Chapter 16 of Conrad in Quest of His Youth is here in full — 188 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of Conrad in Quest of His Youth is here in full — 188 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Eight o'clock had just struck when Conrad arrived at the slum where he was to spend the evening. The exterior of the hall had no sanguine air. Four opaque gas globes glimmered over a narrow entrance, and, in the obscurity, a written appeal affixed by wafers was barely legible. He made it out to be: "Help the Poor _Kiss-and-Tell Girls_.
Chapter 16 of Conrad in Quest of His Youth is here in full — 188 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/37 · 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.
firmly attached
From this reading “Four opaque gas globes glimmered over a narrow entrance, and, in the obscurity, a written appeal affixed by wafers was barely legible.”
English novelist (born in Poland) noted for sea stories and for his narrative technique (1857-1924)
From this reading “Eight o'clock had just struck when Conrad arrived at the slum where he was to spend the evening.”
plural of “globe” — the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading “Four opaque gas globes glimmered over a narrow entrance, and, in the obscurity, a written appeal affixed by wafers was barely legible.”
(of handwriting, print, etc.) capable of being read or deciphered
From this reading “Four opaque gas globes glimmered over a narrow entrance, and, in the obscurity, a written appeal affixed by wafers was barely legible.”
not transmitting or reflecting light or radiant energy; impenetrable to sight
From this reading “Four opaque gas globes glimmered over a narrow entrance, and, in the obscurity, a written appeal affixed by wafers was barely legible.”
confidently optimistic and cheerful
From this reading “The exterior of the hall had no sanguine air.”
a district of a city marked by poverty and inferior living conditions
From this reading “Eight o'clock had just struck when Conrad arrived at the slum where he was to spend the evening.”
plural of “wafer” — a small adhesive disk of paste; used to seal letters
From this reading “Four opaque gas globes glimmered over a narrow entrance, and, in the obscurity, a written appeal affixed by wafers was barely legible.”
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 “Eight o'clock had just struck when Conrad arrived at the slum where he was to spend the evening.”
In this reading “Four opaque gas globes glimmered over a narrow entrance, and, in the obscurity, a written appeal affixed by wafers was barely legible.”
reach a destination, either real or abstract
In this reading “Eight o'clock had just struck when Conrad arrived at the slum where he was to spend the evening.”
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 Four opaque gas globes glimmered over a narrow entrance, and, in the obscurity, a written appeal affixed by wafers was barely legible.
firmly attached
From this reading Four opaque gas globes glimmered over a narrow entrance, and, in the obscurity, a written appeal affixed by wafers was barely legible.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading The exterior of the hall had no sanguine air.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Four opaque gas globes glimmered over a narrow entrance, and, in the obscurity, a written appeal affixed by wafers was barely legible.
take a court case to a higher court for review
From this reading Four opaque gas globes glimmered over a narrow entrance, and, in the obscurity, a written appeal affixed by wafers was barely legible.
past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading Eight o'clock had just struck when Conrad arrived at the slum where he was to spend the evening.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Eight o'clock had just struck when Conrad arrived at the slum where he was to spend the evening.
only a very short time before
From this reading Four opaque gas globes glimmered over a narrow entrance, and, in the obscurity, a written appeal affixed by wafers was barely legible.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading He made it out to be:
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Four opaque gas globes glimmered over a narrow entrance, and, in the obscurity, a written appeal affixed by wafers was barely legible.
English novelist (born in Poland) noted for sea stories and for his narrative technique (1857-1924)
From this reading Eight o'clock had just struck when Conrad arrived at the slum where he was to spend the evening.
being one more than seven
From this reading Eight o'clock had just struck when Conrad arrived at the slum where he was to spend the evening.
something that provides access (to get in or get out)
From this reading Four opaque gas globes glimmered over a narrow entrance, and, in the obscurity, a written appeal affixed by wafers was barely legible.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading Eight o'clock had just struck when Conrad arrived at the slum where he was to spend the evening.
the region that is outside of something
From this reading The exterior of the hall had no sanguine air.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading Four opaque gas globes glimmered over a narrow entrance, and, in the obscurity, a written appeal affixed by wafers was barely legible.
the state of matter distinguished from the solid and liquid states by: relatively low density and viscosity
From this reading Four opaque gas globes glimmered over a narrow entrance, and, in the obscurity, a written appeal affixed by wafers was barely legible.
