Chapter 17 of The Inferno is here in full — 80 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Inferno is here in full — 80 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I have given notice. I am going away to-morrow evening, I with my tremendous memory. Whatever may happen, whatever tragedies may be reserved for me in the future, my thought will not be graver or more important when I shall have lived my life with all its weight. But my whole body is one pain. I cannot stand on my legs any more.
Chapter 17 of The Inferno is here in full — 80 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/16 · 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.
a tool used by an engraver
From this reading “Whatever may happen, whatever tragedies may be reserved for me in the future, my thought will not be graver or more important when I shall have lived my life with all its weight.”
come to pass
From this reading “Whatever may happen, whatever tragedies may be reserved for me in the future, my thought will not be graver or more important when I shall have lived my life with all its weight.”
of great significance or value
From this reading “Whatever may happen, whatever tragedies may be reserved for me in the future, my thought will not be graver or more important when I shall have lived my life with all its weight.”
staying power
From this reading “I cannot stand on my legs any more.”
set aside for the use of a particular person or party
From this reading “Whatever may happen, whatever tragedies may be reserved for me in the future, my thought will not be graver or more important when I shall have lived my life with all its weight.”
plural of “tragedy” — an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading “Whatever may happen, whatever tragedies may be reserved for me in the future, my thought will not be graver or more important when I shall have lived my life with all its weight.”
extraordinarily large in size or extent or amount or power or degree
From this reading “I am going away to-morrow evening, I with my tremendous memory.”
the vertical force exerted by a mass as a result of gravity
From this reading “Whatever may happen, whatever tragedies may be reserved for me in the future, my thought will not be graver or more important when I shall have lived my life with all its weight.”
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.
(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 Whatever may happen, whatever tragedies may be reserved for me in the future, my thought will not be graver or more important when I shall have lived my life with all its weight.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I am going away to-morrow evening, I with my tremendous memory.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading I cannot stand on my legs any more.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading I am going away to-morrow evening, I with my tremendous memory.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Whatever may happen, whatever tragedies may be reserved for me in the future, my thought will not be graver or more important when I shall have lived my life with all its weight.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading But my whole body is one pain.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But my whole body is one pain.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I cannot stand on my legs any more.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading I am going away to-morrow evening, I with my tremendous memory.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Whatever may happen, whatever tragedies may be reserved for me in the future, my thought will not be graver or more important when I shall have lived my life with all its weight.
yet to be or coming
From this reading Whatever may happen, whatever tragedies may be reserved for me in the future, my thought will not be graver or more important when I shall have lived my life with all its weight.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading I have given notice.
the act of departing
From this reading I am going away to-morrow evening, I with my tremendous memory.
a tool used by an engraver
From this reading Whatever may happen, whatever tragedies may be reserved for me in the future, my thought will not be graver or more important when I shall have lived my life with all its weight.
come to pass
From this reading Whatever may happen, whatever tragedies may be reserved for me in the future, my thought will not be graver or more important when I shall have lived my life with all its weight.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I have given notice.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I have given notice.
of great significance or value
From this reading Whatever may happen, whatever tragedies may be reserved for me in the future, my thought will not be graver or more important when I shall have lived my life with all its weight.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Whatever may happen, whatever tragedies may be reserved for me in the future, my thought will not be graver or more important when I shall have lived my life with all its weight.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But my whole body is one pain.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Whatever may happen, whatever tragedies may be reserved for me in the future, my thought will not be graver or more important when I shall have lived my life with all its weight.
staying power
From this reading I cannot stand on my legs any more.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Whatever may happen, whatever tragedies may be reserved for me in the future, my thought will not be graver or more important when I shall have lived my life with all its weight.
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading Whatever may happen, whatever tragedies may be reserved for me in the future, my thought will not be graver or more important when I shall have lived my life with all its weight.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading Whatever may happen, whatever tragedies may be reserved for me in the future, my thought will not be graver or more important when I shall have lived my life with all its weight.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Whatever may happen, whatever tragedies may be reserved for me in the future, my thought will not be graver or more important when I shall have lived my life with all its weight.
The faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information and knowledge.
From this reading I am going away to-morrow evening, I with my tremendous memory.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Whatever may happen, whatever tragedies may be reserved for me in the future, my thought will not be graver or more important when I shall have lived my life with all its weight.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I am going away to-morrow evening, I with my tremendous memory.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Whatever may happen, whatever tragedies may be reserved for me in the future, my thought will not be graver or more important when I shall have lived my life with all its weight.
an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading I have given notice.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I cannot stand on my legs any more.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading But my whole body is one pain.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Whatever may happen, whatever tragedies may be reserved for me in the future, my thought will not be graver or more important when I shall have lived my life with all its weight.
a symptom of some physical hurt or disorder
From this reading But my whole body is one pain.
set aside for the use of a particular person or party
From this reading Whatever may happen, whatever tragedies may be reserved for me in the future, my thought will not be graver or more important when I shall have lived my life with all its weight.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading Whatever may happen, whatever tragedies may be reserved for me in the future, my thought will not be graver or more important when I shall have lived my life with all its weight.
be standing; be upright
From this reading I cannot stand on my legs any more.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Whatever may happen, whatever tragedies may be reserved for me in the future, my thought will not be graver or more important when I shall have lived my life with all its weight.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Whatever may happen, whatever tragedies may be reserved for me in the future, my thought will not be graver or more important when I shall have lived my life with all its weight.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I am going away to-morrow evening, I with my tremendous memory.
plural of “tragedy” — an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading Whatever may happen, whatever tragedies may be reserved for me in the future, my thought will not be graver or more important when I shall have lived my life with all its weight.
extraordinarily large in size or extent or amount or power or degree
From this reading I am going away to-morrow evening, I with my tremendous memory.
the vertical force exerted by a mass as a result of gravity
From this reading Whatever may happen, whatever tragedies may be reserved for me in the future, my thought will not be graver or more important when I shall have lived my life with all its weight.
any or all of a kind, it does not matter which
From this reading Whatever may happen, whatever tragedies may be reserved for me in the future, my thought will not be graver or more important when I shall have lived my life with all its weight.
at the time that
From this reading Whatever may happen, whatever tragedies may be reserved for me in the future, my thought will not be graver or more important when I shall have lived my life with all its weight.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading But my whole body is one pain.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Whatever may happen, whatever tragedies may be reserved for me in the future, my thought will not be graver or more important when I shall have lived my life with all its weight.
in the company of; together with
From this reading I am going away to-morrow evening, I with my tremendous memory.
Chapter 17 of The Inferno by Henri Barbusse holds 80 sentences, grouped into 16 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 80 sentences of The Inferno, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Inferno by Henri Barbusse exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 80 sentences, grouped into 16 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 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 16 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 Inferno by Henri Barbusse on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3518 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12414 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12414, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 293 minutes of reading across 704 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Inferno section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of The Inferno 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 Inferno, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
