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The Life of James McNeill Whistler
The Life of James McNeill Whistler

Chapter XVII

Chapter 17 of The Life of James McNeill Whistler is here in full — 381 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Elizabeth Robins Pennell • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The Life of James McNeill Whistler
Context Illustration Reading 1/76 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
EIGHTY-FOUR TO EIGHTEEN EIGHTY-SIX.
In the autumn of 1884, Whistler joined the Society of British Artists.
Years later, when a British Artist was dining with us, Whistler came in.
"A delightful evening," he said, towards midnight, the British Artist having gone, "but what was it for the British Artist sitting there, face to face with his late President?"
And then, he told us how he became connected with the Society:
0:00 / 0:00
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Life of James McNeill Whistler

Chapter XVII

Chapter 17 of The Life of James McNeill Whistler is here in full — 381 sentences across 77 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/76 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
EIGHTY-FOUR TO EIGHTEEN EIGHTY-SIX.
Line 2
In the autumn of 1884, Whistler joined the Society of British Artists.
Line 3
Years later, when a British Artist was dining with us, Whistler came in.
/jɪrz ˈleɪtər wen ə ˈbrɪtɪʃ ˈɑːrtəst wɑːz ˈdaɪnɪŋ wɪð ʌs ˈwɪslər keɪm ɪn/
Line 4
"A delightful evening," he said, towards midnight, the British Artist having gone, "but what was it for the British Artist sitting there, face to face with his late President?"
/ə dɪˈlaɪtfəl ˈiːvnɪŋ hiː sed təˈwɔːrdz ˈmɪdnaɪt ðə ˈbrɪtɪʃ ˈɑːrtəst ˈhævɪŋ ɡɔːn bʌt wʌt wɑːz ɪt fɔːr ðə ˈbrɪtɪʃ ˈɑːrtəst ˈsɪtɪŋ ðer feɪs tuː feɪs wɪð hɪz leɪt ˈprezədent/
Line 5
And then, he told us how he became connected with the Society:

Learner Dictionary

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.

Artist noun US /ˈɑːrtəst/

a person whose creative work shows sensitivity and imagination

From this reading “Years later, when a British Artist was dining with us, Whistler came in.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Artists noun US /ˈɑːrtɪsts/

plural of “artist” — a person whose creative work shows sensitivity and imagination

From this reading “In the autumn of 1884, Whistler joined the Society of British Artists.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
autumn noun US /ˈɔːtəm/

the season when the leaves fall from the trees

From this reading “In the autumn of 1884, Whistler joined the Society of British Artists.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
connected adjective US /kəˈnektɪd/

being joined in close association

From this reading “And then, he told us how he became connected with the Society:”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
dining noun US /ˈdaɪnɪŋ/

the act of eating dinner

From this reading “Years later, when a British Artist was dining with us, Whistler came in.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
eighteen adjective US /eɪˈtiːn/

being one more than seventeen

From this reading “EIGHTY-FOUR TO EIGHTEEN EIGHTY-SIX.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
President noun US /ˈprezədent/

an executive officer of a firm or corporation

From this reading “"A delightful evening," he said, towards midnight, the British Artist having gone, "but what was it for the British Artist sitting there, face to face with his late President?"”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Whistler noun US /ˈwɪslər/

United States painter (1834-1903)

From this reading “In the autumn of 1884, Whistler joined the Society of British Artists.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

towards midnight preposition + noun

In this reading “"A delightful evening," he said, towards midnight, the British Artist having gone, "but what was it for the British Artist sitting there, face to face with his late President?"”

462 times in 426,211 chapters
delightful evening adjective + noun

In this reading “"A delightful evening," he said, towards midnight, the British Artist having gone, "but what was it for the British Artist sitting there, face to face with his late President?"”

386 times in 426,211 chapters
In the autumn preposition + article + noun counted as “in … autumn”

In this reading “In the autumn of 1884, Whistler joined the Society of British Artists.”

