Chapter 16 of Olive in Italy is here in full — 88 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of Olive in Italy is here in full — 88 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Why do you tell me this now?" asked Edna. "The other day when I asked you if you had known him before you said you had not." "Something that has happened since then determined me." Edna's room was full of flowers, roses, narcissi and violets, and the air was heavy with their scent. Filippo had never failed in his _petits soins_.
Chapter 16 of Olive in Italy is here in full — 88 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/17 · 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.
characterized by great determination
From this reading “"Something that has happened since then determined me."”
past form of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading “Filippo had never failed in his _petits soins_.”
plural of “flower” — a plant cultivated for its blooms or blossoms
From this reading “Edna's room was full of flowers, roses, narcissi and violets, and the air was heavy with their scent.”
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading “"Something that has happened since then determined me."”
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading “Edna's room was full of flowers, roses, narcissi and violets, and the air was heavy with their scent.”
plural of “rose” — any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading “Edna's room was full of flowers, roses, narcissi and violets, and the air was heavy with their scent.”
A distinctive smell or aroma.
From this reading “Edna's room was full of flowers, roses, narcissi and violets, and the air was heavy with their scent.”
plural of “violet” — any of numerous low-growing violas with small flowers
From this reading “Edna's room was full of flowers, roses, narcissi and violets, and the air was heavy with their scent.”
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.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading Edna's room was full of flowers, roses, narcissi and violets, and the air was heavy with their scent.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Edna's room was full of flowers, roses, narcissi and violets, and the air was heavy with their scent.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Why do you tell me this now?" asked Edna.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading "The other day when I asked you if you had known him before you said you had not."
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading "The other day when I asked you if you had known him before you said you had not."
characterized by great determination
From this reading "Something that has happened since then determined me."
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Why do you tell me this now?" asked Edna.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why do you tell me this now?" asked Edna.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Edna's room was full of flowers, roses, narcissi and violets, and the air was heavy with their scent.
past form of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading Filippo had never failed in his _petits soins_.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Filippo had never failed in his _petits soins_.
plural of “flower” — a plant cultivated for its blooms or blossoms
From this reading Edna's room was full of flowers, roses, narcissi and violets, and the air was heavy with their scent.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading Edna's room was full of flowers, roses, narcissi and violets, and the air was heavy with their scent.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "The other day when I asked you if you had known him before you said you had not."
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading "Something that has happened since then determined me."
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Something that has happened since then determined me."
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading Edna's room was full of flowers, roses, narcissi and violets, and the air was heavy with their scent.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "The other day when I asked you if you had known him before you said you had not."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Filippo had never failed in his _petits soins_.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "The other day when I asked you if you had known him before you said you had not."
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "The other day when I asked you if you had known him before you said you had not."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Filippo had never failed in his _petits soins_.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading "The other day when I asked you if you had known him before you said you had not."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Why do you tell me this now?" asked Edna.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Edna's room was full of flowers, roses, narcissi and violets, and the air was heavy with their scent.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Filippo had never failed in his _petits soins_.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "The other day when I asked you if you had known him before you said you had not."
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Why do you tell me this now?" asked Edna.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Edna's room was full of flowers, roses, narcissi and violets, and the air was heavy with their scent.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading "The other day when I asked you if you had known him before you said you had not."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Filippo had never failed in his _petits soins_.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Edna's room was full of flowers, roses, narcissi and violets, and the air was heavy with their scent.
plural of “rose” — any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading Edna's room was full of flowers, roses, narcissi and violets, and the air was heavy with their scent.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "The other day when I asked you if you had known him before you said you had not."
A distinctive smell or aroma.
From this reading Edna's room was full of flowers, roses, narcissi and violets, and the air was heavy with their scent.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading "Something that has happened since then determined me."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Filippo had never failed in his _petits soins_.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading "Something that has happened since then determined me."
express in words
From this reading "Why do you tell me this now?" asked Edna.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Something that has happened since then determined me."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The other day when I asked you if you had known him before you said you had not."
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Edna's room was full of flowers, roses, narcissi and violets, and the air was heavy with their scent.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Something that has happened since then determined me."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Why do you tell me this now?" asked Edna.
plural of “violet” — any of numerous low-growing violas with small flowers
From this reading Edna's room was full of flowers, roses, narcissi and violets, and the air was heavy with their scent.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Edna's room was full of flowers, roses, narcissi and violets, and the air was heavy with their scent.
at the time that
From this reading "The other day when I asked you if you had known him before you said you had not."
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Why do you tell me this now?" asked Edna.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Edna's room was full of flowers, roses, narcissi and violets, and the air was heavy with their scent.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Why do you tell me this now?" asked Edna.
Chapter 16 of Olive in Italy by Moray Dalton holds 88 sentences, grouped into 18 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 88 sentences of Olive in Italy, unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of Olive in Italy by Moray Dalton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 88 sentences, grouped into 18 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 18 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 18 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 Olive in Italy by Moray Dalton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4517 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29512 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #29512, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 376 minutes of reading across 904 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Olive in Italy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of Olive in Italy 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 Olive in Italy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
