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The first violin: A novel
The first violin: A novel

Chapter XVI · Chapter 16

Chapter 16 of The first violin: A novel is here in full — 207 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The first violin: A novel
Context Illustration Reading 1/41 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"The merely great are, all in all, No more than what the merely small Esteem them.
Man's opinion Neither conferred nor can remove _This_ man's dominion."
Three years passed--an even way.
In three years there happened little of importance--little, that is, of open importance--to either of us.
I read that sentence again, and can not help smiling; "to either of us."
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The first violin: A novel

Chapter XVI · Chapter 16

Chapter 16 of The first violin: A novel is here in full — 207 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/41 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"The merely great are, all in all, No more than what the merely small Esteem them.
/ðə ˈmɪrli ɡreɪt ɑːr ɔːl ɪn ɔːl noʊ mɔːr ðæn wʌt ðə ˈmɪrli smɔːl əˈstiːm ðem/
Line 2
Man's opinion Neither conferred nor can remove _This_ man's dominion."
/mænz əˈpɪnjən ˈniːðər kənˈfɜːrd nɔːr kæn riˈmuːv ðɪs mænz dəˈmɪnjən/
Line 3
Three years passed--an even way.
Line 4
In three years there happened little of importance--little, that is, of open importance--to either of us.
Line 5
I read that sentence again, and can not help smiling; "to either of us."
/aɪ red ðæt ˈsentəns əˈɡen ənd kæn nɑːt help ˈsmaɪlɪŋ tuː ˈiːðər ʌv ʌs/

Learner Dictionary

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.

conferred verb US /kənˈfɜːrd/

inflected form of “confer” — have a conference in order to talk something over

From this reading “Man's opinion Neither conferred nor can remove _This_ man's dominion."”

dominion noun US /dəˈmɪnjən/

dominance or power through legal authority

From this reading “Man's opinion Neither conferred nor can remove _This_ man's dominion."”

Esteem noun US /əˈstiːm/

the condition of being honored (esteemed or respected or well regarded)

From this reading “"The merely great are, all in all, No more than what the merely small Esteem them.”

importance noun US /ˌɪmˈpɔːrtəns/

the quality of being important and worthy of note

From this reading “In three years there happened little of importance--little, that is, of open importance--to either of us.”

man's noun US /mænz/

possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading “Man's opinion Neither conferred nor can remove _This_ man's dominion."”

remove verb US /riˈmuːv/

remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract

From this reading “Man's opinion Neither conferred nor can remove _This_ man's dominion."”

sentence noun US /ˈsentəns/

a string of words satisfying the grammatical rules of a language

From this reading “I read that sentence again, and can not help smiling; "to either of us."”

smiling noun US /ˈsmaɪlɪŋ/

a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement

From this reading “I read that sentence again, and can not help smiling; "to either of us."”

All words in this reading · 47

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.

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading I read that sentence again, and can not help smiling; "to either of us."

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading "The merely great are, all in all, No more than what the merely small Esteem them.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading Three years passed--an even way.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading I read that sentence again, and can not help smiling; "to either of us."

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading "The merely great are, all in all, No more than what the merely small Esteem them.

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading Man's opinion Neither conferred nor can remove _This_ man's dominion."

conferredverbUS /kənˈfɜːrd/

inflected form of “confer” — have a conference in order to talk something over

From this reading Man's opinion Neither conferred nor can remove _This_ man's dominion."

dominionnounUS /dəˈmɪnjən/

dominance or power through legal authority

From this reading Man's opinion Neither conferred nor can remove _This_ man's dominion."

eitherdeterminerUS /ˈiːðər/

one or the other of two

From this reading In three years there happened little of importance--little, that is, of open importance--to either of us.

EsteemnounUS /əˈstiːm/

the condition of being honored (esteemed or respected or well regarded)

From this reading "The merely great are, all in all, No more than what the merely small Esteem them.

evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

From this reading Three years passed--an even way.

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading "The merely great are, all in all, No more than what the merely small Esteem them.

happenedverbUS /ˈhæpənd/

past form of “happen” — come to pass

From this reading In three years there happened little of importance--little, that is, of open importance--to either of us.

helpverbUS /help/

give help or assistance; be of service

From this reading I read that sentence again, and can not help smiling; "to either of us."

