Chapter 16 of Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE EMPTY BOTTLE "Great Caesar's grandmother, Jack, why didn't you think of that before?" "I don't know, Bert. It just seemed to come to me as I sat here thinking about it." "Well, it's a good thing you think once in a while." "Why don't you help out then, if you think I don't do enough of it?" asked Jack rather snappily.
Chapter 16 of Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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 glass or plastic vessel used for storing drinks or other liquids; typically cylindrical without handles and with a narrow neck that can be plugged or capped
From this reading “THE EMPTY BOTTLE "Great Caesar's grandmother, Jack, why didn't you think of that before?"”
possessive form of “caesar” — conqueror of Gaul and master of Italy (100-44 BC)
From this reading “THE EMPTY BOTTLE "Great Caesar's grandmother, Jack, why didn't you think of that before?"”
make void or empty of contents
From this reading “THE EMPTY BOTTLE "Great Caesar's grandmother, Jack, why didn't you think of that before?"”
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading “THE EMPTY BOTTLE "Great Caesar's grandmother, Jack, why didn't you think of that before?"”
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading “"Why don't you help out then, if you think I don't do enough of it?" asked Jack rather snappily.”
a small worthless amount
From this reading “THE EMPTY BOTTLE "Great Caesar's grandmother, Jack, why didn't you think of that before?"”
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading “It just seemed to come to me as I sat here thinking about it."”
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading “It just seemed to come to me as I sat here thinking about it."”
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 "Well, it's a good thing you think once in a while."
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading It just seemed to come to me as I sat here thinking about it."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It just seemed to come to me as I sat here thinking about it."
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Why don't you help out then, if you think I don't do enough of it?" asked Jack rather snappily.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading THE EMPTY BOTTLE "Great Caesar's grandmother, Jack, why didn't you think of that before?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't know, Bert.
a glass or plastic vessel used for storing drinks or other liquids; typically cylindrical without handles and with a narrow neck that can be plugged or capped
From this reading THE EMPTY BOTTLE "Great Caesar's grandmother, Jack, why didn't you think of that before?"
possessive form of “caesar” — conqueror of Gaul and master of Italy (100-44 BC)
From this reading THE EMPTY BOTTLE "Great Caesar's grandmother, Jack, why didn't you think of that before?"
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading It just seemed to come to me as I sat here thinking about it."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE EMPTY BOTTLE "Great Caesar's grandmother, Jack, why didn't you think of that before?"
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Why don't you help out then, if you think I don't do enough of it?" asked Jack rather snappily.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't know, Bert.
make void or empty of contents
From this reading THE EMPTY BOTTLE "Great Caesar's grandmother, Jack, why didn't you think of that before?"
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading "Why don't you help out then, if you think I don't do enough of it?" asked Jack rather snappily.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Well, it's a good thing you think once in a while."
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading THE EMPTY BOTTLE "Great Caesar's grandmother, Jack, why didn't you think of that before?"
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading THE EMPTY BOTTLE "Great Caesar's grandmother, Jack, why didn't you think of that before?"
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading "Why don't you help out then, if you think I don't do enough of it?" asked Jack rather snappily.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading It just seemed to come to me as I sat here thinking about it."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I don't know, Bert.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "Why don't you help out then, if you think I don't do enough of it?" asked Jack rather snappily.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Well, it's a good thing you think once in a while."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It just seemed to come to me as I sat here thinking about it."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, it's a good thing you think once in a while."
a small worthless amount
From this reading THE EMPTY BOTTLE "Great Caesar's grandmother, Jack, why didn't you think of that before?"
and nothing more
From this reading It just seemed to come to me as I sat here thinking about it."
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I don't know, Bert.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It just seemed to come to me as I sat here thinking about it."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE EMPTY BOTTLE "Great Caesar's grandmother, Jack, why didn't you think of that before?"
on one occasion
From this reading "Well, it's a good thing you think once in a while."
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading "Why don't you help out then, if you think I don't do enough of it?" asked Jack rather snappily.
on the contrary
From this reading "Why don't you help out then, if you think I don't do enough of it?" asked Jack rather snappily.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading It just seemed to come to me as I sat here thinking about it."
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It just seemed to come to me as I sat here thinking about it."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Why don't you help out then, if you think I don't do enough of it?" asked Jack rather snappily.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading THE EMPTY BOTTLE "Great Caesar's grandmother, Jack, why didn't you think of that before?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE EMPTY BOTTLE "Great Caesar's grandmother, Jack, why didn't you think of that before?"
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Why don't you help out then, if you think I don't do enough of it?" asked Jack rather snappily.
a special situation
From this reading "Well, it's a good thing you think once in a while."
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading THE EMPTY BOTTLE "Great Caesar's grandmother, Jack, why didn't you think of that before?"
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading It just seemed to come to me as I sat here thinking about it."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It just seemed to come to me as I sat here thinking about it."
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, it's a good thing you think once in a while."
during the time that
From this reading "Well, it's a good thing you think once in a while."
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading THE EMPTY BOTTLE "Great Caesar's grandmother, Jack, why didn't you think of that before?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading THE EMPTY BOTTLE "Great Caesar's grandmother, Jack, why didn't you think of that before?"
Chapter 16 of Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck by Allen Chapman holds 114 sentences, grouped into 23 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 114 sentences of Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck by Allen Chapman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 114 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck by Allen Chapman on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3184 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14083 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14083, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 265 minutes of reading across 637 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck 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 Tom Fairfield's Pluck and Luck, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
