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Intentions
Intentions

Chapter XVI · Chapter 16

Chapter 16 of Intentions is here in full — 148 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Chapter 16 of Intentions by Oscar Wilde holds 148 sentences, grouped into 30 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.

What does chapter 16 of Intentions contain?

Chapter 16 holds 148 sentences of Intentions, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 16 of Intentions by Oscar Wilde exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 148 sentences, grouped into 30 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.

How do I study chapter 16 of Intentions?

Work through the 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 30 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.

Can chapter 16 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Intentions

Common questions about reading Intentions by Oscar Wilde on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Intentions?

Yes. All 2733 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #887 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Intentions is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #887, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Intentions take to read?

About 227 minutes of reading across 547 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Intentions section by section

How to work through Intentions section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 17 chapters of Intentions to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Intentions

Words and structures a reader meets early in Intentions, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

First
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Intentions; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Published
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Intentions; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Second
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Intentions; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Edition
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Intentions; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Cover illustration for Intentions
Context Illustration Reading 1/30 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
GILBERT.
The artistic critic, like the mystic, is an antinomian always.
To be good, according to the vulgar standard of goodness, is obviously quite easy.
It merely requires a certain amount of sordid terror, a certain lack of imaginative thought, and a certain low passion for middle-class respectability.
Æsthetics are higher than ethics.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Intentions

Chapter XVI · Chapter 16

Chapter 16 of Intentions is here in full — 148 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/30 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
GILBERT.
Line 2
The artistic critic, like the mystic, is an antinomian always.
Line 3
To be good, according to the vulgar standard of goodness, is obviously quite easy.
Line 4
It merely requires a certain amount of sordid terror, a certain lack of imaginative thought, and a certain low passion for middle-class respectability.
Line 5
Æsthetics are higher than ethics.
All words in this reading · 43

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

a

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It merely requires a certain amount of sordid terror, a certain lack of imaginative thought, and a certain low passion for middle-class respectability.

according

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading To be good, according to the vulgar standard of goodness, is obviously quite easy.

always

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The artistic critic, like the mystic, is an antinomian always.

amount

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It merely requires a certain amount of sordid terror, a certain lack of imaginative thought, and a certain low passion for middle-class respectability.

an

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The artistic critic, like the mystic, is an antinomian always.

and

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It merely requires a certain amount of sordid terror, a certain lack of imaginative thought, and a certain low passion for middle-class respectability.

antinomian

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The artistic critic, like the mystic, is an antinomian always.

are

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Æsthetics are higher than ethics.

artistic

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The artistic critic, like the mystic, is an antinomian always.

be

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading To be good, according to the vulgar standard of goodness, is obviously quite easy.

certain

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It merely requires a certain amount of sordid terror, a certain lack of imaginative thought, and a certain low passion for middle-class respectability.

critic

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The artistic critic, like the mystic, is an antinomian always.

easy

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading To be good, according to the vulgar standard of goodness, is obviously quite easy.

ethics

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Æsthetics are higher than ethics.

for

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It merely requires a certain amount of sordid terror, a certain lack of imaginative thought, and a certain low passion for middle-class respectability.

GILBERT

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading GILBERT.

good

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading To be good, according to the vulgar standard of goodness, is obviously quite easy.

goodness

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading To be good, according to the vulgar standard of goodness, is obviously quite easy.

higher

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Æsthetics are higher than ethics.

imaginative

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It merely requires a certain amount of sordid terror, a certain lack of imaginative thought, and a certain low passion for middle-class respectability.

is

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The artistic critic, like the mystic, is an antinomian always.

It

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It merely requires a certain amount of sordid terror, a certain lack of imaginative thought, and a certain low passion for middle-class respectability.

lack

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It merely requires a certain amount of sordid terror, a certain lack of imaginative thought, and a certain low passion for middle-class respectability.

like

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The artistic critic, like the mystic, is an antinomian always.

low

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It merely requires a certain amount of sordid terror, a certain lack of imaginative thought, and a certain low passion for middle-class respectability.

merely

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It merely requires a certain amount of sordid terror, a certain lack of imaginative thought, and a certain low passion for middle-class respectability.

middle-class

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It merely requires a certain amount of sordid terror, a certain lack of imaginative thought, and a certain low passion for middle-class respectability.

mystic

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The artistic critic, like the mystic, is an antinomian always.

obviously

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading To be good, according to the vulgar standard of goodness, is obviously quite easy.

of

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading To be good, according to the vulgar standard of goodness, is obviously quite easy.

passion

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It merely requires a certain amount of sordid terror, a certain lack of imaginative thought, and a certain low passion for middle-class respectability.

quite

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading To be good, according to the vulgar standard of goodness, is obviously quite easy.

requires

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It merely requires a certain amount of sordid terror, a certain lack of imaginative thought, and a certain low passion for middle-class respectability.

respectability

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It merely requires a certain amount of sordid terror, a certain lack of imaginative thought, and a certain low passion for middle-class respectability.

sordid

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It merely requires a certain amount of sordid terror, a certain lack of imaginative thought, and a certain low passion for middle-class respectability.

standard

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading To be good, according to the vulgar standard of goodness, is obviously quite easy.

terror

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It merely requires a certain amount of sordid terror, a certain lack of imaginative thought, and a certain low passion for middle-class respectability.

than

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Æsthetics are higher than ethics.

The

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The artistic critic, like the mystic, is an antinomian always.

thought

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It merely requires a certain amount of sordid terror, a certain lack of imaginative thought, and a certain low passion for middle-class respectability.

To

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading To be good, according to the vulgar standard of goodness, is obviously quite easy.

vulgar

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading To be good, according to the vulgar standard of goodness, is obviously quite easy.

Æsthetics

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Æsthetics are higher than ethics.