Chapter 16 of The Vicar's Daughter is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of The Vicar's Daughter is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MISS CLARE'S HOME. We had now arrived at the passage. The gin-shop was flaring through the fog. A man in a fustian jacket came out of it, and walked slowly down before us, with the clay of the brick-field clinging to him as high as the leather straps with which his trousers were confined, garter-wise, under the knee. The place was quiet.
Chapter 16 of The Vicar's Daughter is here in full — 121 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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.
-ing form of “cling” — come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation
From this reading “A man in a fustian jacket came out of it, and walked slowly down before us, with the clay of the brick-field clinging to him as high as the leather straps with which his trousers were confined, garter-wise, under the knee.”
not invading healthy tissue
From this reading “A man in a fustian jacket came out of it, and walked slowly down before us, with the clay of the brick-field clinging to him as high as the leather straps with which his trousers were confined, garter-wise, under the knee.”
streaming or flapping or spreading wide as if in a current of air
From this reading “The gin-shop was flaring through the fog.”
droplets of water vapor suspended in the air near the ground
From this reading “The gin-shop was flaring through the fog.”
pompous or pretentious talk or writing
From this reading “A man in a fustian jacket came out of it, and walked slowly down before us, with the clay of the brick-field clinging to him as high as the leather straps with which his trousers were confined, garter-wise, under the knee.”
a short coat
From this reading “A man in a fustian jacket came out of it, and walked slowly down before us, with the clay of the brick-field clinging to him as high as the leather straps with which his trousers were confined, garter-wise, under the knee.”
plural of “strap” — an elongated leather strip (or a strip of similar material) for binding things together or holding something in position
From this reading “A man in a fustian jacket came out of it, and walked slowly down before us, with the clay of the brick-field clinging to him as high as the leather straps with which his trousers were confined, garter-wise, under the knee.”
(usually in the plural) a garment extending from the waist to the knee or ankle, covering each leg separately
From this reading “A man in a fustian jacket came out of it, and walked slowly down before us, with the clay of the brick-field clinging to him as high as the leather straps with which his trousers were confined, garter-wise, under the knee.”
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 A man in a fustian jacket came out of it, and walked slowly down before us, with the clay of the brick-field clinging to him as high as the leather straps with which his trousers were confined, garter-wise, under the knee.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A man in a fustian jacket came out of it, and walked slowly down before us, with the clay of the brick-field clinging to him as high as the leather straps with which his trousers were confined, garter-wise, under the knee.
past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading We had now arrived at the passage.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading A man in a fustian jacket came out of it, and walked slowly down before us, with the clay of the brick-field clinging to him as high as the leather straps with which his trousers were confined, garter-wise, under the knee.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading We had now arrived at the passage.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading A man in a fustian jacket came out of it, and walked slowly down before us, with the clay of the brick-field clinging to him as high as the leather straps with which his trousers were confined, garter-wise, under the knee.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A man in a fustian jacket came out of it, and walked slowly down before us, with the clay of the brick-field clinging to him as high as the leather straps with which his trousers were confined, garter-wise, under the knee.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading A man in a fustian jacket came out of it, and walked slowly down before us, with the clay of the brick-field clinging to him as high as the leather straps with which his trousers were confined, garter-wise, under the knee.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MISS CLARE'S HOME.
a very fine-grained soil that is plastic when moist but hard when fired
From this reading A man in a fustian jacket came out of it, and walked slowly down before us, with the clay of the brick-field clinging to him as high as the leather straps with which his trousers were confined, garter-wise, under the knee.
-ing form of “cling” — come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation
From this reading A man in a fustian jacket came out of it, and walked slowly down before us, with the clay of the brick-field clinging to him as high as the leather straps with which his trousers were confined, garter-wise, under the knee.
not invading healthy tissue
From this reading A man in a fustian jacket came out of it, and walked slowly down before us, with the clay of the brick-field clinging to him as high as the leather straps with which his trousers were confined, garter-wise, under the knee.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading A man in a fustian jacket came out of it, and walked slowly down before us, with the clay of the brick-field clinging to him as high as the leather straps with which his trousers were confined, garter-wise, under the knee.
streaming or flapping or spreading wide as if in a current of air
From this reading The gin-shop was flaring through the fog.
droplets of water vapor suspended in the air near the ground
From this reading The gin-shop was flaring through the fog.
