A House Party with the Tucker Twins

Chapter VII

Chapter 7 of A House Party with the Tucker Twins is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Nell Speed • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for A House Party with the Tucker Twins

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

THE REASON WHY THAT was a very merry breakfast.

From my kitchen fastness I could hear the peals of laughter as Mary pretended to be a field hand, brought into the dining-room for the first time, to wait on the table.

I even left my waffles for a moment to peep in the door.

Dee, who was helping with the waiting, spied me and gave the assembled company the tip, and before I could get away they grabbed me and pulled me into the room where I had to listen to three rousing cheers for the cook.

A batch of waffles burnt up in consequence, although I ran down the covered way like Cinderella when the clock struck twelve.

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 VII Reading 1/39

A House Party with the Tucker Twins Nell Speed

Chapter VII

Chapter 7 of A House Party with the Tucker Twins is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

THE REASON WHY THAT was a very merry breakfast. From my kitchen fastness I could hear the peals of laughter as Mary pretended to be a field hand, brought into the dining-room for the first time, to wait on the table. I even left my waffles for a moment to peep in the door. Dee, who was helping with the waiting, spied me and gave the assembled company the tip, and before I could get away they grabbed me and pulled me into the room where I had to listen to three rousing cheers for the cook. A batch of waffles burnt up in consequence, although I ran down the covered way like Cinderella when the clock struck twelve.

A House Party with the Tucker Twins

Chapter VII

Chapter 7 of A House Party with the Tucker Twins is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/39 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

THE REASON WHY THAT was a very merry breakfast.

/ðə ˈriːzən waɪ ðæt wɑːz ə ˈveri ˈmeri ˈbrekfəst/

Line 2

From my kitchen fastness I could hear the peals of laughter as Mary pretended to be a field hand, brought into the dining-room for the first time, to wait on the table.

Line 3

I even left my waffles for a moment to peep in the door.

/aɪ ˈiːvɪn left maɪ ˈwɑːfəlz fɔːr ə ˈmoʊmənt tuː piːp ɪn ðə dɔːr/

Line 4

Line 5

A batch of waffles burnt up in consequence, although I ran down the covered way like Cinderella when the clock struck twelve.

/ə bætʃ ʌv ˈwɑːfəlz bɜːrnt ʌp ɪn ˈkɑːnsəkwəns ˌɔːlˈðoʊ aɪ ræn daʊn ðə ˈkʌvərd weɪ laɪk ˌsɪndərˈelə wen ðə klɑːk strʌk twelv/

Learner Dictionary

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.

batch noun US /bætʃ/

all the loaves of bread baked at the same time

From this reading “A batch of waffles burnt up in consequence, although I ran down the covered way like Cinderella when the clock struck twelve.”

Cinderella noun US /ˌsɪndərˈelə/

a woman whose merits were not been recognized but who then achieves sudden success and recognition

From this reading “A batch of waffles burnt up in consequence, although I ran down the covered way like Cinderella when the clock struck twelve.”

fastness noun US /ˈfæstnəs/

a rate (usually rapid) at which something happens

From this reading “From my kitchen fastness I could hear the peals of laughter as Mary pretended to be a field hand, brought into the dining-room for the first time, to wait on the table.”

grabbed verb US /ɡræbd/

inflected form of “grab” — take hold of so as to seize or restrain or stop the motion of

From this reading “Dee, who was helping with the waiting, spied me and gave the assembled company the tip, and before I could get away they grabbed me and pulled me into the room where I had to listen to three rousing cheers for the cook.”

peep verb US /piːp/

look furtively

From this reading “I even left my waffles for a moment to peep in the door.”

rousing adjective US /ˈraʊzɪŋ/

capable of arousing enthusiasm or excitement

spied verb US /spaɪd/

inflected form of “spy” — catch sight of

waffles noun US /ˈwɑːfəlz/

plural of “waffle” — pancake batter baked in a waffle iron

From this reading “I even left my waffles for a moment to peep in the door.”

