Corduroy

Chapter XVI

Chapter 16 of Corduroy is here in full — 81 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Ruth Comfort Mitchell • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

AT first, when she set out on the trail for Marble Peak, Ginger hurried a little.

She had a guilty fear that the doctor might have read her mutinous purpose in her face and ridden after her to make sure, but when ten minutes had passed she knew she was not being followed, and she ceased to urge her mount.

The fire fighters had exhausted the camp’s supply of good horses and this was an old and spiritless beast, hardly more than adequate for the daily trip with supplies.

“Easy, now, Pedro,” she patted the lean neck.

“We’ll take it easy, old boy.”

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Chapter XVI Reading 1/16

Corduroy Ruth Comfort Mitchell

Chapter XVI

Chapter 16 of Corduroy is here in full — 81 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

AT first, when she set out on the trail for Marble Peak, Ginger hurried a little. She had a guilty fear that the doctor might have read her mutinous purpose in her face and ridden after her to make sure, but when ten minutes had passed she knew she was not being followed, and she ceased to urge her mount. The fire fighters had exhausted the camp’s supply of good horses and this was an old and spiritless beast, hardly more than adequate for the daily trip with supplies. “Easy, now, Pedro,” she patted the lean neck. “We’ll take it easy, old boy.”

Corduroy

Chapter XVI

Chapter 16 of Corduroy is here in full — 81 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/16 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

AT first, when she set out on the trail for Marble Peak, Ginger hurried a little.

/æt fɜːrst wen ʃiː set aʊt ɑːn ðə treɪl fɔːr ˈmɑːrbəl piːk ˈdʒɪndʒər ˈhɜːrid ə ˈlɪtəl/

Line 2

/ʃiː hæd ə ˈɡɪlti fɪr ðæt ðə ˈdɑːktər maɪt hæv red hɜːr ˈmjuːtənəs ˈpɜːrpəs ɪn hɜːr feɪs ənd ˈrɪdən ˈæftər hɜːr tuː meɪk ʃʊr bʌt wen ten ˈmɪnəts hæd pæst ʃiː nuː ʃiː wɑːz nɑːt ˈbiːɪŋ ˈfɑːloʊd ənd ʃiː siːst tuː ɜːrdʒ hɜːr maʊnt/

Line 3

The fire fighters had exhausted the camp’s supply of good horses and this was an old and spiritless beast, hardly more than adequate for the daily trip with supplies.

Line 4

“Easy, now, Pedro,” she patted the lean neck.

Line 5

“We’ll take it easy, old boy.”

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.

adequate adjective US /ˈædəkwət/

having the requisite qualities or resources to meet a task

From this reading “The fire fighters had exhausted the camp’s supply of good horses and this was an old and spiritless beast, hardly more than adequate for the daily trip with supplies.”

camp's noun US /kæmps/

possessive form of “camp” — temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers

fighters noun US /ˈfaɪtərz/

plural of “fighter” — someone who fights (or is fighting)

From this reading “The fire fighters had exhausted the camp’s supply of good horses and this was an old and spiritless beast, hardly more than adequate for the daily trip with supplies.”

Ginger noun US /ˈdʒɪndʒər/

perennial plants having thick branching aromatic rhizomes and leafy reedlike stems

From this reading “AT first, when she set out on the trail for Marble Peak, Ginger hurried a little.”

mutinous adjective US /ˈmjuːtənəs/

disposed to or in a state of mutiny

From this reading “She had a guilty fear that the doctor might have read her mutinous purpose in her face and ridden after her to make sure, but when ten minutes had passed she knew she was not being followed, and she ceased to urge her mount.”

patted verb US /ˈpætɪd/

inflected form of “pat” — pat or squeeze fondly or playfully, especially under the chin

From this reading ““Easy, now, Pedro,” she patted the lean neck.”

Peak noun US /piːk/

the most extreme possible amount or value

From this reading “AT first, when she set out on the trail for Marble Peak, Ginger hurried a little.”

urge verb US /ɜːrdʒ/

force or impel in an indicated direction

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.

ten minutes noun + noun

In this reading “She had a guilty fear that the doctor might have read her mutinous purpose in her face and ridden after her to make sure, but when ten minutes had passed she knew she was not being followed, and she ceased to urge her mount.”

set out verb + adjective

take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

In this reading “AT first, when she set out on the trail for Marble Peak, Ginger hurried a little.”

make sure verb + adjective

make a point of doing something; act purposefully and intentionally

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

In this reading “AT first, when she set out on the trail for Marble Peak, Ginger hurried a little.”

old boy adjective + noun

a familiar term of address for a man

In this reading ““We’ll take it easy, old boy.””

supply of verb + particle

In this reading “The fire fighters had exhausted the camp’s supply of good horses and this was an old and spiritless beast, hardly more than adequate for the daily trip with supplies.”

hardly more adverb + adjective

In this reading “The fire fighters had exhausted the camp’s supply of good horses and this was an old and spiritless beast, hardly more than adequate for the daily trip with supplies.”

