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Odd Numbers
Odd Numbers

Chapter XVI

Chapter 16 of Odd Numbers is here in full — 267 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Odd Numbers
Context Illustration Reading 1/53 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
CLASSING TUTWATER RIGHT Maybe that brass plate had been up in the lower hall of our buildin' a month or so before I takes any partic'lar notice of it.
Even when I did get my eye on it one mornin' it only gets me mildly curious.
"Tutwater, Director of Enterprises, Room 37, Fourth Floor," is all it says on it.
"Huh!" thinks I.
"That's goin' some for a nine by ten coop under the skylight."
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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.

Odd Numbers

Chapter XVI

Chapter 16 of Odd Numbers is here in full — 267 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/53 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
CLASSING TUTWATER RIGHT Maybe that brass plate had been up in the lower hall of our buildin' a month or so before I takes any partic'lar notice of it.
Line 2
Even when I did get my eye on it one mornin' it only gets me mildly curious.
Line 3
"Tutwater, Director of Enterprises, Room 37, Fourth Floor," is all it says on it.
Line 4
"Huh!" thinks I.
Line 5
"That's goin' some for a nine by ten coop under the skylight."

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.

brass noun US /bræs/

an alloy of copper and zinc

From this reading “CLASSING TUTWATER RIGHT Maybe that brass plate had been up in the lower hall of our buildin' a month or so before I takes any partic'lar notice of it.”

classing verb US /ˈklæsɪŋ/

-ing form of “class” — arrange or order by classes or categories

From this reading “CLASSING TUTWATER RIGHT Maybe that brass plate had been up in the lower hall of our buildin' a month or so before I takes any partic'lar notice of it.”

coop noun US /kuːp/

a farm building for housing poultry

From this reading “"That's goin' some for a nine by ten coop under the skylight."”

Director noun US /dərˈektər/

someone who controls resources and expenditures

From this reading “"Tutwater, Director of Enterprises, Room 37, Fourth Floor," is all it says on it.”

Enterprises noun US /ˈentərpraɪzɪz/

plural of “enterprise” — a purposeful or industrious undertaking (especially one that requires effort or boldness)

From this reading “"Tutwater, Director of Enterprises, Room 37, Fourth Floor," is all it says on it.”

mildly adverb US /ˈmaɪldli/

to a moderate degree

From this reading “Even when I did get my eye on it one mornin' it only gets me mildly curious.”

plate noun US /pleɪt/

(baseball) base consisting of a rubber slab where the batter stands; it must be touched by a base runner in order to score

From this reading “CLASSING TUTWATER RIGHT Maybe that brass plate had been up in the lower hall of our buildin' a month or so before I takes any partic'lar notice of it.”

skylight noun US /ˈskaɪlaɪt/

a window in a roof to admit daylight

From this reading “"That's goin' some for a nine by ten coop under the skylight."”

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.

brass plate noun + noun

In this reading “CLASSING TUTWATER RIGHT Maybe that brass plate had been up in the lower hall of our buildin' a month or so before I takes any partic'lar notice of it.”

Fourth Floor noun + noun

In this reading “"Tutwater, Director of Enterprises, Room 37, Fourth Floor," is all it says on it.”

lower hall verb + noun

In this reading “CLASSING TUTWATER RIGHT Maybe that brass plate had been up in the lower hall of our buildin' a month or so before I takes any partic'lar notice of it.”

All words in this reading · 63

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.

37

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

From this reading "Tutwater, Director of Enterprises, Room 37, Fourth Floor," is all it says on it.

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading CLASSING TUTWATER RIGHT Maybe that brass plate had been up in the lower hall of our buildin' a month or so before I takes any partic'lar notice of it.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 "Tutwater, Director of Enterprises, Room 37, Fourth Floor," is all it says on it.

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading CLASSING TUTWATER RIGHT Maybe that brass plate had been up in the lower hall of our buildin' a month or so before I takes any partic'lar notice of it.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading CLASSING TUTWATER RIGHT Maybe that brass plate had been up in the lower hall of our buildin' a month or so before I takes any partic'lar notice of it.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading CLASSING TUTWATER RIGHT Maybe that brass plate had been up in the lower hall of our buildin' a month or so before I takes any partic'lar notice of it.

brassnounUS /bræs/

an alloy of copper and zinc

From this reading CLASSING TUTWATER RIGHT Maybe that brass plate had been up in the lower hall of our buildin' a month or so before I takes any partic'lar notice of it.

buildin

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

From this reading CLASSING TUTWATER RIGHT Maybe that brass plate had been up in the lower hall of our buildin' a month or so before I takes any partic'lar notice of it.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading "That's goin' some for a nine by ten coop under the skylight."

