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Essays of Travel
Essays of Travel

Chapter XVI · Chapter 16

Chapter 16 of Essays of Travel is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Essays of Travel
Context Illustration Reading 1/26 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
I suggested there was nothing more likely, as he must have some amusement.
The foreman said it was odd, but there was less of that sort of thing than formerly.
‘_C’est difficile_,’ he added, ‘_à expliquer_.’
When we were well up on the moors and the _Conductor_ was trying some road-metal with the gauge Hark!’ said the foreman, do you hear nothing?’
We listened, and the wind, which was blowing chilly out of the east, brought a faint, tangled jangling to our ears.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Essays of Travel

Chapter XVI · Chapter 16

Chapter 16 of Essays of Travel is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/26 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
I suggested there was nothing more likely, as he must have some amusement.
Line 2
The foreman said it was odd, but there was less of that sort of thing than formerly.
Line 3
‘_C’est difficile_,’ he added, ‘_à expliquer_.’
Line 4
When we were well up on the moors and the _Conductor_ was trying some road-metal with the gauge— ‘Hark!’ said the foreman, ‘do you hear nothing?’
Line 5
We listened, and the wind, which was blowing chilly out of the east, brought a faint, tangled jangling to our ears.

All words in this reading · 63

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.

a

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

From this reading We listened, and the wind, which was blowing chilly out of the east, brought a faint, tangled jangling to our ears.

added

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

From this reading ‘_C’est difficile_,’ he added, ‘_à expliquer_.’

amusement

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

From this reading I suggested there was nothing more likely, as he must have some amusement.

and

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

From this reading When we were well up on the moors and the _Conductor_ was trying some road-metal with the gauge— ‘Hark!’ said the foreman, ‘do you hear nothing?’

as

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

From this reading I suggested there was nothing more likely, as he must have some amusement.

blowing

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

From this reading We listened, and the wind, which was blowing chilly out of the east, brought a faint, tangled jangling to our ears.

brought

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

From this reading We listened, and the wind, which was blowing chilly out of the east, brought a faint, tangled jangling to our ears.

but

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

From this reading The foreman said it was odd, but there was less of that sort of thing than formerly.

C'est

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

From this reading ‘_C’est difficile_,’ he added, ‘_à expliquer_.’

chilly

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

From this reading We listened, and the wind, which was blowing chilly out of the east, brought a faint, tangled jangling to our ears.

Conductor

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

From this reading When we were well up on the moors and the _Conductor_ was trying some road-metal with the gauge— ‘Hark!’ said the foreman, ‘do you hear nothing?’

difficile

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

From this reading ‘_C’est difficile_,’ he added, ‘_à expliquer_.’

do

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

From this reading When we were well up on the moors and the _Conductor_ was trying some road-metal with the gauge— ‘Hark!’ said the foreman, ‘do you hear nothing?’

ears

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

From this reading We listened, and the wind, which was blowing chilly out of the east, brought a faint, tangled jangling to our ears.

east

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

From this reading We listened, and the wind, which was blowing chilly out of the east, brought a faint, tangled jangling to our ears.

expliquer

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

From this reading ‘_C’est difficile_,’ he added, ‘_à expliquer_.’

faint

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

From this reading We listened, and the wind, which was blowing chilly out of the east, brought a faint, tangled jangling to our ears.

foreman

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

From this reading The foreman said it was odd, but there was less of that sort of thing than formerly.

formerly

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From this reading The foreman said it was odd, but there was less of that sort of thing than formerly.

gauge

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

From this reading When we were well up on the moors and the _Conductor_ was trying some road-metal with the gauge— ‘Hark!’ said the foreman, ‘do you hear nothing?’

Hark

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

From this reading When we were well up on the moors and the _Conductor_ was trying some road-metal with the gauge— ‘Hark!’ said the foreman, ‘do you hear nothing?’

have

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

From this reading I suggested there was nothing more likely, as he must have some amusement.

he

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

From this reading I suggested there was nothing more likely, as he must have some amusement.

hear

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

From this reading When we were well up on the moors and the _Conductor_ was trying some road-metal with the gauge— ‘Hark!’ said the foreman, ‘do you hear nothing?’

