Chapter 16 of Virgin Soil is here in full — 213 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of Virgin Soil is here in full — 213 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Take this,” he said in a sad, though steady voice. “I drew it some time ago. I don’t draw well, but I think it’s like her.” (It was a pencil sketch in profile and was certainly like Mariana.) “Take it, Alexai; it is my bequest, and with this portrait I give you all my rights.... I know I never had any... but you know what I mean!
Chapter 16 of Virgin Soil is here in full — 213 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/42 · 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.
(law) a gift of personal property by will
From this reading “(It was a pencil sketch in profile and was certainly like Mariana.) “Take it, Alexai; it is my bequest, and with this portrait I give you all my rights....”
cause to move by pulling
From this reading “I don’t draw well, but I think it’s like her.””
a thin cylindrical pointed writing implement; a rod of marking substance encased in wood
From this reading “(It was a pencil sketch in profile and was certainly like Mariana.) “Take it, Alexai; it is my bequest, and with this portrait I give you all my rights....”
a word picture of a person's appearance and character
From this reading “(It was a pencil sketch in profile and was certainly like Mariana.) “Take it, Alexai; it is my bequest, and with this portrait I give you all my rights....”
an analysis (often in graphical form) representing the extent to which something exhibits various characteristics
From this reading “(It was a pencil sketch in profile and was certainly like Mariana.) “Take it, Alexai; it is my bequest, and with this portrait I give you all my rights....”
plural of “right” — an abstract idea of that which is due to a person or governmental body by law or tradition or nature
From this reading “(It was a pencil sketch in profile and was certainly like Mariana.) “Take it, Alexai; it is my bequest, and with this portrait I give you all my rights....”
preliminary drawing for later elaboration
From this reading “(It was a pencil sketch in profile and was certainly like Mariana.) “Take it, Alexai; it is my bequest, and with this portrait I give you all my rights....”
make steady
From this reading ““Take this,” he said in a sad, though steady voice.”
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 “Take this,” he said in a sad, though steady voice.
in the past
From this reading “I drew it some time ago.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading (It was a pencil sketch in profile and was certainly like Mariana.) “Take it, Alexai; it is my bequest, and with this portrait I give you all my rights....
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading (It was a pencil sketch in profile and was certainly like Mariana.) “Take it, Alexai; it is my bequest, and with this portrait I give you all my rights....
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading (It was a pencil sketch in profile and was certainly like Mariana.) “Take it, Alexai; it is my bequest, and with this portrait I give you all my rights....
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading I know I never had any... but you know what I mean!
(law) a gift of personal property by will
From this reading (It was a pencil sketch in profile and was certainly like Mariana.) “Take it, Alexai; it is my bequest, and with this portrait I give you all my rights....
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I don’t draw well, but I think it’s like her.”
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading (It was a pencil sketch in profile and was certainly like Mariana.) “Take it, Alexai; it is my bequest, and with this portrait I give you all my rights....
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don’t draw well, but I think it’s like her.”
cause to move by pulling
From this reading I don’t draw well, but I think it’s like her.”
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading “I drew it some time ago.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading (It was a pencil sketch in profile and was certainly like Mariana.) “Take it, Alexai; it is my bequest, and with this portrait I give you all my rights....
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I know I never had any... but you know what I mean!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Take this,” he said in a sad, though steady voice.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading I don’t draw well, but I think it’s like her.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I drew it some time ago.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Take this,” he said in a sad, though steady voice.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading (It was a pencil sketch in profile and was certainly like Mariana.) “Take it, Alexai; it is my bequest, and with this portrait I give you all my rights....
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “I drew it some time ago.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don’t draw well, but I think it’s like her.”
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I know I never had any... but you know what I mean!
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading I don’t draw well, but I think it’s like her.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading (It was a pencil sketch in profile and was certainly like Mariana.) “Take it, Alexai; it is my bequest, and with this portrait I give you all my rights....
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading I know I never had any... but you know what I mean!
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading (It was a pencil sketch in profile and was certainly like Mariana.) “Take it, Alexai; it is my bequest, and with this portrait I give you all my rights....
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I know I never had any... but you know what I mean!
a thin cylindrical pointed writing implement; a rod of marking substance encased in wood
From this reading (It was a pencil sketch in profile and was certainly like Mariana.) “Take it, Alexai; it is my bequest, and with this portrait I give you all my rights....
a word picture of a person's appearance and character
From this reading (It was a pencil sketch in profile and was certainly like Mariana.) “Take it, Alexai; it is my bequest, and with this portrait I give you all my rights....
an analysis (often in graphical form) representing the extent to which something exhibits various characteristics
From this reading (It was a pencil sketch in profile and was certainly like Mariana.) “Take it, Alexai; it is my bequest, and with this portrait I give you all my rights....
plural of “right” — an abstract idea of that which is due to a person or governmental body by law or tradition or nature
From this reading (It was a pencil sketch in profile and was certainly like Mariana.) “Take it, Alexai; it is my bequest, and with this portrait I give you all my rights....
experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness
From this reading “Take this,” he said in a sad, though steady voice.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Take this,” he said in a sad, though steady voice.
preliminary drawing for later elaboration
From this reading (It was a pencil sketch in profile and was certainly like Mariana.) “Take it, Alexai; it is my bequest, and with this portrait I give you all my rights....
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading “I drew it some time ago.
make steady
From this reading “Take this,” he said in a sad, though steady voice.
carry out
From this reading “Take this,” he said in a sad, though steady voice.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading I don’t draw well, but I think it’s like her.”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “Take this,” he said in a sad, though steady voice.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading “Take this,” he said in a sad, though steady voice.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading “I drew it some time ago.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading “Take this,” he said in a sad, though steady voice.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading (It was a pencil sketch in profile and was certainly like Mariana.) “Take it, Alexai; it is my bequest, and with this portrait I give you all my rights....
(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 I don’t draw well, but I think it’s like her.”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I know I never had any... but you know what I mean!
in the company of; together with
From this reading (It was a pencil sketch in profile and was certainly like Mariana.) “Take it, Alexai; it is my bequest, and with this portrait I give you all my rights....
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading (It was a pencil sketch in profile and was certainly like Mariana.) “Take it, Alexai; it is my bequest, and with this portrait I give you all my rights....
Chapter 16 of Virgin Soil by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev holds 213 sentences, grouped into 43 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.
Chapter 16 holds 213 sentences of Virgin Soil, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of Virgin Soil by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 213 sentences, grouped into 43 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 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 43 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 Virgin Soil by Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6780 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2466 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2466, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 565 minutes of reading across 1356 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Virgin Soil section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of Virgin Soil 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 Virgin Soil, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
