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Holiday Stories for Young People
Holiday Stories for Young People

Chapter X · Chapter 10

Chapter 10 of Holiday Stories for Young People is here in full — 172 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Holiday Stories for Young People
Context Illustration Reading 1/34 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
GRACE TAKES A HAND.
"Mother, darling, may I have a good long talk with you to-day, a confidential talk, we two by ourselves?"
"Yes, Grace, I shall be delighted."
"And when can it be?
You always have so many around you, dear; and no wonder, this is the centre of the house, this chair, which is your throne."
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Holiday Stories for Young People

Chapter X · Chapter 10

Chapter 10 of Holiday Stories for Young People is here in full — 172 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/34 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
GRACE TAKES A HAND.
/ɡreɪs teɪks ə hænd/
Line 2
"Mother, darling, may I have a good long talk with you to-day, a confidential talk, we two by ourselves?"
Line 3
"Yes, Grace, I shall be delighted."
/jes ɡreɪs aɪ ʃæl biː dɪˈlaɪtəd/
Line 4
"And when can it be?
/ənd wen kæn ɪt biː/
Line 5
You always have so many around you, dear; and no wonder, this is the centre of the house, this chair, which is your throne."
/juː ˈɔːlweɪz hæv soʊ ˈmeni ərˈaʊnd juː dɪr ənd noʊ ˈwʌndər ðɪs ɪz ðə ˈsentər ʌv ðə haʊs ðɪs tʃer wɪtʃ ɪz jɔːr θroʊn/

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.

centre noun US /ˈsentər/

a low-lying region in central France

From this reading “You always have so many around you, dear; and no wonder, this is the centre of the house, this chair, which is your throne."”

confidential adjective US /ˌkɑːnfəˈdenʃəl/

entrusted with private information and the confidence of another

From this reading “"Mother, darling, may I have a good long talk with you to-day, a confidential talk, we two by ourselves?"”

darling noun US /ˈdɑːrlɪŋ/

a special loved one

From this reading “"Mother, darling, may I have a good long talk with you to-day, a confidential talk, we two by ourselves?"”

delighted adjective US /dɪˈlaɪtəd/

greatly pleased

From this reading “"Yes, Grace, I shall be delighted."”

grace noun US /ɡreɪs/

(Christian theology) a state of sanctification by God; the state of one who is under such divine influence

From this reading “GRACE TAKES A HAND.”

ourselves pronoun US /aʊərˈselvz/

used when we are both doing the action and receiving it

From this reading “"Mother, darling, may I have a good long talk with you to-day, a confidential talk, we two by ourselves?"”

takes noun US /teɪks/

plural of “take” — the income or profit arising from such transactions as the sale of land or other property

From this reading “GRACE TAKES A HAND.”

throne noun US /θroʊn/

the chair of state for a monarch, bishop, etc.

From this reading “You always have so many around you, dear; and no wonder, this is the centre of the house, this chair, which is your throne."”

All words in this reading · 45

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 GRACE TAKES A HAND.

alwaysadverbUS /ˈɔːlweɪz/

at all times; all the time and on every occasion

From this reading You always have so many around you, dear; and no wonder, this is the centre of the house, this chair, which is your throne."

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading "And when can it be?

aroundprepositionUS /ərˈaʊnd/

surrounding, or on every side of, something

From this reading You always have so many around you, dear; and no wonder, this is the centre of the house, this chair, which is your throne."

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading "Yes, Grace, I shall be delighted."

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading "Mother, darling, may I have a good long talk with you to-day, a confidential talk, we two by ourselves?"

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading "And when can it be?

centrenounUS /ˈsentər/

a low-lying region in central France

From this reading You always have so many around you, dear; and no wonder, this is the centre of the house, this chair, which is your throne."

chairnounUS /tʃer/

a seat for one person, with a support for the back

From this reading You always have so many around you, dear; and no wonder, this is the centre of the house, this chair, which is your throne."

confidentialadjectiveUS /ˌkɑːnfəˈdenʃəl/

entrusted with private information and the confidence of another

From this reading "Mother, darling, may I have a good long talk with you to-day, a confidential talk, we two by ourselves?"

darlingnounUS /ˈdɑːrlɪŋ/

a special loved one

From this reading "Mother, darling, may I have a good long talk with you to-day, a confidential talk, we two by ourselves?"

dearadjectiveUS /dɪr/

dearly loved

From this reading You always have so many around you, dear; and no wonder, this is the centre of the house, this chair, which is your throne."

delightedadjectiveUS /dɪˈlaɪtəd/

greatly pleased

From this reading "Yes, Grace, I shall be delighted."

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading "Mother, darling, may I have a good long talk with you to-day, a confidential talk, we two by ourselves?"

