Chapter 30 of Merrylips is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXX
Chapter 30 of Merrylips is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
TO PUT IT TO THE TOUCH At last Merrylips gathered courage to look. Then she saw that just inside the door stood a young man, who blinked as if he had newly come from a dark place. He looked worn and tired. He seemed to have slept in his clothes. His coat, an old one, was too big for him, and his hair was dishevelled, and his face unshaven.
Chapter 30 of Merrylips is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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 “blink” — briefly shut the eyes
From this reading “Then she saw that just inside the door stood a young man, who blinked as if he had newly come from a dark place.”
an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading “His coat, an old one, was too big for him, and his hair was dishevelled, and his face unshaven.”
a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear
From this reading “TO PUT IT TO THE TOUCH At last Merrylips gathered courage to look.”
brought together in one place
From this reading “TO PUT IT TO THE TOUCH At last Merrylips gathered courage to look.”
very recently
From this reading “Then she saw that just inside the door stood a young man, who blinked as if he had newly come from a dark place.”
inflected form of “sleep” — be asleep
From this reading “He seemed to have slept in his clothes.”
not shaved
From this reading “His coat, an old one, was too big for him, and his hair was dishevelled, and his face unshaven.”
Damaged or thinned by continuous use.
From this reading “He looked worn and tired.”
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 teenager or a young adult male
In this reading “Then she saw that just inside the door stood a young man, who blinked as if he had newly come from a dark place.”
In this reading “TO PUT IT TO THE TOUCH At last Merrylips gathered courage to look.”
In this reading “Then she saw that just inside the door stood a young man, who blinked as if he had newly come from a dark place.”
In this reading “His coat, an old one, was too big for him, and his hair was dishevelled, and his face unshaven.”
In this reading “Then she saw that just inside the door stood a young man, who blinked as if he had newly come from a dark place.”
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 Then she saw that just inside the door stood a young man, who blinked as if he had newly come from a dark place.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading His coat, an old one, was too big for him, and his hair was dishevelled, and his face unshaven.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He looked worn and tired.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Then she saw that just inside the door stood a young man, who blinked as if he had newly come from a dark place.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading TO PUT IT TO THE TOUCH At last Merrylips gathered courage to look.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading His coat, an old one, was too big for him, and his hair was dishevelled, and his face unshaven.
past form of “blink” — briefly shut the eyes
From this reading Then she saw that just inside the door stood a young man, who blinked as if he had newly come from a dark place.
clothing in general
From this reading He seemed to have slept in his clothes.
an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading His coat, an old one, was too big for him, and his hair was dishevelled, and his face unshaven.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Then she saw that just inside the door stood a young man, who blinked as if he had newly come from a dark place.
a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear
From this reading TO PUT IT TO THE TOUCH At last Merrylips gathered courage to look.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Then she saw that just inside the door stood a young man, who blinked as if he had newly come from a dark place.
in disarray; extremely disorderly
From this reading His coat, an old one, was too big for him, and his hair was dishevelled, and his face unshaven.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Then she saw that just inside the door stood a young man, who blinked as if he had newly come from a dark place.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading His coat, an old one, was too big for him, and his hair was dishevelled, and his face unshaven.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading His coat, an old one, was too big for him, and his hair was dishevelled, and his face unshaven.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Then she saw that just inside the door stood a young man, who blinked as if he had newly come from a dark place.
brought together in one place
From this reading TO PUT IT TO THE TOUCH At last Merrylips gathered courage to look.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Then she saw that just inside the door stood a young man, who blinked as if he had newly come from a dark place.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading His coat, an old one, was too big for him, and his hair was dishevelled, and his face unshaven.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading He seemed to have slept in his clothes.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then she saw that just inside the door stood a young man, who blinked as if he had newly come from a dark place.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading His coat, an old one, was too big for him, and his hair was dishevelled, and his face unshaven.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He seemed to have slept in his clothes.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Then she saw that just inside the door stood a young man, who blinked as if he had newly come from a dark place.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He seemed to have slept in his clothes.
relating to or being on the side closer to the center or within a defined space
From this reading Then she saw that just inside the door stood a young man, who blinked as if he had newly come from a dark place.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading TO PUT IT TO THE TOUCH At last Merrylips gathered courage to look.
and nothing more
From this reading Then she saw that just inside the door stood a young man, who blinked as if he had newly come from a dark place.
immediately past
From this reading TO PUT IT TO THE TOUCH At last Merrylips gathered courage to look.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading TO PUT IT TO THE TOUCH At last Merrylips gathered courage to look.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He looked worn and tired.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Then she saw that just inside the door stood a young man, who blinked as if he had newly come from a dark place.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading TO PUT IT TO THE TOUCH At last Merrylips gathered courage to look.
very recently
From this reading Then she saw that just inside the door stood a young man, who blinked as if he had newly come from a dark place.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading His coat, an old one, was too big for him, and his hair was dishevelled, and his face unshaven.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading His coat, an old one, was too big for him, and his hair was dishevelled, and his face unshaven.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading Then she saw that just inside the door stood a young man, who blinked as if he had newly come from a dark place.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading TO PUT IT TO THE TOUCH At last Merrylips gathered courage to look.
cut with a saw
From this reading Then she saw that just inside the door stood a young man, who blinked as if he had newly come from a dark place.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading He seemed to have slept in his clothes.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Then she saw that just inside the door stood a young man, who blinked as if he had newly come from a dark place.
inflected form of “sleep” — be asleep
From this reading He seemed to have slept in his clothes.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Then she saw that just inside the door stood a young man, who blinked as if he had newly come from a dark place.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Then she saw that just inside the door stood a young man, who blinked as if he had newly come from a dark place.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading TO PUT IT TO THE TOUCH At last Merrylips gathered courage to look.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then she saw that just inside the door stood a young man, who blinked as if he had newly come from a dark place.
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading He looked worn and tired.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading TO PUT IT TO THE TOUCH At last Merrylips gathered courage to look.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading His coat, an old one, was too big for him, and his hair was dishevelled, and his face unshaven.
make physical contact with, come in contact with
From this reading TO PUT IT TO THE TOUCH At last Merrylips gathered courage to look.
not shaved
From this reading His coat, an old one, was too big for him, and his hair was dishevelled, and his face unshaven.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His coat, an old one, was too big for him, and his hair was dishevelled, and his face unshaven.
which person or people
From this reading Then she saw that just inside the door stood a young man, who blinked as if he had newly come from a dark place.
Damaged or thinned by continuous use.
From this reading He looked worn and tired.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading Then she saw that just inside the door stood a young man, who blinked as if he had newly come from a dark place.
Chapter 30 of Merrylips by Beulah Marie Dix holds 137 sentences, grouped into 28 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 30 holds 137 sentences of Merrylips, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 30 of Merrylips by Beulah Marie Dix exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 137 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 30 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 Merrylips by Beulah Marie Dix on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3981 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #75142 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #75142, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 331 minutes of reading across 797 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Merrylips section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 35 chapters of Merrylips 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 Merrylips, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