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading "Help the Poor _Kiss-and-Tell Girls_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Four opaque gas globes glimmered over a narrow entrance, and, in the obscurity, a written appeal affixed by wafers was barely legible.
plural of “globe” — the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading Four opaque gas globes glimmered over a narrow entrance, and, in the obscurity, a written appeal affixed by wafers was barely legible.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Eight o'clock had just struck when Conrad arrived at the slum where he was to spend the evening.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading The exterior of the hall had no sanguine air.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Eight o'clock had just struck when Conrad arrived at the slum where he was to spend the evening.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading "Help the Poor _Kiss-and-Tell Girls_.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Four opaque gas globes glimmered over a narrow entrance, and, in the obscurity, a written appeal affixed by wafers was barely legible.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He made it out to be:
and nothing more
From this reading Eight o'clock had just struck when Conrad arrived at the slum where he was to spend the evening.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Help the Poor _Kiss-and-Tell Girls_.
(of handwriting, print, etc.) capable of being read or deciphered
From this reading Four opaque gas globes glimmered over a narrow entrance, and, in the obscurity, a written appeal affixed by wafers was barely legible.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading He made it out to be:
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading Four opaque gas globes glimmered over a narrow entrance, and, in the obscurity, a written appeal affixed by wafers was barely legible.
not any; not one
From this reading The exterior of the hall had no sanguine air.
according to the clock
From this reading Eight o'clock had just struck when Conrad arrived at the slum where he was to spend the evening.
the quality of being unclear or abstruse and hard to understand
From this reading Four opaque gas globes glimmered over a narrow entrance, and, in the obscurity, a written appeal affixed by wafers was barely legible.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The exterior of the hall had no sanguine air.
not transmitting or reflecting light or radiant energy; impenetrable to sight
From this reading Four opaque gas globes glimmered over a narrow entrance, and, in the obscurity, a written appeal affixed by wafers was barely legible.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading He made it out to be:
above and across; more than
From this reading Four opaque gas globes glimmered over a narrow entrance, and, in the obscurity, a written appeal affixed by wafers was barely legible.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading "Help the Poor _Kiss-and-Tell Girls_.
confidently optimistic and cheerful
From this reading The exterior of the hall had no sanguine air.
a district of a city marked by poverty and inferior living conditions
From this reading Eight o'clock had just struck when Conrad arrived at the slum where he was to spend the evening.
use up a period of time in a specific way
From this reading Eight o'clock had just struck when Conrad arrived at the slum where he was to spend the evening.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading Eight o'clock had just struck when Conrad arrived at the slum where he was to spend the evening.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Eight o'clock had just struck when Conrad arrived at the slum where he was to spend the evening.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Eight o'clock had just struck when Conrad arrived at the slum where he was to spend the evening.
plural of “wafer” — a small adhesive disk of paste; used to seal letters
From this reading Four opaque gas globes glimmered over a narrow entrance, and, in the obscurity, a written appeal affixed by wafers was barely legible.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Eight o'clock had just struck when Conrad arrived at the slum where he was to spend the evening.
at the time that
From this reading Eight o'clock had just struck when Conrad arrived at the slum where he was to spend the evening.
in or at the place that
From this reading Eight o'clock had just struck when Conrad arrived at the slum where he was to spend the evening.
set down in writing in any of various ways
From this reading Four opaque gas globes glimmered over a narrow entrance, and, in the obscurity, a written appeal affixed by wafers was barely legible.
Chapter 16 of Conrad in Quest of His Youth by Leonard Merrick holds 188 sentences, grouped into 38 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 188 sentences of Conrad in Quest of His Youth, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of Conrad in Quest of His Youth by Leonard Merrick exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 188 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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 Conrad in Quest of His Youth by Leonard Merrick on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4145 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56226 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #56226, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 345 minutes of reading across 829 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Conrad in Quest of His Youth section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of Conrad in Quest of His Youth 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 Conrad in Quest of His Youth, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