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading I read that sentence again, and can not help smiling; "to either of us."

importancenounUS /ˌɪmˈpɔːrtəns/

the quality of being important and worthy of note

From this reading In three years there happened little of importance--little, that is, of open importance--to either of us.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading "The merely great are, all in all, No more than what the merely small Esteem them.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading In three years there happened little of importance--little, that is, of open importance--to either of us.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading In three years there happened little of importance--little, that is, of open importance--to either of us.

Man'snounUS /mænz/

possessive form of “man” — an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading Man's opinion Neither conferred nor can remove _This_ man's dominion."

merelyadverbUS /ˈmɪrli/

and nothing more

From this reading "The merely great are, all in all, No more than what the merely small Esteem them.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading "The merely great are, all in all, No more than what the merely small Esteem them.

NeitherdeterminerUS /ˈniːðər/

not one and not the other of two

From this reading Man's opinion Neither conferred nor can remove _This_ man's dominion."

NodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading "The merely great are, all in all, No more than what the merely small Esteem them.

norconjunctionUS /nɔːr/

and not; used after a negative to add a second negative

From this reading Man's opinion Neither conferred nor can remove _This_ man's dominion."

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading I read that sentence again, and can not help smiling; "to either of us."

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading In three years there happened little of importance--little, that is, of open importance--to either of us.

openverbUS /ˈoʊ.pən/

To move from a closed position.

From this reading In three years there happened little of importance--little, that is, of open importance--to either of us.

opinionnounUS /əˈpɪnjən/

a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty

From this reading Man's opinion Neither conferred nor can remove _This_ man's dominion."

passedverbUS /pæst/

past form of “pass” — go across or through

From this reading Three years passed--an even way.

readverbUS /red/

interpret something that is written or printed

From this reading I read that sentence again, and can not help smiling; "to either of us."

removeverbUS /riˈmuːv/

remove something concrete, as by lifting, pushing, or taking off, or remove something abstract

From this reading Man's opinion Neither conferred nor can remove _This_ man's dominion."

sentencenounUS /ˈsentəns/

a string of words satisfying the grammatical rules of a language

From this reading I read that sentence again, and can not help smiling; "to either of us."

smalladjectiveUS /smɔːl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading "The merely great are, all in all, No more than what the merely small Esteem them.

smilingnounUS /ˈsmaɪlɪŋ/

a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement

From this reading I read that sentence again, and can not help smiling; "to either of us."

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading "The merely great are, all in all, No more than what the merely small Esteem them.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading In three years there happened little of importance--little, that is, of open importance--to either of us.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading "The merely great are, all in all, No more than what the merely small Esteem them.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading "The merely great are, all in all, No more than what the merely small Esteem them.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading In three years there happened little of importance--little, that is, of open importance--to either of us.

ThisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading Man's opinion Neither conferred nor can remove _This_ man's dominion."

ThreenounUS /θriː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading Three years passed--an even way.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading In three years there happened little of importance--little, that is, of open importance--to either of us.

uspronounUS /ʌs/

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading In three years there happened little of importance--little, that is, of open importance--to either of us.

waynounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading Three years passed--an even way.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading "The merely great are, all in all, No more than what the merely small Esteem them.

yearsnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

From this reading Three years passed--an even way.

Chapter 16 of The first violin: A novel by Jessie Fothergill holds 207 sentences, grouped into 42 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.

What does chapter 16 of The first violin: A novel contain?

Chapter 16 holds 207 sentences of The first violin: A novel, unabridged, divided into 42 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 16 of The first violin: A novel by Jessie Fothergill exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 207 sentences, grouped into 42 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.

How do I study chapter 16 of The first violin: A novel?

Work through the 42 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 42 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.

Can chapter 16 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The first violin: A novel

Common questions about reading The first violin: A novel by Jessie Fothergill on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The first violin: A novel?

Yes. All 9030 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29219 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The first violin: A novel is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #29219, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The first violin: A novel take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1806 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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  1. Open a chapter

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  3. Listen and tap

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Vocabulary met early in The first violin: A novel

Words and structures a reader meets early in The first violin: A novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Hallam
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The first violin: A novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Wonderful
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The first violin: A novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Weather
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The first violin: A novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
April
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The first violin: A novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.