Chapter 16 of The Town Traveller is here in full — 251 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of The Town Traveller is here in full — 251 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
POLLY SHOWS WEAKNESS It was spoken with quiet confidence. Gammon smiled as he looked steadily into the pale, thin face, which at once grew mottled with a disturbance of the blood. "You are making a mistake, sir," replied an indistinct voice, with an effort at dignity. "Oh, no, not a bit of it. Not now I've heard you speak, Mr. Clover."
Chapter 16 of The Town Traveller is here in full — 251 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/50 · 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 plant of the genus Trifolium
From this reading “Not now I've heard you speak, Mr. Clover."”
activity that is a malfunction, intrusion, or interruption
From this reading “Gammon smiled as he looked steadily into the pale, thin face, which at once grew mottled with a disturbance of the blood.”
meat cut from the thigh of a hog (usually smoked)
From this reading “Gammon smiled as he looked steadily into the pale, thin face, which at once grew mottled with a disturbance of the blood.”
not clearly defined or easy to perceive or understand
From this reading “"You are making a mistake, sir," replied an indistinct voice, with an effort at dignity.”
having spots or patches of color
From this reading “Gammon smiled as he looked steadily into the pale, thin face, which at once grew mottled with a disturbance of the blood.”
plural of “show” — the act of publicly exhibiting or entertaining
From this reading “POLLY SHOWS WEAKNESS It was spoken with quiet confidence.”
at a steady rate or pace
From this reading “Gammon smiled as he looked steadily into the pale, thin face, which at once grew mottled with a disturbance of the blood.”
a flaw or weak point
From this reading “POLLY SHOWS WEAKNESS It was spoken with quiet confidence.”
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 Gammon smiled as he looked steadily into the pale, thin face, which at once grew mottled with a disturbance of the blood.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "You are making a mistake, sir," replied an indistinct voice, with an effort at dignity.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "You are making a mistake, sir," replied an indistinct voice, with an effort at dignity.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Gammon smiled as he looked steadily into the pale, thin face, which at once grew mottled with a disturbance of the blood.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Gammon smiled as he looked steadily into the pale, thin face, which at once grew mottled with a disturbance of the blood.
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading "Oh, no, not a bit of it.
The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.
From this reading Gammon smiled as he looked steadily into the pale, thin face, which at once grew mottled with a disturbance of the blood.
a plant of the genus Trifolium
From this reading Not now I've heard you speak, Mr. Clover."
freedom from doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities
From this reading POLLY SHOWS WEAKNESS It was spoken with quiet confidence.
the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect
From this reading "You are making a mistake, sir," replied an indistinct voice, with an effort at dignity.
activity that is a malfunction, intrusion, or interruption
From this reading Gammon smiled as he looked steadily into the pale, thin face, which at once grew mottled with a disturbance of the blood.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading "You are making a mistake, sir," replied an indistinct voice, with an effort at dignity.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Gammon smiled as he looked steadily into the pale, thin face, which at once grew mottled with a disturbance of the blood.
meat cut from the thigh of a hog (usually smoked)
From this reading Gammon smiled as he looked steadily into the pale, thin face, which at once grew mottled with a disturbance of the blood.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading Gammon smiled as he looked steadily into the pale, thin face, which at once grew mottled with a disturbance of the blood.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Gammon smiled as he looked steadily into the pale, thin face, which at once grew mottled with a disturbance of the blood.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Not now I've heard you speak, Mr. Clover."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Not now I've heard you speak, Mr. Clover."
not clearly defined or easy to perceive or understand
From this reading "You are making a mistake, sir," replied an indistinct voice, with an effort at dignity.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Gammon smiled as he looked steadily into the pale, thin face, which at once grew mottled with a disturbance of the blood.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading POLLY SHOWS WEAKNESS It was spoken with quiet confidence.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Gammon smiled as he looked steadily into the pale, thin face, which at once grew mottled with a disturbance of the blood.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading "You are making a mistake, sir," replied an indistinct voice, with an effort at dignity.
a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading "You are making a mistake, sir," replied an indistinct voice, with an effort at dignity.
having spots or patches of color
From this reading Gammon smiled as he looked steadily into the pale, thin face, which at once grew mottled with a disturbance of the blood.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Not now I've heard you speak, Mr. Clover."
not any; not one
From this reading "Oh, no, not a bit of it.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Oh, no, not a bit of it.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Not now I've heard you speak, Mr. Clover."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Gammon smiled as he looked steadily into the pale, thin face, which at once grew mottled with a disturbance of the blood.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, no, not a bit of it.
on one occasion
From this reading Gammon smiled as he looked steadily into the pale, thin face, which at once grew mottled with a disturbance of the blood.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading Gammon smiled as he looked steadily into the pale, thin face, which at once grew mottled with a disturbance of the blood.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading POLLY SHOWS WEAKNESS It was spoken with quiet confidence.
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading POLLY SHOWS WEAKNESS It was spoken with quiet confidence.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "You are making a mistake, sir," replied an indistinct voice, with an effort at dignity.
plural of “show” — the act of publicly exhibiting or entertaining
From this reading POLLY SHOWS WEAKNESS It was spoken with quiet confidence.
term of address for a man
From this reading "You are making a mistake, sir," replied an indistinct voice, with an effort at dignity.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading Gammon smiled as he looked steadily into the pale, thin face, which at once grew mottled with a disturbance of the blood.
express in speech
From this reading Not now I've heard you speak, Mr. Clover."
uttered through the medium of speech or characterized by speech; sometimes used in combination
From this reading POLLY SHOWS WEAKNESS It was spoken with quiet confidence.
at a steady rate or pace
From this reading Gammon smiled as he looked steadily into the pale, thin face, which at once grew mottled with a disturbance of the blood.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Gammon smiled as he looked steadily into the pale, thin face, which at once grew mottled with a disturbance of the blood.
Having little thickness or extent.
From this reading Gammon smiled as he looked steadily into the pale, thin face, which at once grew mottled with a disturbance of the blood.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading "You are making a mistake, sir," replied an indistinct voice, with an effort at dignity.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading POLLY SHOWS WEAKNESS It was spoken with quiet confidence.
a flaw or weak point
From this reading POLLY SHOWS WEAKNESS It was spoken with quiet confidence.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Gammon smiled as he looked steadily into the pale, thin face, which at once grew mottled with a disturbance of the blood.
in the company of; together with
From this reading POLLY SHOWS WEAKNESS It was spoken with quiet confidence.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You are making a mistake, sir," replied an indistinct voice, with an effort at dignity.
Chapter 16 of The Town Traveller by George Gissing holds 251 sentences, grouped into 51 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 251 sentences of The Town Traveller, unabridged, divided into 51 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of The Town Traveller by George Gissing exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 251 sentences, grouped into 51 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 51 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 51 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 Town Traveller by George Gissing on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4522 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4308 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4308, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 376 minutes of reading across 905 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Town Traveller section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Town Traveller 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 Town Traveller, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