3,675 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 48

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.

1884

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading In the autumn of 1884, Whistler joined the Society of British Artists.

Pending verification
adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Years later, when a British Artist was dining with us, Whistler came in.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading And then, he told us how he became connected with the Society:

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ArtistnounUS /ˈɑːrtəst/

a person whose creative work shows sensitivity and imagination

From this reading Years later, when a British Artist was dining with us, Whistler came in.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ArtistsnounUS /ˈɑːrtɪsts/

plural of “artist” — a person whose creative work shows sensitivity and imagination

From this reading In the autumn of 1884, Whistler joined the Society of British Artists.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
autumnnounUS /ˈɔːtəm/

the season when the leaves fall from the trees

From this reading In the autumn of 1884, Whistler joined the Society of British Artists.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
becameverbUS /bɪˈkeɪm/

inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition

From this reading And then, he told us how he became connected with the Society:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
BritishnounUS /ˈbrɪtɪʃ/

the people of Great Britain

From this reading In the autumn of 1884, Whistler joined the Society of British Artists.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading "A delightful evening," he said, towards midnight, the British Artist having gone, "but what was it for the British Artist sitting there, face to face with his late President?"

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading Years later, when a British Artist was dining with us, Whistler came in.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
connectedadjectiveUS /kəˈnektɪd/

being joined in close association

From this reading And then, he told us how he became connected with the Society:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
delightfuladjectiveUS /dɪˈlaɪtfəl/

greatly pleasing or entertaining

From this reading "A delightful evening," he said, towards midnight, the British Artist having gone, "but what was it for the British Artist sitting there, face to face with his late President?"

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
diningnounUS /ˈdaɪnɪŋ/

the act of eating dinner

From this reading Years later, when a British Artist was dining with us, Whistler came in.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
EIGHTEENadjectiveUS /eɪˈtiːn/

being one more than seventeen

From this reading EIGHTY-FOUR TO EIGHTEEN EIGHTY-SIX.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
EIGHTY-FOURadjective

being four more than eighty

From this reading EIGHTY-FOUR TO EIGHTEEN EIGHTY-SIX.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
EIGHTY-SIXadjective

being six more than eighty

From this reading EIGHTY-FOUR TO EIGHTEEN EIGHTY-SIX.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
eveningnounUS /ˈiːvnɪŋ/

the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)

From this reading "A delightful evening," he said, towards midnight, the British Artist having gone, "but what was it for the British Artist sitting there, face to face with his late President?"

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
facenounUS /feɪs/

the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

From this reading "A delightful evening," he said, towards midnight, the British Artist having gone, "but what was it for the British Artist sitting there, face to face with his late President?"

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading "A delightful evening," he said, towards midnight, the British Artist having gone, "but what was it for the British Artist sitting there, face to face with his late President?"

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
goneadjectiveUS /ɡɔːn/

destroyed or killed

From this reading "A delightful evening," he said, towards midnight, the British Artist having gone, "but what was it for the British Artist sitting there, face to face with his late President?"

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/

the -ing form of “have”

From this reading "A delightful evening," he said, towards midnight, the British Artist having gone, "but what was it for the British Artist sitting there, face to face with his late President?"

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "A delightful evening," he said, towards midnight, the British Artist having gone, "but what was it for the British Artist sitting there, face to face with his late President?"

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading "A delightful evening," he said, towards midnight, the British Artist having gone, "but what was it for the British Artist sitting there, face to face with his late President?"

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
how

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading And then, he told us how he became connected with the Society:

Pending verification
InprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading In the autumn of 1884, Whistler joined the Society of British Artists.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading "A delightful evening," he said, towards midnight, the British Artist having gone, "but what was it for the British Artist sitting there, face to face with his late President?"

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
joinedadjectiveUS /dʒɔɪnd/

of or relating to two people who are married to each other

From this reading In the autumn of 1884, Whistler joined the Society of British Artists.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lateadjectiveUS /leɪt/

being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time

From this reading "A delightful evening," he said, towards midnight, the British Artist having gone, "but what was it for the British Artist sitting there, face to face with his late President?"