Word partnerships in these lines

English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.

Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.

REASON WHY noun + noun

In this reading “THE REASON WHY THAT was a very merry breakfast.”

struck twelve adjective + noun

In this reading “A batch of waffles burnt up in consequence, although I ran down the covered way like Cinderella when the clock struck twelve.”

assembled company verb + noun counted as “assemble company”

In this reading “Dee, who was helping with the waiting, spied me and gave the assembled company the tip, and before I could get away they grabbed me and pulled me into the room where I had to listen to three rousing cheers for the cook.”

into the dining-room preposition + article + noun counted as “into … dining-room”

In this reading “From my kitchen fastness I could hear the peals of laughter as Mary pretended to be a field hand, brought into the dining-room for the first time, to wait on the table.”

first time adjective + noun

In this reading “From my kitchen fastness I could hear the peals of laughter as Mary pretended to be a field hand, brought into the dining-room for the first time, to wait on the table.”

ran down verb + adjective counted as “run down”

trace

In this reading “A batch of waffles burnt up in consequence, although I ran down the covered way like Cinderella when the clock struck twelve.”

on the table preposition + article + noun counted as “on … table”

able to be negotiated or arranged by compromise

In this reading “From my kitchen fastness I could hear the peals of laughter as Mary pretended to be a field hand, brought into the dining-room for the first time, to wait on the table.”

for a moment preposition + article + noun counted as “for … moment”

temporarily

In this reading “I even left my waffles for a moment to peep in the door.”

All words in this reading · 83

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading THE REASON WHY THAT was a very merry breakfast.

althoughconjunctionUS /ˌɔːlˈðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading A batch of waffles burnt up in consequence, although I ran down the covered way like Cinderella when the clock struck twelve.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Dee, who was helping with the waiting, spied me and gave the assembled company the tip, and before I could get away they grabbed me and pulled me into the room where I had to listen to three rousing cheers for the cook.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading From my kitchen fastness I could hear the peals of laughter as Mary pretended to be a field hand, brought into the dining-room for the first time, to wait on the table.

assembledverbUS /əˈsembəld/

past form of “assemble” — create by putting components or members together

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

batchnounUS /bætʃ/

all the loaves of bread baked at the same time

From this reading A batch of waffles burnt up in consequence, although I ran down the covered way like Cinderella when the clock struck twelve.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading From my kitchen fastness I could hear the peals of laughter as Mary pretended to be a field hand, brought into the dining-room for the first time, to wait on the table.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

breakfastverbUS /ˈbrekfəst/

eat an early morning meal

From this reading THE REASON WHY THAT was a very merry breakfast.

broughtverbUS /brɔːt/

inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

From this reading From my kitchen fastness I could hear the peals of laughter as Mary pretended to be a field hand, brought into the dining-room for the first time, to wait on the table.

burntadjectiveUS /bɜːrnt/

ruined by overcooking

From this reading A batch of waffles burnt up in consequence, although I ran down the covered way like Cinderella when the clock struck twelve.

cheersnounUS /tʃɪrz/

plural of “cheer” — a cry or shout of approval

CinderellanounUS /ˌsɪndərˈelə/

a woman whose merits were not been recognized but who then achieves sudden success and recognition

From this reading A batch of waffles burnt up in consequence, although I ran down the covered way like Cinderella when the clock struck twelve.

clocknounUS /klɑːk/

a timepiece that shows the time of day

From this reading A batch of waffles burnt up in consequence, although I ran down the covered way like Cinderella when the clock struck twelve.

companynounUS /ˈkʌmpəniː/

an institution created to conduct business

consequencenounUS /ˈkɑːnsəkwəns/

a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon

From this reading A batch of waffles burnt up in consequence, although I ran down the covered way like Cinderella when the clock struck twelve.

cookverbUS /kʊk/

prepare a hot meal

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading From my kitchen fastness I could hear the peals of laughter as Mary pretended to be a field hand, brought into the dining-room for the first time, to wait on the table.

coveredadjectiveUS /ˈkʌvərd/

overlaid or spread or topped with or enclosed within something; sometimes used as a combining form

From this reading A batch of waffles burnt up in consequence, although I ran down the covered way like Cinderella when the clock struck twelve.

