Chapter 24 of Penelope's English Experiences is here in full — 99 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIV
Chapter 24 of Penelope's English Experiences is here in full — 99 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Ruin stared us in the face. Were our cherished plans to be frustrated by a marauding cow, who little realised that she was imperilling her own means of existence? Were we to turn away three, five, nine thirsty customers at one fell swoop? Never! None of these people ever saw me before, nor would ever see me again.
Chapter 24 of Penelope's English Experiences is here in full — 99 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.
characterized by feeling or showing fond affection for
From this reading “Were our cherished plans to be frustrated by a marauding cow, who little realised that she was imperilling her own means of existence?”
female of domestic cattle: "“moo-cow” is a child's term"
From this reading “Were our cherished plans to be frustrated by a marauding cow, who little realised that she was imperilling her own means of existence?”
plural of “customer” — someone who pays for goods or services
From this reading “Were we to turn away three, five, nine thirsty customers at one fell swoop?”
disappointingly unsuccessful
From this reading “Were our cherished plans to be frustrated by a marauding cow, who little realised that she was imperilling her own means of existence?”
characterized by plundering or pillaging or marauding
From this reading “Were our cherished plans to be frustrated by a marauding cow, who little realised that she was imperilling her own means of existence?”
successfully completed or brought to an end
From this reading “Were our cherished plans to be frustrated by a marauding cow, who little realised that she was imperilling her own means of existence?”
(music) rapid sliding up or down the musical scale
From this reading “Were we to turn away three, five, nine thirsty customers at one fell swoop?”
needing moisture
From this reading “Were we to turn away three, five, nine thirsty customers at one fell swoop?”
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 Were our cherished plans to be frustrated by a marauding cow, who little realised that she was imperilling her own means of existence?
anew
From this reading None of these people ever saw me before, nor would ever see me again.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Were we to turn away three, five, nine thirsty customers at one fell swoop?
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Were we to turn away three, five, nine thirsty customers at one fell swoop?
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Were our cherished plans to be frustrated by a marauding cow, who little realised that she was imperilling her own means of existence?
earlier than; in front of
From this reading None of these people ever saw me before, nor would ever see me again.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Were our cherished plans to be frustrated by a marauding cow, who little realised that she was imperilling her own means of existence?
characterized by feeling or showing fond affection for
From this reading Were our cherished plans to be frustrated by a marauding cow, who little realised that she was imperilling her own means of existence?
female of domestic cattle: "“moo-cow” is a child's term"
From this reading Were our cherished plans to be frustrated by a marauding cow, who little realised that she was imperilling her own means of existence?
plural of “customer” — someone who pays for goods or services
From this reading Were we to turn away three, five, nine thirsty customers at one fell swoop?
at any time
From this reading None of these people ever saw me before, nor would ever see me again.
the state or fact of existing
From this reading Were our cherished plans to be frustrated by a marauding cow, who little realised that she was imperilling her own means of existence?
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Ruin stared us in the face.
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading Were we to turn away three, five, nine thirsty customers at one fell swoop?
the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one
From this reading Were we to turn away three, five, nine thirsty customers at one fell swoop?
disappointingly unsuccessful
From this reading Were our cherished plans to be frustrated by a marauding cow, who little realised that she was imperilling her own means of existence?
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Were our cherished plans to be frustrated by a marauding cow, who little realised that she was imperilling her own means of existence?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Were our cherished plans to be frustrated by a marauding cow, who little realised that she was imperilling her own means of existence?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Ruin stared us in the face.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Were our cherished plans to be frustrated by a marauding cow, who little realised that she was imperilling her own means of existence?
characterized by plundering or pillaging or marauding
From this reading Were our cherished plans to be frustrated by a marauding cow, who little realised that she was imperilling her own means of existence?
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading None of these people ever saw me before, nor would ever see me again.
thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end
From this reading Were our cherished plans to be frustrated by a marauding cow, who little realised that she was imperilling her own means of existence?
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Never!
the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one
From this reading Were we to turn away three, five, nine thirsty customers at one fell swoop?
not one, and not any
From this reading None of these people ever saw me before, nor would ever see me again.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading None of these people ever saw me before, nor would ever see me again.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Were our cherished plans to be frustrated by a marauding cow, who little realised that she was imperilling her own means of existence?
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Were we to turn away three, five, nine thirsty customers at one fell swoop?
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Were our cherished plans to be frustrated by a marauding cow, who little realised that she was imperilling her own means of existence?
have ownership or possession of
From this reading Were our cherished plans to be frustrated by a marauding cow, who little realised that she was imperilling her own means of existence?
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading None of these people ever saw me before, nor would ever see me again.
plural of “plan” — a series of steps to be carried out or goals to be accomplished
From this reading Were our cherished plans to be frustrated by a marauding cow, who little realised that she was imperilling her own means of existence?
successfully completed or brought to an end
From this reading Were our cherished plans to be frustrated by a marauding cow, who little realised that she was imperilling her own means of existence?
an irrecoverable state of devastation and destruction
From this reading Ruin stared us in the face.
cut with a saw
From this reading None of these people ever saw me before, nor would ever see me again.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading None of these people ever saw me before, nor would ever see me again.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Were our cherished plans to be frustrated by a marauding cow, who little realised that she was imperilling her own means of existence?
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading Ruin stared us in the face.
(music) rapid sliding up or down the musical scale
From this reading Were we to turn away three, five, nine thirsty customers at one fell swoop?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Were our cherished plans to be frustrated by a marauding cow, who little realised that she was imperilling her own means of existence?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Ruin stared us in the face.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading None of these people ever saw me before, nor would ever see me again.
needing moisture
From this reading Were we to turn away three, five, nine thirsty customers at one fell swoop?
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading Were we to turn away three, five, nine thirsty customers at one fell swoop?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Were our cherished plans to be frustrated by a marauding cow, who little realised that she was imperilling her own means of existence?
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading Were we to turn away three, five, nine thirsty customers at one fell swoop?
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Ruin stared us in the face.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Were our cherished plans to be frustrated by a marauding cow, who little realised that she was imperilling her own means of existence?
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Were we to turn away three, five, nine thirsty customers at one fell swoop?
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Were our cherished plans to be frustrated by a marauding cow, who little realised that she was imperilling her own means of existence?
which person or people
From this reading Were our cherished plans to be frustrated by a marauding cow, who little realised that she was imperilling her own means of existence?
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading None of these people ever saw me before, nor would ever see me again.
Chapter 24 of Penelope's English Experiences by Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin holds 99 sentences, grouped into 20 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 24 holds 99 sentences of Penelope's English Experiences, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 24 of Penelope's English Experiences by Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 99 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 24 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 Penelope's English Experiences by Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1348 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1278 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1278, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 112 minutes of reading across 270 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Penelope's English Experiences section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of Penelope's English Experiences 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 Penelope's English Experiences, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
