Chapter 16 of The Brentons is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of The Brentons is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Brenton stayed her torrent of words by the very quiet of his brief question. "Now, Katharine?" "Now I demand my right to go out and make what I can of the little you have left me of my life." "In what way?" His quiet interrogations pierced her excitement as no opposition could have done.
Chapter 16 of The Brentons is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
of short duration or distance
From this reading “Brenton stayed her torrent of words by the very quiet of his brief question.”
an urgent or peremptory request
From this reading “"Now I demand my right to go out and make what I can of the little you have left me of my life."”
the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
From this reading “His quiet interrogations pierced her excitement as no opposition could have done.”
plural of “interrogation” — a sentence of inquiry that asks for a reply
From this reading “His quiet interrogations pierced her excitement as no opposition could have done.”
the action of opposing something that you disapprove or disagree with
From this reading “His quiet interrogations pierced her excitement as no opposition could have done.”
having a hole cut through
From this reading “His quiet interrogations pierced her excitement as no opposition could have done.”
past form of “stay” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “Brenton stayed her torrent of words by the very quiet of his brief question.”
a heavy rain
From this reading “Brenton stayed her torrent of words by the very quiet of his brief question.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Now I demand my right to go out and make what I can of the little you have left me of my life."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading His quiet interrogations pierced her excitement as no opposition could have done.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Brenton stayed her torrent of words by the very quiet of his brief question.
of short duration or distance
From this reading Brenton stayed her torrent of words by the very quiet of his brief question.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Brenton stayed her torrent of words by the very quiet of his brief question.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "Now I demand my right to go out and make what I can of the little you have left me of my life."
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading His quiet interrogations pierced her excitement as no opposition could have done.
an urgent or peremptory request
From this reading "Now I demand my right to go out and make what I can of the little you have left me of my life."
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading His quiet interrogations pierced her excitement as no opposition could have done.
the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
From this reading His quiet interrogations pierced her excitement as no opposition could have done.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Now I demand my right to go out and make what I can of the little you have left me of my life."
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Now I demand my right to go out and make what I can of the little you have left me of my life."
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Brenton stayed her torrent of words by the very quiet of his brief question.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Brenton stayed her torrent of words by the very quiet of his brief question.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Now I demand my right to go out and make what I can of the little you have left me of my life."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "In what way?"
plural of “interrogation” — a sentence of inquiry that asks for a reply
From this reading His quiet interrogations pierced her excitement as no opposition could have done.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Now, Katharine?"
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading "Now I demand my right to go out and make what I can of the little you have left me of my life."
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading "Now I demand my right to go out and make what I can of the little you have left me of my life."
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "Now I demand my right to go out and make what I can of the little you have left me of my life."
engage in
From this reading "Now I demand my right to go out and make what I can of the little you have left me of my life."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Now I demand my right to go out and make what I can of the little you have left me of my life."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Now I demand my right to go out and make what I can of the little you have left me of my life."
not any; not one
From this reading His quiet interrogations pierced her excitement as no opposition could have done.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Now, Katharine?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Brenton stayed her torrent of words by the very quiet of his brief question.
the action of opposing something that you disapprove or disagree with
From this reading His quiet interrogations pierced her excitement as no opposition could have done.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "Now I demand my right to go out and make what I can of the little you have left me of my life."
having a hole cut through
From this reading His quiet interrogations pierced her excitement as no opposition could have done.
challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of
From this reading Brenton stayed her torrent of words by the very quiet of his brief question.
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading Brenton stayed her torrent of words by the very quiet of his brief question.
precisely, exactly
From this reading "Now I demand my right to go out and make what I can of the little you have left me of my life."
past form of “stay” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading Brenton stayed her torrent of words by the very quiet of his brief question.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Brenton stayed her torrent of words by the very quiet of his brief question.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Now I demand my right to go out and make what I can of the little you have left me of my life."
a heavy rain
From this reading Brenton stayed her torrent of words by the very quiet of his brief question.
precisely as stated
From this reading Brenton stayed her torrent of words by the very quiet of his brief question.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "In what way?"
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Now I demand my right to go out and make what I can of the little you have left me of my life."
the words that are spoken
From this reading Brenton stayed her torrent of words by the very quiet of his brief question.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Now I demand my right to go out and make what I can of the little you have left me of my life."
Chapter 16 of The Brentons by Anna Chapin Ray holds 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 404 sentences of The Brentons, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of The Brentons by Anna Chapin Ray exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Brentons by Anna Chapin Ray on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6987 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21763 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21763, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 582 minutes of reading across 1398 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Brentons section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of The Brentons 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 Brentons, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
