Chapter 16 of From Monkey to Man is here in full — 71 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of From Monkey to Man is here in full — 71 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Busy now were the preparations for dire war. Not that troops were to be armed, or supplies collected for a long campaign. No vessels were to be fitted out to cross the Swamp, or ambulances prepared for the wounded. No loans were to be negotiated or preliminaries of diplomacy settled. The early men were always ready for war, in fact were always at war.
Chapter 16 of From Monkey to Man is here in full — 71 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/14 · 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.
plural of “ambulance” — a vehicle that takes people to and from hospitals
From this reading “No vessels were to be fitted out to cross the Swamp, or ambulances prepared for the wounded.”
a race between candidates for elective office
From this reading “Not that troops were to be armed, or supplies collected for a long campaign.”
negotiation between nations
From this reading “No loans were to be negotiated or preliminaries of diplomacy settled.”
fraught with extreme danger; nearly hopeless
From this reading “Busy now were the preparations for dire war.”
plural of “loan” — the temporary provision of money (usually at interest)
From this reading “No loans were to be negotiated or preliminaries of diplomacy settled.”
past form of “negotiate” — discuss the terms of an arrangement
From this reading “No loans were to be negotiated or preliminaries of diplomacy settled.”
plural of “preliminary” — a minor match preceding the main event
From this reading “No loans were to be negotiated or preliminaries of diplomacy settled.”
drench or submerge or be drenched or submerged
From this reading “No vessels were to be fitted out to cross the Swamp, or ambulances prepared for the wounded.”
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 “The early men were always ready for war, in fact were always at war.”
in reality or actuality
In this reading “The early men were always ready for war, in fact were always at war.”
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 Not that troops were to be armed, or supplies collected for a long campaign.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading The early men were always ready for war, in fact were always at war.
plural of “ambulance” — a vehicle that takes people to and from hospitals
From this reading No vessels were to be fitted out to cross the Swamp, or ambulances prepared for the wounded.
(used of persons or the military) characterized by having or bearing arms
From this reading Not that troops were to be armed, or supplies collected for a long campaign.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The early men were always ready for war, in fact were always at war.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Not that troops were to be armed, or supplies collected for a long campaign.
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading Busy now were the preparations for dire war.
a race between candidates for elective office
From this reading Not that troops were to be armed, or supplies collected for a long campaign.
brought together in one place
From this reading Not that troops were to be armed, or supplies collected for a long campaign.
travel across or pass over
From this reading No vessels were to be fitted out to cross the Swamp, or ambulances prepared for the wounded.
negotiation between nations
From this reading No loans were to be negotiated or preliminaries of diplomacy settled.
fraught with extreme danger; nearly hopeless
From this reading Busy now were the preparations for dire war.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading The early men were always ready for war, in fact were always at war.
a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred
From this reading The early men were always ready for war, in fact were always at war.
being the right size and shape to fit as desired
From this reading No vessels were to be fitted out to cross the Swamp, or ambulances prepared for the wounded.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Busy now were the preparations for dire war.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The early men were always ready for war, in fact were always at war.
plural of “loan” — the temporary provision of money (usually at interest)
From this reading No loans were to be negotiated or preliminaries of diplomacy settled.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Not that troops were to be armed, or supplies collected for a long campaign.
the force of workers available
From this reading The early men were always ready for war, in fact were always at war.
past form of “negotiate” — discuss the terms of an arrangement
From this reading No loans were to be negotiated or preliminaries of diplomacy settled.
not any; not one
From this reading No vessels were to be fitted out to cross the Swamp, or ambulances prepared for the wounded.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Not that troops were to be armed, or supplies collected for a long campaign.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Busy now were the preparations for dire war.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading No loans were to be negotiated or preliminaries of diplomacy settled.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Not that troops were to be armed, or supplies collected for a long campaign.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading No vessels were to be fitted out to cross the Swamp, or ambulances prepared for the wounded.
plural of “preliminary” — a minor match preceding the main event
From this reading No loans were to be negotiated or preliminaries of diplomacy settled.
plural of “preparation” — the activity of putting or setting in order in advance of some act or purpose
From this reading Busy now were the preparations for dire war.
made ready or fit or suitable beforehand
From this reading No vessels were to be fitted out to cross the Swamp, or ambulances prepared for the wounded.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading The early men were always ready for war, in fact were always at war.
established or decided beyond dispute or doubt
From this reading No loans were to be negotiated or preliminaries of diplomacy settled.
plural of “supply” — an amount of something available for use
From this reading Not that troops were to be armed, or supplies collected for a long campaign.
drench or submerge or be drenched or submerged
From this reading No vessels were to be fitted out to cross the Swamp, or ambulances prepared for the wounded.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Not that troops were to be armed, or supplies collected for a long campaign.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Busy now were the preparations for dire war.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Not that troops were to be armed, or supplies collected for a long campaign.
soldiers collectively
From this reading Not that troops were to be armed, or supplies collected for a long campaign.
plural of “vessel” — a tube in which a body fluid circulates
From this reading No vessels were to be fitted out to cross the Swamp, or ambulances prepared for the wounded.
the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading Busy now were the preparations for dire war.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Busy now were the preparations for dire war.
people who are wounded
From this reading No vessels were to be fitted out to cross the Swamp, or ambulances prepared for the wounded.
Chapter 16 of From Monkey to Man by Austin Bierbower holds 71 sentences, grouped into 15 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 71 sentences of From Monkey to Man, unabridged, divided into 15 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of From Monkey to Man by Austin Bierbower exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 71 sentences, grouped into 15 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 15 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 15 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 From Monkey to Man by Austin Bierbower on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2153 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63379 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #63379, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 179 minutes of reading across 431 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through From Monkey to Man section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of From Monkey to Man 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 From Monkey to Man, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
