Chapter 17 of The heel of Achilles is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The heel of Achilles is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Oh, came down with her, of course, and stayed at the hotel.” “Well, I think it was too bad,” Aunt Beryl remarked with finality. “Only giving her twenty-four hours like that, poor thing.” “One’s got to think of the work,” said Olive, shaking her head. “We’re fearfully full up just now.
Chapter 17 of The heel of Achilles is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
the chief source of beryllium; colored transparent varieties are valued as gems
From this reading ““Well, I think it was too bad,” Aunt Beryl remarked with finality.”
the quality of being final or definitely settled
From this reading ““Well, I think it was too bad,” Aunt Beryl remarked with finality.”
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading ““Oh, came down with her, of course, and stayed at the hotel.””
of a yellow-green color similar to that of an unripe olive
From this reading ““One’s got to think of the work,” said Olive, shaking her head.”
past form of “remark” — make mention of
From this reading ““Well, I think it was too bad,” Aunt Beryl remarked with finality.”
the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements
From this reading ““One’s got to think of the work,” said Olive, shaking her head.”
past form of “stay” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading ““Oh, came down with her, of course, and stayed at the hotel.””
being four more than twenty
From this reading ““Only giving her twenty-four hours like that, poor thing.””
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
In this reading ““Only giving her twenty-four hours like that, poor thing.””
deserving regret
In this reading ““Well, I think it was too bad,” Aunt Beryl remarked with finality.”
as might be expected
In this reading ““Oh, came down with her, of course, and stayed at the hotel.””
In this reading ““Only giving her twenty-four hours like that, poor thing.””
In this reading ““Oh, came down with her, of course, and stayed at the hotel.””
move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
In this reading ““Oh, came down with her, of course, and stayed at the hotel.””
reside temporarily
In this reading ““Oh, came down with her, of course, and stayed at the hotel.””
keep in mind for attention or consideration
In this reading ““One’s got to think of the work,” said Olive, shaking her head.”
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 “Oh, came down with her, of course, and stayed at the hotel.”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Oh, came down with her, of course, and stayed at the hotel.”
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading “Well, I think it was too bad,” Aunt Beryl remarked with finality.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading “Well, I think it was too bad,” Aunt Beryl remarked with finality.
the chief source of beryllium; colored transparent varieties are valued as gems
From this reading “Well, I think it was too bad,” Aunt Beryl remarked with finality.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “Oh, came down with her, of course, and stayed at the hotel.”
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading “Oh, came down with her, of course, and stayed at the hotel.”
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading “Oh, came down with her, of course, and stayed at the hotel.”
in fear
From this reading “We’re fearfully full up just now.
the quality of being final or definitely settled
From this reading “Well, I think it was too bad,” Aunt Beryl remarked with finality.
containing as much or as many as is possible or normal
From this reading “We’re fearfully full up just now.
the act of giving
From this reading “Only giving her twenty-four hours like that, poor thing.”
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “One’s got to think of the work,” said Olive, shaking her head.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading “One’s got to think of the work,” said Olive, shaking her head.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “Oh, came down with her, of course, and stayed at the hotel.”
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading “Oh, came down with her, of course, and stayed at the hotel.”
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading “Only giving her twenty-four hours like that, poor thing.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Well, I think it was too bad,” Aunt Beryl remarked with finality.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Well, I think it was too bad,” Aunt Beryl remarked with finality.
and nothing more
From this reading “We’re fearfully full up just now.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading “Only giving her twenty-four hours like that, poor thing.”
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading “We’re fearfully full up just now.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Oh, came down with her, of course, and stayed at the hotel.”
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “Oh, came down with her, of course, and stayed at the hotel.”
of a yellow-green color similar to that of an unripe olive
From this reading “One’s got to think of the work,” said Olive, shaking her head.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “One’s got to think of the work,” said Olive, shaking her head.
and nothing more
From this reading “Only giving her twenty-four hours like that, poor thing.”
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading “Only giving her twenty-four hours like that, poor thing.”
past form of “remark” — make mention of
From this reading “Well, I think it was too bad,” Aunt Beryl remarked with finality.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “One’s got to think of the work,” said Olive, shaking her head.
the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements
From this reading “One’s got to think of the work,” said Olive, shaking her head.
past form of “stay” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “Oh, came down with her, of course, and stayed at the hotel.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Only giving her twenty-four hours like that, poor thing.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Oh, came down with her, of course, and stayed at the hotel.”
a special situation
From this reading “Only giving her twenty-four hours like that, poor thing.”
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “Well, I think it was too bad,” Aunt Beryl remarked with finality.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “One’s got to think of the work,” said Olive, shaking her head.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading “Well, I think it was too bad,” Aunt Beryl remarked with finality.
being four more than twenty
From this reading “Only giving her twenty-four hours like that, poor thing.”
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “We’re fearfully full up just now.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Well, I think it was too bad,” Aunt Beryl remarked with finality.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “We’re fearfully full up just now.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “Well, I think it was too bad,” Aunt Beryl remarked with finality.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “Oh, came down with her, of course, and stayed at the hotel.”
exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity
From this reading “One’s got to think of the work,” said Olive, shaking her head.
Chapter 17 of The heel of Achilles by E. M. Delafield holds 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 412 sentences of The heel of Achilles, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The heel of Achilles by E. M. Delafield exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in The heel of Achilles, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
