Chapter 16 of The Bill-Toppers is here in full — 212 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of The Bill-Toppers is here in full — 212 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
There was a crowd in front of the Bijou when she arrived. They were commenting on a notice pasted on the door: "_Ferme_." What could that mean? Lily had not provided for this in her vocabulary of the French language; but the theater was closed until new arrangements could be made.
Chapter 16 of The Bill-Toppers is here in full — 212 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/42 · 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.
plural of “arrangement” — the thing arranged or agreed to
From this reading “Lily had not provided for this in her vocabulary of the French language; but the theater was closed until new arrangements could be made.”
-ing form of “comment” — make or write a comment on
From this reading “They were commenting on a notice pasted on the door:”
a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols
From this reading “Lily had not provided for this in her vocabulary of the French language; but the theater was closed until new arrangements could be made.”
any liliaceous plant of the genus Lilium having showy pendulous flowers
From this reading “Lily had not provided for this in her vocabulary of the French language; but the theater was closed until new arrangements could be made.”
affixed or as if affixed with glue or paste
From this reading “They were commenting on a notice pasted on the door:”
past form of “provide” — give something useful or necessary to
From this reading “Lily had not provided for this in her vocabulary of the French language; but the theater was closed until new arrangements could be made.”
a building where theatrical performances or motion-picture shows can be presented
From this reading “Lily had not provided for this in her vocabulary of the French language; but the theater was closed until new arrangements could be made.”
a listing of the words used in some enterprise
From this reading “Lily had not provided for this in her vocabulary of the French language; but the theater was closed until new arrangements could be made.”
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.
at or in the front
In this reading “There was a crowd in front of the Bijou when she arrived.”
In this reading “Lily had not provided for this in her vocabulary of the French language; but the theater was closed until new arrangements could be made.”
In this reading “Lily had not provided for this in her vocabulary of the French language; but the theater was closed until new arrangements could be made.”
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 There was a crowd in front of the Bijou when she arrived.
plural of “arrangement” — the thing arranged or agreed to
From this reading Lily had not provided for this in her vocabulary of the French language; but the theater was closed until new arrangements could be made.
past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading There was a crowd in front of the Bijou when she arrived.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Lily had not provided for this in her vocabulary of the French language; but the theater was closed until new arrangements could be made.
a small and delicately worked piece
From this reading There was a crowd in front of the Bijou when she arrived.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Lily had not provided for this in her vocabulary of the French language; but the theater was closed until new arrangements could be made.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading Lily had not provided for this in her vocabulary of the French language; but the theater was closed until new arrangements could be made.
-ing form of “comment” — make or write a comment on
From this reading They were commenting on a notice pasted on the door:
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading What could that mean?
cause to herd, drive, or crowd together
From this reading There was a crowd in front of the Bijou when she arrived.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading They were commenting on a notice pasted on the door:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "_Ferme_."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Lily had not provided for this in her vocabulary of the French language; but the theater was closed until new arrangements could be made.
the Romance language spoken in France and in countries colonized by France
From this reading Lily had not provided for this in her vocabulary of the French language; but the theater was closed until new arrangements could be made.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading There was a crowd in front of the Bijou when she arrived.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Lily had not provided for this in her vocabulary of the French language; but the theater was closed until new arrangements could be made.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Lily had not provided for this in her vocabulary of the French language; but the theater was closed until new arrangements could be made.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There was a crowd in front of the Bijou when she arrived.
a systematic means of communicating by the use of sounds or conventional symbols
From this reading Lily had not provided for this in her vocabulary of the French language; but the theater was closed until new arrangements could be made.
any liliaceous plant of the genus Lilium having showy pendulous flowers
From this reading Lily had not provided for this in her vocabulary of the French language; but the theater was closed until new arrangements could be made.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Lily had not provided for this in her vocabulary of the French language; but the theater was closed until new arrangements could be made.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading What could that mean?
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading Lily had not provided for this in her vocabulary of the French language; but the theater was closed until new arrangements could be made.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Lily had not provided for this in her vocabulary of the French language; but the theater was closed until new arrangements could be made.
an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading They were commenting on a notice pasted on the door:
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading There was a crowd in front of the Bijou when she arrived.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading They were commenting on a notice pasted on the door:
affixed or as if affixed with glue or paste
From this reading They were commenting on a notice pasted on the door:
past form of “provide” — give something useful or necessary to
From this reading Lily had not provided for this in her vocabulary of the French language; but the theater was closed until new arrangements could be made.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading There was a crowd in front of the Bijou when she arrived.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading What could that mean?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There was a crowd in front of the Bijou when she arrived.
a building where theatrical performances or motion-picture shows can be presented
From this reading Lily had not provided for this in her vocabulary of the French language; but the theater was closed until new arrangements could be made.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a crowd in front of the Bijou when she arrived.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were commenting on a notice pasted on the door:
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Lily had not provided for this in her vocabulary of the French language; but the theater was closed until new arrangements could be made.
up to a particular time
From this reading Lily had not provided for this in her vocabulary of the French language; but the theater was closed until new arrangements could be made.
a listing of the words used in some enterprise
From this reading Lily had not provided for this in her vocabulary of the French language; but the theater was closed until new arrangements could be made.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was a crowd in front of the Bijou when she arrived.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were commenting on a notice pasted on the door:
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What could that mean?
at the time that
From this reading There was a crowd in front of the Bijou when she arrived.
Chapter 16 of The Bill-Toppers by J. André Castaigne holds 212 sentences, grouped into 43 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 212 sentences of The Bill-Toppers, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of The Bill-Toppers by J. André Castaigne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 212 sentences, grouped into 43 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 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 43 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 Bill-Toppers by J. André Castaigne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6921 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26242 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26242, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 576 minutes of reading across 1385 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Bill-Toppers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of The Bill-Toppers 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 Bill-Toppers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
