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Dorothy Dale's Queer Holidays
Dorothy Dale's Queer Holidays

Chapter XXVI · Chapter 26

Chapter 26 of Dorothy Dale's Queer Holidays is here in full — 131 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/26 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS "Well, I never expected to forgive him--he was so mean and obstinate--" The unpleasant, treble voice of Miss Jane Pumfret was interrupted by the lower tones of Major Dale.
"But, my dear woman," he said, "Captain Mayberry is not responsible--he is sick, mentally and physically."
"Well, I'll see," and she arose to go, "I am not much of a hand at making up, anyway."
"But if you could have seen how he begged me to send for you.
He seemed to fear you would be angry with him for leaving the old place."
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/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Dorothy Dale's Queer Holidays

Chapter XXVI · Chapter 26

Chapter 26 of Dorothy Dale's Queer Holidays is here in full — 131 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/26 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS "Well, I never expected to forgive him--he was so mean and obstinate--" The unpleasant, treble voice of Miss Jane Pumfret was interrupted by the lower tones of Major Dale.
Line 2
"But, my dear woman," he said, "Captain Mayberry is not responsible--he is sick, mentally and physically."
Line 3
"Well, I'll see," and she arose to go, "I am not much of a hand at making up, anyway."
Line 4
"But if you could have seen how he begged me to send for you.
Line 5
He seemed to fear you would be angry with him for leaving the old place."
/hiː siːmd tuː fɪr juː wʊd biː ˈæŋɡri wɪð hɪm fɔːr ˈliːvɪŋ ðə oʊld pleɪs/

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.

anyway adverb US /ˈeniweɪ/

used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement

From this reading “"Well, I'll see," and she arose to go, "I am not much of a hand at making up, anyway."”

Dale noun US /deɪl/

an open river valley (in a hilly area)

From this reading “THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS "Well, I never expected to forgive him--he was so mean and obstinate--" The unpleasant, treble voice of Miss Jane Pumfret was interrupted by the lower tones of Major Dale.”

mentally adverb US /ˈmentəli/

in your mind

From this reading “"But, my dear woman," he said, "Captain Mayberry is not responsible--he is sick, mentally and physically."”

obstinate adjective US /ˈɑːbstənət/

tenaciously unwilling or marked by tenacious unwillingness to yield

From this reading “THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS "Well, I never expected to forgive him--he was so mean and obstinate--" The unpleasant, treble voice of Miss Jane Pumfret was interrupted by the lower tones of Major Dale.”

physically adverb US /ˈfɪzɪkəli/

in accord with physical laws

From this reading “"But, my dear woman," he said, "Captain Mayberry is not responsible--he is sick, mentally and physically."”

responsible adjective US /riˈspɑːnsəbəl/

worthy of or requiring responsibility or trust; or held accountable

From this reading “"But, my dear woman," he said, "Captain Mayberry is not responsible--he is sick, mentally and physically."”

treble adjective US /ˈtrebəl/

having or denoting a high range

From this reading “THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS "Well, I never expected to forgive him--he was so mean and obstinate--" The unpleasant, treble voice of Miss Jane Pumfret was interrupted by the lower tones of Major Dale.”

unpleasant adjective US /ənˈplezənt/

offensive or disagreeable; causing discomfort or unhappiness

From this reading “THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS "Well, I never expected to forgive him--he was so mean and obstinate--" The unpleasant, treble voice of Miss Jane Pumfret was interrupted by the lower tones of Major Dale.”

All words in this reading · 75

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 "Well, I'll see," and she arose to go, "I am not much of a hand at making up, anyway."

amauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading "Well, I'll see," and she arose to go, "I am not much of a hand at making up, anyway."

