Chapter 16 of Thrifty Stock, and Other Stories is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of Thrifty Stock, and Other Stories is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Qui vive?” There was, for me, something splendidly symbolic in the scene. For to that challenge, those battered but unconquerable men gave answer with one voice, one word. “Qui vive?” the vidette challenged. And the four answered hoarsely: “France!”
Chapter 16 of Thrifty Stock, and Other Stories is here in full — 409 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
react verbally
From this reading “For to that challenge, those battered but unconquerable men gave answer with one voice, one word.”
damaged by blows or hard usage
From this reading “For to that challenge, those battered but unconquerable men gave answer with one voice, one word.”
take exception to
From this reading “For to that challenge, those battered but unconquerable men gave answer with one voice, one word.”
past form of “challenge” — take exception to
From this reading ““Qui vive?” the vidette challenged.”
a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe
From this reading “And the four answered hoarsely: “France!””
the place where some action occurs
From this reading “There was, for me, something splendidly symbolic in the scene.”
extremely well
From this reading “There was, for me, something splendidly symbolic in the scene.”
relating to or using or proceeding by means of symbols
From this reading “There was, for me, something splendidly symbolic in the scene.”
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.
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And the four answered hoarsely: “France!”
react verbally
From this reading For to that challenge, those battered but unconquerable men gave answer with one voice, one word.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading And the four answered hoarsely: “France!”
damaged by blows or hard usage
From this reading For to that challenge, those battered but unconquerable men gave answer with one voice, one word.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading For to that challenge, those battered but unconquerable men gave answer with one voice, one word.
take exception to
From this reading For to that challenge, those battered but unconquerable men gave answer with one voice, one word.
past form of “challenge” — take exception to
From this reading “Qui vive?” the vidette challenged.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading There was, for me, something splendidly symbolic in the scene.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading And the four answered hoarsely: “France!”
a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe
From this reading And the four answered hoarsely: “France!”
inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading For to that challenge, those battered but unconquerable men gave answer with one voice, one word.
in a hoarse or husky voice
From this reading And the four answered hoarsely: “France!”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading There was, for me, something splendidly symbolic in the scene.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading There was, for me, something splendidly symbolic in the scene.
the force of workers available
From this reading For to that challenge, those battered but unconquerable men gave answer with one voice, one word.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading For to that challenge, those battered but unconquerable men gave answer with one voice, one word.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Qui vive?”
the place where some action occurs
From this reading There was, for me, something splendidly symbolic in the scene.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading There was, for me, something splendidly symbolic in the scene.
extremely well
From this reading There was, for me, something splendidly symbolic in the scene.
relating to or using or proceeding by means of symbols
From this reading There was, for me, something splendidly symbolic in the scene.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading For to that challenge, those battered but unconquerable men gave answer with one voice, one word.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There was, for me, something splendidly symbolic in the scene.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was, for me, something splendidly symbolic in the scene.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading For to that challenge, those battered but unconquerable men gave answer with one voice, one word.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading For to that challenge, those battered but unconquerable men gave answer with one voice, one word.
not capable of being conquered or vanquished or overcome
From this reading For to that challenge, those battered but unconquerable men gave answer with one voice, one word.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Qui vive?” the vidette challenged.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Qui vive?”
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading For to that challenge, those battered but unconquerable men gave answer with one voice, one word.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was, for me, something splendidly symbolic in the scene.
in the company of; together with
From this reading For to that challenge, those battered but unconquerable men gave answer with one voice, one word.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading For to that challenge, those battered but unconquerable men gave answer with one voice, one word.
Chapter 16 of Thrifty Stock, and Other Stories by Ben Ames Williams holds 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 409 sentences of Thrifty Stock, and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of Thrifty Stock, and Other Stories by Ben Ames Williams exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 409 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 Thrifty Stock, and Other Stories by Ben Ames Williams on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6634 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63184 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #63184, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 552 minutes of reading across 1327 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Thrifty Stock, and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Thrifty Stock, 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 Thrifty Stock, and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
