Chapter 17 of Happy-Go-Lucky is here in full — 202 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Happy-Go-Lucky is here in full — 202 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE WORD "SWANK" "That’s how it goes, ’Melia," panted Tilly, whirling her partner into an armchair. "It’s quite easy, really; Dicky taught me in the billiard-room on Saturday night in ten minutes. Hallo, hallo, hallo! Here I am, everybody! Hallo, Mother darling!"
Chapter 17 of Happy-Go-Lucky is here in full — 202 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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.
chair with a support on each side for arms
From this reading “THE WORD "SWANK" "That’s how it goes, ’Melia," panted Tilly, whirling her partner into an armchair.”
a small third seat in the back of an old-fashioned two-seater
From this reading “"It’s quite easy, really; Dicky taught me in the billiard-room on Saturday night in ten minutes.”
type genus of the Meliaceae: East Indian and Australian deciduous trees with leaves resembling those of the ash
From this reading “THE WORD "SWANK" "That’s how it goes, ’Melia," panted Tilly, whirling her partner into an armchair.”
past form of “pant” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading “THE WORD "SWANK" "That’s how it goes, ’Melia," panted Tilly, whirling her partner into an armchair.”
a person's partner in marriage
From this reading “THE WORD "SWANK" "That’s how it goes, ’Melia," panted Tilly, whirling her partner into an armchair.”
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading “"It’s quite easy, really; Dicky taught me in the billiard-room on Saturday night in ten minutes.”
elegance by virtue of being fashionable
From this reading “THE WORD "SWANK" "That’s how it goes, ’Melia," panted Tilly, whirling her partner into an armchair.”
the act of rotating in a circle or spiral
From this reading “THE WORD "SWANK" "That’s how it goes, ’Melia," panted Tilly, whirling her partner into an armchair.”
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 “"It’s quite easy, really; Dicky taught me in the billiard-room on Saturday night in ten minutes.”
In this reading “THE WORD "SWANK" "That’s how it goes, ’Melia," panted Tilly, whirling her partner into an armchair.”
In this reading “"It’s quite easy, really; Dicky taught me in the billiard-room on Saturday night in ten minutes.”
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.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading Here I am, everybody!
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading THE WORD "SWANK" "That’s how it goes, ’Melia," panted Tilly, whirling her partner into an armchair.
chair with a support on each side for arms
From this reading THE WORD "SWANK" "That’s how it goes, ’Melia," panted Tilly, whirling her partner into an armchair.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It’s quite easy, really; Dicky taught me in the billiard-room on Saturday night in ten minutes.
a special loved one
From this reading Hallo, Mother darling!"
a small third seat in the back of an old-fashioned two-seater
From this reading "It’s quite easy, really; Dicky taught me in the billiard-room on Saturday night in ten minutes.
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading "It’s quite easy, really; Dicky taught me in the billiard-room on Saturday night in ten minutes.
every person
From this reading Here I am, everybody!
plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)
From this reading THE WORD "SWANK" "That’s how it goes, ’Melia," panted Tilly, whirling her partner into an armchair.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Hallo, hallo, hallo!
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading THE WORD "SWANK" "That’s how it goes, ’Melia," panted Tilly, whirling her partner into an armchair.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Here I am, everybody!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE WORD "SWANK" "That’s how it goes, ’Melia," panted Tilly, whirling her partner into an armchair.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Here I am, everybody!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "It’s quite easy, really; Dicky taught me in the billiard-room on Saturday night in ten minutes.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading THE WORD "SWANK" "That’s how it goes, ’Melia," panted Tilly, whirling her partner into an armchair.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading THE WORD "SWANK" "That’s how it goes, ’Melia," panted Tilly, whirling her partner into an armchair.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It’s quite easy, really; Dicky taught me in the billiard-room on Saturday night in ten minutes.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "It’s quite easy, really; Dicky taught me in the billiard-room on Saturday night in ten minutes.
type genus of the Meliaceae: East Indian and Australian deciduous trees with leaves resembling those of the ash
From this reading THE WORD "SWANK" "That’s how it goes, ’Melia," panted Tilly, whirling her partner into an armchair.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading "It’s quite easy, really; Dicky taught me in the billiard-room on Saturday night in ten minutes.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading Hallo, Mother darling!"
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading "It’s quite easy, really; Dicky taught me in the billiard-room on Saturday night in ten minutes.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "It’s quite easy, really; Dicky taught me in the billiard-room on Saturday night in ten minutes.
past form of “pant” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading THE WORD "SWANK" "That’s how it goes, ’Melia," panted Tilly, whirling her partner into an armchair.
a person's partner in marriage
From this reading THE WORD "SWANK" "That’s how it goes, ’Melia," panted Tilly, whirling her partner into an armchair.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading "It’s quite easy, really; Dicky taught me in the billiard-room on Saturday night in ten minutes.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading "It’s quite easy, really; Dicky taught me in the billiard-room on Saturday night in ten minutes.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading "It’s quite easy, really; Dicky taught me in the billiard-room on Saturday night in ten minutes.
elegance by virtue of being fashionable
From this reading THE WORD "SWANK" "That’s how it goes, ’Melia," panted Tilly, whirling her partner into an armchair.
inflected form of “teach” — impart skills or knowledge to
From this reading "It’s quite easy, really; Dicky taught me in the billiard-room on Saturday night in ten minutes.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading "It’s quite easy, really; Dicky taught me in the billiard-room on Saturday night in ten minutes.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE WORD "SWANK" "That’s how it goes, ’Melia," panted Tilly, whirling her partner into an armchair.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE WORD "SWANK" "That’s how it goes, ’Melia," panted Tilly, whirling her partner into an armchair.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE WORD "SWANK" "That’s how it goes, ’Melia," panted Tilly, whirling her partner into an armchair.
the act of rotating in a circle or spiral
From this reading THE WORD "SWANK" "That’s how it goes, ’Melia," panted Tilly, whirling her partner into an armchair.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading THE WORD "SWANK" "That’s how it goes, ’Melia," panted Tilly, whirling her partner into an armchair.
Chapter 17 of Happy-Go-Lucky by Ian Hay holds 202 sentences, grouped into 41 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 17 holds 202 sentences of Happy-Go-Lucky, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Happy-Go-Lucky by Ian Hay exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 202 sentences, grouped into 41 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 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 41 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 17 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 Happy-Go-Lucky by Ian Hay on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5192 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40487 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40487, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 432 minutes of reading across 1039 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Happy-Go-Lucky section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of Happy-Go-Lucky 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 Happy-Go-Lucky, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
