Chapter 15 of A Bicycle of Cathay is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of A Bicycle of Cathay is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AN ICICLE My room at the hotel was as dreary as a stubble-field upon a November evening. The whole house was new, varnished, and hard. My bedroom was small. A piece of new ingrain carpet covered part of the hard varnished floor. Four hard walls and a ceiling, deadly white, surrounded me.
Chapter 15 of A Bicycle of Cathay is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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 room used primarily for sleeping
From this reading “My bedroom was small.”
floor covering consisting of a piece of thick heavy fabric (usually with nap or pile)
From this reading “A piece of new ingrain carpet covered part of the hard varnished floor.”
the overhead upper surface of a covered space
From this reading “Four hard walls and a ceiling, deadly white, surrounded me.”
causing or capable of causing death
From this reading “Four hard walls and a ceiling, deadly white, surrounded me.”
lacking in liveliness or charm or surprise
From this reading “AN ICICLE My room at the hotel was as dreary as a stubble-field upon a November evening.”
ice resembling a pendent spear, formed by the freezing of dripping water
From this reading “AN ICICLE My room at the hotel was as dreary as a stubble-field upon a November evening.”
the month following October and preceding December
From this reading “AN ICICLE My room at the hotel was as dreary as a stubble-field upon a November evening.”
having a coating of stain or varnish
From this reading “The whole house was new, varnished, and hard.”
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 AN ICICLE My room at the hotel was as dreary as a stubble-field upon a November evening.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN ICICLE My room at the hotel was as dreary as a stubble-field upon a November evening.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The whole house was new, varnished, and hard.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading AN ICICLE My room at the hotel was as dreary as a stubble-field upon a November evening.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading AN ICICLE My room at the hotel was as dreary as a stubble-field upon a November evening.
a room used primarily for sleeping
From this reading My bedroom was small.
floor covering consisting of a piece of thick heavy fabric (usually with nap or pile)
From this reading A piece of new ingrain carpet covered part of the hard varnished floor.
the overhead upper surface of a covered space
From this reading Four hard walls and a ceiling, deadly white, surrounded me.
overlaid or spread or topped with or enclosed within something; sometimes used as a combining form
From this reading A piece of new ingrain carpet covered part of the hard varnished floor.
causing or capable of causing death
From this reading Four hard walls and a ceiling, deadly white, surrounded me.
lacking in liveliness or charm or surprise
From this reading AN ICICLE My room at the hotel was as dreary as a stubble-field upon a November evening.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading AN ICICLE My room at the hotel was as dreary as a stubble-field upon a November evening.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading A piece of new ingrain carpet covered part of the hard varnished floor.
the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one
From this reading Four hard walls and a ceiling, deadly white, surrounded me.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading The whole house was new, varnished, and hard.
a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services
From this reading AN ICICLE My room at the hotel was as dreary as a stubble-field upon a November evening.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading The whole house was new, varnished, and hard.
ice resembling a pendent spear, formed by the freezing of dripping water
From this reading AN ICICLE My room at the hotel was as dreary as a stubble-field upon a November evening.
thoroughly work in
From this reading A piece of new ingrain carpet covered part of the hard varnished floor.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Four hard walls and a ceiling, deadly white, surrounded me.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading AN ICICLE My room at the hotel was as dreary as a stubble-field upon a November evening.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading The whole house was new, varnished, and hard.
the month following October and preceding December
From this reading AN ICICLE My room at the hotel was as dreary as a stubble-field upon a November evening.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A piece of new ingrain carpet covered part of the hard varnished floor.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading A piece of new ingrain carpet covered part of the hard varnished floor.
a separate part of a whole
From this reading A piece of new ingrain carpet covered part of the hard varnished floor.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading AN ICICLE My room at the hotel was as dreary as a stubble-field upon a November evening.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading My bedroom was small.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AN ICICLE My room at the hotel was as dreary as a stubble-field upon a November evening.
confined on all sides
From this reading Four hard walls and a ceiling, deadly white, surrounded me.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AN ICICLE My room at the hotel was as dreary as a stubble-field upon a November evening.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading AN ICICLE My room at the hotel was as dreary as a stubble-field upon a November evening.
having a coating of stain or varnish
From this reading The whole house was new, varnished, and hard.
plural of “wall” — an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading Four hard walls and a ceiling, deadly white, surrounded me.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading AN ICICLE My room at the hotel was as dreary as a stubble-field upon a November evening.
a Caucasian
From this reading Four hard walls and a ceiling, deadly white, surrounded me.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading The whole house was new, varnished, and hard.
Chapter 15 of A Bicycle of Cathay by Frank R. Stockton holds 159 sentences, grouped into 32 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 15 holds 159 sentences of A Bicycle of Cathay, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of A Bicycle of Cathay by Frank R. Stockton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 159 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 15 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 A Bicycle of Cathay by Frank R. Stockton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2857 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12334 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12334, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 238 minutes of reading across 572 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Bicycle of Cathay section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of A Bicycle of Cathay 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 A Bicycle of Cathay, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
