Chapter 16 of The Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of The Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
But this is of no interest to you: suffice it, you see how I am as usual up to the neck in projects, and really all likely bairns this time. When will this activity cease? Too soon for me, I dare to say. R. L. S. TO JAMES PAYN _February_ 4_th_, 1890, _SS._ ‘_Lübeck_.’
Chapter 16 of The Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 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 process existing in or produced by nature (rather than by the intent of human beings)
From this reading “When will this activity cease?”
put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading “When will this activity cease?”
to be courageous enough to try or do something
From this reading “Too soon for me, I dare to say.”
the month following January and preceding March
United States outlaw who fought as a Confederate soldier and later led a band of outlaws that robbed trains and banks in the West until he was murdered by a member of his own gang (1847-1882)
From this reading “TO JAMES PAYN _February_ 4_th_, 1890, _SS._ ‘_Lübeck_.’”
has a good chance of being the case or of coming about
From this reading “But this is of no interest to you: suffice it, you see how I am as usual up to the neck in projects, and really all likely bairns this time.”
plural of “project” — any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted
From this reading “But this is of no interest to you: suffice it, you see how I am as usual up to the neck in projects, and really all likely bairns this time.”
be sufficient; be adequate, either in quality or quantity
From this reading “But this is of no interest to you: suffice it, you see how I am as usual up to the neck in projects, and really all likely bairns this time.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading TO JAMES PAYN _February_ 4_th_, 1890, _SS._ ‘_Lübeck_.’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading TO JAMES PAYN _February_ 4_th_, 1890, _SS._ ‘_Lübeck_.’
any specific behavior
From this reading When will this activity cease?
(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 But this is of no interest to you: suffice it, you see how I am as usual up to the neck in projects, and really all likely bairns this time.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading But this is of no interest to you: suffice it, you see how I am as usual up to the neck in projects, and really all likely bairns this time.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading But this is of no interest to you: suffice it, you see how I am as usual up to the neck in projects, and really all likely bairns this time.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading But this is of no interest to you: suffice it, you see how I am as usual up to the neck in projects, and really all likely bairns this time.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But this is of no interest to you: suffice it, you see how I am as usual up to the neck in projects, and really all likely bairns this time.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But this is of no interest to you: suffice it, you see how I am as usual up to the neck in projects, and really all likely bairns this time.
put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading When will this activity cease?
take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading Too soon for me, I dare to say.
the month following January and preceding March
From this reading TO JAMES PAYN _February_ 4_th_, 1890, _SS._ ‘_Lübeck_.’
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Too soon for me, I dare to say.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But this is of no interest to you: suffice it, you see how I am as usual up to the neck in projects, and really all likely bairns this time.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading But this is of no interest to you: suffice it, you see how I am as usual up to the neck in projects, and really all likely bairns this time.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading But this is of no interest to you: suffice it, you see how I am as usual up to the neck in projects, and really all likely bairns this time.
a sense of concern with and curiosity about someone or something
From this reading But this is of no interest to you: suffice it, you see how I am as usual up to the neck in projects, and really all likely bairns this time.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But this is of no interest to you: suffice it, you see how I am as usual up to the neck in projects, and really all likely bairns this time.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading But this is of no interest to you: suffice it, you see how I am as usual up to the neck in projects, and really all likely bairns this time.
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading TO JAMES PAYN _February_ 4_th_, 1890, _SS._ ‘_Lübeck_.’
a metric unit of capacity, formerly defined as the volume of one kilogram of pure water under standard conditions; now equal to 1,000 cubic centimeters (or approximately 1.75 pints)
From this reading R. L. S.
has a good chance of being the case or of coming about
From this reading But this is of no interest to you: suffice it, you see how I am as usual up to the neck in projects, and really all likely bairns this time.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading TO JAMES PAYN _February_ 4_th_, 1890, _SS._ ‘_Lübeck_.’
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Too soon for me, I dare to say.
the part of an organism (human or animal) that connects the head to the rest of the body
From this reading But this is of no interest to you: suffice it, you see how I am as usual up to the neck in projects, and really all likely bairns this time.
not any; not one
From this reading But this is of no interest to you: suffice it, you see how I am as usual up to the neck in projects, and really all likely bairns this time.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading But this is of no interest to you: suffice it, you see how I am as usual up to the neck in projects, and really all likely bairns this time.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading TO JAMES PAYN _February_ 4_th_, 1890, _SS._ ‘_Lübeck_.’
plural of “project” — any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted
From this reading But this is of no interest to you: suffice it, you see how I am as usual up to the neck in projects, and really all likely bairns this time.
a unit of radiation exposure; the dose of ionizing radiation that will produce 1 electrostatic unit of electricity in 1 cc of dry air
From this reading R. L. S.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading But this is of no interest to you: suffice it, you see how I am as usual up to the neck in projects, and really all likely bairns this time.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading R. L. S.
express in words
From this reading Too soon for me, I dare to say.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading But this is of no interest to you: suffice it, you see how I am as usual up to the neck in projects, and really all likely bairns this time.
in the near future
From this reading Too soon for me, I dare to say.
the United States intelligence agency that protects current and former presidents and vice presidents and their immediate families and protects distinguished foreign visitors
From this reading TO JAMES PAYN _February_ 4_th_, 1890, _SS._ ‘_Lübeck_.’
be sufficient; be adequate, either in quality or quantity
From this reading But this is of no interest to you: suffice it, you see how I am as usual up to the neck in projects, and really all likely bairns this time.
the fifth day of the week; the fourth working day
From this reading TO JAMES PAYN _February_ 4_th_, 1890, _SS._ ‘_Lübeck_.’
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But this is of no interest to you: suffice it, you see how I am as usual up to the neck in projects, and really all likely bairns this time.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading But this is of no interest to you: suffice it, you see how I am as usual up to the neck in projects, and really all likely bairns this time.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading But this is of no interest to you: suffice it, you see how I am as usual up to the neck in projects, and really all likely bairns this time.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But this is of no interest to you: suffice it, you see how I am as usual up to the neck in projects, and really all likely bairns this time.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Too soon for me, I dare to say.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading But this is of no interest to you: suffice it, you see how I am as usual up to the neck in projects, and really all likely bairns this time.
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading But this is of no interest to you: suffice it, you see how I am as usual up to the neck in projects, and really all likely bairns this time.
at the time that
From this reading When will this activity cease?
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading When will this activity cease?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading But this is of no interest to you: suffice it, you see how I am as usual up to the neck in projects, and really all likely bairns this time.
Chapter 16 of The Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson by Robert Louis Stevenson holds 177 sentences, grouped into 36 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 177 sentences of The Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of The Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson by Robert Louis Stevenson exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 177 sentences, grouped into 36 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 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 36 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 Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson by Robert Louis Stevenson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5117 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #637 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #637, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 426 minutes of reading across 1024 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of The Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson 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 Letters of Robert Louis Stevenson, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
