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Memories and Adventures
Memories and Adventures

Chapter XVI

Chapter 16 of Memories and Adventures is here in full — 219 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Arthur Conan Doyle • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for Memories and Adventures
Context Illustration Reading 1/43 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE START FOR SOUTH AFRICA The Black Week--Volunteering--The Langman Hospital--The Voyage-- Bloemfontein--Sir Claude de Crespigny--The Epidemic--Advance to the Water Works.
From December 10 to 17, 1899, was the black week for England.
In that week General Gatacre lost a battle at Stormberg, Lord Methuen lost one at Magersfontein and General Buller lost one at Colenso.
The three together would not have made more than a minor action in the great war to come, but at the time it seemed portentous.
There were ominous stirrings on the Continent also and rumours of a coalition.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Memories and Adventures

Chapter XVI

Chapter 16 of Memories and Adventures is here in full — 219 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/43 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE START FOR SOUTH AFRICA The Black Week--Volunteering--The Langman Hospital--The Voyage-- Bloemfontein--Sir Claude de Crespigny--The Epidemic--Advance to the Water Works.
Line 2
From December 10 to 17, 1899, was the black week for England.
Line 3
In that week General Gatacre lost a battle at Stormberg, Lord Methuen lost one at Magersfontein and General Buller lost one at Colenso.
Line 4
The three together would not have made more than a minor action in the great war to come, but at the time it seemed portentous.
/ðə θriː təˈɡeðər wʊd nɑːt hæv meɪd mɔːr ðæn ə ˈmaɪnər ˈækʃən ɪn ðə ɡreɪt wɔːr tuː kʌm bʌt æt ðə taɪm ɪt siːmd pɔːrˈtentəs/
Line 5
There were ominous stirrings on the Continent also and rumours of a coalition.
/ðer wɜːr ˈɑːmənəs ˈstɜːrɪŋz ɑːn ðə ˈkɑːntənənt ˈɔːlsoʊ ənd ˈruːmərz ʌv ə ˌkoʊəˈlɪʃən/

Learner Dictionary

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.

coalition noun US /ˌkoʊəˈlɪʃən/

an organization of people (or countries) involved in a pact or treaty

From this reading “There were ominous stirrings on the Continent also and rumours of a coalition.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Epidemic noun US /ˌepəˈdemɪk/

a widespread outbreak of an infectious disease; many people are infected at the same time

From this reading “THE START FOR SOUTH AFRICA The Black Week--Volunteering--The Langman Hospital--The Voyage-- Bloemfontein--Sir Claude de Crespigny--The Epidemic--Advance to the Water Works.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
minor adjective US /ˈmaɪnər/

of lesser importance or stature or rank

From this reading “The three together would not have made more than a minor action in the great war to come, but at the time it seemed portentous.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ominous adjective US /ˈɑːmənəs/

threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments

From this reading “There were ominous stirrings on the Continent also and rumours of a coalition.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
portentous adjective US /pɔːrˈtentəs/

of momentous or ominous significance

From this reading “The three together would not have made more than a minor action in the great war to come, but at the time it seemed portentous.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
rumours noun US /ˈruːmərz/

plural of “rumour” — gossip (usually a mixture of truth and untruth) passed around by word of mouth

From this reading “There were ominous stirrings on the Continent also and rumours of a coalition.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
stirrings noun US /ˈstɜːrɪŋz/

plural of “stirring” — agitating a liquid with an implement

From this reading “There were ominous stirrings on the Continent also and rumours of a coalition.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Volunteering verb US /ˌvɔːlənˈtɪrɪŋ/

-ing form of “volunteer” — tell voluntarily

From this reading “THE START FOR SOUTH AFRICA The Black Week--Volunteering--The Langman Hospital--The Voyage-- Bloemfontein--Sir Claude de Crespigny--The Epidemic--Advance to the Water Works.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

great war adjective + noun

a war between the allies (Russia, France, British Empire, Italy, United States, Japan, Rumania, Serbia, Belgium, Greece, Portugal, Montenegro) and the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, Bulgaria) from 1914 to 1918

In this reading “The three together would not have made more than a minor action in the great war to come, but at the time it seemed portentous.”

1,735 times in 426,212 chapters
START FOR verb + particle

In this reading “THE START FOR SOUTH AFRICA The Black Week--Volunteering--The Langman Hospital--The Voyage-- Bloemfontein--Sir Claude de Crespigny--The Epidemic--Advance to the Water Works.”

13,977 times in 426,212 chapters
at the time preposition + article + noun counted as “at … time”

simultaneously

In this reading “The three together would not have made more than a minor action in the great war to come, but at the time it seemed portentous.”