Dee

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

dining-roomnoun

a room used for dining

From this reading From my kitchen fastness I could hear the peals of laughter as Mary pretended to be a field hand, brought into the dining-room for the first time, to wait on the table.

doornounUS /dɔːr/

a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle

From this reading I even left my waffles for a moment to peep in the door.

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading A batch of waffles burnt up in consequence, although I ran down the covered way like Cinderella when the clock struck twelve.

evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

From this reading I even left my waffles for a moment to peep in the door.

fastnessnounUS /ˈfæstnəs/

a rate (usually rapid) at which something happens

From this reading From my kitchen fastness I could hear the peals of laughter as Mary pretended to be a field hand, brought into the dining-room for the first time, to wait on the table.

fieldnounUS /fiːld/

a piece of land cleared of trees and usually enclosed

From this reading From my kitchen fastness I could hear the peals of laughter as Mary pretended to be a field hand, brought into the dining-room for the first time, to wait on the table.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading From my kitchen fastness I could hear the peals of laughter as Mary pretended to be a field hand, brought into the dining-room for the first time, to wait on the table.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading From my kitchen fastness I could hear the peals of laughter as Mary pretended to be a field hand, brought into the dining-room for the first time, to wait on the table.

FromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading From my kitchen fastness I could hear the peals of laughter as Mary pretended to be a field hand, brought into the dining-room for the first time, to wait on the table.

gaveverbUS /ɡeɪv/

inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

getverbUS /ɡet/

come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

grabbedverbUS /ɡræbd/

inflected form of “grab” — take hold of so as to seize or restrain or stop the motion of

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

handnounUS /hænd/

the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb

From this reading From my kitchen fastness I could hear the peals of laughter as Mary pretended to be a field hand, brought into the dining-room for the first time, to wait on the table.

hearverbUS /hiːr/

perceive (sound) via the auditory sense

From this reading From my kitchen fastness I could hear the peals of laughter as Mary pretended to be a field hand, brought into the dining-room for the first time, to wait on the table.

helpingnounUS /ˈhelpɪŋ/

an individual quantity of food or drink taken as part of a meal

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading From my kitchen fastness I could hear the peals of laughter as Mary pretended to be a field hand, brought into the dining-room for the first time, to wait on the table.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading I even left my waffles for a moment to peep in the door.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading From my kitchen fastness I could hear the peals of laughter as Mary pretended to be a field hand, brought into the dining-room for the first time, to wait on the table.

kitchennounUS /ˈkɪtʃən/

a room equipped for preparing meals

From this reading From my kitchen fastness I could hear the peals of laughter as Mary pretended to be a field hand, brought into the dining-room for the first time, to wait on the table.

laughternounUS /ˈlæftər/

the sound of laughing

From this reading From my kitchen fastness I could hear the peals of laughter as Mary pretended to be a field hand, brought into the dining-room for the first time, to wait on the table.

leftnounUS /left/

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 I even left my waffles for a moment to peep in the door.

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading A batch of waffles burnt up in consequence, although I ran down the covered way like Cinderella when the clock struck twelve.

listenverbUS /ˈlɪsən/

hear with intention

MarynounUS /ˈmeri/

the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics

From this reading From my kitchen fastness I could hear the peals of laughter as Mary pretended to be a field hand, brought into the dining-room for the first time, to wait on the table.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

merryadjectiveUS /ˈmeri/

full of or showing high-spirited merriment

From this reading THE REASON WHY THAT was a very merry breakfast.

