Chapter 26 of Fifty Contemporary One-Act Plays is here in full — 950 sentences across 190 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVI
Chapter 26 of Fifty Contemporary One-Act Plays is here in full — 950 sentences across 190 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
[_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table. With deep feeling_]. Florrie. I got somethin' I want to tell you. [_She does not look up.
Chapter 26 of Fifty Contemporary One-Act Plays is here in full — 950 sentences across 190 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/190 · 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.
a rich sweet made of flavored sugar and often combined with fruit or nuts
From this reading “[_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table.”
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading “[_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table.”
the act of consuming food
From this reading “[_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table.”
plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading “[_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table.”
cause to go crazy; cause to lose one's mind
From this reading “[_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table.”
plural of “pick” — the person or thing chosen or selected
From this reading “[_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table.”
plural of “read” — something that is read
From this reading “[_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table.”
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading “[_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table.”
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 “With deep feeling_].”
seek information from
In this reading “[_She does not look up.”
In this reading “[_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table.”
In this reading “[_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table.”
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 [_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table.
anew
From this reading [_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading [_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading [_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading [_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading [_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table.
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading [_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table.
a rich sweet made of flavored sugar and often combined with fruit or nuts
From this reading [_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading [_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading With deep feeling_].
the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading [_She does not look up.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading [_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table.
the act of consuming food
From this reading [_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table.
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading With deep feeling_].
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Florrie.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading [_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading I got somethin' I want to tell you.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading [_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading [_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I got somethin' I want to tell you.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading [_She does not look up.
plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading [_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table.
cause to go crazy; cause to lose one's mind
From this reading [_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading [_She does not look up.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading [_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading [_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading [_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table.
plural of “pick” — the person or thing chosen or selected
From this reading [_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table.
plural of “read” — something that is read
From this reading [_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading [_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I got somethin' I want to tell you.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading [_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading [_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading [_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table.
express in words
From this reading I got somethin' I want to tell you.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading [_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading [_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I got somethin' I want to tell you.
in the direction of
From this reading [_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading [_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table.
marked by or paying little heed or attention
From this reading [_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading [_She herself picks one up from the arm of the chair; then she looks down again at her book, eating the candy as she reads._] MADDEN [_unheeding.--Taking a step or two back toward her from the table.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading I got somethin' I want to tell you.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With deep feeling_].
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading I got somethin' I want to tell you.
Chapter 26 of Fifty Contemporary One-Act Plays by Frank [Editor] Shay holds 950 sentences, grouped into 190 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 26 holds 950 sentences of Fifty Contemporary One-Act Plays, unabridged, divided into 190 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 of Fifty Contemporary One-Act Plays by Frank [Editor] Shay exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 950 sentences, grouped into 190 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 190 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 190 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 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.
Common questions about reading Fifty Contemporary One-Act Plays by Frank [Editor] Shay on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 35466 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36984 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #36984, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 7094 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Fifty Contemporary One-Act Plays section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 37 chapters of Fifty Contemporary One-Act Plays 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 Fifty Contemporary One-Act Plays, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
