Chapter 17 of Feathers left around is here in full — 273 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Feathers left around is here in full — 273 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
ON TO MAPLEDALE IT was shortly before midnight that Valentine Loft received that telephone message. The rest of the household had retired, and Loft was himself preparing for bed. “Mary Malden,” he said to himself, as he hung up the receiver. “I might have guessed it! Just the place for her, too.
Chapter 17 of Feathers left around is here in full — 273 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/54 · 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.
past form of “guess” — expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading ““I might have guessed it!”
floor consisting of a large unpartitioned space over a factory or warehouse or other commercial space
From this reading “ON TO MAPLEDALE IT was shortly before midnight that Valentine Loft received that telephone message.”
-ing form of “prepare” — make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc
From this reading “The rest of the household had retired, and Loft was himself preparing for bed.”
set that receives radio or tv signals
From this reading ““Mary Malden,” he said to himself, as he hung up the receiver.”
no longer active in your work or profession
From this reading “The rest of the household had retired, and Loft was himself preparing for bed.”
for a short time
From this reading “ON TO MAPLEDALE IT was shortly before midnight that Valentine Loft received that telephone message.”
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading “ON TO MAPLEDALE IT was shortly before midnight that Valentine Loft received that telephone message.”
a sweetheart chosen to receive a greeting on Saint Valentine's Day
From this reading “ON TO MAPLEDALE IT was shortly before midnight that Valentine Loft received that telephone message.”
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.
a message transmitted by telephone
In this reading “ON TO MAPLEDALE IT was shortly before midnight that Valentine Loft received that telephone message.”
In this reading “ON TO MAPLEDALE IT was shortly before midnight that Valentine Loft received that telephone message.”
prepare mentally or emotionally for something unpleasant
In this reading “The rest of the household had retired, and Loft was himself preparing for bed.”
put a telephone receiver back in its cradle
In this reading ““Mary Malden,” he said to himself, as he hung up the receiver.”
In this reading “The rest of the household had retired, and Loft was himself preparing for bed.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The rest of the household had retired, and Loft was himself preparing for bed.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading “Mary Malden,” he said to himself, as he hung up the receiver.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading The rest of the household had retired, and Loft was himself preparing for bed.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading ON TO MAPLEDALE IT was shortly before midnight that Valentine Loft received that telephone message.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The rest of the household had retired, and Loft was himself preparing for bed.
past form of “guess” — expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading “I might have guessed it!
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The rest of the household had retired, and Loft was himself preparing for bed.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “I might have guessed it!
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Mary Malden,” he said to himself, as he hung up the receiver.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Just the place for her, too.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading The rest of the household had retired, and Loft was himself preparing for bed.
a social unit living together
From this reading The rest of the household had retired, and Loft was himself preparing for bed.
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading “Mary Malden,” he said to himself, as he hung up the receiver.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I might have guessed it!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading ON TO MAPLEDALE IT was shortly before midnight that Valentine Loft received that telephone message.
and nothing more
From this reading Just the place for her, too.
floor consisting of a large unpartitioned space over a factory or warehouse or other commercial space
From this reading ON TO MAPLEDALE IT was shortly before midnight that Valentine Loft received that telephone message.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Mary Malden,” he said to himself, as he hung up the receiver.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ON TO MAPLEDALE IT was shortly before midnight that Valentine Loft received that telephone message.
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading “Mary Malden,” he said to himself, as he hung up the receiver.
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading ON TO MAPLEDALE IT was shortly before midnight that Valentine Loft received that telephone message.
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading ON TO MAPLEDALE IT was shortly before midnight that Valentine Loft received that telephone message.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading “I might have guessed it!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The rest of the household had retired, and Loft was himself preparing for bed.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading ON TO MAPLEDALE IT was shortly before midnight that Valentine Loft received that telephone message.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading Just the place for her, too.
-ing form of “prepare” — make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc
From this reading The rest of the household had retired, and Loft was himself preparing for bed.
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading ON TO MAPLEDALE IT was shortly before midnight that Valentine Loft received that telephone message.
set that receives radio or tv signals
From this reading “Mary Malden,” he said to himself, as he hung up the receiver.
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading The rest of the household had retired, and Loft was himself preparing for bed.
no longer active in your work or profession
From this reading The rest of the household had retired, and Loft was himself preparing for bed.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Mary Malden,” he said to himself, as he hung up the receiver.
for a short time
From this reading ON TO MAPLEDALE IT was shortly before midnight that Valentine Loft received that telephone message.
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading ON TO MAPLEDALE IT was shortly before midnight that Valentine Loft received that telephone message.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading ON TO MAPLEDALE IT was shortly before midnight that Valentine Loft received that telephone message.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The rest of the household had retired, and Loft was himself preparing for bed.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading ON TO MAPLEDALE IT was shortly before midnight that Valentine Loft received that telephone message.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Just the place for her, too.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “Mary Malden,” he said to himself, as he hung up the receiver.
a sweetheart chosen to receive a greeting on Saint Valentine's Day
From this reading ON TO MAPLEDALE IT was shortly before midnight that Valentine Loft received that telephone message.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading ON TO MAPLEDALE IT was shortly before midnight that Valentine Loft received that telephone message.
Chapter 17 of Feathers left around by Carolyn Wells holds 273 sentences, grouped into 55 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 17 holds 273 sentences of Feathers left around, unabridged, divided into 55 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Feathers left around by Carolyn Wells exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 273 sentences, grouped into 55 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 55 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 55 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 17 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 Feathers left around by Carolyn Wells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4849 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #75642 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #75642, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 404 minutes of reading across 970 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Feathers left around section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of Feathers left around 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 Feathers left around, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
