Chapter 16 of The Age of Innocence is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of The Age of Innocence is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"It's all very well for you, Newland; you _know_ them. But I shall feel so shy among a lot of people I've never met. And what shall I wear?" Newland leaned back in his chair and smiled at her. She looked handsomer and more Diana-like than ever.
Chapter 16 of The Age of Innocence is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading “Newland leaned back in his chair and smiled at her.”
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading “But I shall feel so shy among a lot of people I've never met.”
past form of “lean” — to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading “Newland leaned back in his chair and smiled at her.”
(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent
From this reading “But I shall feel so shy among a lot of people I've never met.”
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading “But I shall feel so shy among a lot of people I've never met.”
start suddenly, as from fright
From this reading “But I shall feel so shy among a lot of people I've never met.”
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading “Newland leaned back in his chair and smiled at her.”
be dressed in
From this reading “And what shall I wear?"”
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 But I shall feel so shy among a lot of people I've never met.
(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 "It's all very well for you, Newland; you _know_ them.
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading But I shall feel so shy among a lot of people I've never met.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And what shall I wear?"
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Newland leaned back in his chair and smiled at her.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Newland leaned back in his chair and smiled at her.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But I shall feel so shy among a lot of people I've never met.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading Newland leaned back in his chair and smiled at her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She looked handsomer and more Diana-like than ever.
at any time
From this reading She looked handsomer and more Diana-like than ever.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading But I shall feel so shy among a lot of people I've never met.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "It's all very well for you, Newland; you _know_ them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She looked handsomer and more Diana-like than ever.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Newland leaned back in his chair and smiled at her.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Newland leaned back in his chair and smiled at her.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading But I shall feel so shy among a lot of people I've never met.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But I shall feel so shy among a lot of people I've never met.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Newland leaned back in his chair and smiled at her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's all very well for you, Newland; you _know_ them.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "It's all very well for you, Newland; you _know_ them.
past form of “lean” — to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading Newland leaned back in his chair and smiled at her.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading She looked handsomer and more Diana-like than ever.
(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent
From this reading But I shall feel so shy among a lot of people I've never met.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading But I shall feel so shy among a lot of people I've never met.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading She looked handsomer and more Diana-like than ever.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading But I shall feel so shy among a lot of people I've never met.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's all very well for you, Newland; you _know_ them.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading But I shall feel so shy among a lot of people I've never met.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading But I shall feel so shy among a lot of people I've never met.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading But I shall feel so shy among a lot of people I've never met.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She looked handsomer and more Diana-like than ever.
start suddenly, as from fright
From this reading But I shall feel so shy among a lot of people I've never met.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading Newland leaned back in his chair and smiled at her.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading But I shall feel so shy among a lot of people I've never met.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading She looked handsomer and more Diana-like than ever.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "It's all very well for you, Newland; you _know_ them.
precisely as stated
From this reading "It's all very well for you, Newland; you _know_ them.
be dressed in
From this reading And what shall I wear?"
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "It's all very well for you, Newland; you _know_ them.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading And what shall I wear?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "It's all very well for you, Newland; you _know_ them.
Chapter 16 of The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton holds 160 sentences, grouped into 32 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 160 sentences of The Age of Innocence, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 160 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4855 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #541 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #541, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 404 minutes of reading across 971 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Age of Innocence section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of The Age of Innocence 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 The Age of Innocence, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