57,842 times in 426,212 chapters

All words in this reading · 72

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.

10

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

From this reading From December 10 to 17, 1899, was the black week for England.

Pending verification
17

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

From this reading From December 10 to 17, 1899, was the black week for England.

Pending verification
1899

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

From this reading From December 10 to 17, 1899, was the black week for England.

Pending verification
adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading In that week General Gatacre lost a battle at Stormberg, Lord Methuen lost one at Magersfontein and General Buller lost one at Colenso.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
actionnounUS /ˈækʃən/

something done (usually as opposed to something said)

From this reading The three together would not have made more than a minor action in the great war to come, but at the time it seemed portentous.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
AdvanceverbUS /ədˈvæns/

move forward, also in the metaphorical sense

From this reading THE START FOR SOUTH AFRICA The Black Week--Volunteering--The Langman Hospital--The Voyage-- Bloemfontein--Sir Claude de Crespigny--The Epidemic--Advance to the Water Works.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
AFRICAnounUS /ˈæfrəkɑː/

the second largest continent; located to the south of Europe and bordered to the west by the South Atlantic and to the east by the Indian Ocean

From this reading THE START FOR SOUTH AFRICA The Black Week--Volunteering--The Langman Hospital--The Voyage-- Bloemfontein--Sir Claude de Crespigny--The Epidemic--Advance to the Water Works.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
alsoadverbUS /ˈɔːlsoʊ/

in addition

From this reading There were ominous stirrings on the Continent also and rumours of a coalition.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading In that week General Gatacre lost a battle at Stormberg, Lord Methuen lost one at Magersfontein and General Buller lost one at Colenso.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading In that week General Gatacre lost a battle at Stormberg, Lord Methuen lost one at Magersfontein and General Buller lost one at Colenso.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
battlenounUS /ˈbætəl/

a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war

From this reading In that week General Gatacre lost a battle at Stormberg, Lord Methuen lost one at Magersfontein and General Buller lost one at Colenso.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
BlackadjectiveUS /blæk/

being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light

From this reading THE START FOR SOUTH AFRICA The Black Week--Volunteering--The Langman Hospital--The Voyage-- Bloemfontein--Sir Claude de Crespigny--The Epidemic--Advance to the Water Works.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Bloemfonteinnoun

the seat of the supreme court

From this reading THE START FOR SOUTH AFRICA The Black Week--Volunteering--The Langman Hospital--The Voyage-- Bloemfontein--Sir Claude de Crespigny--The Epidemic--Advance to the Water Works.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Buller

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

From this reading In that week General Gatacre lost a battle at Stormberg, Lord Methuen lost one at Magersfontein and General Buller lost one at Colenso.

Pending verification
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading The three together would not have made more than a minor action in the great war to come, but at the time it seemed portentous.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Claude

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

From this reading THE START FOR SOUTH AFRICA The Black Week--Volunteering--The Langman Hospital--The Voyage-- Bloemfontein--Sir Claude de Crespigny--The Epidemic--Advance to the Water Works.

Pending verification
coalitionnounUS /ˌkoʊəˈlɪʃən/

an organization of people (or countries) involved in a pact or treaty

From this reading There were ominous stirrings on the Continent also and rumours of a coalition.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Colenso

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

From this reading In that week General Gatacre lost a battle at Stormberg, Lord Methuen lost one at Magersfontein and General Buller lost one at Colenso.

Pending verification
comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading The three together would not have made more than a minor action in the great war to come, but at the time it seemed portentous.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ContinentnounUS /ˈkɑːntənənt/

one of the large landmasses of the earth

From this reading There were ominous stirrings on the Continent also and rumours of a coalition.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Crespigny

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

From this reading THE START FOR SOUTH AFRICA The Black Week--Volunteering--The Langman Hospital--The Voyage-- Bloemfontein--Sir Claude de Crespigny--The Epidemic--Advance to the Water Works.

