Chapter 17 of Friend Mac Donald is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Friend Mac Donald is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Donald is not easily knocked down. -- He calmly contemplates Death, especially other People's. -- A thoughtful Wife. -- A very natural Request. -- A Consolable Father.
Chapter 17 of Friend Mac Donald is here in full — 97 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/19 · 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.
with self-possession (especially in times of stress)
From this reading “-- He calmly contemplates Death, especially other People's.”
able to be consoled
From this reading “-- A Consolable Father.”
third-person singular of “contemplate” — look at thoughtfully; observe deep in thought
From this reading “-- He calmly contemplates Death, especially other People's.”
to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common
From this reading “-- He calmly contemplates Death, especially other People's.”
past form of “knock” — deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading “Donald is not easily knocked down.”
possessive form of “people” — (plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading “-- He calmly contemplates Death, especially other People's.”
express the need or desire for
From this reading “-- A very natural Request.”
having intellectual depth
From this reading “-- A thoughtful Wife.”
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.
cause to come or go down
In this reading “Donald is not easily knocked down.”
In this reading “-- He calmly contemplates Death, especially other People's.”
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 -- A thoughtful Wife.
with self-possession (especially in times of stress)
From this reading -- He calmly contemplates Death, especially other People's.
able to be consoled
From this reading -- A Consolable Father.
third-person singular of “contemplate” — look at thoughtfully; observe deep in thought
From this reading -- He calmly contemplates Death, especially other People's.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading -- He calmly contemplates Death, especially other People's.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Donald is not easily knocked down.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Donald is not easily knocked down.
with ease (“easy” is sometimes used informally for “easily”)
From this reading Donald is not easily knocked down.
to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common
From this reading -- He calmly contemplates Death, especially other People's.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading -- A Consolable Father.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading -- He calmly contemplates Death, especially other People's.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Donald is not easily knocked down.
past form of “knock” — deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading Donald is not easily knocked down.
in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature
From this reading -- A very natural Request.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Donald is not easily knocked down.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading -- He calmly contemplates Death, especially other People's.
possessive form of “people” — (plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading -- He calmly contemplates Death, especially other People's.
express the need or desire for
From this reading -- A very natural Request.
having intellectual depth
From this reading -- A thoughtful Wife.
precisely as stated
From this reading -- A very natural Request.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading -- A thoughtful Wife.
Chapter 17 of Friend Mac Donald by Max O'Rell holds 97 sentences, grouped into 20 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 97 sentences of Friend Mac Donald, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Friend Mac Donald by Max O'Rell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 97 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 Friend Mac Donald by Max O'Rell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2488 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33883 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #33883, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 207 minutes of reading across 498 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Friend Mac Donald section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of Friend Mac Donald 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 Friend Mac Donald, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
