Chapter 16 of Just his luck is here in full — 106 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of Just his luck is here in full — 106 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AN UNEXPECTED MEETING. Wade followed the servant up the stairs; and this fellow seemed to be laughing too. What had got into them all? He had done nothing to make them laugh. The people in the hotel seemed to know Jeremy Diddler, but not Caleb Klucker.
Chapter 16 of Just his luck is here in full — 106 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/21 · 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 building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading “The people in the hotel seemed to know Jeremy Diddler, but not Caleb Klucker.”
the sound of laughing
From this reading “He had done nothing to make them laugh.”
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading “Wade followed the servant up the stairs; and this fellow seemed to be laughing too.”
a formally arranged gathering
From this reading “AN UNEXPECTED MEETING.”
a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading “Wade followed the servant up the stairs; and this fellow seemed to be laughing too.”
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading “Wade followed the servant up the stairs; and this fellow seemed to be laughing too.”
not expected or anticipated
From this reading “AN UNEXPECTED MEETING.”
walk (through relatively shallow water)
From this reading “Wade followed the servant up the stairs; and this fellow seemed to be laughing too.”
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 “AN UNEXPECTED MEETING.”
get involved in or with
In this reading “What had got into them all?”
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.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading What had got into them all?
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN UNEXPECTED MEETING.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Wade followed the servant up the stairs; and this fellow seemed to be laughing too.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Wade followed the servant up the stairs; and this fellow seemed to be laughing too.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading The people in the hotel seemed to know Jeremy Diddler, but not Caleb Klucker.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The people in the hotel seemed to know Jeremy Diddler, but not Caleb Klucker.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The people in the hotel seemed to know Jeremy Diddler, but not Caleb Klucker.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading He had done nothing to make them laugh.
a boy or man
From this reading Wade followed the servant up the stairs; and this fellow seemed to be laughing too.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading Wade followed the servant up the stairs; and this fellow seemed to be laughing too.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading What had got into them all?
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading What had got into them all?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had done nothing to make them laugh.
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading The people in the hotel seemed to know Jeremy Diddler, but not Caleb Klucker.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The people in the hotel seemed to know Jeremy Diddler, but not Caleb Klucker.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading What had got into them all?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The people in the hotel seemed to know Jeremy Diddler, but not Caleb Klucker.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The people in the hotel seemed to know Jeremy Diddler, but not Caleb Klucker.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading The people in the hotel seemed to know Jeremy Diddler, but not Caleb Klucker.
the sound of laughing
From this reading He had done nothing to make them laugh.
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading Wade followed the servant up the stairs; and this fellow seemed to be laughing too.
engage in
From this reading He had done nothing to make them laugh.
a formally arranged gathering
From this reading AN UNEXPECTED MEETING.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The people in the hotel seemed to know Jeremy Diddler, but not Caleb Klucker.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading He had done nothing to make them laugh.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading The people in the hotel seemed to know Jeremy Diddler, but not Caleb Klucker.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Wade followed the servant up the stairs; and this fellow seemed to be laughing too.
a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading Wade followed the servant up the stairs; and this fellow seemed to be laughing too.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading Wade followed the servant up the stairs; and this fellow seemed to be laughing too.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Wade followed the servant up the stairs; and this fellow seemed to be laughing too.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading What had got into them all?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Wade followed the servant up the stairs; and this fellow seemed to be laughing too.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Wade followed the servant up the stairs; and this fellow seemed to be laughing too.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Wade followed the servant up the stairs; and this fellow seemed to be laughing too.
not expected or anticipated
From this reading AN UNEXPECTED MEETING.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Wade followed the servant up the stairs; and this fellow seemed to be laughing too.
walk (through relatively shallow water)
From this reading Wade followed the servant up the stairs; and this fellow seemed to be laughing too.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What had got into them all?
Chapter 16 of Just his luck by Oliver Optic holds 106 sentences, grouped into 22 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 16 holds 106 sentences of Just his luck, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of Just his luck by Oliver Optic exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 106 sentences, grouped into 22 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 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 22 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 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.
Common questions about reading Just his luck by Oliver Optic on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4381 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #76585 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #76585, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 365 minutes of reading across 877 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Just his luck section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Just his luck 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 Just his luck, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
