Chapter 16 of Where There's a Will is here in full — 122 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 Where There's a Will is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
STOP, THIEF! I was pretty nervous when I took charge of the news stand that evening. Amanda King had an appointment with the dentist and had left everything topsyturvey. I was still straightening up when people began to come down to dinner. Miss Cobb walked over to the news stand, and she'd cut the white yoke out of her purple silk.
Chapter 16 of Where There's a Will is here in full — 122 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.
the act of putting a person into a non-elective position
From this reading “Amanda King had an appointment with the dentist and had left everything topsyturvey.”
a person qualified to practice dentistry
From this reading “Amanda King had an appointment with the dentist and had left everything topsyturvey.”
easily agitated
From this reading “I was pretty nervous when I took charge of the news stand that evening.”
a purple color or pigment
From this reading “Miss Cobb walked over to the news stand, and she'd cut the white yoke out of her purple silk.”
a fabric made from the fine threads produced by certain insect larvae
From this reading “Miss Cobb walked over to the news stand, and she'd cut the white yoke out of her purple silk.”
-ing form of “straighten” — straighten up or out; make straight
From this reading “I was still straightening up when people began to come down to dinner.”
a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it
From this reading “STOP, THIEF!”
fabric comprising a fitted part at the top of a garment
From this reading “Miss Cobb walked over to the news stand, and she'd cut the white yoke out of her purple silk.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Amanda King had an appointment with the dentist and had left everything topsyturvey.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Amanda King had an appointment with the dentist and had left everything topsyturvey.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Amanda King had an appointment with the dentist and had left everything topsyturvey.
the act of putting a person into a non-elective position
From this reading Amanda King had an appointment with the dentist and had left everything topsyturvey.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading I was still straightening up when people began to come down to dinner.
to make a rush at or sudden attack upon, as in battle
From this reading I was pretty nervous when I took charge of the news stand that evening.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Miss Cobb walked over to the news stand, and she'd cut the white yoke out of her purple silk.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading I was still straightening up when people began to come down to dinner.
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading Miss Cobb walked over to the news stand, and she'd cut the white yoke out of her purple silk.
a person qualified to practice dentistry
From this reading Amanda King had an appointment with the dentist and had left everything topsyturvey.
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading I was still straightening up when people began to come down to dinner.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading I was still straightening up when people began to come down to dinner.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading I was pretty nervous when I took charge of the news stand that evening.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading Amanda King had an appointment with the dentist and had left everything topsyturvey.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Amanda King had an appointment with the dentist and had left everything topsyturvey.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Miss Cobb walked over to the news stand, and she'd cut the white yoke out of her purple silk.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I was pretty nervous when I took charge of the news stand that evening.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading Amanda King had an appointment with the dentist and had left everything topsyturvey.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading Amanda King had an appointment with the dentist and had left everything topsyturvey.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading Miss Cobb walked over to the news stand, and she'd cut the white yoke out of her purple silk.
easily agitated
From this reading I was pretty nervous when I took charge of the news stand that evening.
information about recent and important events
From this reading I was pretty nervous when I took charge of the news stand that evening.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I was pretty nervous when I took charge of the news stand that evening.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Miss Cobb walked over to the news stand, and she'd cut the white yoke out of her purple silk.
above and across; more than
From this reading Miss Cobb walked over to the news stand, and she'd cut the white yoke out of her purple silk.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading I was still straightening up when people began to come down to dinner.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading I was pretty nervous when I took charge of the news stand that evening.
a purple color or pigment
From this reading Miss Cobb walked over to the news stand, and she'd cut the white yoke out of her purple silk.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Miss Cobb walked over to the news stand, and she'd cut the white yoke out of her purple silk.
a fabric made from the fine threads produced by certain insect larvae
From this reading Miss Cobb walked over to the news stand, and she'd cut the white yoke out of her purple silk.
be standing; be upright
From this reading I was pretty nervous when I took charge of the news stand that evening.
not in physical motion
From this reading I was still straightening up when people began to come down to dinner.
come to a halt, stop moving
From this reading STOP, THIEF!
-ing form of “straighten” — straighten up or out; make straight
From this reading I was still straightening up when people began to come down to dinner.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I was pretty nervous when I took charge of the news stand that evening.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I was pretty nervous when I took charge of the news stand that evening.
a criminal who takes property belonging to someone else with the intention of keeping it or selling it
From this reading STOP, THIEF!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I was still straightening up when people began to come down to dinner.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading I was pretty nervous when I took charge of the news stand that evening.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Amanda King had an appointment with the dentist and had left everything topsyturvey.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading I was still straightening up when people began to come down to dinner.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading Miss Cobb walked over to the news stand, and she'd cut the white yoke out of her purple silk.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was pretty nervous when I took charge of the news stand that evening.
at the time that
From this reading I was pretty nervous when I took charge of the news stand that evening.
a Caucasian
From this reading Miss Cobb walked over to the news stand, and she'd cut the white yoke out of her purple silk.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Amanda King had an appointment with the dentist and had left everything topsyturvey.
fabric comprising a fitted part at the top of a garment
From this reading Miss Cobb walked over to the news stand, and she'd cut the white yoke out of her purple silk.
Chapter 16 of Where There's a Will by Mary Roberts Rinehart holds 122 sentences, grouped into 25 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 122 sentences of Where There's a Will, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of Where There's a Will by Mary Roberts Rinehart exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 122 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.
Common questions about reading Where There's a Will by Mary Roberts Rinehart on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4617 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #330 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #330, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 384 minutes of reading across 924 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Where There's a Will section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of Where There's a Will 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 Where There's a Will, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
