Chapter 16 of Phoebe, Junior is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of Phoebe, Junior is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MR. MAY'S AFFAIRS. Mr. May went into his study and closed the door. He poked the fire--he put himself into his easy-chair--he drew his writing-book towards him, and opened it at where a half-written sheet lay waiting. And then he paused, rubbed his hands softly together, and falling back again, laughed quietly to himself.
Chapter 16 of Phoebe, Junior is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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.
matters of personal concern
From this reading “MAY'S AFFAIRS.”
decreasing in amount or degree
From this reading “And then he paused, rubbed his hands softly together, and falling back again, laughed quietly to himself.”
possessive form of “may” — the month following April and preceding June
From this reading “MAY'S AFFAIRS.”
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading “And then he paused, rubbed his hands softly together, and falling back again, laughed quietly to himself.”
past form of “poke” — poke or thrust abruptly
From this reading “He poked the fire--he put himself into his easy-chair--he drew his writing-book towards him, and opened it at where a half-written sheet lay waiting.”
inflected form of “rub” — move over something with pressure
From this reading “And then he paused, rubbed his hands softly together, and falling back again, laughed quietly to himself.”
any broad thin expanse or surface
From this reading “He poked the fire--he put himself into his easy-chair--he drew his writing-book towards him, and opened it at where a half-written sheet lay waiting.”
with low volume
From this reading “And then he paused, rubbed his hands softly together, and falling back again, laughed quietly to himself.”
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 He poked the fire--he put himself into his easy-chair--he drew his writing-book towards him, and opened it at where a half-written sheet lay waiting.
matters of personal concern
From this reading MAY'S AFFAIRS.
anew
From this reading And then he paused, rubbed his hands softly together, and falling back again, laughed quietly to himself.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Mr. May went into his study and closed the door.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He poked the fire--he put himself into his easy-chair--he drew his writing-book towards him, and opened it at where a half-written sheet lay waiting.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading And then he paused, rubbed his hands softly together, and falling back again, laughed quietly to himself.
not open or affording passage or access
From this reading Mr. May went into his study and closed the door.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Mr. May went into his study and closed the door.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading He poked the fire--he put himself into his easy-chair--he drew his writing-book towards him, and opened it at where a half-written sheet lay waiting.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He poked the fire--he put himself into his easy-chair--he drew his writing-book towards him, and opened it at where a half-written sheet lay waiting.
decreasing in amount or degree
From this reading And then he paused, rubbed his hands softly together, and falling back again, laughed quietly to himself.
start firing a weapon
From this reading He poked the fire--he put himself into his easy-chair--he drew his writing-book towards him, and opened it at where a half-written sheet lay waiting.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He poked the fire--he put himself into his easy-chair--he drew his writing-book towards him, and opened it at where a half-written sheet lay waiting.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading And then he paused, rubbed his hands softly together, and falling back again, laughed quietly to himself.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He poked the fire--he put himself into his easy-chair--he drew his writing-book towards him, and opened it at where a half-written sheet lay waiting.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He poked the fire--he put himself into his easy-chair--he drew his writing-book towards him, and opened it at where a half-written sheet lay waiting.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading He poked the fire--he put himself into his easy-chair--he drew his writing-book towards him, and opened it at where a half-written sheet lay waiting.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Mr. May went into his study and closed the door.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Mr. May went into his study and closed the door.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He poked the fire--he put himself into his easy-chair--he drew his writing-book towards him, and opened it at where a half-written sheet lay waiting.
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading And then he paused, rubbed his hands softly together, and falling back again, laughed quietly to himself.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading He poked the fire--he put himself into his easy-chair--he drew his writing-book towards him, and opened it at where a half-written sheet lay waiting.
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading Mr. May went into his study and closed the door.
possessive form of “may” — the month following April and preceding June
From this reading MAY'S AFFAIRS.
a form of address for a man
From this reading MR.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading He poked the fire--he put himself into his easy-chair--he drew his writing-book towards him, and opened it at where a half-written sheet lay waiting.
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading And then he paused, rubbed his hands softly together, and falling back again, laughed quietly to himself.
past form of “poke” — poke or thrust abruptly
From this reading He poked the fire--he put himself into his easy-chair--he drew his writing-book towards him, and opened it at where a half-written sheet lay waiting.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading He poked the fire--he put himself into his easy-chair--he drew his writing-book towards him, and opened it at where a half-written sheet lay waiting.
with low volume
From this reading And then he paused, rubbed his hands softly together, and falling back again, laughed quietly to himself.
inflected form of “rub” — move over something with pressure
From this reading And then he paused, rubbed his hands softly together, and falling back again, laughed quietly to himself.
any broad thin expanse or surface
From this reading He poked the fire--he put himself into his easy-chair--he drew his writing-book towards him, and opened it at where a half-written sheet lay waiting.
with low volume
From this reading And then he paused, rubbed his hands softly together, and falling back again, laughed quietly to himself.
a detailed critical inspection
From this reading Mr. May went into his study and closed the door.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Mr. May went into his study and closed the door.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading And then he paused, rubbed his hands softly together, and falling back again, laughed quietly to himself.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And then he paused, rubbed his hands softly together, and falling back again, laughed quietly to himself.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading And then he paused, rubbed his hands softly together, and falling back again, laughed quietly to himself.
in the direction of
From this reading He poked the fire--he put himself into his easy-chair--he drew his writing-book towards him, and opened it at where a half-written sheet lay waiting.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading He poked the fire--he put himself into his easy-chair--he drew his writing-book towards him, and opened it at where a half-written sheet lay waiting.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Mr. May went into his study and closed the door.
in or at the place that
From this reading He poked the fire--he put himself into his easy-chair--he drew his writing-book towards him, and opened it at where a half-written sheet lay waiting.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He poked the fire--he put himself into his easy-chair--he drew his writing-book towards him, and opened it at where a half-written sheet lay waiting.
Chapter 16 of Phoebe, Junior by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant holds 149 sentences, grouped into 30 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 16 holds 149 sentences of Phoebe, Junior, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of Phoebe, Junior by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 149 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 16 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 Phoebe, Junior by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7740 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28629 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28629, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1548 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Phoebe, Junior section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Phoebe, Junior 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 Phoebe, Junior, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
