Chapter 16 of Penny Nichols and the Black Imp is here in full — 180 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of Penny Nichols and the Black Imp is here in full — 180 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Watchful Waiting "What do you want?" Penny gasped. She felt certain the man intended to arrest her for aiding Amy Coulter to escape. The detective stared down at her face. "I beg your pardon," he apologized.
Chapter 16 of Penny Nichols and the Black Imp is here in full — 180 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/36 · 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.
-ing form of “aid” — give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading “She felt certain the man intended to arrest her for aiding Amy Coulter to escape.”
past form of “apologize” — acknowledge faults or shortcomings or failing
From this reading “"I beg your pardon," he apologized.”
take into custody
From this reading “She felt certain the man intended to arrest her for aiding Amy Coulter to escape.”
a sharp steel wedge that precedes the plow and cuts vertically through the soil
From this reading “She felt certain the man intended to arrest her for aiding Amy Coulter to escape.”
a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading “The detective stared down at her face.”
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading “Penny gasped.”
a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdom; equal to one hundredth of a pound
From this reading “Penny gasped.”
engaged in or accustomed to close observation
From this reading “Watchful Waiting "What do you want?"”
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.
In this reading “She felt certain the man intended to arrest her for aiding Amy Coulter to escape.”
overcome or cause to waver or submit by (or as if by) staring
In this reading “The detective stared down at her face.”
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.
-ing form of “aid” — give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading She felt certain the man intended to arrest her for aiding Amy Coulter to escape.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She felt certain the man intended to arrest her for aiding Amy Coulter to escape.
past form of “apologize” — acknowledge faults or shortcomings or failing
From this reading "I beg your pardon," he apologized.
take into custody
From this reading She felt certain the man intended to arrest her for aiding Amy Coulter to escape.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The detective stared down at her face.
call upon in supplication; entreat
From this reading "I beg your pardon," he apologized.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading She felt certain the man intended to arrest her for aiding Amy Coulter to escape.
a sharp steel wedge that precedes the plow and cuts vertically through the soil
From this reading She felt certain the man intended to arrest her for aiding Amy Coulter to escape.
a police officer who investigates crimes
From this reading The detective stared down at her face.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Watchful Waiting "What do you want?"
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The detective stared down at her face.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading She felt certain the man intended to arrest her for aiding Amy Coulter to escape.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading The detective stared down at her face.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading She felt certain the man intended to arrest her for aiding Amy Coulter to escape.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading She felt certain the man intended to arrest her for aiding Amy Coulter to escape.
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading Penny gasped.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I beg your pardon," he apologized.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She felt certain the man intended to arrest her for aiding Amy Coulter to escape.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I beg your pardon," he apologized.
resulting from one's intentions
From this reading She felt certain the man intended to arrest her for aiding Amy Coulter to escape.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading She felt certain the man intended to arrest her for aiding Amy Coulter to escape.
accept an excuse for
From this reading "I beg your pardon," he apologized.
a fractional monetary unit of Ireland and the United Kingdom; equal to one hundredth of a pound
From this reading Penny gasped.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She felt certain the man intended to arrest her for aiding Amy Coulter to escape.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading The detective stared down at her face.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She felt certain the man intended to arrest her for aiding Amy Coulter to escape.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She felt certain the man intended to arrest her for aiding Amy Coulter to escape.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading Watchful Waiting "What do you want?"
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading Watchful Waiting "What do you want?"
engaged in or accustomed to close observation
From this reading Watchful Waiting "What do you want?"
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Watchful Waiting "What do you want?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Watchful Waiting "What do you want?"
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I beg your pardon," he apologized.
Chapter 16 of Penny Nichols and the Black Imp by Joan Clark holds 180 sentences, grouped into 36 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 180 sentences of Penny Nichols and the Black Imp, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of Penny Nichols and the Black Imp by Joan Clark exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 180 sentences, grouped into 36 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 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 36 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 Penny Nichols and the Black Imp by Joan Clark on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3573 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33382 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #33382, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 297 minutes of reading across 715 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Penny Nichols and the Black Imp section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of Penny Nichols and the Black Imp 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 Penny Nichols and the Black Imp, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