Pending verification
denounUS /diː/

a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies

From this reading THE START FOR SOUTH AFRICA The Black Week--Volunteering--The Langman Hospital--The Voyage-- Bloemfontein--Sir Claude de Crespigny--The Epidemic--Advance to the Water Works.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
DecembernounUS /dɪˈsembər/

the last (12th) month of the year

From this reading From December 10 to 17, 1899, was the black week for England.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
EnglandnounUS /ˈɪŋɡlənd/

a division of the United Kingdom

From this reading From December 10 to 17, 1899, was the black week for England.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
EpidemicnounUS /ˌepəˈdemɪk/

a widespread outbreak of an infectious disease; many people are infected at the same time

From this reading THE START FOR SOUTH AFRICA The Black Week--Volunteering--The Langman Hospital--The Voyage-- Bloemfontein--Sir Claude de Crespigny--The Epidemic--Advance to the Water Works.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
FORprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading THE START FOR SOUTH AFRICA The Black Week--Volunteering--The Langman Hospital--The Voyage-- Bloemfontein--Sir Claude de Crespigny--The Epidemic--Advance to the Water Works.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
FromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading From December 10 to 17, 1899, was the black week for England.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Gatacre

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

From this reading In that week General Gatacre lost a battle at Stormberg, Lord Methuen lost one at Magersfontein and General Buller lost one at Colenso.

Pending verification
GeneraladjectiveUS /ˈdʒenərəl/

applying to all or most members of a category or group

From this reading In that week General Gatacre lost a battle at Stormberg, Lord Methuen lost one at Magersfontein and General Buller lost one at Colenso.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading The three together would not have made more than a minor action in the great war to come, but at the time it seemed portentous.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading The three together would not have made more than a minor action in the great war to come, but at the time it seemed portentous.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
HospitalnounUS /ˈhɑːspɪtəl/

a health facility where patients receive treatment

From this reading THE START FOR SOUTH AFRICA The Black Week--Volunteering--The Langman Hospital--The Voyage-- Bloemfontein--Sir Claude de Crespigny--The Epidemic--Advance to the Water Works.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
InprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading In that week General Gatacre lost a battle at Stormberg, Lord Methuen lost one at Magersfontein and General Buller lost one at Colenso.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading The three together would not have made more than a minor action in the great war to come, but at the time it seemed portentous.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Langman

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

From this reading THE START FOR SOUTH AFRICA The Black Week--Volunteering--The Langman Hospital--The Voyage-- Bloemfontein--Sir Claude de Crespigny--The Epidemic--Advance to the Water Works.

Pending verification
LordnounUS /lɔːrd/

terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God

From this reading In that week General Gatacre lost a battle at Stormberg, Lord Methuen lost one at Magersfontein and General Buller lost one at Colenso.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lostadjectiveUS /lɔːst/

no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered

From this reading In that week General Gatacre lost a battle at Stormberg, Lord Methuen lost one at Magersfontein and General Buller lost one at Colenso.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading The three together would not have made more than a minor action in the great war to come, but at the time it seemed portentous.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Magersfontein

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

From this reading In that week General Gatacre lost a battle at Stormberg, Lord Methuen lost one at Magersfontein and General Buller lost one at Colenso.

Pending verification
Methuen

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

From this reading In that week General Gatacre lost a battle at Stormberg, Lord Methuen lost one at Magersfontein and General Buller lost one at Colenso.

Pending verification
minoradjectiveUS /ˈmaɪnər/

of lesser importance or stature or rank

From this reading The three together would not have made more than a minor action in the great war to come, but at the time it seemed portentous.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading The three together would not have made more than a minor action in the great war to come, but at the time it seemed portentous.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading The three together would not have made more than a minor action in the great war to come, but at the time it seemed portentous.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading There were ominous stirrings on the Continent also and rumours of a coalition.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ominousadjectiveUS /ˈɑːmənəs/

threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments

From this reading There were ominous stirrings on the Continent also and rumours of a coalition.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading There were ominous stirrings on the Continent also and rumours of a coalition.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading In that week General Gatacre lost a battle at Stormberg, Lord Methuen lost one at Magersfontein and General Buller lost one at Colenso.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
portentousadjectiveUS /pɔːrˈtentəs/

of momentous or ominous significance

From this reading The three together would not have made more than a minor action in the great war to come, but at the time it seemed portentous.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
rumoursnounUS /ˈruːmərz/

plural of “rumour” — gossip (usually a mixture of truth and untruth) passed around by word of mouth

From this reading There were ominous stirrings on the Continent also and rumours of a coalition.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
seemedverbUS /siːmd/

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading The three together would not have made more than a minor action in the great war to come, but at the time it seemed portentous.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
SirnounUS /sɜːr/

term of address for a man

From this reading THE START FOR SOUTH AFRICA The Black Week--Volunteering--The Langman Hospital--The Voyage-- Bloemfontein--Sir Claude de Crespigny--The Epidemic--Advance to the Water Works.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
SOUTHnounUS /saʊθ/

the region of the United States lying to the south of the Mason-Dixon line

From this reading THE START FOR SOUTH AFRICA The Black Week--Volunteering--The Langman Hospital--The Voyage-- Bloemfontein--Sir Claude de Crespigny--The Epidemic--Advance to the Water Works.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
STARTverbUS /stɑːrt/

take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading THE START FOR SOUTH AFRICA The Black Week--Volunteering--The Langman Hospital--The Voyage-- Bloemfontein--Sir Claude de Crespigny--The Epidemic--Advance to the Water Works.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
stirringsnounUS /ˈstɜːrɪŋz/

plural of “stirring” — agitating a liquid with an implement

From this reading There were ominous stirrings on the Continent also and rumours of a coalition.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Stormberg

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

From this reading In that week General Gatacre lost a battle at Stormberg, Lord Methuen lost one at Magersfontein and General Buller lost one at Colenso.

