Chapter 17 of Henry Is Twenty is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Henry Is Twenty is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He thought: 'How could she ask me? They wouldn't like it, her friends. Mary Ames mightn't want to come. Martha Caldwell, even. She's been nice to me.
Chapter 17 of Henry Is Twenty is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “He thought: 'How could she ask me?”
United States author remembered for novels about poverty and degeneration (1903-1987)
From this reading “Martha Caldwell, even.”
divisible by two
From this reading “Martha Caldwell, even.”
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading “They wouldn't like it, her friends.”
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading “Mary Ames mightn't want to come.”
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading “She's been nice to me.”
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading “He thought: 'How could she ask me?”
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “Mary Ames mightn't want to come.”
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.
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mary Ames mightn't want to come.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading He thought: 'How could she ask me?
the past participle of “be”
From this reading She's been nice to me.
United States author remembered for novels about poverty and degeneration (1903-1987)
From this reading Martha Caldwell, even.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Mary Ames mightn't want to come.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading He thought: 'How could she ask me?
divisible by two
From this reading Martha Caldwell, even.
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading They wouldn't like it, her friends.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He thought: 'How could she ask me?
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading They wouldn't like it, her friends.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He thought: 'How could she ask me?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading They wouldn't like it, her friends.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading They wouldn't like it, her friends.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Martha Caldwell, even.
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading Mary Ames mightn't want to come.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He thought: 'How could she ask me?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mary Ames mightn't want to come.
pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance
From this reading She's been nice to me.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He thought: 'How could she ask me?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She's been nice to me.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They wouldn't like it, her friends.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading He thought: 'How could she ask me?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mary Ames mightn't want to come.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading Mary Ames mightn't want to come.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They wouldn't like it, her friends.
Chapter 17 of Henry Is Twenty by Samuel Merwin holds 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 399 sentences of Henry Is Twenty, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Henry Is Twenty by Samuel Merwin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Henry Is Twenty by Samuel Merwin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8391 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #51948 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #51948, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1679 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Henry Is Twenty section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of Henry Is Twenty 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 Henry Is Twenty, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