CLASSINGverbUS /ˈklæsɪŋ/

-ing form of “class” — arrange or order by classes or categories

From this reading CLASSING TUTWATER RIGHT Maybe that brass plate had been up in the lower hall of our buildin' a month or so before I takes any partic'lar notice of it.

coopnounUS /kuːp/

a farm building for housing poultry

From this reading "That's goin' some for a nine by ten coop under the skylight."

curiousadjectiveUS /ˈkjʊriəs/

beyond or deviating from the usual or expected

From this reading Even when I did get my eye on it one mornin' it only gets me mildly curious.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading Even when I did get my eye on it one mornin' it only gets me mildly curious.

DirectornounUS /dərˈektər/

someone who controls resources and expenditures

From this reading "Tutwater, Director of Enterprises, Room 37, Fourth Floor," is all it says on it.

EnterprisesnounUS /ˈentərpraɪzɪz/

plural of “enterprise” — a purposeful or industrious undertaking (especially one that requires effort or boldness)

From this reading "Tutwater, Director of Enterprises, Room 37, Fourth Floor," is all it says on it.

EvenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

From this reading Even when I did get my eye on it one mornin' it only gets me mildly curious.

eyenounUS /aɪ/

the organ of sight

From this reading Even when I did get my eye on it one mornin' it only gets me mildly curious.

FloornounUS /flɔːr/

the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)

From this reading "Tutwater, Director of Enterprises, Room 37, Fourth Floor," is all it says on it.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading "That's goin' some for a nine by ten coop under the skylight."

FourthnounUS /fɔːrθ/

following the third position; number four in a countable series

From this reading "Tutwater, Director of Enterprises, Room 37, Fourth Floor," is all it says on it.

getverbUS /ɡet/

come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading Even when I did get my eye on it one mornin' it only gets me mildly curious.

getsnounUS /ɡets/

plural of “get” — a return on a shot that seemed impossible to reach and would normally have resulted in a point for the opponent

From this reading Even when I did get my eye on it one mornin' it only gets me mildly curious.

goin

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

From this reading "That's goin' some for a nine by ten coop under the skylight."

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading CLASSING TUTWATER RIGHT Maybe that brass plate had been up in the lower hall of our buildin' a month or so before I takes any partic'lar notice of it.

hallnounUS /hɔːl/

an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open

From this reading CLASSING TUTWATER RIGHT Maybe that brass plate had been up in the lower hall of our buildin' a month or so before I takes any partic'lar notice of it.

Huh

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

From this reading "Huh!" thinks I.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading CLASSING TUTWATER RIGHT Maybe that brass plate had been up in the lower hall of our buildin' a month or so before I takes any partic'lar notice of it.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading CLASSING TUTWATER RIGHT Maybe that brass plate had been up in the lower hall of our buildin' a month or so before I takes any partic'lar notice of it.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading "Tutwater, Director of Enterprises, Room 37, Fourth Floor," is all it says on it.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading CLASSING TUTWATER RIGHT Maybe that brass plate had been up in the lower hall of our buildin' a month or so before I takes any partic'lar notice of it.

lowerverbUS /ˈloʊər/

move something or somebody to a lower position

From this reading CLASSING TUTWATER RIGHT Maybe that brass plate had been up in the lower hall of our buildin' a month or so before I takes any partic'lar notice of it.

MaybeadverbUS /ˈmeɪbi/

by chance

From this reading CLASSING TUTWATER RIGHT Maybe that brass plate had been up in the lower hall of our buildin' a month or so before I takes any partic'lar notice of it.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Even when I did get my eye on it one mornin' it only gets me mildly curious.

mildlyadverbUS /ˈmaɪldli/

to a moderate degree

From this reading Even when I did get my eye on it one mornin' it only gets me mildly curious.

monthnounUS /mʌnθ/

one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year

From this reading CLASSING TUTWATER RIGHT Maybe that brass plate had been up in the lower hall of our buildin' a month or so before I takes any partic'lar notice of it.

mornin

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

From this reading Even when I did get my eye on it one mornin' it only gets me mildly curious.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading Even when I did get my eye on it one mornin' it only gets me mildly curious.

ninenounUS /naɪn/

the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one

From this reading "That's goin' some for a nine by ten coop under the skylight."

noticenounUS /ˈnoʊtəs/

an announcement containing information about an event

From this reading CLASSING TUTWATER RIGHT Maybe that brass plate had been up in the lower hall of our buildin' a month or so before I takes any partic'lar notice of it.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading CLASSING TUTWATER RIGHT Maybe that brass plate had been up in the lower hall of our buildin' a month or so before I takes any partic'lar notice of it.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Even when I did get my eye on it one mornin' it only gets me mildly curious.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Even when I did get my eye on it one mornin' it only gets me mildly curious.