pompous or pretentious talk or writing
From this reading A man in a fustian jacket came out of it, and walked slowly down before us, with the clay of the brick-field clinging to him as high as the leather straps with which his trousers were confined, garter-wise, under the knee.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A man in a fustian jacket came out of it, and walked slowly down before us, with the clay of the brick-field clinging to him as high as the leather straps with which his trousers were confined, garter-wise, under the knee.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The gin-shop was flaring through the fog.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading We had now arrived at the passage.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading A man in a fustian jacket came out of it, and walked slowly down before us, with the clay of the brick-field clinging to him as high as the leather straps with which his trousers were confined, garter-wise, under the knee.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A man in a fustian jacket came out of it, and walked slowly down before us, with the clay of the brick-field clinging to him as high as the leather straps with which his trousers were confined, garter-wise, under the knee.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A man in a fustian jacket came out of it, and walked slowly down before us, with the clay of the brick-field clinging to him as high as the leather straps with which his trousers were confined, garter-wise, under the knee.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading MISS CLARE'S HOME.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A man in a fustian jacket came out of it, and walked slowly down before us, with the clay of the brick-field clinging to him as high as the leather straps with which his trousers were confined, garter-wise, under the knee.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading A man in a fustian jacket came out of it, and walked slowly down before us, with the clay of the brick-field clinging to him as high as the leather straps with which his trousers were confined, garter-wise, under the knee.
a short coat
From this reading A man in a fustian jacket came out of it, and walked slowly down before us, with the clay of the brick-field clinging to him as high as the leather straps with which his trousers were confined, garter-wise, under the knee.
hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading A man in a fustian jacket came out of it, and walked slowly down before us, with the clay of the brick-field clinging to him as high as the leather straps with which his trousers were confined, garter-wise, under the knee.
an animal skin made smooth and flexible by removing the hair and then tanning
From this reading A man in a fustian jacket came out of it, and walked slowly down before us, with the clay of the brick-field clinging to him as high as the leather straps with which his trousers were confined, garter-wise, under the knee.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading A man in a fustian jacket came out of it, and walked slowly down before us, with the clay of the brick-field clinging to him as high as the leather straps with which his trousers were confined, garter-wise, under the knee.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading MISS CLARE'S HOME.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading We had now arrived at the passage.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A man in a fustian jacket came out of it, and walked slowly down before us, with the clay of the brick-field clinging to him as high as the leather straps with which his trousers were confined, garter-wise, under the knee.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading A man in a fustian jacket came out of it, and walked slowly down before us, with the clay of the brick-field clinging to him as high as the leather straps with which his trousers were confined, garter-wise, under the knee.
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading We had now arrived at the passage.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading The place was quiet.
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading The place was quiet.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading A man in a fustian jacket came out of it, and walked slowly down before us, with the clay of the brick-field clinging to him as high as the leather straps with which his trousers were confined, garter-wise, under the knee.
plural of “strap” — an elongated leather strip (or a strip of similar material) for binding things together or holding something in position
From this reading A man in a fustian jacket came out of it, and walked slowly down before us, with the clay of the brick-field clinging to him as high as the leather straps with which his trousers were confined, garter-wise, under the knee.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading We had now arrived at the passage.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading The gin-shop was flaring through the fog.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A man in a fustian jacket came out of it, and walked slowly down before us, with the clay of the brick-field clinging to him as high as the leather straps with which his trousers were confined, garter-wise, under the knee.
(usually in the plural) a garment extending from the waist to the knee or ankle, covering each leg separately
From this reading A man in a fustian jacket came out of it, and walked slowly down before us, with the clay of the brick-field clinging to him as high as the leather straps with which his trousers were confined, garter-wise, under the knee.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading A man in a fustian jacket came out of it, and walked slowly down before us, with the clay of the brick-field clinging to him as high as the leather straps with which his trousers were confined, garter-wise, under the knee.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A man in a fustian jacket came out of it, and walked slowly down before us, with the clay of the brick-field clinging to him as high as the leather straps with which his trousers were confined, garter-wise, under the knee.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading A man in a fustian jacket came out of it, and walked slowly down before us, with the clay of the brick-field clinging to him as high as the leather straps with which his trousers were confined, garter-wise, under the knee.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The gin-shop was flaring through the fog.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We had now arrived at the passage.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading A man in a fustian jacket came out of it, and walked slowly down before us, with the clay of the brick-field clinging to him as high as the leather straps with which his trousers were confined, garter-wise, under the knee.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading A man in a fustian jacket came out of it, and walked slowly down before us, with the clay of the brick-field clinging to him as high as the leather straps with which his trousers were confined, garter-wise, under the knee.
in the company of; together with
From this reading A man in a fustian jacket came out of it, and walked slowly down before us, with the clay of the brick-field clinging to him as high as the leather straps with which his trousers were confined, garter-wise, under the knee.
Chapter 16 of The Vicar's Daughter by George MacDonald holds 121 sentences, grouped into 25 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 121 sentences of The Vicar's Daughter, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of The Vicar's Daughter by George MacDonald exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 121 sentences, grouped into 25 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 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 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.
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Yes. All 6502 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9471 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9471, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 541 minutes of reading across 1301 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Vicar's Daughter section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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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 Vicar's Daughter, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
