Chapter 23 of Phœbe is here in full — 110 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Phœbe is here in full — 110 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Uncle Bob was exasperated. He was talking to Phœbe’s father. Phœbe could hear him, from where she lay on the sofa in Grandma’s bedroom. “A person would think you’re first-cousin to a mule!” cried Uncle Bob. “What makes you so stubborn, Jim?
Chapter 23 of Phœbe is here in full — 110 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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 room used primarily for sleeping
From this reading “Phœbe could hear him, from where she lay on the sofa in Grandma’s bedroom.”
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading “Uncle Bob was exasperated.”
greatly annoyed; out of patience
From this reading “Uncle Bob was exasperated.”
possessive form of “grandma” — the mother of your father or mother
hybrid offspring of a male donkey and a female horse; usually sterile
From this reading ““A person would think you’re first-cousin to a mule!” cried Uncle Bob.”
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading “Phœbe could hear him, from where she lay on the sofa in Grandma’s bedroom.”
tenaciously unwilling or marked by tenacious unwillingness to yield
From this reading ““What makes you so stubborn, Jim?”
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading “He was talking to Phœbe’s father.”
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 “Phœbe could hear him, from where she lay on the sofa in Grandma’s bedroom.”
In this reading “Phœbe could hear him, from where she lay on the sofa in Grandma’s bedroom.”
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 “A person would think you’re first-cousin to a mule!” cried Uncle Bob.
a room used primarily for sleeping
From this reading Phœbe could hear him, from where she lay on the sofa in Grandma’s bedroom.
move up and down repeatedly
From this reading Uncle Bob was exasperated.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Phœbe could hear him, from where she lay on the sofa in Grandma’s bedroom.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “A person would think you’re first-cousin to a mule!” cried Uncle Bob.
greatly annoyed; out of patience
From this reading Uncle Bob was exasperated.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading He was talking to Phœbe’s father.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “A person would think you’re first-cousin to a mule!” cried Uncle Bob.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Phœbe could hear him, from where she lay on the sofa in Grandma’s bedroom.
possessive form of “grandma” — the mother of your father or mother
From this reading Phœbe could hear him, from where she lay on the sofa in Grandma’s bedroom.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was talking to Phœbe’s father.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading Phœbe could hear him, from where she lay on the sofa in Grandma’s bedroom.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Phœbe could hear him, from where she lay on the sofa in Grandma’s bedroom.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Phœbe could hear him, from where she lay on the sofa in Grandma’s bedroom.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What makes you so stubborn, Jim?
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Phœbe could hear him, from where she lay on the sofa in Grandma’s bedroom.
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading “What makes you so stubborn, Jim?
hybrid offspring of a male donkey and a female horse; usually sterile
From this reading “A person would think you’re first-cousin to a mule!” cried Uncle Bob.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Phœbe could hear him, from where she lay on the sofa in Grandma’s bedroom.
a human being
From this reading “A person would think you’re first-cousin to a mule!” cried Uncle Bob.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Phœbe could hear him, from where she lay on the sofa in Grandma’s bedroom.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was talking to Phœbe’s father.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Phœbe could hear him, from where she lay on the sofa in Grandma’s bedroom.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “What makes you so stubborn, Jim?
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading Phœbe could hear him, from where she lay on the sofa in Grandma’s bedroom.
tenaciously unwilling or marked by tenacious unwillingness to yield
From this reading “What makes you so stubborn, Jim?
an exchange of ideas via conversation
From this reading He was talking to Phœbe’s father.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Phœbe could hear him, from where she lay on the sofa in Grandma’s bedroom.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “A person would think you’re first-cousin to a mule!” cried Uncle Bob.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He was talking to Phœbe’s father.
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading Uncle Bob was exasperated.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Uncle Bob was exasperated.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What makes you so stubborn, Jim?
in or at the place that
From this reading Phœbe could hear him, from where she lay on the sofa in Grandma’s bedroom.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading “A person would think you’re first-cousin to a mule!” cried Uncle Bob.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “What makes you so stubborn, Jim?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “A person would think you’re first-cousin to a mule!” cried Uncle Bob.
Chapter 23 of Phœbe by Eleanor Gates holds 110 sentences, grouped into 22 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 23 holds 110 sentences of Phœbe, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Phœbe by Eleanor Gates exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 110 sentences, grouped into 22 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 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 22 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 23 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 Phœbe by Eleanor Gates on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4062 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #63642 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #63642, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 338 minutes of reading across 813 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Phœbe section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of Phœbe 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 Phœbe, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
