Chapter 15 of Cabbages and Kings is here in full — 187 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of Cabbages and Kings is here in full — 187 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Don’t tell me,” he said, “that anybody was fool enough to take that letter seriously.” “Four-thousand-dollar stock of goods!” gasped Keogh, in ecstasy. “Talk about coals to Newcastle! Why didn’t he take a ship-load of palm-leaf fans to Spitzbergen while he was about it? Saw the old codger on the beach.
Chapter 15 of Cabbages and Kings is here in full — 187 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/37 · 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.
an area of sand sloping down to the water of a sea or lake
From this reading “Saw the old codger on the beach.”
plural of “coal” — fossil fuel consisting of carbonized vegetable matter deposited in the Carboniferous period
From this reading ““Talk about coals to Newcastle!”
a state of being carried away by overwhelming emotion
From this reading ““Four-thousand-dollar stock of goods!” gasped Keogh, in ecstasy.”
plural of “fan” — a device for creating a current of air by movement of a surface or surfaces
From this reading “Why didn’t he take a ship-load of palm-leaf fans to Spitzbergen while he was about it?”
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading ““Four-thousand-dollar stock of goods!” gasped Keogh, in ecstasy.”
plural of “good” — benefit
From this reading ““Four-thousand-dollar stock of goods!” gasped Keogh, in ecstasy.”
a port city in northeastern England on the River Tyne; a center for coal exports (giving rise to the expression “carry coals to Newcastle” meaning to do something unnecessary)
From this reading ““Talk about coals to Newcastle!”
in a serious manner
From this reading ““Don’t tell me,” he said, “that anybody was fool enough to take that letter seriously.””
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 Why didn’t he take a ship-load of palm-leaf fans to Spitzbergen while he was about it?
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading “Talk about coals to Newcastle!
any person at all
From this reading “Don’t tell me,” he said, “that anybody was fool enough to take that letter seriously.”
an area of sand sloping down to the water of a sea or lake
From this reading Saw the old codger on the beach.
plural of “coal” — fossil fuel consisting of carbonized vegetable matter deposited in the Carboniferous period
From this reading “Talk about coals to Newcastle!
used affectionately to refer to an eccentric but amusing old man
From this reading Saw the old codger on the beach.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Why didn’t he take a ship-load of palm-leaf fans to Spitzbergen while he was about it?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Don’t tell me,” he said, “that anybody was fool enough to take that letter seriously.”
a state of being carried away by overwhelming emotion
From this reading “Four-thousand-dollar stock of goods!” gasped Keogh, in ecstasy.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading “Don’t tell me,” he said, “that anybody was fool enough to take that letter seriously.”
plural of “fan” — a device for creating a current of air by movement of a surface or surfaces
From this reading Why didn’t he take a ship-load of palm-leaf fans to Spitzbergen while he was about it?
a person who lacks good judgment
From this reading “Don’t tell me,” he said, “that anybody was fool enough to take that letter seriously.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Four-thousand-dollar stock of goods!” gasped Keogh, in ecstasy.
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading “Four-thousand-dollar stock of goods!” gasped Keogh, in ecstasy.
plural of “good” — benefit
From this reading “Four-thousand-dollar stock of goods!” gasped Keogh, in ecstasy.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Don’t tell me,” he said, “that anybody was fool enough to take that letter seriously.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Four-thousand-dollar stock of goods!” gasped Keogh, in ecstasy.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Why didn’t he take a ship-load of palm-leaf fans to Spitzbergen while he was about it?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Four-thousand-dollar stock of goods!” gasped Keogh, in ecstasy.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading “Don’t tell me,” he said, “that anybody was fool enough to take that letter seriously.”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Don’t tell me,” he said, “that anybody was fool enough to take that letter seriously.”
a port city in northeastern England on the River Tyne; a center for coal exports (giving rise to the expression “carry coals to Newcastle” meaning to do something unnecessary)
From this reading “Talk about coals to Newcastle!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Four-thousand-dollar stock of goods!” gasped Keogh, in ecstasy.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Saw the old codger on the beach.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Saw the old codger on the beach.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Why didn’t he take a ship-load of palm-leaf fans to Spitzbergen while he was about it?
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Don’t tell me,” he said, “that anybody was fool enough to take that letter seriously.”
cut with a saw
From this reading Saw the old codger on the beach.
in a serious manner
From this reading “Don’t tell me,” he said, “that anybody was fool enough to take that letter seriously.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Why didn’t he take a ship-load of palm-leaf fans to Spitzbergen while he was about it?
islands in the Svalbard archipelago to the east of northern Greenland; belonging to Norway
From this reading Why didn’t he take a ship-load of palm-leaf fans to Spitzbergen while he was about it?
the capital raised by a corporation through the issue of shares entitling holders to an ownership interest
From this reading “Four-thousand-dollar stock of goods!” gasped Keogh, in ecstasy.
carry out
From this reading “Don’t tell me,” he said, “that anybody was fool enough to take that letter seriously.”
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading “Talk about coals to Newcastle!
express in words
From this reading “Don’t tell me,” he said, “that anybody was fool enough to take that letter seriously.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Don’t tell me,” he said, “that anybody was fool enough to take that letter seriously.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Saw the old codger on the beach.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Don’t tell me,” he said, “that anybody was fool enough to take that letter seriously.”
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Don’t tell me,” he said, “that anybody was fool enough to take that letter seriously.”
during the time that
From this reading Why didn’t he take a ship-load of palm-leaf fans to Spitzbergen while he was about it?
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why didn’t he take a ship-load of palm-leaf fans to Spitzbergen while he was about it?
Chapter 15 of Cabbages and Kings by O. Henry holds 187 sentences, grouped into 38 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 15 holds 187 sentences of Cabbages and Kings, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of Cabbages and Kings by O. Henry exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 187 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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 Cabbages and Kings by O. Henry on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3955 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2777 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2777, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 329 minutes of reading across 791 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Cabbages and Kings section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of Cabbages and Kings 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 Cabbages and Kings, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
