Chapter 16 of Left to Themselves is here in full — 359 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of Left to Themselves is here in full — 359 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
SUSPENSE. An elderly man, short-statured and with his grave countenance surmounted by a pair of spectacles, glanced at them from behind the desk of the neat little hotel as they approached it. Philip drew forward the register and took up the pen proffered him. Then he checked himself. “No!
Chapter 16 of Left to Themselves is here in full — 359 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/71 · 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.
patterned with alternating squares of color
From this reading “Then he checked himself.”
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading “An elderly man, short-statured and with his grave countenance surmounted by a pair of spectacles, glanced at them from behind the desk of the neat little hotel as they approached it.”
clean or organized
From this reading “An elderly man, short-statured and with his grave countenance surmounted by a pair of spectacles, glanced at them from behind the desk of the neat little hotel as they approached it.”
past form of “proffer” — present for acceptance or rejection
From this reading “Philip drew forward the register and took up the pen proffered him.”
record in writing; enter into a book of names or events or transactions
From this reading “Philip drew forward the register and took up the pen proffered him.”
(plural) optical instrument consisting of a frame that holds a pair of lenses for correcting defective vision
From this reading “An elderly man, short-statured and with his grave countenance surmounted by a pair of spectacles, glanced at them from behind the desk of the neat little hotel as they approached it.”
having something on top
From this reading “An elderly man, short-statured and with his grave countenance surmounted by a pair of spectacles, glanced at them from behind the desk of the neat little hotel as they approached it.”
apprehension about what is going to happen
From this reading “SUSPENSE.”
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 elderly man, short-statured and with his grave countenance surmounted by a pair of spectacles, glanced at them from behind the desk of the neat little hotel as they approached it.”
In this reading “An elderly man, short-statured and with his grave countenance surmounted by a pair of spectacles, glanced at them from behind the desk of the neat little hotel as they approached it.”
In this reading “An elderly man, short-statured and with his grave countenance surmounted by a pair of spectacles, glanced at them from behind the desk of the neat little hotel as they approached it.”
In this reading “An elderly man, short-statured and with his grave countenance surmounted by a pair of spectacles, glanced at them from behind the desk of the neat little hotel as they approached it.”
pursue or resume
In this reading “Philip drew forward the register and took up the pen proffered him.”
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 An elderly man, short-statured and with his grave countenance surmounted by a pair of spectacles, glanced at them from behind the desk of the neat little hotel as they approached it.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An elderly man, short-statured and with his grave countenance surmounted by a pair of spectacles, glanced at them from behind the desk of the neat little hotel as they approached it.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading An elderly man, short-statured and with his grave countenance surmounted by a pair of spectacles, glanced at them from behind the desk of the neat little hotel as they approached it.
past form of “approach” — move towards
From this reading An elderly man, short-statured and with his grave countenance surmounted by a pair of spectacles, glanced at them from behind the desk of the neat little hotel as they approached it.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading An elderly man, short-statured and with his grave countenance surmounted by a pair of spectacles, glanced at them from behind the desk of the neat little hotel as they approached it.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading An elderly man, short-statured and with his grave countenance surmounted by a pair of spectacles, glanced at them from behind the desk of the neat little hotel as they approached it.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading An elderly man, short-statured and with his grave countenance surmounted by a pair of spectacles, glanced at them from behind the desk of the neat little hotel as they approached it.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading An elderly man, short-statured and with his grave countenance surmounted by a pair of spectacles, glanced at them from behind the desk of the neat little hotel as they approached it.
patterned with alternating squares of color
From this reading Then he checked himself.
the appearance conveyed by a person's face
From this reading An elderly man, short-statured and with his grave countenance surmounted by a pair of spectacles, glanced at them from behind the desk of the neat little hotel as they approached it.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading An elderly man, short-statured and with his grave countenance surmounted by a pair of spectacles, glanced at them from behind the desk of the neat little hotel as they approached it.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading Philip drew forward the register and took up the pen proffered him.
advanced in years; (“aged” is pronounced as two syllables)
From this reading An elderly man, short-statured and with his grave countenance surmounted by a pair of spectacles, glanced at them from behind the desk of the neat little hotel as they approached it.
