Chapter 15 of Cousin Mary is here in full — 172 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of Cousin Mary is here in full — 172 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
FIRESIDE TALK. “I have been here only six months,” said Miss Hofland. “I am engaged for a year, like you. I was sent on trial at first to see if the child would take to me, poor little thing! I didn’t think she could take to anybody: but I’ve changed my opinion.”
Chapter 15 of Cousin Mary is here in full — 172 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/34 · 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.
any person at all
From this reading “I didn’t think she could take to anybody: but I’ve changed my opinion.””
made or become different in nature or form
From this reading “I didn’t think she could take to anybody: but I’ve changed my opinion.””
having ones attention or mind or energy engaged
From this reading ““I am engaged for a year, like you.”
an area near a fireplace (usually paved and extending out into a room)
From this reading “FIRESIDE TALK.”
plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading ““I have been here only six months,” said Miss Hofland.”
a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty
From this reading “I didn’t think she could take to anybody: but I’ve changed my opinion.””
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading ““I have been here only six months,” said Miss Hofland.”
the act of testing something
From this reading “I was sent on trial at first to see if the child would take to me, poor little thing!”
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.
In this reading ““I have been here only six months,” said Miss Hofland.”
In this reading “I was sent on trial at first to see if the child would take to me, poor little thing!”
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 “I am engaged for a year, like you.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “I am engaged for a year, like you.
any person at all
From this reading I didn’t think she could take to anybody: but I’ve changed my opinion.”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I was sent on trial at first to see if the child would take to me, poor little thing!
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “I have been here only six months,” said Miss Hofland.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I didn’t think she could take to anybody: but I’ve changed my opinion.”
made or become different in nature or form
From this reading I didn’t think she could take to anybody: but I’ve changed my opinion.”
a young person of either sex
From this reading I was sent on trial at first to see if the child would take to me, poor little thing!
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading I didn’t think she could take to anybody: but I’ve changed my opinion.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I didn’t think she could take to anybody: but I’ve changed my opinion.”
having ones attention or mind or energy engaged
From this reading “I am engaged for a year, like you.
an area near a fireplace (usually paved and extending out into a room)
From this reading FIRESIDE TALK.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading I was sent on trial at first to see if the child would take to me, poor little thing!
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “I am engaged for a year, like you.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “I have been here only six months,” said Miss Hofland.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “I have been here only six months,” said Miss Hofland.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I have been here only six months,” said Miss Hofland.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I have been here only six months,” said Miss Hofland.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I didn’t think she could take to anybody: but I’ve changed my opinion.”
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading I was sent on trial at first to see if the child would take to me, poor little thing!
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading “I am engaged for a year, like you.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading I was sent on trial at first to see if the child would take to me, poor little thing!
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I was sent on trial at first to see if the child would take to me, poor little thing!
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading “I have been here only six months,” said Miss Hofland.
plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year
From this reading “I have been here only six months,” said Miss Hofland.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I didn’t think she could take to anybody: but I’ve changed my opinion.”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I was sent on trial at first to see if the child would take to me, poor little thing!
and nothing more
From this reading “I have been here only six months,” said Miss Hofland.
a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty
From this reading I didn’t think she could take to anybody: but I’ve changed my opinion.”
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading I was sent on trial at first to see if the child would take to me, poor little thing!
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I have been here only six months,” said Miss Hofland.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I was sent on trial at first to see if the child would take to me, poor little thing!
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading I was sent on trial at first to see if the child would take to me, poor little thing!
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I didn’t think she could take to anybody: but I’ve changed my opinion.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one
From this reading “I have been here only six months,” said Miss Hofland.
carry out
From this reading I was sent on trial at first to see if the child would take to me, poor little thing!
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading FIRESIDE TALK.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I was sent on trial at first to see if the child would take to me, poor little thing!
a special situation
From this reading I was sent on trial at first to see if the child would take to me, poor little thing!
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading I didn’t think she could take to anybody: but I’ve changed my opinion.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I was sent on trial at first to see if the child would take to me, poor little thing!
the act of testing something
From this reading I was sent on trial at first to see if the child would take to me, poor little thing!
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was sent on trial at first to see if the child would take to me, poor little thing!
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading I was sent on trial at first to see if the child would take to me, poor little thing!
a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days
From this reading “I am engaged for a year, like you.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I am engaged for a year, like you.
Chapter 15 of Cousin Mary by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant holds 172 sentences, grouped into 35 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 172 sentences of Cousin Mary, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of Cousin Mary by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 172 sentences, grouped into 35 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 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 35 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 Cousin Mary by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3337 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63302 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #63302, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 278 minutes of reading across 668 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Cousin Mary section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of Cousin Mary 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 Cousin Mary, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
