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Vailima Letters Being Correspondence

Chapter XXXIX · Chapter 39

Chapter 39 of Vailima Letters Being Correspondence is here in full — 48 sentences across 10 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Robert Louis Stevenson • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for Vailima Letters
Being Correspondence

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

_Vailima_, 1894.

MY DEAR COLVIN,—This must be a very measly letter.

I have been trying hard to get along with _St. Ives_.

I should now lay it aside for a year and I daresay I should make something of it after all.

Instead of that, I have to kick against the pricks, and break myself, and spoil the book, if there were anything to spoil, which I am far from saying.

Narrator

Speed 0.75x

AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XXXIX Reading 1/9

Vailima Letters Being Correspondence

Chapter XXXIX · Chapter 39

Chapter 39 of Vailima Letters Being Correspondence is here in full — 48 sentences across 10 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/9 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

_Vailima_, 1894.

Line 2

MY DEAR COLVIN,—This must be a very measly letter.

Line 3

I have been trying hard to get along with _St. Ives_.

Line 4

I should now lay it aside for a year and I daresay I should make something of it after all.

Line 5

Instead of that, I have to kick against the pricks, and break myself, and spoil the book, if there were anything to spoil, which I am far from saying.

All words in this reading · 56

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.

1894

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _Vailima_, 1894.

a

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading MY DEAR COLVIN,—This must be a very measly letter.

after

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I should now lay it aside for a year and I daresay I should make something of it after all.

against

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Instead of that, I have to kick against the pricks, and break myself, and spoil the book, if there were anything to spoil, which I am far from saying.

all

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I should now lay it aside for a year and I daresay I should make something of it after all.

along

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I have been trying hard to get along with _St. Ives_.

am

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Instead of that, I have to kick against the pricks, and break myself, and spoil the book, if there were anything to spoil, which I am far from saying.

and

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I should now lay it aside for a year and I daresay I should make something of it after all.

anything

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Instead of that, I have to kick against the pricks, and break myself, and spoil the book, if there were anything to spoil, which I am far from saying.

aside

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I should now lay it aside for a year and I daresay I should make something of it after all.

be

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading MY DEAR COLVIN,—This must be a very measly letter.

been

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I have been trying hard to get along with _St. Ives_.

book

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Instead of that, I have to kick against the pricks, and break myself, and spoil the book, if there were anything to spoil, which I am far from saying.

break

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Instead of that, I have to kick against the pricks, and break myself, and spoil the book, if there were anything to spoil, which I am far from saying.

COLVIN

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading MY DEAR COLVIN,—This must be a very measly letter.

daresay

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I should now lay it aside for a year and I daresay I should make something of it after all.

DEAR

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading MY DEAR COLVIN,—This must be a very measly letter.

far

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Instead of that, I have to kick against the pricks, and break myself, and spoil the book, if there were anything to spoil, which I am far from saying.

for

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I should now lay it aside for a year and I daresay I should make something of it after all.

from

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Instead of that, I have to kick against the pricks, and break myself, and spoil the book, if there were anything to spoil, which I am far from saying.

get

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I have been trying hard to get along with _St. Ives_.

hard

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I have been trying hard to get along with _St. Ives_.

have

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I have been trying hard to get along with _St. Ives_.

I

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I have been trying hard to get along with _St. Ives_.

if

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Instead of that, I have to kick against the pricks, and break myself, and spoil the book, if there were anything to spoil, which I am far from saying.

Instead

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Instead of that, I have to kick against the pricks, and break myself, and spoil the book, if there were anything to spoil, which I am far from saying.

it

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I should now lay it aside for a year and I daresay I should make something of it after all.

Ives

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I have been trying hard to get along with _St. Ives_.

kick

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Instead of that, I have to kick against the pricks, and break myself, and spoil the book, if there were anything to spoil, which I am far from saying.

lay

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I should now lay it aside for a year and I daresay I should make something of it after all.

letter

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading MY DEAR COLVIN,—This must be a very measly letter.

make

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I should now lay it aside for a year and I daresay I should make something of it after all.

measly

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading MY DEAR COLVIN,—This must be a very measly letter.

must

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading MY DEAR COLVIN,—This must be a very measly letter.

MY

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading MY DEAR COLVIN,—This must be a very measly letter.

myself

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Instead of that, I have to kick against the pricks, and break myself, and spoil the book, if there were anything to spoil, which I am far from saying.

now

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I should now lay it aside for a year and I daresay I should make something of it after all.

of

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I should now lay it aside for a year and I daresay I should make something of it after all.

pricks

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Instead of that, I have to kick against the pricks, and break myself, and spoil the book, if there were anything to spoil, which I am far from saying.

saying

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Instead of that, I have to kick against the pricks, and break myself, and spoil the book, if there were anything to spoil, which I am far from saying.

should

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I should now lay it aside for a year and I daresay I should make something of it after all.

something

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I should now lay it aside for a year and I daresay I should make something of it after all.

spoil

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Instead of that, I have to kick against the pricks, and break myself, and spoil the book, if there were anything to spoil, which I am far from saying.

St

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I have been trying hard to get along with _St. Ives_.

that

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Instead of that, I have to kick against the pricks, and break myself, and spoil the book, if there were anything to spoil, which I am far from saying.

the

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Instead of that, I have to kick against the pricks, and break myself, and spoil the book, if there were anything to spoil, which I am far from saying.

there

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Instead of that, I have to kick against the pricks, and break myself, and spoil the book, if there were anything to spoil, which I am far from saying.

This

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading MY DEAR COLVIN,—This must be a very measly letter.

to

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I have been trying hard to get along with _St. Ives_.

trying

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I have been trying hard to get along with _St. Ives_.

Vailima

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading _Vailima_, 1894.

very

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading MY DEAR COLVIN,—This must be a very measly letter.

were

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Instead of that, I have to kick against the pricks, and break myself, and spoil the book, if there were anything to spoil, which I am far from saying.

which

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Instead of that, I have to kick against the pricks, and break myself, and spoil the book, if there were anything to spoil, which I am far from saying.

with

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I have been trying hard to get along with _St. Ives_.

year

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I should now lay it aside for a year and I daresay I should make something of it after all.

Chapter 39 of Vailima Letters Being Correspondence by Robert Louis Stevenson holds 48 sentences, grouped into 10 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.

What does chapter 39 of Vailima Letters Being Correspondence contain?

Chapter 39 holds 48 sentences of Vailima Letters Being Correspondence, unabridged, divided into 10 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 39 of Vailima Letters Being Correspondence by Robert Louis Stevenson exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 48 sentences, grouped into 10 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.

How do I study chapter 39 of Vailima Letters Being Correspondence?

Work through the 10 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 10 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.

Can chapter 39 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 39 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.

Questions about reading Vailima Letters Being Correspondence

Common questions about reading Vailima Letters Being Correspondence by Robert Louis Stevenson on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Vailima Letters Being Correspondence?

Yes. All 4155 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #387 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Vailima Letters Being Correspondence is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #387, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Vailima Letters Being Correspondence take to read?

About 346 minutes of reading across 831 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Vailima Letters Being Correspondence section by section

How to work through Vailima Letters Being Correspondence section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

Open a chapter

Choose one of the 40 chapters of Vailima Letters Being Correspondence to begin.
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Vocabulary met early in Vailima Letters Being Correspondence

Words and structures a reader meets early in Vailima Letters Being Correspondence, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Mountain: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Vailima Letters Being Correspondence; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Samoa: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Vailima Letters Being Correspondence; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Monday: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Vailima Letters Being Correspondence; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
November: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Vailima Letters Being Correspondence; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.