. Spokesly's shoulder, "simply no idea how miraculous the whole business seems to us.”
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.
In this reading “"You can have no idea," said the flat and unemotional voice by Mr. Spokesly's shoulder, "simply no idea how miraculous the whole business seems to us.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "You can have no idea," said the flat and unemotional voice by Mr. Spokesly's shoulder, "simply no idea how miraculous the whole business seems to us.
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading Astonished?
a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it
From this reading "You can have no idea," said the flat and unemotional voice by Mr. Spokesly's shoulder, "simply no idea how miraculous the whole business seems to us.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading "You can have no idea," said the flat and unemotional voice by Mr. Spokesly's shoulder, "simply no idea how miraculous the whole business seems to us.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "You can have no idea," said the flat and unemotional voice by Mr. Spokesly's shoulder, "simply no idea how miraculous the whole business seems to us.
as if struck dumb with astonishment and surprise
From this reading We were flabbergasted.
having a surface without slope, tilt in which no part is higher or lower than another
From this reading "You can have no idea," said the flat and unemotional voice by Mr. Spokesly's shoulder, "simply no idea how miraculous the whole business seems to us.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading No word for it.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "You can have no idea," said the flat and unemotional voice by Mr. Spokesly's shoulder, "simply no idea how miraculous the whole business seems to us.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You can have no idea," said the flat and unemotional voice by Mr. Spokesly's shoulder, "simply no idea how miraculous the whole business seems to us.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading "You can have no idea," said the flat and unemotional voice by Mr. Spokesly's shoulder, "simply no idea how miraculous the whole business seems to us.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading No word for it.
being or having the character of a miracle
From this reading "You can have no idea," said the flat and unemotional voice by Mr. Spokesly's shoulder, "simply no idea how miraculous the whole business seems to us.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "You can have no idea," said the flat and unemotional voice by Mr. Spokesly's shoulder, "simply no idea how miraculous the whole business seems to us.
not any; not one
From this reading "You can have no idea," said the flat and unemotional voice by Mr. Spokesly's shoulder, "simply no idea how miraculous the whole business seems to us.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You can have no idea," said the flat and unemotional voice by Mr. Spokesly's shoulder, "simply no idea how miraculous the whole business seems to us.
rescued; especially from the power and consequences of sin
From this reading For you saved the situation.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading "You can have no idea," said the flat and unemotional voice by Mr. Spokesly's shoulder, "simply no idea how miraculous the whole business seems to us.
lift onto one's shoulders
From this reading "You can have no idea," said the flat and unemotional voice by Mr. Spokesly's shoulder, "simply no idea how miraculous the whole business seems to us.
and nothing more
From this reading "You can have no idea," said the flat and unemotional voice by Mr. Spokesly's shoulder, "simply no idea how miraculous the whole business seems to us.
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading For you saved the situation.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You can have no idea," said the flat and unemotional voice by Mr. Spokesly's shoulder, "simply no idea how miraculous the whole business seems to us.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "You can have no idea," said the flat and unemotional voice by Mr. Spokesly's shoulder, "simply no idea how miraculous the whole business seems to us.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "You can have no idea," said the flat and unemotional voice by Mr. Spokesly's shoulder, "simply no idea how miraculous the whole business seems to us.
unsusceptible to or destitute of or showing no emotion
From this reading "You can have no idea," said the flat and unemotional voice by Mr. Spokesly's shoulder, "simply no idea how miraculous the whole business seems to us.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "You can have no idea," said the flat and unemotional voice by Mr. Spokesly's shoulder, "simply no idea how miraculous the whole business seems to us.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading "You can have no idea," said the flat and unemotional voice by Mr. Spokesly's shoulder, "simply no idea how miraculous the whole business seems to us.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We were flabbergasted.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading We were flabbergasted.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading "You can have no idea," said the flat and unemotional voice by Mr. Spokesly's shoulder, "simply no idea how miraculous the whole business seems to us.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading No word for it.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You can have no idea," said the flat and unemotional voice by Mr. Spokesly's shoulder, "simply no idea how miraculous the whole business seems to us.
Chapter 16 of Command by William McFee holds 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 16 holds 416 sentences of Command, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of Command by William McFee exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 416 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 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.
Common questions about reading Command by William McFee on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8225 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32114 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #32114, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1645 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Command section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of Command 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 Command, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
