Chapter 17 of The Education of Eric Lane is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Education of Eric Lane is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"It's a present, not an ultimatum," Eric answered sharply. So she could still try to make the best of both worlds. "You've always been wonderfully generous!" she whispered. "I can never repay you." From her tone and phrasing Eric knew that he had failed.
Chapter 17 of The Education of Eric Lane is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
past form of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading “From her tone and phrasing Eric knew that he had failed.”
willing to give and share unstintingly
From this reading “"You've always been wonderfully generous!" she whispered.”
the grouping of musical phrases in a melodic line
From this reading “From her tone and phrasing Eric knew that he had failed.”
pay back
From this reading “"I can never repay you."”
in an aggressive manner
From this reading “"It's a present, not an ultimatum," Eric answered sharply.”
a final peremptory demand
From this reading “"It's a present, not an ultimatum," Eric answered sharply.”
(used as an intensifier) extremely well
From this reading “"You've always been wonderfully generous!" she whispered.”
plural of “world” — everything that exists anywhere
From this reading “So she could still try to make the best of both worlds.”
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 "It's a present, not an ultimatum," Eric answered sharply.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading "You've always been wonderfully generous!" she whispered.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "It's a present, not an ultimatum," Eric answered sharply.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading From her tone and phrasing Eric knew that he had failed.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "It's a present, not an ultimatum," Eric answered sharply.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "You've always been wonderfully generous!" she whispered.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading So she could still try to make the best of both worlds.
the two together, not just one
From this reading So she could still try to make the best of both worlds.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "I can never repay you."
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading So she could still try to make the best of both worlds.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's a present, not an ultimatum," Eric answered sharply.
past form of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading From her tone and phrasing Eric knew that he had failed.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading From her tone and phrasing Eric knew that he had failed.
willing to give and share unstintingly
From this reading "You've always been wonderfully generous!" she whispered.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading From her tone and phrasing Eric knew that he had failed.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading From her tone and phrasing Eric knew that he had failed.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading From her tone and phrasing Eric knew that he had failed.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I can never repay you."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's a present, not an ultimatum," Eric answered sharply.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading From her tone and phrasing Eric knew that he had failed.
engage in
From this reading So she could still try to make the best of both worlds.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "I can never repay you."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "It's a present, not an ultimatum," Eric answered sharply.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading So she could still try to make the best of both worlds.
the grouping of musical phrases in a melodic line
From this reading From her tone and phrasing Eric knew that he had failed.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading "It's a present, not an ultimatum," Eric answered sharply.
pay back
From this reading "I can never repay you."
in an aggressive manner
From this reading "It's a present, not an ultimatum," Eric answered sharply.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading So she could still try to make the best of both worlds.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So she could still try to make the best of both worlds.
not in physical motion
From this reading So she could still try to make the best of both worlds.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading From her tone and phrasing Eric knew that he had failed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading So she could still try to make the best of both worlds.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading So she could still try to make the best of both worlds.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading From her tone and phrasing Eric knew that he had failed.
make an effort or attempt
From this reading So she could still try to make the best of both worlds.
a final peremptory demand
From this reading "It's a present, not an ultimatum," Eric answered sharply.
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading "You've always been wonderfully generous!" she whispered.
(used as an intensifier) extremely well
From this reading "You've always been wonderfully generous!" she whispered.
plural of “world” — everything that exists anywhere
From this reading So she could still try to make the best of both worlds.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I can never repay you."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You've always been wonderfully generous!" she whispered.
Chapter 17 of The Education of Eric Lane by Stephen McKenna holds 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 17 holds 409 sentences of The Education of Eric Lane, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Education of Eric Lane by Stephen McKenna exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 17 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 Education of Eric Lane by Stephen McKenna on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7191 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29041 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #29041, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 599 minutes of reading across 1439 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Education of Eric Lane section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of The Education of Eric Lane 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 Education of Eric Lane, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
