Chapter 16 of The Swindler and Other Stories 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 XVI
Chapter 16 of The Swindler and Other Stories is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
She raised her eyes suddenly and gave him a straight, serious look. "Are you trying to be complimentary, Knight Errant? Because--don't!" Rivington blew a cloud of smoke into the air. "Shouldn't dream of it," he said imperturbably.
Chapter 16 of The Swindler and Other Stories 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.
inflected form of “blow” — exhale hard
From this reading “Rivington blew a cloud of smoke into the air.”
make overcast or cloudy
From this reading “Rivington blew a cloud of smoke into the air.”
conveying or resembling a compliment
From this reading “"Are you trying to be complimentary, Knight Errant?”
A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.
From this reading “"Shouldn't dream of it," he said imperturbably.”
straying from the right course or from accepted standards
From this reading “"Are you trying to be complimentary, Knight Errant?”
originally a person of noble birth trained to arms and chivalry; today in Great Britain a person honored by the sovereign for personal merit
From this reading “"Are you trying to be complimentary, Knight Errant?”
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading “She raised her eyes suddenly and gave him a straight, serious look.”
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading “Rivington blew a cloud of smoke into the air.”
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 before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading She raised her eyes suddenly and gave him a straight, serious look.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading Rivington blew a cloud of smoke into the air.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She raised her eyes suddenly and gave him a straight, serious look.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Are you trying to be complimentary, Knight Errant?
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Are you trying to be complimentary, Knight Errant?
for the reason that
From this reading Because--don't!"
inflected form of “blow” — exhale hard
From this reading Rivington blew a cloud of smoke into the air.
make overcast or cloudy
From this reading Rivington blew a cloud of smoke into the air.
conveying or resembling a compliment
From this reading "Are you trying to be complimentary, Knight Errant?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Because--don't!"
A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.
From this reading "Shouldn't dream of it," he said imperturbably.
straying from the right course or from accepted standards
From this reading "Are you trying to be complimentary, Knight Errant?
opinion or judgment
From this reading She raised her eyes suddenly and gave him a straight, serious look.
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading She raised her eyes suddenly and gave him a straight, serious look.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Shouldn't dream of it," he said imperturbably.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She raised her eyes suddenly and gave him a straight, serious look.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She raised her eyes suddenly and gave him a straight, serious look.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Shouldn't dream of it," he said imperturbably.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Rivington blew a cloud of smoke into the air.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Shouldn't dream of it," he said imperturbably.
originally a person of noble birth trained to arms and chivalry; today in Great Britain a person honored by the sovereign for personal merit
From this reading "Are you trying to be complimentary, Knight Errant?
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading She raised her eyes suddenly and gave him a straight, serious look.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Rivington blew a cloud of smoke into the air.
located or moved above the surround or above the normal position
From this reading She raised her eyes suddenly and gave him a straight, serious look.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Rivington blew a cloud of smoke into the air.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Shouldn't dream of it," he said imperturbably.
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading She raised her eyes suddenly and gave him a straight, serious look.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She raised her eyes suddenly and gave him a straight, serious look.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Shouldn't dream of it," he said imperturbably.
a cloud of fine particles suspended in a gas
From this reading Rivington blew a cloud of smoke into the air.
successive (without a break)
From this reading She raised her eyes suddenly and gave him a straight, serious look.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading She raised her eyes suddenly and gave him a straight, serious look.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Rivington blew a cloud of smoke into the air.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Are you trying to be complimentary, Knight Errant?
hard to endure
From this reading "Are you trying to be complimentary, Knight Errant?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Are you trying to be complimentary, Knight Errant?
Chapter 16 of The Swindler and Other Stories by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell holds 402 sentences, grouped into 81 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 402 sentences of The Swindler and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of The Swindler and Other Stories by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell exactly as it stands in the 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 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 Swindler and Other Stories by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8523 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18644 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18644, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1705 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Swindler and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of The Swindler and Other Stories 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 Swindler and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
