Chapter 16 of Manhattan Transfer is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of Manhattan Transfer is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Well all I’m going to ask you to do is to send away this lobster. I dont think it’s terribly good.” “The devil ... maybe it isn’t.... Here waiter!... I was so rattled I didn’t know I was eating it.”
Chapter 16 of Manhattan Transfer is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
(Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading ““The devil ... maybe it isn’t....”
the act of consuming food
From this reading “I was so rattled I didn’t know I was eating it.””
flesh of a lobster
From this reading ““Well all I’m going to ask you to do is to send away this lobster.”
by chance
From this reading ““The devil ... maybe it isn’t....”
thrown into a state of agitated confusion; (“rattled” is an informal term)
From this reading “I was so rattled I didn’t know I was eating it.””
cause to go somewhere
From this reading ““Well all I’m going to ask you to do is to send away this lobster.”
used as intensifiers
From this reading “I dont think it’s terribly good.””
a person whose occupation is to serve at table (as in a restaurant)
From this reading “Here waiter!...”
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.
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 “Well all I’m going to ask you to do is to send away this lobster.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Well all I’m going to ask you to do is to send away this lobster.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading “Well all I’m going to ask you to do is to send away this lobster.
(Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions) chief spirit of evil and adversary of God; tempter of mankind; master of Hell
From this reading “The devil ... maybe it isn’t....
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was so rattled I didn’t know I was eating it.”
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “Well all I’m going to ask you to do is to send away this lobster.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I dont think it’s terribly good.”
the act of consuming food
From this reading I was so rattled I didn’t know I was eating it.”
the act of departing
From this reading “Well all I’m going to ask you to do is to send away this lobster.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading I dont think it’s terribly good.”
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Here waiter!...
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I dont think it’s terribly good.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Well all I’m going to ask you to do is to send away this lobster.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Well all I’m going to ask you to do is to send away this lobster.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “The devil ... maybe it isn’t....
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “The devil ... maybe it isn’t....
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I dont think it’s terribly good.”
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I was so rattled I didn’t know I was eating it.”
flesh of a lobster
From this reading “Well all I’m going to ask you to do is to send away this lobster.
by chance
From this reading “The devil ... maybe it isn’t....
thrown into a state of agitated confusion; (“rattled” is an informal term)
From this reading I was so rattled I didn’t know I was eating it.”
cause to go somewhere
From this reading “Well all I’m going to ask you to do is to send away this lobster.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I was so rattled I didn’t know I was eating it.”
used as intensifiers
From this reading I dont think it’s terribly good.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “The devil ... maybe it isn’t....
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading I dont think it’s terribly good.”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “Well all I’m going to ask you to do is to send away this lobster.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Well all I’m going to ask you to do is to send away this lobster.
a person whose occupation is to serve at table (as in a restaurant)
From this reading Here waiter!...
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was so rattled I didn’t know I was eating it.”
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “Well all I’m going to ask you to do is to send away this lobster.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Well all I’m going to ask you to do is to send away this lobster.
Chapter 16 of Manhattan Transfer by John Dos Passos holds 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 417 sentences of Manhattan Transfer, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of Manhattan Transfer by John Dos Passos exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 Manhattan Transfer by John Dos Passos on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Manhattan Transfer section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Manhattan Transfer 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 Manhattan Transfer, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