GRACEnounUS /ɡreɪs/

(Christian theology) a state of sanctification by God; the state of one who is under such divine influence

From this reading GRACE TAKES A HAND.

HANDnounUS /hænd/

the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb

From this reading GRACE TAKES A HAND.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "Mother, darling, may I have a good long talk with you to-day, a confidential talk, we two by ourselves?"

housenounUS /haʊs/

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

From this reading You always have so many around you, dear; and no wonder, this is the centre of the house, this chair, which is your throne."

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading "Mother, darling, may I have a good long talk with you to-day, a confidential talk, we two by ourselves?"

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading You always have so many around you, dear; and no wonder, this is the centre of the house, this chair, which is your throne."

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading "And when can it be?

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

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 "Mother, darling, may I have a good long talk with you to-day, a confidential talk, we two by ourselves?"

manyadjectiveUS /ˈmeni/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number

From this reading You always have so many around you, dear; and no wonder, this is the centre of the house, this chair, which is your throne."

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading "Mother, darling, may I have a good long talk with you to-day, a confidential talk, we two by ourselves?"

MothernounUS /ˈmʌðər/

a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)

From this reading "Mother, darling, may I have a good long talk with you to-day, a confidential talk, we two by ourselves?"

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading You always have so many around you, dear; and no wonder, this is the centre of the house, this chair, which is your throne."

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading You always have so many around you, dear; and no wonder, this is the centre of the house, this chair, which is your throne."

ourselvespronounUS /aʊərˈselvz/

used when we are both doing the action and receiving it

From this reading "Mother, darling, may I have a good long talk with you to-day, a confidential talk, we two by ourselves?"

shallmodal verbUS /ʃæl/

used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest

From this reading "Yes, Grace, I shall be delighted."

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading You always have so many around you, dear; and no wonder, this is the centre of the house, this chair, which is your throne."

TAKESnounUS /teɪks/

plural of “take” — the income or profit arising from such transactions as the sale of land or other property

From this reading GRACE TAKES A HAND.

talkverbUS /tɔːk/

exchange thoughts; talk with

From this reading "Mother, darling, may I have a good long talk with you to-day, a confidential talk, we two by ourselves?"

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading You always have so many around you, dear; and no wonder, this is the centre of the house, this chair, which is your throne."

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading You always have so many around you, dear; and no wonder, this is the centre of the house, this chair, which is your throne."

thronenounUS /θroʊn/

the chair of state for a monarch, bishop, etc.

From this reading You always have so many around you, dear; and no wonder, this is the centre of the house, this chair, which is your throne."

to-day

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

From this reading "Mother, darling, may I have a good long talk with you to-day, a confidential talk, we two by ourselves?"

twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading "Mother, darling, may I have a good long talk with you to-day, a confidential talk, we two by ourselves?"

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading "Mother, darling, may I have a good long talk with you to-day, a confidential talk, we two by ourselves?"

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading "And when can it be?

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading You always have so many around you, dear; and no wonder, this is the centre of the house, this chair, which is your throne."

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading "Mother, darling, may I have a good long talk with you to-day, a confidential talk, we two by ourselves?"

wondernounUS /ˈwʌndər/

the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising

From this reading You always have so many around you, dear; and no wonder, this is the centre of the house, this chair, which is your throne."

YesnounUS /jes/

an affirmative

From this reading "Yes, Grace, I shall be delighted."

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "Mother, darling, may I have a good long talk with you to-day, a confidential talk, we two by ourselves?"

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading You always have so many around you, dear; and no wonder, this is the centre of the house, this chair, which is your throne."

Chapter 10 of Holiday Stories for Young People by Margaret Elizabeth Munson [Editor] Sangster holds 172 sentences, grouped into 35 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 10 of Holiday Stories for Young People contain?

Chapter 10 holds 172 sentences of Holiday Stories for Young People, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 10 of Holiday Stories for Young People by Margaret Elizabeth Munson [Editor] Sangster exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 172 sentences, grouped into 35 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 10 of Holiday Stories for Young People?

Work through the 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 35 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 10 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 10 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.

Questions about reading Holiday Stories for Young People

Common questions about reading Holiday Stories for Young People by Margaret Elizabeth Munson [Editor] Sangster on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Holiday Stories for Young People?

Yes. All 3444 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #16648 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Holiday Stories for Young People is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #16648, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Holiday Stories for Young People take to read?

About 287 minutes of reading across 689 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Holiday Stories for Young People section by section

How to work through Holiday Stories for Young People section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 13 chapters of Holiday Stories for Young People to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Holiday Stories for Young People

Words and structures a reader meets early in Holiday Stories for Young People, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Company
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Holiday Stories for Young People; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Receipts
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Holiday Stories for Young People; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Remember
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Holiday Stories for Young People; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Grandmamma
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Holiday Stories for Young People; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.