Chapter 16 of Options is here in full — 199 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of Options is here in full — 199 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I became placated. The proposition showed that Tripp appreciated past favors, although he did not return them. If he had been wise enough to strike me for a quarter then he would have got it. "What is the story?" I asked, poising my pencil with a finely calculated editorial air.
Chapter 16 of Options is here in full — 199 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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.
fully understood or grasped
From this reading “The proposition showed that Tripp appreciated past favors, although he did not return them.”
carefully thought out in advance
From this reading “I asked, poising my pencil with a finely calculated editorial air.”
of or relating to an article stating opinions or giving perspectives
From this reading “I asked, poising my pencil with a finely calculated editorial air.”
plural of “favor” — an act of gracious kindness
From this reading “The proposition showed that Tripp appreciated past favors, although he did not return them.”
in tiny pieces
From this reading “I asked, poising my pencil with a finely calculated editorial air.”
a thin cylindrical pointed writing implement; a rod of marking substance encased in wood
From this reading “I asked, poising my pencil with a finely calculated editorial air.”
(logic) a statement that affirms or denies something and is either true or false
From this reading “The proposition showed that Tripp appreciated past favors, although he did not return them.”
deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon
From this reading “If he had been wise enough to strike me for a quarter then he would have got it.”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading If he had been wise enough to strike me for a quarter then he would have got it.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading I asked, poising my pencil with a finely calculated editorial air.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading The proposition showed that Tripp appreciated past favors, although he did not return them.
fully understood or grasped
From this reading The proposition showed that Tripp appreciated past favors, although he did not return them.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading I asked, poising my pencil with a finely calculated editorial air.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading I became placated.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading If he had been wise enough to strike me for a quarter then he would have got it.
carefully thought out in advance
From this reading I asked, poising my pencil with a finely calculated editorial air.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading The proposition showed that Tripp appreciated past favors, although he did not return them.
of or relating to an article stating opinions or giving perspectives
From this reading I asked, poising my pencil with a finely calculated editorial air.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading If he had been wise enough to strike me for a quarter then he would have got it.
plural of “favor” — an act of gracious kindness
From this reading The proposition showed that Tripp appreciated past favors, although he did not return them.
in tiny pieces
From this reading I asked, poising my pencil with a finely calculated editorial air.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading If he had been wise enough to strike me for a quarter then he would have got it.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading If he had been wise enough to strike me for a quarter then he would have got it.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading If he had been wise enough to strike me for a quarter then he would have got it.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading If he had been wise enough to strike me for a quarter then he would have got it.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The proposition showed that Tripp appreciated past favors, although he did not return them.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I became placated.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If he had been wise enough to strike me for a quarter then he would have got it.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What is the story?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading If he had been wise enough to strike me for a quarter then he would have got it.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading If he had been wise enough to strike me for a quarter then he would have got it.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I asked, poising my pencil with a finely calculated editorial air.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The proposition showed that Tripp appreciated past favors, although he did not return them.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading The proposition showed that Tripp appreciated past favors, although he did not return them.
a thin cylindrical pointed writing implement; a rod of marking substance encased in wood
From this reading I asked, poising my pencil with a finely calculated editorial air.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I became placated.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I asked, poising my pencil with a finely calculated editorial air.
(logic) a statement that affirms or denies something and is either true or false
From this reading The proposition showed that Tripp appreciated past favors, although he did not return them.
one of four equal parts
From this reading If he had been wise enough to strike me for a quarter then he would have got it.
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading The proposition showed that Tripp appreciated past favors, although he did not return them.
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading The proposition showed that Tripp appreciated past favors, although he did not return them.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading "What is the story?"
deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon
From this reading If he had been wise enough to strike me for a quarter then he would have got it.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The proposition showed that Tripp appreciated past favors, although he did not return them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The proposition showed that Tripp appreciated past favors, although he did not return them.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The proposition showed that Tripp appreciated past favors, although he did not return them.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading If he had been wise enough to strike me for a quarter then he would have got it.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading If he had been wise enough to strike me for a quarter then he would have got it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The proposition showed that Tripp appreciated past favors, although he did not return them.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What is the story?"
having or prompted by wisdom or discernment
From this reading If he had been wise enough to strike me for a quarter then he would have got it.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I asked, poising my pencil with a finely calculated editorial air.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading If he had been wise enough to strike me for a quarter then he would have got it.
Chapter 16 of Options by O. Henry holds 199 sentences, grouped into 40 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 199 sentences of Options, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of Options by O. Henry exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 199 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 Options by O. Henry on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4204 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1583 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1583, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 350 minutes of reading across 841 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Options section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of Options 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 Options, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
