Chapter 16 of The Belfry is here in full — 555 sentences across 111 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of The Belfry is here in full — 555 sentences across 111 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He was backing the car when a shell burst and buried itself in the place where we had stood. To my horror I saw that Viola had opened the door of the car and was getting out. "What on earth are you doing?" I said. "I'm going to walk to Zele."
Chapter 16 of The Belfry is here in full — 555 sentences across 111 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/111 · 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.
the act of providing approval and support
From this reading “He was backing the car when a shell burst and buried itself in the place where we had stood.”
placed in a grave
From this reading “He was backing the car when a shell burst and buried itself in the place where we had stood.”
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading “He was backing the car when a shell burst and buried itself in the place where we had stood.”
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading “He was backing the car when a shell burst and buried itself in the place where we had stood.”
intense and profound fear
From this reading “To my horror I saw that Viola had opened the door of the car and was getting out.”
ammunition consisting of a cylindrical metal casing containing an explosive charge and a projectile; fired from a large gun
From this reading “He was backing the car when a shell burst and buried itself in the place where we had stood.”
any of the numerous plants of the genus Viola
From this reading “To my horror I saw that Viola had opened the door of the car and was getting out.”
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading “"I'm going to walk to Zele."”
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.
used with question words to convey surprise
In this reading “"What on earth are you doing?"”
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 He was backing the car when a shell burst and buried itself in the place where we had stood.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He was backing the car when a shell burst and buried itself in the place where we had stood.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "What on earth are you doing?"
the act of providing approval and support
From this reading He was backing the car when a shell burst and buried itself in the place where we had stood.
placed in a grave
From this reading He was backing the car when a shell burst and buried itself in the place where we had stood.
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading He was backing the car when a shell burst and buried itself in the place where we had stood.
a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine
From this reading He was backing the car when a shell burst and buried itself in the place where we had stood.
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading "What on earth are you doing?"
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading To my horror I saw that Viola had opened the door of the car and was getting out.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading "What on earth are you doing?"
the act of acquiring something
From this reading To my horror I saw that Viola had opened the door of the car and was getting out.
the act of departing
From this reading "I'm going to walk to Zele."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He was backing the car when a shell burst and buried itself in the place where we had stood.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was backing the car when a shell burst and buried itself in the place where we had stood.
intense and profound fear
From this reading To my horror I saw that Viola had opened the door of the car and was getting out.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading To my horror I saw that Viola had opened the door of the car and was getting out.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm going to walk to Zele."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He was backing the car when a shell burst and buried itself in the place where we had stood.
used when the thing doing the action is also its object
From this reading He was backing the car when a shell burst and buried itself in the place where we had stood.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading To my horror I saw that Viola had opened the door of the car and was getting out.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading To my horror I saw that Viola had opened the door of the car and was getting out.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "What on earth are you doing?"
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading To my horror I saw that Viola had opened the door of the car and was getting out.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading To my horror I saw that Viola had opened the door of the car and was getting out.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading He was backing the car when a shell burst and buried itself in the place where we had stood.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading I said.
cut with a saw
From this reading To my horror I saw that Viola had opened the door of the car and was getting out.
ammunition consisting of a cylindrical metal casing containing an explosive charge and a projectile; fired from a large gun
From this reading He was backing the car when a shell burst and buried itself in the place where we had stood.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading He was backing the car when a shell burst and buried itself in the place where we had stood.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading To my horror I saw that Viola had opened the door of the car and was getting out.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He was backing the car when a shell burst and buried itself in the place where we had stood.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading To my horror I saw that Viola had opened the door of the car and was getting out.
any of the numerous plants of the genus Viola
From this reading To my horror I saw that Viola had opened the door of the car and was getting out.
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading "I'm going to walk to Zele."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was backing the car when a shell burst and buried itself in the place where we had stood.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading He was backing the car when a shell burst and buried itself in the place where we had stood.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What on earth are you doing?"
at the time that
From this reading He was backing the car when a shell burst and buried itself in the place where we had stood.
in or at the place that
From this reading He was backing the car when a shell burst and buried itself in the place where we had stood.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What on earth are you doing?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm going to walk to Zele."
Chapter 16 of The Belfry by May Sinclair holds 555 sentences, grouped into 111 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 555 sentences of The Belfry, unabridged, divided into 111 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of The Belfry by May Sinclair exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 555 sentences, grouped into 111 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 111 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 111 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 Belfry by May Sinclair on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Belfry section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Belfry 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 Belfry, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