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS "Well, I never expected to forgive him--he was so mean and obstinate--" The unpleasant, treble voice of Miss Jane Pumfret was interrupted by the lower tones of Major Dale.

angryadjectiveUS /ˈæŋɡri/

feeling or showing anger

From this reading He seemed to fear you would be angry with him for leaving the old place."

anywayadverbUS /ˈeniweɪ/

used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement

From this reading "Well, I'll see," and she arose to go, "I am not much of a hand at making up, anyway."

aroseverbUS /ərˈoʊz/

inflected form of “arise” — come into existence; take on form or shape

From this reading "Well, I'll see," and she arose to go, "I am not much of a hand at making up, anyway."

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading "Well, I'll see," and she arose to go, "I am not much of a hand at making up, anyway."

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading He seemed to fear you would be angry with him for leaving the old place."

BEFOREprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS "Well, I never expected to forgive him--he was so mean and obstinate--" The unpleasant, treble voice of Miss Jane Pumfret was interrupted by the lower tones of Major Dale.

beggedverbUS /beɡd/

inflected form of “beg” — call upon in supplication; entreat

From this reading "But if you could have seen how he begged me to send for you.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading "But, my dear woman," he said, "Captain Mayberry is not responsible--he is sick, mentally and physically."

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS "Well, I never expected to forgive him--he was so mean and obstinate--" The unpleasant, treble voice of Miss Jane Pumfret was interrupted by the lower tones of Major Dale.

CaptainnounUS /ˈkæptən/

an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant

From this reading "But, my dear woman," he said, "Captain Mayberry is not responsible--he is sick, mentally and physically."

CHRISTMASnounUS /ˈkrɪsməs/

period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6

From this reading THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS "Well, I never expected to forgive him--he was so mean and obstinate--" The unpleasant, treble voice of Miss Jane Pumfret was interrupted by the lower tones of Major Dale.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading "But if you could have seen how he begged me to send for you.

DalenounUS /deɪl/

an open river valley (in a hilly area)

From this reading THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS "Well, I never expected to forgive him--he was so mean and obstinate--" The unpleasant, treble voice of Miss Jane Pumfret was interrupted by the lower tones of Major Dale.

DAYnounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS "Well, I never expected to forgive him--he was so mean and obstinate--" The unpleasant, treble voice of Miss Jane Pumfret was interrupted by the lower tones of Major Dale.

dearadjectiveUS /dɪr/

dearly loved

From this reading "But, my dear woman," he said, "Captain Mayberry is not responsible--he is sick, mentally and physically."

expectedadjectiveUS /ɪkˈspektəd/

considered likely or probable to happen or arrive

From this reading THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS "Well, I never expected to forgive him--he was so mean and obstinate--" The unpleasant, treble voice of Miss Jane Pumfret was interrupted by the lower tones of Major Dale.

fearverbUS /fɪr/

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

From this reading He seemed to fear you would be angry with him for leaving the old place."

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading "But if you could have seen how he begged me to send for you.

forgiveverbUS /fərˈɡɪv/

stop blaming or grant forgiveness

From this reading THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS "Well, I never expected to forgive him--he was so mean and obstinate--" The unpleasant, treble voice of Miss Jane Pumfret was interrupted by the lower tones of Major Dale.

goverbUS /ɡoʊ/

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading "Well, I'll see," and she arose to go, "I am not much of a hand at making up, anyway."

handnounUS /hænd/

the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb

From this reading "Well, I'll see," and she arose to go, "I am not much of a hand at making up, anyway."

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "But if you could have seen how he begged me to send for you.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS "Well, I never expected to forgive him--he was so mean and obstinate--" The unpleasant, treble voice of Miss Jane Pumfret was interrupted by the lower tones of Major Dale.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS "Well, I never expected to forgive him--he was so mean and obstinate--" The unpleasant, treble voice of Miss Jane Pumfret was interrupted by the lower tones of Major Dale.

how

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

From this reading "But if you could have seen how he begged me to send for you.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS "Well, I never expected to forgive him--he was so mean and obstinate--" The unpleasant, treble voice of Miss Jane Pumfret was interrupted by the lower tones of Major Dale.

I'll

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

From this reading "Well, I'll see," and she arose to go, "I am not much of a hand at making up, anyway."

