Chapter 17 of In the Van is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of In the Van is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
HELEN'S DIARY. "The Citadel, Quebec, Feb. ----, 1814. "We arrived at Point Levi two days ago. What a delight it was to be in the vicinity of civilization again!
Chapter 17 of In the Van is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/36 · 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.
A fortress protecting a city, metaphorically representing the invincible inner sanctuary of the rational mind.
From this reading “"The Citadel, Quebec, Feb.”
a society in an advanced state of social development (e.g., with complex legal and political and religious organizations)
From this reading “What a delight it was to be in the vicinity of civilization again!”
a daily written record of (usually personal) experiences and observations
From this reading “HELEN'S DIARY.”
the month following January and preceding March
From this reading “"The Citadel, Quebec, Feb.”
possessive form of “helen” — (Greek mythology) the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Leda who was abducted by Paris; the Greek army sailed to Troy to get her back which resulted in the Trojan War
From this reading “HELEN'S DIARY.”
(New Testament) disciple of Jesus; traditionally considered to be the author of the first Gospel
From this reading “"We arrived at Point Levi two days ago.”
the French-speaking capital of the province of Quebec; situated on the Saint Lawrence River
From this reading “"The Citadel, Quebec, Feb.”
a surrounding or nearby region
From this reading “What a delight it was to be in the vicinity of civilization again!”
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 “"We arrived at Point Levi two days ago.”
reach a destination, either real or abstract
In this reading “"We arrived at Point Levi two days ago.”
In this reading “What a delight it was to be in the vicinity of civilization again!”
In this reading “What a delight it was to be in the vicinity of civilization again!”
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 ----, 1814.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading What a delight it was to be in the vicinity of civilization again!
anew
From this reading What a delight it was to be in the vicinity of civilization again!
in the past
From this reading "We arrived at Point Levi two days ago.
past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading "We arrived at Point Levi two days ago.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "We arrived at Point Levi two days ago.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading What a delight it was to be in the vicinity of civilization again!
A fortress protecting a city, metaphorically representing the invincible inner sanctuary of the rational mind.
From this reading "The Citadel, Quebec, Feb.
a society in an advanced state of social development (e.g., with complex legal and political and religious organizations)
From this reading What a delight it was to be in the vicinity of civilization again!
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading "We arrived at Point Levi two days ago.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading What a delight it was to be in the vicinity of civilization again!
a daily written record of (usually personal) experiences and observations
From this reading HELEN'S DIARY.
the month following January and preceding March
From this reading "The Citadel, Quebec, Feb.
possessive form of “helen” — (Greek mythology) the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Leda who was abducted by Paris; the Greek army sailed to Troy to get her back which resulted in the Trojan War
From this reading HELEN'S DIARY.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading What a delight it was to be in the vicinity of civilization again!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading What a delight it was to be in the vicinity of civilization again!
(New Testament) disciple of Jesus; traditionally considered to be the author of the first Gospel
From this reading "We arrived at Point Levi two days ago.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading What a delight it was to be in the vicinity of civilization again!
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading "We arrived at Point Levi two days ago.
the French-speaking capital of the province of Quebec; situated on the Saint Lawrence River
From this reading "The Citadel, Quebec, Feb.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The Citadel, Quebec, Feb.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading What a delight it was to be in the vicinity of civilization again!
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading "We arrived at Point Levi two days ago.
a surrounding or nearby region
From this reading What a delight it was to be in the vicinity of civilization again!
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading What a delight it was to be in the vicinity of civilization again!
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "We arrived at Point Levi two days ago.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What a delight it was to be in the vicinity of civilization again!
Chapter 17 of In the Van by John Price-Brown holds 183 sentences, grouped into 37 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 183 sentences of In the Van, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of In the Van by John Price-Brown exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 183 sentences, grouped into 37 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 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 37 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 In the Van by John Price-Brown on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5208 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35203 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #35203, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 434 minutes of reading across 1042 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through In the Van section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of In the Van 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 In the Van, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
