Chapter 16 of The Kentons is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of The Kentons is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I'm sorry I can't, Mr. Breckon. Why don't you ask poppa?" "No, I see now I sha'n't be able. I feel too much, after telling you, as if I had been posing. The reality has gone out of it all.
Chapter 16 of The Kentons is here in full — 183 sentences across 37 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/36 · 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.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading “"No, I see now I sha'n't be able.”
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Why don't you ask poppa?"”
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading “I feel too much, after telling you, as if I had been posing.”
destroyed or killed
From this reading “The reality has gone out of it all.”
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading “I feel too much, after telling you, as if I had been posing.”
all of your experiences that determine how things appear to you
From this reading “The reality has gone out of it all.”
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading “"I'm sorry I can't, Mr. Breckon.”
disclosing unintentionally something concealed
From this reading “I feel too much, after telling you, as if I had been posing.”
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.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading "No, I see now I sha'n't be able.
later than; following
From this reading I feel too much, after telling you, as if I had been posing.
(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 reality has gone out of it all.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I feel too much, after telling you, as if I had been posing.
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Why don't you ask poppa?"
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "No, I see now I sha'n't be able.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading I feel too much, after telling you, as if I had been posing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm sorry I can't, Mr. Breckon.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm sorry I can't, Mr. Breckon.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Why don't you ask poppa?"
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading I feel too much, after telling you, as if I had been posing.
destroyed or killed
From this reading The reality has gone out of it all.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I feel too much, after telling you, as if I had been posing.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The reality has gone out of it all.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I'm sorry I can't, Mr. Breckon.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm sorry I can't, Mr. Breckon.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading I feel too much, after telling you, as if I had been posing.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The reality has gone out of it all.
a form of address for a man
From this reading "I'm sorry I can't, Mr. Breckon.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading I feel too much, after telling you, as if I had been posing.
not any; not one
From this reading "No, I see now I sha'n't be able.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "No, I see now I sha'n't be able.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The reality has gone out of it all.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The reality has gone out of it all.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Why don't you ask poppa?"
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading I feel too much, after telling you, as if I had been posing.
all of your experiences that determine how things appear to you
From this reading The reality has gone out of it all.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "No, I see now I sha'n't be able.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "No, I see now I sha'n't be able.
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading "I'm sorry I can't, Mr. Breckon.
disclosing unintentionally something concealed
From this reading I feel too much, after telling you, as if I had been posing.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The reality has gone out of it all.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading I feel too much, after telling you, as if I had been posing.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why don't you ask poppa?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Why don't you ask poppa?"
Chapter 16 of The Kentons by William Dean Howells holds 183 sentences, grouped into 37 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 183 sentences of The Kentons, unabridged, divided into 37 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of The Kentons by William Dean Howells exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 183 sentences, grouped into 37 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 37 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 37 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 Kentons by William Dean Howells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4483 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3362 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3362, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 373 minutes of reading across 897 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Kentons section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of The Kentons 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 Kentons, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