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading "But if you could have seen how he begged me to send for you.

interruptedadjectiveUS /ˌɪntərˈʌptɪd/

discontinued temporarily

From this reading THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS "Well, I never expected to forgive him--he was so mean and obstinate--" The unpleasant, treble voice of Miss Jane Pumfret was interrupted by the lower tones of Major Dale.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading "But, my dear woman," he said, "Captain Mayberry is not responsible--he is sick, mentally and physically."

Jane

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

From this reading THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS "Well, I never expected to forgive him--he was so mean and obstinate--" The unpleasant, treble voice of Miss Jane Pumfret was interrupted by the lower tones of Major Dale.

leavingnounUS /ˈliːvɪŋ/

the act of departing

From this reading He seemed to fear you would be angry with him for leaving the old place."

lowerverbUS /ˈloʊər/

move something or somebody to a lower position

From this reading THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS "Well, I never expected to forgive him--he was so mean and obstinate--" The unpleasant, treble voice of Miss Jane Pumfret was interrupted by the lower tones of Major Dale.

MajoradjectiveUS /ˈmeɪdʒər/

of greater importance or stature or rank

From this reading THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS "Well, I never expected to forgive him--he was so mean and obstinate--" The unpleasant, treble voice of Miss Jane Pumfret was interrupted by the lower tones of Major Dale.

makingnounUS /ˈmeɪkɪŋ/

the act that results in something coming to be

From this reading "Well, I'll see," and she arose to go, "I am not much of a hand at making up, anyway."

Mayberry

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

From this reading "But, my dear woman," he said, "Captain Mayberry is not responsible--he is sick, mentally and physically."

mepronounUS /miː/

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

From this reading "But if you could have seen how he begged me to send for you.

meanverbUS /miːn/

mean or intend to express or convey

From this reading THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS "Well, I never expected to forgive him--he was so mean and obstinate--" The unpleasant, treble voice of Miss Jane Pumfret was interrupted by the lower tones of Major Dale.

mentallyadverbUS /ˈmentəli/

in your mind

From this reading "But, my dear woman," he said, "Captain Mayberry is not responsible--he is sick, mentally and physically."

MissverbUS /mɪs/

fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind

From this reading THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS "Well, I never expected to forgive him--he was so mean and obstinate--" The unpleasant, treble voice of Miss Jane Pumfret was interrupted by the lower tones of Major Dale.

muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

From this reading "Well, I'll see," and she arose to go, "I am not much of a hand at making up, anyway."

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading "But, my dear woman," he said, "Captain Mayberry is not responsible--he is sick, mentally and physically."

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS "Well, I never expected to forgive him--he was so mean and obstinate--" The unpleasant, treble voice of Miss Jane Pumfret was interrupted by the lower tones of Major Dale.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading "But, my dear woman," he said, "Captain Mayberry is not responsible--he is sick, mentally and physically."

obstinateadjectiveUS /ˈɑːbstənət/

tenaciously unwilling or marked by tenacious unwillingness to yield

From this reading THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS "Well, I never expected to forgive him--he was so mean and obstinate--" The unpleasant, treble voice of Miss Jane Pumfret was interrupted by the lower tones of Major Dale.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS "Well, I never expected to forgive him--he was so mean and obstinate--" The unpleasant, treble voice of Miss Jane Pumfret was interrupted by the lower tones of Major Dale.

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

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

From this reading He seemed to fear you would be angry with him for leaving the old place."

physicallyadverbUS /ˈfɪzɪkəli/

in accord with physical laws

From this reading "But, my dear woman," he said, "Captain Mayberry is not responsible--he is sick, mentally and physically."

placenounUS /pleɪs/

a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading He seemed to fear you would be angry with him for leaving the old place."

Pumfret

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

From this reading THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS "Well, I never expected to forgive him--he was so mean and obstinate--" The unpleasant, treble voice of Miss Jane Pumfret was interrupted by the lower tones of Major Dale.

responsibleadjectiveUS /riˈspɑːnsəbəl/

worthy of or requiring responsibility or trust; or held accountable

From this reading "But, my dear woman," he said, "Captain Mayberry is not responsible--he is sick, mentally and physically."

