Chapter 22 of The Ambassadors is here in full — 226 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXII
Chapter 22 of The Ambassadors is here in full — 226 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The young man looked brightly amazed. “You want me now to ‘stay’?” “If I don’t immediately sail the Pococks will immediately come out. That’s what I mean,” said Strether, “by your mother’s ultimatum.” Chad showed a still livelier, but not an alarmed interest.
Chapter 22 of The Ambassadors is here in full — 226 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/45 · 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.
experiencing a sudden sense of danger
From this reading “Chad showed a still livelier, but not an alarmed interest.”
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading “The young man looked brightly amazed.”
with brightness
From this reading “The young man looked brightly amazed.”
a small piece of paper that is supposed to be removed when a hole is punched in a card or paper tape
From this reading “Chad showed a still livelier, but not an alarmed interest.”
comparative of “lively” — full of life and energy
From this reading “Chad showed a still livelier, but not an alarmed interest.”
possessive form of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
traverse or travel on (a body of water)
From this reading ““If I don’t immediately sail the Pococks will immediately come out.”
a final peremptory demand
From this reading “That’s what I mean,” said Strether, “by your mother’s ultimatum.””
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 Chad showed a still livelier, but not an alarmed interest.
experiencing a sudden sense of danger
From this reading Chad showed a still livelier, but not an alarmed interest.
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading The young man looked brightly amazed.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Chad showed a still livelier, but not an alarmed interest.
with brightness
From this reading The young man looked brightly amazed.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Chad showed a still livelier, but not an alarmed interest.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading That’s what I mean,” said Strether, “by your mother’s ultimatum.”
a small piece of paper that is supposed to be removed when a hole is punched in a card or paper tape
From this reading Chad showed a still livelier, but not an alarmed interest.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “If I don’t immediately sail the Pococks will immediately come out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “If I don’t immediately sail the Pococks will immediately come out.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “If I don’t immediately sail the Pococks will immediately come out.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “If I don’t immediately sail the Pococks will immediately come out.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading “If I don’t immediately sail the Pococks will immediately come out.
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading Chad showed a still livelier, but not an alarmed interest.
comparative of “lively” — full of life and energy
From this reading Chad showed a still livelier, but not an alarmed interest.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading The young man looked brightly amazed.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The young man looked brightly amazed.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “You want me now to ‘stay’?”
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading That’s what I mean,” said Strether, “by your mother’s ultimatum.”
possessive form of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading That’s what I mean,” said Strether, “by your mother’s ultimatum.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Chad showed a still livelier, but not an alarmed interest.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “You want me now to ‘stay’?”
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “If I don’t immediately sail the Pococks will immediately come out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “If I don’t immediately sail the Pococks will immediately come out.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading That’s what I mean,” said Strether, “by your mother’s ultimatum.”
traverse or travel on (a body of water)
From this reading “If I don’t immediately sail the Pococks will immediately come out.
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading Chad showed a still livelier, but not an alarmed interest.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “You want me now to ‘stay’?”
not in physical motion
From this reading Chad showed a still livelier, but not an alarmed interest.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That’s what I mean,” said Strether, “by your mother’s ultimatum.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That’s what I mean,” said Strether, “by your mother’s ultimatum.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The young man looked brightly amazed.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “You want me now to ‘stay’?”
a final peremptory demand
From this reading That’s what I mean,” said Strether, “by your mother’s ultimatum.”
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading “You want me now to ‘stay’?”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading That’s what I mean,” said Strether, “by your mother’s ultimatum.”
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “If I don’t immediately sail the Pococks will immediately come out.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You want me now to ‘stay’?”
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading The young man looked brightly amazed.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading That’s what I mean,” said Strether, “by your mother’s ultimatum.”
Chapter 22 of The Ambassadors by Henry James holds 226 sentences, grouped into 46 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 22 holds 226 sentences of The Ambassadors, unabridged, divided into 46 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 22 of The Ambassadors by Henry James exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 226 sentences, grouped into 46 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 46 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 46 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 22 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.