Pending verification
thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading The three together would not have made more than a minor action in the great war to come, but at the time it seemed portentous.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading In that week General Gatacre lost a battle at Stormberg, Lord Methuen lost one at Magersfontein and General Buller lost one at Colenso.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading THE START FOR SOUTH AFRICA The Black Week--Volunteering--The Langman Hospital--The Voyage-- Bloemfontein--Sir Claude de Crespigny--The Epidemic--Advance to the Water Works.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading There were ominous stirrings on the Continent also and rumours of a coalition.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
threenounUS /θriː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading The three together would not have made more than a minor action in the great war to come, but at the time it seemed portentous.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading The three together would not have made more than a minor action in the great war to come, but at the time it seemed portentous.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading THE START FOR SOUTH AFRICA The Black Week--Volunteering--The Langman Hospital--The Voyage-- Bloemfontein--Sir Claude de Crespigny--The Epidemic--Advance to the Water Works.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
togetheradverbUS /təˈɡeðər/

in contact with each other or in proximity

From this reading The three together would not have made more than a minor action in the great war to come, but at the time it seemed portentous.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
VolunteeringverbUS /ˌvɔːlənˈtɪrɪŋ/

-ing form of “volunteer” — tell voluntarily

From this reading THE START FOR SOUTH AFRICA The Black Week--Volunteering--The Langman Hospital--The Voyage-- Bloemfontein--Sir Claude de Crespigny--The Epidemic--Advance to the Water Works.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
VoyagenounUS /ˈvɔɪədʒ/

an act of traveling by water

From this reading THE START FOR SOUTH AFRICA The Black Week--Volunteering--The Langman Hospital--The Voyage-- Bloemfontein--Sir Claude de Crespigny--The Epidemic--Advance to the Water Works.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
warnounUS /wɔːr/

the waging of armed conflict against an enemy

From this reading The three together would not have made more than a minor action in the great war to come, but at the time it seemed portentous.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading From December 10 to 17, 1899, was the black week for England.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
WaternounUS /ˈwɔːtər/

binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent

From this reading THE START FOR SOUTH AFRICA The Black Week--Volunteering--The Langman Hospital--The Voyage-- Bloemfontein--Sir Claude de Crespigny--The Epidemic--Advance to the Water Works.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
WeeknounUS /wiːk/

any period of seven consecutive days

From this reading THE START FOR SOUTH AFRICA The Black Week--Volunteering--The Langman Hospital--The Voyage-- Bloemfontein--Sir Claude de Crespigny--The Epidemic--Advance to the Water Works.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading There were ominous stirrings on the Continent also and rumours of a coalition.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
WorksnounUS /wɜːrks/

buildings for carrying on industrial labor

From this reading THE START FOR SOUTH AFRICA The Black Week--Volunteering--The Langman Hospital--The Voyage-- Bloemfontein--Sir Claude de Crespigny--The Epidemic--Advance to the Water Works.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading The three together would not have made more than a minor action in the great war to come, but at the time it seemed portentous.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 16 of Memories and Adventures by Arthur Conan Doyle holds 219 sentences, grouped into 44 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.

What does chapter 16 of Memories and Adventures contain?

Chapter 16 holds 219 sentences of Memories and Adventures, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 16 of Memories and Adventures by Arthur Conan Doyle exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 219 sentences, grouped into 44 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 Memories and Adventures?

Work through the 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 44 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 Memories and Adventures

Common questions about reading Memories and Adventures by Arthur Conan Doyle on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Memories and Adventures?

Yes. All 7176 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #66991 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Memories and Adventures is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #66991, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Memories and Adventures take to read?

About 598 minutes of reading across 1436 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Memories and Adventures section by section

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

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 32 chapters of Memories and Adventures 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 Memories and Adventures

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

Picardy
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Memories and Adventures; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Place
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Memories and Adventures; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Edinburgh
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Memories and Adventures; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Named
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Memories and Adventures; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.