Chapter 17 of The Portygee is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Portygee is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
So the first three weeks of his proposed month's visit passed and the fourth began. And more and more his feelings of dissatisfaction and uneasiness increased. The reasons for those feelings he found hard to define. The Fosdicks were most certainly doing their best to make him comfortable and happy. They were kind--yes, more than kind.
Chapter 17 of The Portygee is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
determine the essential quality of
From this reading “The reasons for those feelings he found hard to define.”
the feeling of being displeased and discontent
From this reading “And more and more his feelings of dissatisfaction and uneasiness increased.”
following the third position; number four in a countable series
From this reading “So the first three weeks of his proposed month's visit passed and the fourth began.”
made greater in size or amount or degree
From this reading “And more and more his feelings of dissatisfaction and uneasiness increased.”
possessive form of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading “So the first three weeks of his proposed month's visit passed and the fourth began.”
past form of “propose” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading “So the first three weeks of his proposed month's visit passed and the fourth began.”
plural of “reason” — a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading “The reasons for those feelings he found hard to define.”
feelings of anxiety that make you tense and irritable
From this reading “And more and more his feelings of dissatisfaction and uneasiness increased.”
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 So the first three weeks of his proposed month's visit passed and the fourth began.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading So the first three weeks of his proposed month's visit passed and the fourth began.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading The Fosdicks were most certainly doing their best to make him comfortable and happy.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading The Fosdicks were most certainly doing their best to make him comfortable and happy.
providing or experiencing physical well-being or relief (“comfy” is informal)
From this reading The Fosdicks were most certainly doing their best to make him comfortable and happy.
determine the essential quality of
From this reading The reasons for those feelings he found hard to define.
the feeling of being displeased and discontent
From this reading And more and more his feelings of dissatisfaction and uneasiness increased.
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading The Fosdicks were most certainly doing their best to make him comfortable and happy.
emotional or moral sensitivity (especially in relation to personal principles or dignity)
From this reading And more and more his feelings of dissatisfaction and uneasiness increased.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading So the first three weeks of his proposed month's visit passed and the fourth began.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The reasons for those feelings he found hard to define.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Fosdicks were most certainly doing their best to make him comfortable and happy.
set up or found
From this reading The reasons for those feelings he found hard to define.
following the third position; number four in a countable series
From this reading So the first three weeks of his proposed month's visit passed and the fourth began.
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading The Fosdicks were most certainly doing their best to make him comfortable and happy.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading The reasons for those feelings he found hard to define.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The reasons for those feelings he found hard to define.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The Fosdicks were most certainly doing their best to make him comfortable and happy.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading So the first three weeks of his proposed month's visit passed and the fourth began.
made greater in size or amount or degree
From this reading And more and more his feelings of dissatisfaction and uneasiness increased.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading They were kind--yes, more than kind.
engage in
From this reading The Fosdicks were most certainly doing their best to make him comfortable and happy.
possessive form of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading So the first three weeks of his proposed month's visit passed and the fourth began.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading And more and more his feelings of dissatisfaction and uneasiness increased.
used to form the superlative
From this reading The Fosdicks were most certainly doing their best to make him comfortable and happy.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading So the first three weeks of his proposed month's visit passed and the fourth began.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading So the first three weeks of his proposed month's visit passed and the fourth began.
past form of “propose” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading So the first three weeks of his proposed month's visit passed and the fourth began.
plural of “reason” — a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading The reasons for those feelings he found hard to define.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So the first three weeks of his proposed month's visit passed and the fourth began.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading They were kind--yes, more than kind.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading So the first three weeks of his proposed month's visit passed and the fourth began.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The Fosdicks were most certainly doing their best to make him comfortable and happy.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were kind--yes, more than kind.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading The reasons for those feelings he found hard to define.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading So the first three weeks of his proposed month's visit passed and the fourth began.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The reasons for those feelings he found hard to define.
feelings of anxiety that make you tense and irritable
From this reading And more and more his feelings of dissatisfaction and uneasiness increased.
go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading So the first three weeks of his proposed month's visit passed and the fourth began.
plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading So the first three weeks of his proposed month's visit passed and the fourth began.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The Fosdicks were most certainly doing their best to make him comfortable and happy.
an affirmative
From this reading They were kind--yes, more than kind.
Chapter 17 of The Portygee by Joseph Crosby Lincoln holds 402 sentences, grouped into 81 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 17 holds 402 sentences of The Portygee, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Portygee by Joseph Crosby Lincoln exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 402 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 Portygee by Joseph Crosby Lincoln on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 10931 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3263 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3263, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2187 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Portygee section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of The Portygee 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 Portygee, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