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lateradverbUS /ˈleɪtər/

happening at a time subsequent to a reference time

From this reading Years later, when a British Artist was dining with us, Whistler came in.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
midnightnounUS /ˈmɪdnaɪt/

12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night

From this reading "A delightful evening," he said, towards midnight, the British Artist having gone, "but what was it for the British Artist sitting there, face to face with his late President?"

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading In the autumn of 1884, Whistler joined the Society of British Artists.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
PresidentnounUS /ˈprezədent/

an executive officer of a firm or corporation

From this reading "A delightful evening," he said, towards midnight, the British Artist having gone, "but what was it for the British Artist sitting there, face to face with his late President?"

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "A delightful evening," he said, towards midnight, the British Artist having gone, "but what was it for the British Artist sitting there, face to face with his late President?"

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sittingnounUS /ˈsɪtɪŋ/

(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)

From this reading "A delightful evening," he said, towards midnight, the British Artist having gone, "but what was it for the British Artist sitting there, face to face with his late President?"

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
SocietynounUS /səˈsaɪəti/

an extended social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization

From this reading In the autumn of 1884, Whistler joined the Society of British Artists.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading In the autumn of 1884, Whistler joined the Society of British Artists.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading And then, he told us how he became connected with the Society:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading "A delightful evening," he said, towards midnight, the British Artist having gone, "but what was it for the British Artist sitting there, face to face with his late President?"

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
TOparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading EIGHTY-FOUR TO EIGHTEEN EIGHTY-SIX.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
toldverbUS /toʊld/

inflected form of “tell” — express in words

From this reading And then, he told us how he became connected with the Society:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
towardsprepositionUS /təˈwɔːrdz/

in the direction of

From this reading "A delightful evening," he said, towards midnight, the British Artist having gone, "but what was it for the British Artist sitting there, face to face with his late President?"

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
uspronounUS /ʌs/

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Years later, when a British Artist was dining with us, Whistler came in.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Years later, when a British Artist was dining with us, Whistler came in.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading "A delightful evening," he said, towards midnight, the British Artist having gone, "but what was it for the British Artist sitting there, face to face with his late President?"

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading Years later, when a British Artist was dining with us, Whistler came in.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
WhistlernounUS /ˈwɪslər/

United States painter (1834-1903)

From this reading In the autumn of 1884, Whistler joined the Society of British Artists.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Years later, when a British Artist was dining with us, Whistler came in.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
YearsnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

From this reading Years later, when a British Artist was dining with us, Whistler came in.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Chapter 17 of The Life of James McNeill Whistler by Elizabeth Robins Pennell holds 381 sentences, grouped into 77 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.

What does chapter 17 of The Life of James McNeill Whistler contain?

Chapter 17 holds 381 sentences of The Life of James McNeill Whistler, unabridged, divided into 77 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 17 of The Life of James McNeill Whistler by Elizabeth Robins Pennell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 381 sentences, grouped into 77 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.

How do I study chapter 17 of The Life of James McNeill Whistler?

Work through the 77 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 77 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.

Can chapter 17 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Life of James McNeill Whistler

Common questions about reading The Life of James McNeill Whistler by Elizabeth Robins Pennell on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Life of James McNeill Whistler?

Yes. All 8629 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #47363 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Life of James McNeill Whistler is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #47363, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Life of James McNeill Whistler take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1726 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Life of James McNeill Whistler section by section

How to work through The Life of James McNeill Whistler section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Life of James McNeill Whistler to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Life of James McNeill Whistler

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Life of James McNeill Whistler, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Italic
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Life of James McNeill Whistler; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Denoted
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Life of James McNeill Whistler; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Underscores
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Life of James McNeill Whistler; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Obvious
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Life of James McNeill Whistler; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.