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading Even when I did get my eye on it one mornin' it only gets me mildly curious.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading CLASSING TUTWATER RIGHT Maybe that brass plate had been up in the lower hall of our buildin' a month or so before I takes any partic'lar notice of it.

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading CLASSING TUTWATER RIGHT Maybe that brass plate had been up in the lower hall of our buildin' a month or so before I takes any partic'lar notice of it.

partic'lar

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

From this reading CLASSING TUTWATER RIGHT Maybe that brass plate had been up in the lower hall of our buildin' a month or so before I takes any partic'lar notice of it.

platenounUS /pleɪt/

(baseball) base consisting of a rubber slab where the batter stands; it must be touched by a base runner in order to score

From this reading CLASSING TUTWATER RIGHT Maybe that brass plate had been up in the lower hall of our buildin' a month or so before I takes any partic'lar notice of it.

RIGHTadverbUS /raɪt/

precisely, exactly

From this reading CLASSING TUTWATER RIGHT Maybe that brass plate had been up in the lower hall of our buildin' a month or so before I takes any partic'lar notice of it.

RoomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading "Tutwater, Director of Enterprises, Room 37, Fourth Floor," is all it says on it.

saysnounUS /sez/

plural of “say” — the chance to speak

From this reading "Tutwater, Director of Enterprises, Room 37, Fourth Floor," is all it says on it.

skylightnounUS /ˈskaɪlaɪt/

a window in a roof to admit daylight

From this reading "That's goin' some for a nine by ten coop under the skylight."

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading CLASSING TUTWATER RIGHT Maybe that brass plate had been up in the lower hall of our buildin' a month or so before I takes any partic'lar notice of it.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading "That's goin' some for a nine by ten coop under the skylight."

takesnounUS /teɪks/

plural of “take” — the income or profit arising from such transactions as the sale of land or other property

From this reading CLASSING TUTWATER RIGHT Maybe that brass plate had been up in the lower hall of our buildin' a month or so before I takes any partic'lar notice of it.

tennounUS /ten/

the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system

From this reading "That's goin' some for a nine by ten coop under the skylight."

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading CLASSING TUTWATER RIGHT Maybe that brass plate had been up in the lower hall of our buildin' a month or so before I takes any partic'lar notice of it.

That's

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

From this reading "That's goin' some for a nine by ten coop under the skylight."

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading CLASSING TUTWATER RIGHT Maybe that brass plate had been up in the lower hall of our buildin' a month or so before I takes any partic'lar notice of it.

thinksnounUS /θɪŋks/

plural of “think” — an instance of deliberate thinking

From this reading "Huh!" thinks I.

TUTWATER

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

From this reading CLASSING TUTWATER RIGHT Maybe that brass plate had been up in the lower hall of our buildin' a month or so before I takes any partic'lar notice of it.

underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading "That's goin' some for a nine by ten coop under the skylight."

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading CLASSING TUTWATER RIGHT Maybe that brass plate had been up in the lower hall of our buildin' a month or so before I takes any partic'lar notice of it.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading Even when I did get my eye on it one mornin' it only gets me mildly curious.

Chapter 16 of Odd Numbers by Sewell Ford holds 267 sentences, grouped into 54 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 Odd Numbers contain?

Chapter 16 holds 267 sentences of Odd Numbers, unabridged, divided into 54 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 16 of Odd Numbers by Sewell Ford exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 267 sentences, grouped into 54 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 Odd Numbers?

Work through the 54 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 54 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 Odd Numbers

Common questions about reading Odd Numbers by Sewell Ford on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Odd Numbers?

Yes. All 4836 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26528 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Odd Numbers is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #26528, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Odd Numbers take to read?

About 403 minutes of reading across 968 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Odd Numbers section by section

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

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 19 chapters of Odd Numbers 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 Odd Numbers

Words and structures a reader meets early in Odd Numbers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Being
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Odd Numbers; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Further
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Odd Numbers; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Chronicles
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Odd Numbers; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Shorty
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Odd Numbers; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.