Chapter 16 of First in the Field is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of First in the Field is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"No. The governor did what he could: I was allowed to go out as an assigned servant; I have disgraced myself, and I should have to go back to the gang." "Not if he knew that you were innocent." "My character with which I came out spoils that, boy. Don't talk about it. Mine is a hopeless case."
Chapter 16 of First in the Field is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
past form of “allow” — make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading “"No. The governor did what he could: I was allowed to go out as an assigned servant; I have disgraced myself, and I should have to go back to the gang."”
appointed to a post or duty
From this reading “"No. The governor did what he could: I was allowed to go out as an assigned servant; I have disgraced myself, and I should have to go back to the gang."”
suffering shame
From this reading “"No. The governor did what he could: I was allowed to go out as an assigned servant; I have disgraced myself, and I should have to go back to the gang."”
an association of criminals
From this reading “"No. The governor did what he could: I was allowed to go out as an assigned servant; I have disgraced myself, and I should have to go back to the gang."”
the head of a state government
From this reading “"No. The governor did what he could: I was allowed to go out as an assigned servant; I have disgraced myself, and I should have to go back to the gang."”
without hope because there seems to be no possibility of comfort or success
From this reading “Mine is a hopeless case."”
free from evil or guilt
From this reading “"Not if he knew that you were innocent."”
plural of “spoil” — (usually plural) valuables taken by violence (especially in war)
From this reading “"My character with which I came out spoils that, boy.”
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 Mine is a hopeless case."
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Don't talk about it.
past form of “allow” — make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading "No. The governor did what he could: I was allowed to go out as an assigned servant; I have disgraced myself, and I should have to go back to the gang."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "No. The governor did what he could: I was allowed to go out as an assigned servant; I have disgraced myself, and I should have to go back to the gang."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "No. The governor did what he could: I was allowed to go out as an assigned servant; I have disgraced myself, and I should have to go back to the gang."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "No. The governor did what he could: I was allowed to go out as an assigned servant; I have disgraced myself, and I should have to go back to the gang."
appointed to a post or duty
From this reading "No. The governor did what he could: I was allowed to go out as an assigned servant; I have disgraced myself, and I should have to go back to the gang."
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading "No. The governor did what he could: I was allowed to go out as an assigned servant; I have disgraced myself, and I should have to go back to the gang."
a youthful male person
From this reading "My character with which I came out spoils that, boy.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "My character with which I came out spoils that, boy.
an occurrence of something
From this reading Mine is a hopeless case."
an imaginary person represented in a work of fiction (play or film or story)
From this reading "My character with which I came out spoils that, boy.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "No. The governor did what he could: I was allowed to go out as an assigned servant; I have disgraced myself, and I should have to go back to the gang."
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "No. The governor did what he could: I was allowed to go out as an assigned servant; I have disgraced myself, and I should have to go back to the gang."
suffering shame
From this reading "No. The governor did what he could: I was allowed to go out as an assigned servant; I have disgraced myself, and I should have to go back to the gang."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Don't talk about it.
an association of criminals
From this reading "No. The governor did what he could: I was allowed to go out as an assigned servant; I have disgraced myself, and I should have to go back to the gang."
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "No. The governor did what he could: I was allowed to go out as an assigned servant; I have disgraced myself, and I should have to go back to the gang."
the head of a state government
From this reading "No. The governor did what he could: I was allowed to go out as an assigned servant; I have disgraced myself, and I should have to go back to the gang."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "No. The governor did what he could: I was allowed to go out as an assigned servant; I have disgraced myself, and I should have to go back to the gang."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "No. The governor did what he could: I was allowed to go out as an assigned servant; I have disgraced myself, and I should have to go back to the gang."
without hope because there seems to be no possibility of comfort or success
From this reading Mine is a hopeless case."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "No. The governor did what he could: I was allowed to go out as an assigned servant; I have disgraced myself, and I should have to go back to the gang."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Not if he knew that you were innocent."
free from evil or guilt
From this reading "Not if he knew that you were innocent."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mine is a hopeless case."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Don't talk about it.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Not if he knew that you were innocent."
the one or ones belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Mine is a hopeless case."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "My character with which I came out spoils that, boy.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading "No. The governor did what he could: I was allowed to go out as an assigned servant; I have disgraced myself, and I should have to go back to the gang."
not any; not one
From this reading "No. The governor did what he could: I was allowed to go out as an assigned servant; I have disgraced myself, and I should have to go back to the gang."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Not if he knew that you were innocent."
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "No. The governor did what he could: I was allowed to go out as an assigned servant; I have disgraced myself, and I should have to go back to the gang."
a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading "No. The governor did what he could: I was allowed to go out as an assigned servant; I have disgraced myself, and I should have to go back to the gang."
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading "No. The governor did what he could: I was allowed to go out as an assigned servant; I have disgraced myself, and I should have to go back to the gang."
plural of “spoil” — (usually plural) valuables taken by violence (especially in war)
From this reading "My character with which I came out spoils that, boy.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading Don't talk about it.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Not if he knew that you were innocent."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "No. The governor did what he could: I was allowed to go out as an assigned servant; I have disgraced myself, and I should have to go back to the gang."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "No. The governor did what he could: I was allowed to go out as an assigned servant; I have disgraced myself, and I should have to go back to the gang."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "No. The governor did what he could: I was allowed to go out as an assigned servant; I have disgraced myself, and I should have to go back to the gang."
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Not if he knew that you were innocent."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "No. The governor did what he could: I was allowed to go out as an assigned servant; I have disgraced myself, and I should have to go back to the gang."
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading "My character with which I came out spoils that, boy.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "My character with which I came out spoils that, boy.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Not if he knew that you were innocent."
Chapter 16 of First in the Field by George Manville Fenn holds 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 404 sentences of First in the Field, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of First in the Field by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 First in the Field by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6839 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21308 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21308, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 569 minutes of reading across 1368 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through First in the Field section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of First in the Field 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 First in the Field, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