momentnounUS /ˈmoʊmənt/

a particular point in time

From this reading I even left my waffles for a moment to peep in the door.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading From my kitchen fastness I could hear the peals of laughter as Mary pretended to be a field hand, brought into the dining-room for the first time, to wait on the table.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading From my kitchen fastness I could hear the peals of laughter as Mary pretended to be a field hand, brought into the dining-room for the first time, to wait on the table.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading From my kitchen fastness I could hear the peals of laughter as Mary pretended to be a field hand, brought into the dining-room for the first time, to wait on the table.

peals

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

From this reading From my kitchen fastness I could hear the peals of laughter as Mary pretended to be a field hand, brought into the dining-room for the first time, to wait on the table.

peepverbUS /piːp/

look furtively

From this reading I even left my waffles for a moment to peep in the door.

pretendedadjectiveUS /priˈtendɪd/

adopted in order to deceive

From this reading From my kitchen fastness I could hear the peals of laughter as Mary pretended to be a field hand, brought into the dining-room for the first time, to wait on the table.

pulledverbUS /pʊld/

past form of “pull” — cause to move by pulling

ranverbUS /ræn/

inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time

From this reading A batch of waffles burnt up in consequence, although I ran down the covered way like Cinderella when the clock struck twelve.

REASONnounUS /ˈriːzən/

a rational motive for a belief or action

From this reading THE REASON WHY THAT was a very merry breakfast.

roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

rousingadjectiveUS /ˈraʊzɪŋ/

capable of arousing enthusiasm or excitement

spiedverbUS /spaɪd/

inflected form of “spy” — catch sight of

struckadjectiveUS /strʌk/

(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming

From this reading A batch of waffles burnt up in consequence, although I ran down the covered way like Cinderella when the clock struck twelve.

tablenounUS /ˈteɪbəl/

a set of data arranged in rows and columns

From this reading From my kitchen fastness I could hear the peals of laughter as Mary pretended to be a field hand, brought into the dining-room for the first time, to wait on the table.

THATconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading THE REASON WHY THAT was a very merry breakfast.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading THE REASON WHY THAT was a very merry breakfast.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

threenounUS /θriː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading From my kitchen fastness I could hear the peals of laughter as Mary pretended to be a field hand, brought into the dining-room for the first time, to wait on the table.

tipnounUS /tɪp/

the extreme end of something; especially something pointed

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading From my kitchen fastness I could hear the peals of laughter as Mary pretended to be a field hand, brought into the dining-room for the first time, to wait on the table.

twelvenounUS /twelv/

the cardinal number that is the sum of eleven and one

From this reading A batch of waffles burnt up in consequence, although I ran down the covered way like Cinderella when the clock struck twelve.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading A batch of waffles burnt up in consequence, although I ran down the covered way like Cinderella when the clock struck twelve.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading THE REASON WHY THAT was a very merry breakfast.

wafflesnounUS /ˈwɑːfəlz/

plural of “waffle” — pancake batter baked in a waffle iron

From this reading I even left my waffles for a moment to peep in the door.

waitverbUS /weɪt/

stay in one place and anticipate or expect something

From this reading From my kitchen fastness I could hear the peals of laughter as Mary pretended to be a field hand, brought into the dining-room for the first time, to wait on the table.

waitingnounUS /ˈweɪtɪŋ/

the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading THE REASON WHY THAT was a very merry breakfast.

waynounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading A batch of waffles burnt up in consequence, although I ran down the covered way like Cinderella when the clock struck twelve.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading A batch of waffles burnt up in consequence, although I ran down the covered way like Cinderella when the clock struck twelve.

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

WHYnounUS /waɪ/

the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”

From this reading THE REASON WHY THAT was a very merry breakfast.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

Chapter 7 of A House Party with the Tucker Twins by Nell Speed holds 198 sentences, grouped into 40 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.

What does chapter 7 of A House Party with the Tucker Twins contain?

Chapter 7 holds 198 sentences of A House Party with the Tucker Twins, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 7 of A House Party with the Tucker Twins by Nell Speed exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 198 sentences, grouped into 40 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.

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Work through the 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 40 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.

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Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 7 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.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #36671, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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Chapter VII

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