Chapter 17 of "I Say No" is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of "I Say No" is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“You’re surprised to see me, of course?” Saluting Emily in those terms, Francine looked round the parlor with an air of satirical curiosity. “Dear me, what a little place to live in!” “What brings you to London?” Emily inquired.
Chapter 17 of "I Say No" is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 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.
third-person singular of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading ““What brings you to London?””
a state in which you want to learn more about something
From this reading “Saluting Emily in those terms, Francine looked round the parlor with an air of satirical curiosity.”
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading “Emily inquired.”
reception room in an inn or club where visitors can be received
From this reading “Saluting Emily in those terms, Francine looked round the parlor with an air of satirical curiosity.”
-ing form of “salute” — propose a toast to
From this reading “Saluting Emily in those terms, Francine looked round the parlor with an air of satirical curiosity.”
exposing human folly to ridicule
From this reading “Saluting Emily in those terms, Francine looked round the parlor with an air of satirical curiosity.”
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading ““You’re surprised to see me, of course?””
status with respect to the relations between people or groups
From this reading “Saluting Emily in those terms, Francine looked round the parlor with an air of satirical curiosity.”
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 “Dear me, what a little place to live in!”
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading Saluting Emily in those terms, Francine looked round the parlor with an air of satirical curiosity.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Saluting Emily in those terms, Francine looked round the parlor with an air of satirical curiosity.
third-person singular of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading “What brings you to London?”
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading “You’re surprised to see me, of course?”
a state in which you want to learn more about something
From this reading Saluting Emily in those terms, Francine looked round the parlor with an air of satirical curiosity.
dearly loved
From this reading “Dear me, what a little place to live in!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Saluting Emily in those terms, Francine looked round the parlor with an air of satirical curiosity.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Saluting Emily in those terms, Francine looked round the parlor with an air of satirical curiosity.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Saluting Emily in those terms, Francine looked round the parlor with an air of satirical curiosity.
past form of “inquire” — address a question to and expect an answer from
From this reading Emily inquired.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “Dear me, what a little place to live in!”
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading “Dear me, what a little place to live in!”
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading “What brings you to London?”
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Saluting Emily in those terms, Francine looked round the parlor with an air of satirical curiosity.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “You’re surprised to see me, of course?”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “You’re surprised to see me, of course?”
reception room in an inn or club where visitors can be received
From this reading Saluting Emily in those terms, Francine looked round the parlor with an air of satirical curiosity.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading “Dear me, what a little place to live in!”
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading Saluting Emily in those terms, Francine looked round the parlor with an air of satirical curiosity.
-ing form of “salute” — propose a toast to
From this reading Saluting Emily in those terms, Francine looked round the parlor with an air of satirical curiosity.
exposing human folly to ridicule
From this reading Saluting Emily in those terms, Francine looked round the parlor with an air of satirical curiosity.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “You’re surprised to see me, of course?”
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading “You’re surprised to see me, of course?”
status with respect to the relations between people or groups
From this reading Saluting Emily in those terms, Francine looked round the parlor with an air of satirical curiosity.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Saluting Emily in those terms, Francine looked round the parlor with an air of satirical curiosity.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading Saluting Emily in those terms, Francine looked round the parlor with an air of satirical curiosity.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “You’re surprised to see me, of course?”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “Dear me, what a little place to live in!”
in the company of; together with
From this reading Saluting Emily in those terms, Francine looked round the parlor with an air of satirical curiosity.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “What brings you to London?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You’re surprised to see me, of course?”
Chapter 17 of "I Say No" by Wilkie Collins holds 177 sentences, grouped into 36 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.
Chapter 17 holds 177 sentences of "I Say No", unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of "I Say No" by Wilkie Collins exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 177 sentences, grouped into 36 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 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 36 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 "I Say No" by Wilkie Collins on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9092 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1629 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1629, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1819 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through "I Say No" section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of "I Say No" 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 "I Say No", each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
