Chapter 16 of The Tragic Comedians — Complete is here in full — 77 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of The Tragic Comedians — Complete is here in full — 77 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Then he found himself saying: 'At the age I touch!'... At the age of forty, men that love love rootedly. If the love is plucked from them, the life goes with it. He backed on his physical pride, a stout bulwark. His forty years--the forty, the fifty, the sixty of Alvan, matched the twenties and thirties of other men.
Chapter 16 of The Tragic Comedians — Complete is here in full — 77 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/15 · 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.
having a back or backing, usually of a specified type
From this reading “He backed on his physical pride, a stout bulwark.”
an embankment built around a space for defensive purposes
From this reading “He backed on his physical pride, a stout bulwark.”
provided with a worthy adversary or competitor
From this reading “His forty years--the forty, the fifty, the sixty of Alvan, matched the twenties and thirties of other men.”
of a stringed instrument; sounded with the fingers or a plectrum
From this reading “If the love is plucked from them, the life goes with it.”
being ten more than fifty
From this reading “His forty years--the forty, the fifty, the sixty of Alvan, matched the twenties and thirties of other men.”
dependable
From this reading “He backed on his physical pride, a stout bulwark.”
the time of life between 30 and 40
From this reading “His forty years--the forty, the fifty, the sixty of Alvan, matched the twenties and thirties of other men.”
the time of life between 20 and 30
From this reading “His forty years--the forty, the fifty, the sixty of Alvan, matched the twenties and thirties of other men.”
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 He backed on his physical pride, a stout bulwark.
how long something has existed
From this reading Then he found himself saying: 'At the age I touch!'...
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His forty years--the forty, the fifty, the sixty of Alvan, matched the twenties and thirties of other men.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading His forty years--the forty, the fifty, the sixty of Alvan, matched the twenties and thirties of other men.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Then he found himself saying: 'At the age I touch!'...
having a back or backing, usually of a specified type
From this reading He backed on his physical pride, a stout bulwark.
an embankment built around a space for defensive purposes
From this reading He backed on his physical pride, a stout bulwark.
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and five
From this reading His forty years--the forty, the fifty, the sixty of Alvan, matched the twenties and thirties of other men.
being ten more than thirty
From this reading At the age of forty, men that love love rootedly.
set up or found
From this reading Then he found himself saying: 'At the age I touch!'...
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading If the love is plucked from them, the life goes with it.
plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)
From this reading If the love is plucked from them, the life goes with it.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then he found himself saying: 'At the age I touch!'...
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Then he found himself saying: 'At the age I touch!'...
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He backed on his physical pride, a stout bulwark.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Then he found himself saying: 'At the age I touch!'...
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If the love is plucked from them, the life goes with it.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading If the love is plucked from them, the life goes with it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading If the love is plucked from them, the life goes with it.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading If the love is plucked from them, the life goes with it.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading At the age of forty, men that love love rootedly.
provided with a worthy adversary or competitor
From this reading His forty years--the forty, the fifty, the sixty of Alvan, matched the twenties and thirties of other men.
the force of workers available
From this reading At the age of forty, men that love love rootedly.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading At the age of forty, men that love love rootedly.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He backed on his physical pride, a stout bulwark.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading His forty years--the forty, the fifty, the sixty of Alvan, matched the twenties and thirties of other men.
involving the body as distinguished from the mind or spirit
From this reading He backed on his physical pride, a stout bulwark.
of a stringed instrument; sounded with the fingers or a plectrum
From this reading If the love is plucked from them, the life goes with it.
a feeling of self-respect and personal worth
From this reading He backed on his physical pride, a stout bulwark.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At the age of forty, men that love love rootedly.
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading Then he found himself saying: 'At the age I touch!'...
being ten more than fifty
From this reading His forty years--the forty, the fifty, the sixty of Alvan, matched the twenties and thirties of other men.
dependable
From this reading He backed on his physical pride, a stout bulwark.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading At the age of forty, men that love love rootedly.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Then he found himself saying: 'At the age I touch!'...
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading If the love is plucked from them, the life goes with it.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then he found himself saying: 'At the age I touch!'...
the time of life between 30 and 40
From this reading His forty years--the forty, the fifty, the sixty of Alvan, matched the twenties and thirties of other men.
make physical contact with, come in contact with
From this reading Then he found himself saying: 'At the age I touch!'...
the time of life between 20 and 30
From this reading His forty years--the forty, the fifty, the sixty of Alvan, matched the twenties and thirties of other men.
in the company of; together with
From this reading If the love is plucked from them, the life goes with it.
a late time of life
From this reading His forty years--the forty, the fifty, the sixty of Alvan, matched the twenties and thirties of other men.
Chapter 16 of The Tragic Comedians — Complete by George Meredith holds 77 sentences, grouped into 16 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 77 sentences of The Tragic Comedians — Complete, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of The Tragic Comedians — Complete by George Meredith exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 77 sentences, grouped into 16 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 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 16 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 Tragic Comedians — Complete by George Meredith on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3250 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4464 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4464, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 270 minutes of reading across 650 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Tragic Comedians — Complete section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of The Tragic Comedians — Complete 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 Tragic Comedians — Complete, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
