Chapter 22 of The American is here in full — 499 sentences across 100 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXII
Chapter 22 of The American is here in full — 499 sentences across 100 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I am very much obliged to you for coming,” Newman said. “I hope it won’t get you into trouble.” “I don’t think I shall be missed. My lady, in these days, is not fond of having me about her.” This was said with a certain fluttered eagerness which increased Newman’s sense of having inspired the old woman with confidence.
Chapter 22 of The American is here in full — 499 sentences across 100 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/99 · 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 positive feeling of wanting to push ahead with something
From this reading “This was said with a certain fluttered eagerness which increased Newman’s sense of having inspired the old woman with confidence.”
past form of “flutter” — move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart
From this reading “This was said with a certain fluttered eagerness which increased Newman’s sense of having inspired the old woman with confidence.”
having or displaying warmth or affection
From this reading “My lady, in these days, is not fond of having me about her.””
made greater in size or amount or degree
From this reading “This was said with a certain fluttered eagerness which increased Newman’s sense of having inspired the old woman with confidence.”
being of such surpassing excellence as to suggest inspiration by the gods
From this reading “This was said with a certain fluttered eagerness which increased Newman’s sense of having inspired the old woman with confidence.”
not caught with the senses or the mind
From this reading ““I don’t think I shall be missed.”
United States film actor (born in 1925)
From this reading ““I am very much obliged to you for coming,” Newman said.”
possessive form of “newman” — United States film actor (born in 1925)
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 This was said with a certain fluttered eagerness which increased Newman’s sense of having inspired the old woman with confidence.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading My lady, in these days, is not fond of having me about her.”
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “I am very much obliged to you for coming,” Newman said.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “I don’t think I shall be missed.
definite but not specified or identified
From this reading This was said with a certain fluttered eagerness which increased Newman’s sense of having inspired the old woman with confidence.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading “I am very much obliged to you for coming,” Newman said.
freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities
From this reading This was said with a certain fluttered eagerness which increased Newman’s sense of having inspired the old woman with confidence.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading My lady, in these days, is not fond of having me about her.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I don’t think I shall be missed.
a positive feeling of wanting to push ahead with something
From this reading This was said with a certain fluttered eagerness which increased Newman’s sense of having inspired the old woman with confidence.
past form of “flutter” — move along rapidly and lightly; skim or dart
From this reading This was said with a certain fluttered eagerness which increased Newman’s sense of having inspired the old woman with confidence.
having or displaying warmth or affection
From this reading My lady, in these days, is not fond of having me about her.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “I am very much obliged to you for coming,” Newman said.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “I hope it won’t get you into trouble.”
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading My lady, in these days, is not fond of having me about her.”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading My lady, in these days, is not fond of having me about her.”
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading “I hope it won’t get you into trouble.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I am very much obliged to you for coming,” Newman said.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading My lady, in these days, is not fond of having me about her.”
made greater in size or amount or degree
From this reading This was said with a certain fluttered eagerness which increased Newman’s sense of having inspired the old woman with confidence.
being of such surpassing excellence as to suggest inspiration by the gods
From this reading This was said with a certain fluttered eagerness which increased Newman’s sense of having inspired the old woman with confidence.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading “I hope it won’t get you into trouble.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading My lady, in these days, is not fond of having me about her.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “I hope it won’t get you into trouble.”
a polite name for any woman
From this reading My lady, in these days, is not fond of having me about her.”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading My lady, in these days, is not fond of having me about her.”
not caught with the senses or the mind
From this reading “I don’t think I shall be missed.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading “I am very much obliged to you for coming,” Newman said.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My lady, in these days, is not fond of having me about her.”
United States film actor (born in 1925)
From this reading “I am very much obliged to you for coming,” Newman said.
possessive form of “newman” — United States film actor (born in 1925)
From this reading This was said with a certain fluttered eagerness which increased Newman’s sense of having inspired the old woman with confidence.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading My lady, in these days, is not fond of having me about her.”
under a moral obligation to do something
From this reading “I am very much obliged to you for coming,” Newman said.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading My lady, in these days, is not fond of having me about her.”
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading This was said with a certain fluttered eagerness which increased Newman’s sense of having inspired the old woman with confidence.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I am very much obliged to you for coming,” Newman said.
a general conscious awareness
From this reading This was said with a certain fluttered eagerness which increased Newman’s sense of having inspired the old woman with confidence.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading “I don’t think I shall be missed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading This was said with a certain fluttered eagerness which increased Newman’s sense of having inspired the old woman with confidence.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading My lady, in these days, is not fond of having me about her.”
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “I don’t think I shall be missed.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading This was said with a certain fluttered eagerness which increased Newman’s sense of having inspired the old woman with confidence.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “I am very much obliged to you for coming,” Newman said.
a source of difficulty
From this reading “I hope it won’t get you into trouble.”
precisely as stated
From this reading “I am very much obliged to you for coming,” Newman said.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This was said with a certain fluttered eagerness which increased Newman’s sense of having inspired the old woman with confidence.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading This was said with a certain fluttered eagerness which increased Newman’s sense of having inspired the old woman with confidence.
in the company of; together with
From this reading This was said with a certain fluttered eagerness which increased Newman’s sense of having inspired the old woman with confidence.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading This was said with a certain fluttered eagerness which increased Newman’s sense of having inspired the old woman with confidence.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I hope it won’t get you into trouble.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I am very much obliged to you for coming,” Newman said.
Chapter 22 of The American by Henry James holds 499 sentences, grouped into 100 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 499 sentences of The American, unabridged, divided into 100 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 22 of The American by Henry James exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 499 sentences, grouped into 100 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 100 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 100 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 American by Henry James on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8959 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #177 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #177, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1792 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The American section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The American 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 American, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