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "But, my dear woman," he said, "Captain Mayberry is not responsible--he is sick, mentally and physically."

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading "Well, I'll see," and she arose to go, "I am not much of a hand at making up, anyway."

seemedverbUS /siːmd/

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading He seemed to fear you would be angry with him for leaving the old place."

seenverbUS /siːn/

inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading "But if you could have seen how he begged me to send for you.

sendverbUS /send/

cause to go somewhere

From this reading "But if you could have seen how he begged me to send for you.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading "Well, I'll see," and she arose to go, "I am not much of a hand at making up, anyway."

sickadjectiveUS /sɪk/

affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function

From this reading "But, my dear woman," he said, "Captain Mayberry is not responsible--he is sick, mentally and physically."

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS "Well, I never expected to forgive him--he was so mean and obstinate--" The unpleasant, treble voice of Miss Jane Pumfret was interrupted by the lower tones of Major Dale.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS "Well, I never expected to forgive him--he was so mean and obstinate--" The unpleasant, treble voice of Miss Jane Pumfret was interrupted by the lower tones of Major Dale.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS "Well, I never expected to forgive him--he was so mean and obstinate--" The unpleasant, treble voice of Miss Jane Pumfret was interrupted by the lower tones of Major Dale.

tonesnounUS /toʊnz/

plural of “tone” — the quality of a person's voice

From this reading THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS "Well, I never expected to forgive him--he was so mean and obstinate--" The unpleasant, treble voice of Miss Jane Pumfret was interrupted by the lower tones of Major Dale.

trebleadjectiveUS /ˈtrebəl/

having or denoting a high range

From this reading THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS "Well, I never expected to forgive him--he was so mean and obstinate--" The unpleasant, treble voice of Miss Jane Pumfret was interrupted by the lower tones of Major Dale.

unpleasantadjectiveUS /ənˈplezənt/

offensive or disagreeable; causing discomfort or unhappiness

From this reading THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS "Well, I never expected to forgive him--he was so mean and obstinate--" The unpleasant, treble voice of Miss Jane Pumfret was interrupted by the lower tones of Major Dale.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

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

From this reading "Well, I'll see," and she arose to go, "I am not much of a hand at making up, anyway."

voicenounUS /vɔɪs/

the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech

From this reading THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS "Well, I never expected to forgive him--he was so mean and obstinate--" The unpleasant, treble voice of Miss Jane Pumfret was interrupted by the lower tones of Major Dale.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS "Well, I never expected to forgive him--he was so mean and obstinate--" The unpleasant, treble voice of Miss Jane Pumfret was interrupted by the lower tones of Major Dale.

WelladverbUS /wel/

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading THE DAY BEFORE CHRISTMAS "Well, I never expected to forgive him--he was so mean and obstinate--" The unpleasant, treble voice of Miss Jane Pumfret was interrupted by the lower tones of Major Dale.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading He seemed to fear you would be angry with him for leaving the old place."

womannounUS /ˈwʊmən/

an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading "But, my dear woman," he said, "Captain Mayberry is not responsible--he is sick, mentally and physically."

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading He seemed to fear you would be angry with him for leaving the old place."

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "But if you could have seen how he begged me to send for you.

Chapter 26 of Dorothy Dale's Queer Holidays by Margaret Penrose holds 131 sentences, grouped into 27 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 26 of Dorothy Dale's Queer Holidays contain?

Chapter 26 holds 131 sentences of Dorothy Dale's Queer Holidays, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 26 of Dorothy Dale's Queer Holidays by Margaret Penrose exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 131 sentences, grouped into 27 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 26 of Dorothy Dale's Queer Holidays?

Work through the 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 27 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 26 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 26 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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Vocabulary met early in Dorothy Dale's Queer Holidays

Words and structures a reader meets early in Dorothy Dale's Queer Holidays, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
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Chapter 2
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Chapter 3
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