I

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

From this reading I suggested there was nothing more likely, as he must have some amusement.

it

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

From this reading The foreman said it was odd, but there was less of that sort of thing than formerly.

jangling

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

From this reading We listened, and the wind, which was blowing chilly out of the east, brought a faint, tangled jangling to our ears.

less

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

From this reading The foreman said it was odd, but there was less of that sort of thing than formerly.

likely

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

From this reading I suggested there was nothing more likely, as he must have some amusement.

listened

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

From this reading We listened, and the wind, which was blowing chilly out of the east, brought a faint, tangled jangling to our ears.

moors

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

From this reading When we were well up on the moors and the _Conductor_ was trying some road-metal with the gauge— ‘Hark!’ said the foreman, ‘do you hear nothing?’

more

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

From this reading I suggested there was nothing more likely, as he must have some amusement.

must

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

From this reading I suggested there was nothing more likely, as he must have some amusement.

nothing

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

From this reading I suggested there was nothing more likely, as he must have some amusement.

odd

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

From this reading The foreman said it was odd, but there was less of that sort of thing than formerly.

of

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

From this reading The foreman said it was odd, but there was less of that sort of thing than formerly.

on

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

From this reading When we were well up on the moors and the _Conductor_ was trying some road-metal with the gauge— ‘Hark!’ said the foreman, ‘do you hear nothing?’

our

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

From this reading We listened, and the wind, which was blowing chilly out of the east, brought a faint, tangled jangling to our ears.

out

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

From this reading We listened, and the wind, which was blowing chilly out of the east, brought a faint, tangled jangling to our ears.

road-metal

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

From this reading When we were well up on the moors and the _Conductor_ was trying some road-metal with the gauge— ‘Hark!’ said the foreman, ‘do you hear nothing?’

said

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

From this reading The foreman said it was odd, but there was less of that sort of thing than formerly.

some

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

From this reading I suggested there was nothing more likely, as he must have some amusement.

sort

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

From this reading The foreman said it was odd, but there was less of that sort of thing than formerly.

suggested

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

From this reading I suggested there was nothing more likely, as he must have some amusement.

tangled

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

From this reading We listened, and the wind, which was blowing chilly out of the east, brought a faint, tangled jangling to our ears.

than

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

From this reading The foreman said it was odd, but there was less of that sort of thing than formerly.

that

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

From this reading The foreman said it was odd, but there was less of that sort of thing than formerly.

The

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

From this reading The foreman said it was odd, but there was less of that sort of thing than formerly.

there

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

From this reading I suggested there was nothing more likely, as he must have some amusement.

thing

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

From this reading The foreman said it was odd, but there was less of that sort of thing than formerly.

to

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

From this reading We listened, and the wind, which was blowing chilly out of the east, brought a faint, tangled jangling to our ears.

trying

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

From this reading When we were well up on the moors and the _Conductor_ was trying some road-metal with the gauge— ‘Hark!’ said the foreman, ‘do you hear nothing?’

up

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

From this reading When we were well up on the moors and the _Conductor_ was trying some road-metal with the gauge— ‘Hark!’ said the foreman, ‘do you hear nothing?’

was

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

From this reading I suggested there was nothing more likely, as he must have some amusement.

we

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

From this reading When we were well up on the moors and the _Conductor_ was trying some road-metal with the gauge— ‘Hark!’ said the foreman, ‘do you hear nothing?’

well

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

From this reading When we were well up on the moors and the _Conductor_ was trying some road-metal with the gauge— ‘Hark!’ said the foreman, ‘do you hear nothing?’

were

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

From this reading When we were well up on the moors and the _Conductor_ was trying some road-metal with the gauge— ‘Hark!’ said the foreman, ‘do you hear nothing?’

When

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

From this reading When we were well up on the moors and the _Conductor_ was trying some road-metal with the gauge— ‘Hark!’ said the foreman, ‘do you hear nothing?’

which

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

From this reading We listened, and the wind, which was blowing chilly out of the east, brought a faint, tangled jangling to our ears.

wind

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

From this reading We listened, and the wind, which was blowing chilly out of the east, brought a faint, tangled jangling to our ears.

with

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

From this reading When we were well up on the moors and the _Conductor_ was trying some road-metal with the gauge— ‘Hark!’ said the foreman, ‘do you hear nothing?’

you

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

From this reading When we were well up on the moors and the _Conductor_ was trying some road-metal with the gauge— ‘Hark!’ said the foreman, ‘do you hear nothing?’

à

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

From this reading ‘_C’est difficile_,’ he added, ‘_à expliquer_.’

Chapter 16 of Essays of Travel by Robert Louis Stevenson holds 132 sentences, grouped into 27 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 16 of Essays of Travel contain?

Chapter 16 holds 132 sentences of Essays of Travel, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 16 of Essays of Travel by Robert Louis Stevenson exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 132 sentences, grouped into 27 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 16 of Essays of Travel?

Work through the 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 27 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 16 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Essays of Travel

Common questions about reading Essays of Travel by Robert Louis Stevenson on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Essays of Travel?

Yes. All 2493 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #627 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Essays of Travel is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #627, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Essays of Travel take to read?

About 207 minutes of reading across 499 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Essays of Travel section by section

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

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 19 chapters of Essays of Travel 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 Essays of Travel

Words and structures a reader meets early in Essays of Travel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Amateur
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Essays of Travel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Emigrant
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Essays of Travel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Clyde
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Essays of Travel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Sandy
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Essays of Travel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.