Chapter 16 of Holiday stories is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of Holiday stories is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"STEPBROTHER DICK." "You will have to be father, mother, and brother to the girls, Dick. It is a great charge, but you will not shirk it. I know what you are, dear boy, and now, more than ever, I thank God, who took my only son, that He left me you." The speaker had not long to live, and she knew it.
Chapter 16 of Holiday stories is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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 male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading “"You will have to be father, mother, and brother to the girls, Dick.”
to make a rush at or sudden attack upon, as in battle
From this reading “It is a great charge, but you will not shirk it.”
someone who is a detective
From this reading “"STEPBROTHER DICK."”
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading “"You will have to be father, mother, and brother to the girls, Dick.”
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading “The speaker had not long to live, and she knew it.”
avoid (one's assigned duties)
From this reading “It is a great charge, but you will not shirk it.”
someone who expresses in language; someone who talks (especially someone who delivers a public speech or someone especially garrulous)
From this reading “The speaker had not long to live, and she knew it.”
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading “I know what you are, dear boy, and now, more than ever, I thank God, who took my only son, that He left me you."”
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 know what you are, dear boy, and now, more than ever, I thank God, who took my only son, that He left me you."”
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 It is a great charge, but you will not shirk it.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "You will have to be father, mother, and brother to the girls, Dick.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading I know what you are, dear boy, and now, more than ever, I thank God, who took my only son, that He left me you."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "You will have to be father, mother, and brother to the girls, Dick.
a youthful male person
From this reading I know what you are, dear boy, and now, more than ever, I thank God, who took my only son, that He left me you."
a male with the same parents as someone else
From this reading "You will have to be father, mother, and brother to the girls, Dick.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It is a great charge, but you will not shirk it.
to make a rush at or sudden attack upon, as in battle
From this reading It is a great charge, but you will not shirk it.
dearly loved
From this reading I know what you are, dear boy, and now, more than ever, I thank God, who took my only son, that He left me you."
someone who is a detective
From this reading "STEPBROTHER DICK."
at any time
From this reading I know what you are, dear boy, and now, more than ever, I thank God, who took my only son, that He left me you."
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading "You will have to be father, mother, and brother to the girls, Dick.
plural of “girl” — a young female
From this reading "You will have to be father, mother, and brother to the girls, Dick.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading I know what you are, dear boy, and now, more than ever, I thank God, who took my only son, that He left me you."
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading It is a great charge, but you will not shirk it.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The speaker had not long to live, and she knew it.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "You will have to be father, mother, and brother to the girls, Dick.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I know what you are, dear boy, and now, more than ever, I thank God, who took my only son, that He left me you."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I know what you are, dear boy, and now, more than ever, I thank God, who took my only son, that He left me you."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is a great charge, but you will not shirk it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It is a great charge, but you will not shirk it.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading The speaker had not long to live, and she knew it.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading I know what you are, dear boy, and now, more than ever, I thank God, who took my only son, that He left me you."
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading I know what you are, dear boy, and now, more than ever, I thank God, who took my only son, that He left me you."
be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading The speaker had not long to live, and she knew it.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading The speaker had not long to live, and she knew it.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I know what you are, dear boy, and now, more than ever, I thank God, who took my only son, that He left me you."
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading I know what you are, dear boy, and now, more than ever, I thank God, who took my only son, that He left me you."
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading "You will have to be father, mother, and brother to the girls, Dick.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I know what you are, dear boy, and now, more than ever, I thank God, who took my only son, that He left me you."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It is a great charge, but you will not shirk it.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading I know what you are, dear boy, and now, more than ever, I thank God, who took my only son, that He left me you."
and nothing more
From this reading I know what you are, dear boy, and now, more than ever, I thank God, who took my only son, that He left me you."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The speaker had not long to live, and she knew it.
avoid (one's assigned duties)
From this reading It is a great charge, but you will not shirk it.
a male human offspring
From this reading I know what you are, dear boy, and now, more than ever, I thank God, who took my only son, that He left me you."
someone who expresses in language; someone who talks (especially someone who delivers a public speech or someone especially garrulous)
From this reading The speaker had not long to live, and she knew it.
a brother who has only one parent in common with you
From this reading "STEPBROTHER DICK."
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading I know what you are, dear boy, and now, more than ever, I thank God, who took my only son, that He left me you."
express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading I know what you are, dear boy, and now, more than ever, I thank God, who took my only son, that He left me you."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I know what you are, dear boy, and now, more than ever, I thank God, who took my only son, that He left me you."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "You will have to be father, mother, and brother to the girls, Dick.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "You will have to be father, mother, and brother to the girls, Dick.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading I know what you are, dear boy, and now, more than ever, I thank God, who took my only son, that He left me you."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I know what you are, dear boy, and now, more than ever, I thank God, who took my only son, that He left me you."
which person or people
From this reading I know what you are, dear boy, and now, more than ever, I thank God, who took my only son, that He left me you."
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "You will have to be father, mother, and brother to the girls, Dick.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You will have to be father, mother, and brother to the girls, Dick.
Chapter 16 of Holiday stories by Ruth Lamb holds 159 sentences, grouped into 32 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 16 holds 159 sentences of Holiday stories, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of Holiday stories by Ruth Lamb exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 159 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 16 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 Holiday stories by Ruth Lamb on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Holiday stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of Holiday stories 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 Holiday stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
