Chapter 16 of The Root of All Evil is here in full — 186 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of The Root of All Evil is here in full — 186 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Coal_ Mortimer threw down his cap, and dropped into the easy chair which he had come to look upon as his own special reservation. He rubbed his hands together in sign of high satisfaction. "Smart woman," he exclaimed admiringly. "Excellent! Excellent!
Chapter 16 of The Root of All Evil is here in full — 186 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/37 · 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.
with admiration
From this reading “"Smart woman," he exclaimed admiringly.”
a tight-fitting headdress
From this reading “_Coal_ Mortimer threw down his cap, and dropped into the easy chair which he had come to look upon as his own special reservation.”
fossil fuel consisting of carbonized vegetable matter deposited in the Carboniferous period
English nobleman who deposed Edward II and was executed by Edward III (1287-1330)
From this reading “_Coal_ Mortimer threw down his cap, and dropped into the easy chair which he had come to look upon as his own special reservation.”
a district that is reserved for particular purpose
From this reading “_Coal_ Mortimer threw down his cap, and dropped into the easy chair which he had come to look upon as his own special reservation.”
inflected form of “rub” — move over something with pressure
From this reading “He rubbed his hands together in sign of high satisfaction.”
showing mental alertness and calculation and resourcefulness
From this reading “"Smart woman," he exclaimed admiringly.”
unique or specific to a person or thing or category
From this reading “_Coal_ Mortimer threw down his cap, and dropped into the easy chair which he had come to look upon as his own special reservation.”
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.
a comfortable upholstered armchair
In this reading “_Coal_ Mortimer threw down his cap, and dropped into the easy chair which he had come to look upon as his own special reservation.”
In this reading “_Coal_ Mortimer threw down his cap, and dropped into the easy chair which he had come to look upon as his own special reservation.”
In this reading “_Coal_ Mortimer threw down his cap, and dropped into the easy chair which he had come to look upon as his own special reservation.”
look on as or consider
In this reading “_Coal_ Mortimer threw down his cap, and dropped into the easy chair which he had come to look upon as his own special reservation.”
In this reading “_Coal_ Mortimer threw down his cap, and dropped into the easy chair which he had come to look upon as his own special reservation.”
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.
with admiration
From this reading "Smart woman," he exclaimed admiringly.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading _Coal_ Mortimer threw down his cap, and dropped into the easy chair which he had come to look upon as his own special reservation.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading _Coal_ Mortimer threw down his cap, and dropped into the easy chair which he had come to look upon as his own special reservation.
a tight-fitting headdress
From this reading _Coal_ Mortimer threw down his cap, and dropped into the easy chair which he had come to look upon as his own special reservation.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading _Coal_ Mortimer threw down his cap, and dropped into the easy chair which he had come to look upon as his own special reservation.
fossil fuel consisting of carbonized vegetable matter deposited in the Carboniferous period
From this reading _Coal_ Mortimer threw down his cap, and dropped into the easy chair which he had come to look upon as his own special reservation.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading _Coal_ Mortimer threw down his cap, and dropped into the easy chair which he had come to look upon as his own special reservation.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading _Coal_ Mortimer threw down his cap, and dropped into the easy chair which he had come to look upon as his own special reservation.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading _Coal_ Mortimer threw down his cap, and dropped into the easy chair which he had come to look upon as his own special reservation.
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading _Coal_ Mortimer threw down his cap, and dropped into the easy chair which he had come to look upon as his own special reservation.
very good; of the highest quality
From this reading "Excellent!
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading "Smart woman," he exclaimed admiringly.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading _Coal_ Mortimer threw down his cap, and dropped into the easy chair which he had come to look upon as his own special reservation.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading He rubbed his hands together in sign of high satisfaction.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading _Coal_ Mortimer threw down his cap, and dropped into the easy chair which he had come to look upon as his own special reservation.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading He rubbed his hands together in sign of high satisfaction.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading _Coal_ Mortimer threw down his cap, and dropped into the easy chair which he had come to look upon as his own special reservation.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He rubbed his hands together in sign of high satisfaction.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading _Coal_ Mortimer threw down his cap, and dropped into the easy chair which he had come to look upon as his own special reservation.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading _Coal_ Mortimer threw down his cap, and dropped into the easy chair which he had come to look upon as his own special reservation.
English nobleman who deposed Edward II and was executed by Edward III (1287-1330)
From this reading _Coal_ Mortimer threw down his cap, and dropped into the easy chair which he had come to look upon as his own special reservation.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He rubbed his hands together in sign of high satisfaction.
have ownership or possession of
From this reading _Coal_ Mortimer threw down his cap, and dropped into the easy chair which he had come to look upon as his own special reservation.
a district that is reserved for particular purpose
From this reading _Coal_ Mortimer threw down his cap, and dropped into the easy chair which he had come to look upon as his own special reservation.
inflected form of “rub” — move over something with pressure
From this reading He rubbed his hands together in sign of high satisfaction.
the contentment one feels when one has fulfilled a desire, need, or expectation
From this reading He rubbed his hands together in sign of high satisfaction.
a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading He rubbed his hands together in sign of high satisfaction.
showing mental alertness and calculation and resourcefulness
From this reading "Smart woman," he exclaimed admiringly.
unique or specific to a person or thing or category
From this reading _Coal_ Mortimer threw down his cap, and dropped into the easy chair which he had come to look upon as his own special reservation.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _Coal_ Mortimer threw down his cap, and dropped into the easy chair which he had come to look upon as his own special reservation.
inflected form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading _Coal_ Mortimer threw down his cap, and dropped into the easy chair which he had come to look upon as his own special reservation.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading _Coal_ Mortimer threw down his cap, and dropped into the easy chair which he had come to look upon as his own special reservation.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading He rubbed his hands together in sign of high satisfaction.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading _Coal_ Mortimer threw down his cap, and dropped into the easy chair which he had come to look upon as his own special reservation.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading _Coal_ Mortimer threw down his cap, and dropped into the easy chair which he had come to look upon as his own special reservation.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading "Smart woman," he exclaimed admiringly.
Chapter 16 of The Root of All Evil by J. S. (Joseph Smith) Fletcher holds 186 sentences, grouped into 38 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 16 holds 186 sentences of The Root of All Evil, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of The Root of All Evil by J. S. (Joseph Smith) Fletcher exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 186 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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 Root of All Evil by J. S. (Joseph Smith) Fletcher on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4404 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40603 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40603, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 367 minutes of reading across 881 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Root of All Evil section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Root of All Evil 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 Root of All Evil, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
