Chapter 16 of The Foolish Virgin is here in full — 161 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of The Foolish Virgin is here in full — 161 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
For a moment she felt the foundations of the moral and physical world sinking beneath her feet. Dizziness swept her senses. She gripped the table, leaning heavily against it, her eye watching the door with feverish terror for Jim's appearance. She had never fainted in her life. It was absurd, but the room was swimming now in a dim blur.
Chapter 16 of The Foolish Virgin is here in full — 161 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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.
become glassy; lose clear vision
From this reading “It was absurd, but the room was swimming now in a dim blur.”
a reeling sensation; a feeling that you are about to fall
From this reading “Dizziness swept her senses.”
past form of “faint” — pass out from weakness, physical or emotional distress due to a loss of blood supply to the brain
From this reading “She had never fainted in her life.”
marked by intense agitation or emotion
From this reading “She gripped the table, leaning heavily against it, her eye watching the door with feverish terror for Jim's appearance.”
plural of “foundation” — the basis on which something is grounded
From this reading “For a moment she felt the foundations of the moral and physical world sinking beneath her feet.”
inflected form of “grip” — hold fast or firmly
From this reading “She gripped the table, leaning heavily against it, her eye watching the door with feverish terror for Jim's appearance.”
a descent as through liquid (especially through water)
From this reading “For a moment she felt the foundations of the moral and physical world sinking beneath her feet.”
the act of swimming
From this reading “It was absurd, but the room was swimming now in a dim blur.”
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 For a moment she felt the foundations of the moral and physical world sinking beneath her feet.
inconsistent with reason or logic or common sense
From this reading It was absurd, but the room was swimming now in a dim blur.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading She gripped the table, leaning heavily against it, her eye watching the door with feverish terror for Jim's appearance.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading For a moment she felt the foundations of the moral and physical world sinking beneath her feet.
outward or visible aspect of a person or thing
From this reading She gripped the table, leaning heavily against it, her eye watching the door with feverish terror for Jim's appearance.
Directly under; in or to a lower position than.
From this reading For a moment she felt the foundations of the moral and physical world sinking beneath her feet.
become glassy; lose clear vision
From this reading It was absurd, but the room was swimming now in a dim blur.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It was absurd, but the room was swimming now in a dim blur.
lacking in light; not bright or harsh
From this reading It was absurd, but the room was swimming now in a dim blur.
a reeling sensation; a feeling that you are about to fall
From this reading Dizziness swept her senses.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading She gripped the table, leaning heavily against it, her eye watching the door with feverish terror for Jim's appearance.
the organ of sight
From this reading She gripped the table, leaning heavily against it, her eye watching the door with feverish terror for Jim's appearance.
past form of “faint” — pass out from weakness, physical or emotional distress due to a loss of blood supply to the brain
From this reading She had never fainted in her life.
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading For a moment she felt the foundations of the moral and physical world sinking beneath her feet.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading For a moment she felt the foundations of the moral and physical world sinking beneath her feet.
marked by intense agitation or emotion
From this reading She gripped the table, leaning heavily against it, her eye watching the door with feverish terror for Jim's appearance.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a moment she felt the foundations of the moral and physical world sinking beneath her feet.
plural of “foundation” — the basis on which something is grounded
From this reading For a moment she felt the foundations of the moral and physical world sinking beneath her feet.
inflected form of “grip” — hold fast or firmly
From this reading She gripped the table, leaning heavily against it, her eye watching the door with feverish terror for Jim's appearance.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had never fainted in her life.
to a considerable degree
From this reading She gripped the table, leaning heavily against it, her eye watching the door with feverish terror for Jim's appearance.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading For a moment she felt the foundations of the moral and physical world sinking beneath her feet.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She had never fainted in her life.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading She gripped the table, leaning heavily against it, her eye watching the door with feverish terror for Jim's appearance.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She gripped the table, leaning heavily against it, her eye watching the door with feverish terror for Jim's appearance.
departing or being caused to depart from the true vertical or horizontal
From this reading She gripped the table, leaning heavily against it, her eye watching the door with feverish terror for Jim's appearance.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading She had never fainted in her life.
a particular point in time
From this reading For a moment she felt the foundations of the moral and physical world sinking beneath her feet.
concerned with principles of right and wrong or conforming to standards of behavior and character based on those principles
From this reading For a moment she felt the foundations of the moral and physical world sinking beneath her feet.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading She had never fainted in her life.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading It was absurd, but the room was swimming now in a dim blur.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading For a moment she felt the foundations of the moral and physical world sinking beneath her feet.
involving the body as distinguished from the mind or spirit
From this reading For a moment she felt the foundations of the moral and physical world sinking beneath her feet.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading It was absurd, but the room was swimming now in a dim blur.
plural of “sens” — street names for marijuana
From this reading Dizziness swept her senses.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For a moment she felt the foundations of the moral and physical world sinking beneath her feet.
a descent as through liquid (especially through water)
From this reading For a moment she felt the foundations of the moral and physical world sinking beneath her feet.
possessing sweep
From this reading Dizziness swept her senses.
the act of swimming
From this reading It was absurd, but the room was swimming now in a dim blur.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading She gripped the table, leaning heavily against it, her eye watching the door with feverish terror for Jim's appearance.
an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety
From this reading She gripped the table, leaning heavily against it, her eye watching the door with feverish terror for Jim's appearance.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading For a moment she felt the foundations of the moral and physical world sinking beneath her feet.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was absurd, but the room was swimming now in a dim blur.
the act of observing; taking a patient look
From this reading She gripped the table, leaning heavily against it, her eye watching the door with feverish terror for Jim's appearance.
in the company of; together with
From this reading She gripped the table, leaning heavily against it, her eye watching the door with feverish terror for Jim's appearance.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading For a moment she felt the foundations of the moral and physical world sinking beneath her feet.
Chapter 16 of The Foolish Virgin by Thomas, Jr. Dixon holds 161 sentences, grouped into 33 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 161 sentences of The Foolish Virgin, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of The Foolish Virgin by Thomas, Jr. Dixon exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 161 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 Foolish Virgin by Thomas, Jr. Dixon on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5614 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1634 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1634, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 467 minutes of reading across 1123 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Foolish Virgin section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Foolish Virgin 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 Foolish Virgin, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