All words in this reading · 78

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 AT first, when she set out on the trail for Marble Peak, Ginger hurried a little.

adequateadjectiveUS /ˈædəkwət/

having the requisite qualities or resources to meet a task

From this reading The fire fighters had exhausted the camp’s supply of good horses and this was an old and spiritless beast, hardly more than adequate for the daily trip with supplies.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading She had a guilty fear that the doctor might have read her mutinous purpose in her face and ridden after her to make sure, but when ten minutes had passed she knew she was not being followed, and she ceased to urge her mount.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading The fire fighters had exhausted the camp’s supply of good horses and this was an old and spiritless beast, hardly more than adequate for the daily trip with supplies.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

ATprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading AT first, when she set out on the trail for Marble Peak, Ginger hurried a little.

beastnounUS /biːst/

a living organism characterized by voluntary movement

From this reading The fire fighters had exhausted the camp’s supply of good horses and this was an old and spiritless beast, hardly more than adequate for the daily trip with supplies.

beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

boynounUS /bɔɪ/

a youthful male person

From this reading “We’ll take it easy, old boy.”

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

camp'snounUS /kæmps/

possessive form of “camp” — temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers

From this reading The fire fighters had exhausted the camp’s supply of good horses and this was an old and spiritless beast, hardly more than adequate for the daily trip with supplies.

ceasedverbUS /siːst/

past form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity

dailyadverbUS /ˈdeɪli/

every day; without missing a day

From this reading The fire fighters had exhausted the camp’s supply of good horses and this was an old and spiritless beast, hardly more than adequate for the daily trip with supplies.

doctornounUS /ˈdɑːktər/

a licensed medical practitioner

EasyadjectiveUS /ˈiːzi/

posing no difficulty; requiring little effort

From this reading “Easy, now, Pedro,” she patted the lean neck.

exhaustedadjectiveUS /ɪɡˈzɔːstɪd/

drained of energy or effectiveness; extremely tired; completely exhausted

From this reading The fire fighters had exhausted the camp’s supply of good horses and this was an old and spiritless beast, hardly more than adequate for the daily trip with supplies.

facenounUS /feɪs/

the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

fearverbUS /fɪr/

be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event

fightersnounUS /ˈfaɪtərz/

plural of “fighter” — someone who fights (or is fighting)

From this reading The fire fighters had exhausted the camp’s supply of good horses and this was an old and spiritless beast, hardly more than adequate for the daily trip with supplies.

fireverbUS /ˈfaɪər/

start firing a weapon

From this reading The fire fighters had exhausted the camp’s supply of good horses and this was an old and spiritless beast, hardly more than adequate for the daily trip with supplies.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading AT first, when she set out on the trail for Marble Peak, Ginger hurried a little.

followedverbUS /ˈfɑːloʊd/

past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading AT first, when she set out on the trail for Marble Peak, Ginger hurried a little.

GingernounUS /ˈdʒɪndʒər/

perennial plants having thick branching aromatic rhizomes and leafy reedlike stems

From this reading AT first, when she set out on the trail for Marble Peak, Ginger hurried a little.

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading The fire fighters had exhausted the camp’s supply of good horses and this was an old and spiritless beast, hardly more than adequate for the daily trip with supplies.

guiltyadjectiveUS /ˈɡɪlti/

responsible for or chargeable with a reprehensible act

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

hardlyadverbUS /ˈhɑːrdli/

only a very short time before

From this reading The fire fighters had exhausted the camp’s supply of good horses and this was an old and spiritless beast, hardly more than adequate for the daily trip with supplies.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

horsesnounUS /ˈhɔːrsəz/

plural of “horse” — solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times

From this reading The fire fighters had exhausted the camp’s supply of good horses and this was an old and spiritless beast, hardly more than adequate for the daily trip with supplies.

hurriedadjectiveUS /ˈhɜːrid/

moving rapidly or performed quickly or in great haste

From this reading AT first, when she set out on the trail for Marble Peak, Ginger hurried a little.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading “We’ll take it easy, old boy.”

knewverbUS /nuː/

inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

leanverbUS /liːn/

to incline or bend from a vertical position

From this reading “Easy, now, Pedro,” she patted the lean neck.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading AT first, when she set out on the trail for Marble Peak, Ginger hurried a little.

makeverbUS /meɪk/

engage in

MarblenounUS /ˈmɑːrbəl/

a hard crystalline metamorphic rock that takes a high polish; used for sculpture and as building material

From this reading AT first, when she set out on the trail for Marble Peak, Ginger hurried a little.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

minutesnounUS /ˈmɪnəts/

a written account of what transpired at a meeting

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading The fire fighters had exhausted the camp’s supply of good horses and this was an old and spiritless beast, hardly more than adequate for the daily trip with supplies.

mountverbUS /maʊnt/

attach to a support

mutinousadjectiveUS /ˈmjuːtənəs/

disposed to or in a state of mutiny

necknounUS /nek/

the part of an organism (human or animal) that connects the head to the rest of the body

From this reading “Easy, now, Pedro,” she patted the lean neck.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading “Easy, now, Pedro,” she patted the lean neck.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The fire fighters had exhausted the camp’s supply of good horses and this was an old and spiritless beast, hardly more than adequate for the daily trip with supplies.

