Chapter 17 of Love and Lucy is here in full — 331 sentences across 67 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Love and Lucy is here in full — 331 sentences across 67 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE SHIVERING FIT They were to start on the 8th of August, and it was now the 5th. Packing had begun, and Crewdson, as usual, was troublesome. He had the habit of appearing before Lucy and presenting some small deficiency as a final cause of ruin and defeat. "I can't find any of the Brown Polish, ma'am. I don't know what Mr. Macartney will do without it."
Chapter 17 of Love and Lucy is here in full — 331 sentences across 67 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/66 · 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.
formal attendance (in court or at a hearing) of a party in an action
From this reading “He had the habit of appearing before Lucy and presenting some small deficiency as a final cause of ruin and defeat.”
an unsuccessful ending to a struggle or contest
From this reading “He had the habit of appearing before Lucy and presenting some small deficiency as a final cause of ruin and defeat.”
the state of needing something that is absent or unavailable
From this reading “He had the habit of appearing before Lucy and presenting some small deficiency as a final cause of ruin and defeat.”
any material used especially to protect something
From this reading “Packing had begun, and Crewdson, as usual, was troublesome.”
the property of being smooth and shiny
From this reading “"I can't find any of the Brown Polish, ma'am.”
-ing form of “present” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading “He had the habit of appearing before Lucy and presenting some small deficiency as a final cause of ruin and defeat.”
a sensation of cold that often marks the start of an infection and the development of a fever
From this reading “THE SHIVERING FIT They were to start on the 8th of August, and it was now the 5th.”
causing difficulty or annoyance
From this reading “Packing had begun, and Crewdson, as usual, was troublesome.”
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.
(philosophy) the end or purpose of a thing or process
In this reading “He had the habit of appearing before Lucy and presenting some small deficiency as a final cause of ruin and defeat.”
In this reading “"I can't find any of the Brown Polish, ma'am.”
In this reading “THE SHIVERING FIT They were to start on the 8th of August, and it was now the 5th.”
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 THE SHIVERING FIT They were to start on the 8th of August, and it was now the 5th.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE SHIVERING FIT They were to start on the 8th of August, and it was now the 5th.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading He had the habit of appearing before Lucy and presenting some small deficiency as a final cause of ruin and defeat.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE SHIVERING FIT They were to start on the 8th of August, and it was now the 5th.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "I can't find any of the Brown Polish, ma'am.
formal attendance (in court or at a hearing) of a party in an action
From this reading He had the habit of appearing before Lucy and presenting some small deficiency as a final cause of ruin and defeat.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Packing had begun, and Crewdson, as usual, was troublesome.
the month following July and preceding September
From this reading THE SHIVERING FIT They were to start on the 8th of August, and it was now the 5th.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading He had the habit of appearing before Lucy and presenting some small deficiency as a final cause of ruin and defeat.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Packing had begun, and Crewdson, as usual, was troublesome.
an orange of low brightness and saturation
From this reading "I can't find any of the Brown Polish, ma'am.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I can't find any of the Brown Polish, ma'am.
events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something
From this reading He had the habit of appearing before Lucy and presenting some small deficiency as a final cause of ruin and defeat.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Packing had begun, and Crewdson, as usual, was troublesome.
an unsuccessful ending to a struggle or contest
From this reading He had the habit of appearing before Lucy and presenting some small deficiency as a final cause of ruin and defeat.
the state of needing something that is absent or unavailable
From this reading He had the habit of appearing before Lucy and presenting some small deficiency as a final cause of ruin and defeat.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I don't know what Mr. Macartney will do without it."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don't know what Mr. Macartney will do without it."
occurring at or forming an end or termination
From this reading He had the habit of appearing before Lucy and presenting some small deficiency as a final cause of ruin and defeat.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading "I can't find any of the Brown Polish, ma'am.
be agreeable or acceptable to
From this reading THE SHIVERING FIT They were to start on the 8th of August, and it was now the 5th.
an established custom
From this reading He had the habit of appearing before Lucy and presenting some small deficiency as a final cause of ruin and defeat.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Packing had begun, and Crewdson, as usual, was troublesome.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had the habit of appearing before Lucy and presenting some small deficiency as a final cause of ruin and defeat.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I can't find any of the Brown Polish, ma'am.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading THE SHIVERING FIT They were to start on the 8th of August, and it was now the 5th.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I don't know what Mr. Macartney will do without it."
incomplete skeleton of female found in eastern Ethiopia in 1974
From this reading He had the habit of appearing before Lucy and presenting some small deficiency as a final cause of ruin and defeat.
a woman of refinement
From this reading "I can't find any of the Brown Polish, ma'am.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don't know what Mr. Macartney will do without it."
a form of address for a man
From this reading I don't know what Mr. Macartney will do without it."
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading THE SHIVERING FIT They were to start on the 8th of August, and it was now the 5th.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE SHIVERING FIT They were to start on the 8th of August, and it was now the 5th.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading THE SHIVERING FIT They were to start on the 8th of August, and it was now the 5th.
any material used especially to protect something
From this reading Packing had begun, and Crewdson, as usual, was troublesome.
the property of being smooth and shiny
From this reading "I can't find any of the Brown Polish, ma'am.
-ing form of “present” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading He had the habit of appearing before Lucy and presenting some small deficiency as a final cause of ruin and defeat.
an irrecoverable state of devastation and destruction
From this reading He had the habit of appearing before Lucy and presenting some small deficiency as a final cause of ruin and defeat.
a sensation of cold that often marks the start of an infection and the development of a fever
From this reading THE SHIVERING FIT They were to start on the 8th of August, and it was now the 5th.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He had the habit of appearing before Lucy and presenting some small deficiency as a final cause of ruin and defeat.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading He had the habit of appearing before Lucy and presenting some small deficiency as a final cause of ruin and defeat.
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading THE SHIVERING FIT They were to start on the 8th of August, and it was now the 5th.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE SHIVERING FIT They were to start on the 8th of August, and it was now the 5th.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading THE SHIVERING FIT They were to start on the 8th of August, and it was now the 5th.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE SHIVERING FIT They were to start on the 8th of August, and it was now the 5th.
causing difficulty or annoyance
From this reading Packing had begun, and Crewdson, as usual, was troublesome.
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading Packing had begun, and Crewdson, as usual, was troublesome.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE SHIVERING FIT They were to start on the 8th of August, and it was now the 5th.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading THE SHIVERING FIT They were to start on the 8th of August, and it was now the 5th.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I don't know what Mr. Macartney will do without it."
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading I don't know what Mr. Macartney will do without it."
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading I don't know what Mr. Macartney will do without it."
Chapter 17 of Love and Lucy by Maurice Hewlett holds 331 sentences, grouped into 67 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 331 sentences of Love and Lucy, unabridged, divided into 67 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Love and Lucy by Maurice Hewlett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 331 sentences, grouped into 67 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 67 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 67 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 Love and Lucy by Maurice Hewlett on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5397 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29868 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #29868, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 449 minutes of reading across 1080 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Love and Lucy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of Love and Lucy 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 Love and Lucy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
