Chapter 19 of Options is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIX
Chapter 19 of Options is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Then we had more talk; and at last a kind of proud, serious look came on her face, and she turned and pointed a finger at the big house. "'The Allyns,' says she, 'have lived in Elmcroft for a hundred years. We are a proud family. Look at that mansion. It has fifty rooms.
Chapter 19 of Options is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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.
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and five
From this reading “It has fifty rooms.”
feel or handle with the fingers
From this reading “"Then we had more talk; and at last a kind of proud, serious look came on her face, and she turned and pointed a finger at the big house.”
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading “"'The Allyns,' says she, 'have lived in Elmcroft for a hundred years.”
(astrology) one of 12 equal areas into which the zodiac is divided
From this reading “Look at that mansion.”
having a point
From this reading “"Then we had more talk; and at last a kind of proud, serious look came on her face, and she turned and pointed a finger at the big house.”
feeling self-respect or pleasure in something by which you measure your self-worth; or being a reason for pride
From this reading “"Then we had more talk; and at last a kind of proud, serious look came on her face, and she turned and pointed a finger at the big house.”
apartment consisting of a series of connected rooms used as a living unit (as in a hotel)
From this reading “It has fifty rooms.”
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading “"Then we had more talk; and at last a kind of proud, serious look came on her face, and she turned and pointed a finger at the big house.”
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 we had more talk; and at last a kind of proud, serious look came on her face, and she turned and pointed a finger at the big house.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "'The Allyns,' says she, 'have lived in Elmcroft for a hundred years.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Then we had more talk; and at last a kind of proud, serious look came on her face, and she turned and pointed a finger at the big house.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading We are a proud family.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Then we had more talk; and at last a kind of proud, serious look came on her face, and she turned and pointed a finger at the big house.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "Then we had more talk; and at last a kind of proud, serious look came on her face, and she turned and pointed a finger at the big house.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Then we had more talk; and at last a kind of proud, serious look came on her face, and she turned and pointed a finger at the big house.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "'The Allyns,' says she, 'have lived in Elmcroft for a hundred years.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading "Then we had more talk; and at last a kind of proud, serious look came on her face, and she turned and pointed a finger at the big house.
a social unit living together
From this reading We are a proud family.
the cardinal number that is the product of ten and five
From this reading It has fifty rooms.
feel or handle with the fingers
From this reading "Then we had more talk; and at last a kind of proud, serious look came on her face, and she turned and pointed a finger at the big house.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "'The Allyns,' says she, 'have lived in Elmcroft for a hundred years.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "Then we had more talk; and at last a kind of proud, serious look came on her face, and she turned and pointed a finger at the big house.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It has fifty rooms.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "'The Allyns,' says she, 'have lived in Elmcroft for a hundred years.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "Then we had more talk; and at last a kind of proud, serious look came on her face, and she turned and pointed a finger at the big house.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading "Then we had more talk; and at last a kind of proud, serious look came on her face, and she turned and pointed a finger at the big house.
ten 10s
From this reading "'The Allyns,' says she, 'have lived in Elmcroft for a hundred years.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "'The Allyns,' says she, 'have lived in Elmcroft for a hundred years.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It has fifty rooms.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading "Then we had more talk; and at last a kind of proud, serious look came on her face, and she turned and pointed a finger at the big house.
immediately past
From this reading "Then we had more talk; and at last a kind of proud, serious look came on her face, and she turned and pointed a finger at the big house.
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading "'The Allyns,' says she, 'have lived in Elmcroft for a hundred years.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "Then we had more talk; and at last a kind of proud, serious look came on her face, and she turned and pointed a finger at the big house.
(astrology) one of 12 equal areas into which the zodiac is divided
From this reading Look at that mansion.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "Then we had more talk; and at last a kind of proud, serious look came on her face, and she turned and pointed a finger at the big house.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Then we had more talk; and at last a kind of proud, serious look came on her face, and she turned and pointed a finger at the big house.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Then we had more talk; and at last a kind of proud, serious look came on her face, and she turned and pointed a finger at the big house.
having a point
From this reading "Then we had more talk; and at last a kind of proud, serious look came on her face, and she turned and pointed a finger at the big house.
feeling self-respect or pleasure in something by which you measure your self-worth; or being a reason for pride
From this reading "Then we had more talk; and at last a kind of proud, serious look came on her face, and she turned and pointed a finger at the big house.
apartment consisting of a series of connected rooms used as a living unit (as in a hotel)
From this reading It has fifty rooms.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading "'The Allyns,' says she, 'have lived in Elmcroft for a hundred years.
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading "Then we had more talk; and at last a kind of proud, serious look came on her face, and she turned and pointed a finger at the big house.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Then we had more talk; and at last a kind of proud, serious look came on her face, and she turned and pointed a finger at the big house.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading "Then we had more talk; and at last a kind of proud, serious look came on her face, and she turned and pointed a finger at the big house.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Look at that mansion.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Then we had more talk; and at last a kind of proud, serious look came on her face, and she turned and pointed a finger at the big house.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Then we had more talk; and at last a kind of proud, serious look came on her face, and she turned and pointed a finger at the big house.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading "Then we had more talk; and at last a kind of proud, serious look came on her face, and she turned and pointed a finger at the big house.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Then we had more talk; and at last a kind of proud, serious look came on her face, and she turned and pointed a finger at the big house.
a late time of life
From this reading "'The Allyns,' says she, 'have lived in Elmcroft for a hundred years.
Chapter 19 of Options by O. Henry holds 198 sentences, grouped into 40 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 19 holds 198 sentences of Options, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 19 of Options by O. Henry exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 198 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 19 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 Options by O. Henry on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4204 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1583 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1583, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 350 minutes of reading across 841 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Options section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of Options 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 Options, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