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading The fire fighters had exhausted the camp’s supply of good horses and this was an old and spiritless beast, hardly more than adequate for the daily trip with supplies.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading AT first, when she set out on the trail for Marble Peak, Ginger hurried a little.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading AT first, when she set out on the trail for Marble Peak, Ginger hurried a little.

passedverbUS /pæst/

past form of “pass” — go across or through

pattedverbUS /ˈpætɪd/

inflected form of “pat” — pat or squeeze fondly or playfully, especially under the chin

From this reading “Easy, now, Pedro,” she patted the lean neck.

PeaknounUS /piːk/

the most extreme possible amount or value

From this reading AT first, when she set out on the trail for Marble Peak, Ginger hurried a little.

Pedro

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

From this reading “Easy, now, Pedro,” she patted the lean neck.

purposenounUS /ˈpɜːrpəs/

an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions

readverbUS /red/

interpret something that is written or printed

riddenverbUS /ˈrɪdən/

inflected form of “ride” — sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions

setverbUS /set/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading AT first, when she set out on the trail for Marble Peak, Ginger hurried a little.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading AT first, when she set out on the trail for Marble Peak, Ginger hurried a little.

spiritlessadjective

lacking ardor or vigor or energy

From this reading The fire fighters had exhausted the camp’s supply of good horses and this was an old and spiritless beast, hardly more than adequate for the daily trip with supplies.

suppliesnounUS /səˈplaɪz/

plural of “supply” — an amount of something available for use

From this reading The fire fighters had exhausted the camp’s supply of good horses and this was an old and spiritless beast, hardly more than adequate for the daily trip with supplies.

supplyverbUS /səˈplaɪ/

give something useful or necessary to

From this reading The fire fighters had exhausted the camp’s supply of good horses and this was an old and spiritless beast, hardly more than adequate for the daily trip with supplies.

sureadjectiveUS /ʃʊr/

having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured

takeverbUS /teɪk/

carry out

From this reading “We’ll take it easy, old boy.”

tennounUS /ten/

the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading The fire fighters had exhausted the camp’s supply of good horses and this was an old and spiritless beast, hardly more than adequate for the daily trip with supplies.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading AT first, when she set out on the trail for Marble Peak, Ginger hurried a little.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading The fire fighters had exhausted the camp’s supply of good horses and this was an old and spiritless beast, hardly more than adequate for the daily trip with supplies.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

trailnounUS /treɪl/

a track or mark left by something that has passed

From this reading AT first, when she set out on the trail for Marble Peak, Ginger hurried a little.

tripnounUS /trɪp/

a journey for some purpose (usually including the return)

From this reading The fire fighters had exhausted the camp’s supply of good horses and this was an old and spiritless beast, hardly more than adequate for the daily trip with supplies.

urgeverbUS /ɜːrdʒ/

force or impel in an indicated direction

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

We'll

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

From this reading “We’ll take it easy, old boy.”

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading AT first, when she set out on the trail for Marble Peak, Ginger hurried a little.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading The fire fighters had exhausted the camp’s supply of good horses and this was an old and spiritless beast, hardly more than adequate for the daily trip with supplies.

Chapter 16 of Corduroy by Ruth Comfort Mitchell holds 81 sentences, grouped into 17 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 16 of Corduroy contain?

Chapter 16 holds 81 sentences of Corduroy, unabridged, divided into 17 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 16 of Corduroy by Ruth Comfort Mitchell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 81 sentences, grouped into 17 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.

How do I study chapter 16 of Corduroy?

Work through the 17 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 17 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.

Can chapter 16 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Corduroy

Common questions about reading Corduroy by Ruth Comfort Mitchell on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Corduroy?

Yes. All 2927 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #70289 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Corduroy is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #70289, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Corduroy take to read?

About 243 minutes of reading across 586 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Corduroy section by section

How to work through Corduroy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

Open a chapter

Choose one of the 18 chapters of Corduroy to begin.
Read one section

Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Listen and tap

Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Corduroy

Words and structures a reader meets early in Corduroy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

First: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Corduroy; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Life--she: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Corduroy; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Alive: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Corduroy; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Twenty-two: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Corduroy; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter XVI

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