at or to or toward the front
From this reading Philip drew forward the register and took up the pen proffered him.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading An elderly man, short-statured and with his grave countenance surmounted by a pair of spectacles, glanced at them from behind the desk of the neat little hotel as they approached it.
past form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading An elderly man, short-statured and with his grave countenance surmounted by a pair of spectacles, glanced at them from behind the desk of the neat little hotel as they approached it.
death of a person
From this reading An elderly man, short-statured and with his grave countenance surmounted by a pair of spectacles, glanced at them from behind the desk of the neat little hotel as they approached it.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then he checked himself.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Philip drew forward the register and took up the pen proffered him.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Then he checked himself.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading An elderly man, short-statured and with his grave countenance surmounted by a pair of spectacles, glanced at them from behind the desk of the neat little hotel as they approached it.
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading An elderly man, short-statured and with his grave countenance surmounted by a pair of spectacles, glanced at them from behind the desk of the neat little hotel as they approached it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading An elderly man, short-statured and with his grave countenance surmounted by a pair of spectacles, glanced at them from behind the desk of the neat little hotel as they approached it.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading An elderly man, short-statured and with his grave countenance surmounted by a pair of spectacles, glanced at them from behind the desk of the neat little hotel as they approached it.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading An elderly man, short-statured and with his grave countenance surmounted by a pair of spectacles, glanced at them from behind the desk of the neat little hotel as they approached it.
clean or organized
From this reading An elderly man, short-statured and with his grave countenance surmounted by a pair of spectacles, glanced at them from behind the desk of the neat little hotel as they approached it.
not any; not one
From this reading “No!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading An elderly man, short-statured and with his grave countenance surmounted by a pair of spectacles, glanced at them from behind the desk of the neat little hotel as they approached it.
a set of two similar things considered as a unit
From this reading An elderly man, short-statured and with his grave countenance surmounted by a pair of spectacles, glanced at them from behind the desk of the neat little hotel as they approached it.
a writing implement with a point from which ink flows
From this reading Philip drew forward the register and took up the pen proffered him.
Englishman and husband of Elizabeth II (born 1921)
From this reading Philip drew forward the register and took up the pen proffered him.
past form of “proffer” — present for acceptance or rejection
From this reading Philip drew forward the register and took up the pen proffered him.
record in writing; enter into a book of names or events or transactions
From this reading Philip drew forward the register and took up the pen proffered him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading An elderly man, short-statured and with his grave countenance surmounted by a pair of spectacles, glanced at them from behind the desk of the neat little hotel as they approached it.
(plural) optical instrument consisting of a frame that holds a pair of lenses for correcting defective vision
From this reading An elderly man, short-statured and with his grave countenance surmounted by a pair of spectacles, glanced at them from behind the desk of the neat little hotel as they approached it.
having something on top
From this reading An elderly man, short-statured and with his grave countenance surmounted by a pair of spectacles, glanced at them from behind the desk of the neat little hotel as they approached it.
apprehension about what is going to happen
From this reading SUSPENSE.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading An elderly man, short-statured and with his grave countenance surmounted by a pair of spectacles, glanced at them from behind the desk of the neat little hotel as they approached it.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading An elderly man, short-statured and with his grave countenance surmounted by a pair of spectacles, glanced at them from behind the desk of the neat little hotel as they approached it.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he checked himself.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading An elderly man, short-statured and with his grave countenance surmounted by a pair of spectacles, glanced at them from behind the desk of the neat little hotel as they approached it.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Philip drew forward the register and took up the pen proffered him.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Philip drew forward the register and took up the pen proffered him.
in the company of; together with
From this reading An elderly man, short-statured and with his grave countenance surmounted by a pair of spectacles, glanced at them from behind the desk of the neat little hotel as they approached it.
Chapter 16 of Left to Themselves by Edward Prime-Stevenson holds 359 sentences, grouped into 72 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 359 sentences of Left to Themselves, unabridged, divided into 72 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of Left to Themselves by Edward Prime-Stevenson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 359 sentences, grouped into 72 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 72 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 72 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 Left to Themselves by Edward Prime-Stevenson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4254 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57203 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #57203, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 354 minutes of reading across 851 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Left to Themselves section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of Left to Themselves 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 Left to Themselves, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
