Chapter 16 of The Dust Flower is here in full — 287 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of The Dust Flower is here in full — 287 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
While Allerton was making these reflections Steptoe was summoned to the telephone. "Is this you, Steptoe? I'm Miss Barbara Walbrook." Steptoe braced himself. In conversing with Miss Barbara Walbrook he always felt the need of inner strengthening.
Chapter 16 of The Dust Flower is here in full — 287 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/57 · 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.
positioned so as to be ready for confrontation or danger
From this reading “Steptoe braced himself.”
-ing form of “converse” — carry on a conversation
From this reading “In conversing with Miss Barbara Walbrook he always felt the need of inner strengthening.”
located inward
From this reading “In conversing with Miss Barbara Walbrook he always felt the need of inner strengthening.”
a condition requiring relief
From this reading “In conversing with Miss Barbara Walbrook he always felt the need of inner strengthening.”
plural of “reflection” — a calm, lengthy, intent consideration
From this reading “While Allerton was making these reflections Steptoe was summoned to the telephone.”
becoming stronger
From this reading “In conversing with Miss Barbara Walbrook he always felt the need of inner strengthening.”
past form of “summon” — call in an official matter, such as to attend court
From this reading “While Allerton was making these reflections Steptoe was summoned to the telephone.”
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading “While Allerton was making these reflections Steptoe was summoned to the telephone.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading While Allerton was making these reflections Steptoe was summoned to the telephone.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading In conversing with Miss Barbara Walbrook he always felt the need of inner strengthening.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'm Miss Barbara Walbrook."
positioned so as to be ready for confrontation or danger
From this reading Steptoe braced himself.
-ing form of “converse” — carry on a conversation
From this reading In conversing with Miss Barbara Walbrook he always felt the need of inner strengthening.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading In conversing with Miss Barbara Walbrook he always felt the need of inner strengthening.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading In conversing with Miss Barbara Walbrook he always felt the need of inner strengthening.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Steptoe braced himself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'm Miss Barbara Walbrook."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In conversing with Miss Barbara Walbrook he always felt the need of inner strengthening.
located inward
From this reading In conversing with Miss Barbara Walbrook he always felt the need of inner strengthening.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Is this you, Steptoe?
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading While Allerton was making these reflections Steptoe was summoned to the telephone.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading I'm Miss Barbara Walbrook."
a condition requiring relief
From this reading In conversing with Miss Barbara Walbrook he always felt the need of inner strengthening.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In conversing with Miss Barbara Walbrook he always felt the need of inner strengthening.
plural of “reflection” — a calm, lengthy, intent consideration
From this reading While Allerton was making these reflections Steptoe was summoned to the telephone.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading While Allerton was making these reflections Steptoe was summoned to the telephone.
becoming stronger
From this reading In conversing with Miss Barbara Walbrook he always felt the need of inner strengthening.
past form of “summon” — call in an official matter, such as to attend court
From this reading While Allerton was making these reflections Steptoe was summoned to the telephone.
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading While Allerton was making these reflections Steptoe was summoned to the telephone.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading While Allerton was making these reflections Steptoe was summoned to the telephone.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading While Allerton was making these reflections Steptoe was summoned to the telephone.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Is this you, Steptoe?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading While Allerton was making these reflections Steptoe was summoned to the telephone.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I'm Miss Barbara Walbrook."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading While Allerton was making these reflections Steptoe was summoned to the telephone.
during the time that
From this reading While Allerton was making these reflections Steptoe was summoned to the telephone.
in the company of; together with
From this reading In conversing with Miss Barbara Walbrook he always felt the need of inner strengthening.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Is this you, Steptoe?
Chapter 16 of The Dust Flower by Basil King holds 287 sentences, grouped into 58 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 287 sentences of The Dust Flower, unabridged, divided into 58 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of The Dust Flower by Basil King exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 287 sentences, grouped into 58 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 58 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 58 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 Dust Flower by Basil King on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6311 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28590 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28590, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 525 minutes of reading across 1263 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Dust Flower section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Dust Flower 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 Dust Flower, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
