Chapter 17 of The Ambassadors is here in full — 219 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Ambassadors is here in full — 219 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He had an hesitation, but he brought the words out. “Well, she thinks so now.” “Do you mean by that—?” But she also hung fire. “Do I mean what?”
Chapter 17 of The Ambassadors is here in full — 219 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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.
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But she also hung fire.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had an hesitation, but he brought the words out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had an hesitation, but he brought the words out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had an hesitation, but he brought the words out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Do you mean by that—?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Do you mean by that—?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But she also hung fire.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had an hesitation, but he brought the words out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had an hesitation, but he brought the words out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had an hesitation, but he brought the words out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But she also hung fire.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Do I mean what?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Do you mean by that—?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Well, she thinks so now.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had an hesitation, but he brought the words out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Well, she thinks so now.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Well, she thinks so now.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Do you mean by that—?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had an hesitation, but he brought the words out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Well, she thinks so now.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Well, she thinks so now.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Do I mean what?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had an hesitation, but he brought the words out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Do you mean by that—?”
Chapter 17 of The Ambassadors by Henry James holds 219 sentences, grouped into 44 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 17 holds 219 sentences of The Ambassadors, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Ambassadors by Henry James exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 219 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 17 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 Ambassadors by Henry James on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9031 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #432 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #432, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1807 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Ambassadors section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Ambassadors 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 Ambassadors, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
