Chapter 16 of Phyllis, a twin is here in full — 87 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of Phyllis, a twin is here in full — 87 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DON! "We'd better get the ladder," Janet suggested. They went down into the cellar and found it close by the door. It was only a matter of minutes before they had it waiting in readiness in the yard. Luckily Annie and Lucy were too busy preparing supper to notice them.
Chapter 16 of Phyllis, a twin is here in full — 87 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/17 · 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 lowermost portion of a structure partly or wholly below ground level; often used for storage
From this reading “They went down into the cellar and found it close by the door.”
a Spanish gentleman or nobleman
From this reading “DON!”
steps consisting of two parallel members connected by rungs; for climbing up or down
From this reading “"We'd better get the ladder," Janet suggested.”
by good fortune
From this reading “Luckily Annie and Lucy were too busy preparing supper to notice them.”
incomplete skeleton of female found in eastern Ethiopia in 1974
From this reading “Luckily Annie and Lucy were too busy preparing supper to notice them.”
-ing form of “prepare” — make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc
From this reading “Luckily Annie and Lucy were too busy preparing supper to notice them.”
the state of having been made ready or prepared for use or action (especially military action)
From this reading “It was only a matter of minutes before they had it waiting in readiness in the yard.”
a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading “It was only a matter of minutes before they had it waiting in readiness in the yard.”
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 It was only a matter of minutes before they had it waiting in readiness in the yard.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They went down into the cellar and found it close by the door.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Luckily Annie and Lucy were too busy preparing supper to notice them.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading It was only a matter of minutes before they had it waiting in readiness in the yard.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading "We'd better get the ladder," Janet suggested.
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading Luckily Annie and Lucy were too busy preparing supper to notice them.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading They went down into the cellar and found it close by the door.
the lowermost portion of a structure partly or wholly below ground level; often used for storage
From this reading They went down into the cellar and found it close by the door.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading They went down into the cellar and found it close by the door.
a Spanish gentleman or nobleman
From this reading DON!
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading They went down into the cellar and found it close by the door.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading They went down into the cellar and found it close by the door.
set up or found
From this reading They went down into the cellar and found it close by the door.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "We'd better get the ladder," Janet suggested.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was only a matter of minutes before they had it waiting in readiness in the yard.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was only a matter of minutes before they had it waiting in readiness in the yard.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading They went down into the cellar and found it close by the door.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading They went down into the cellar and found it close by the door.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "We'd better get the ladder," Janet suggested.
steps consisting of two parallel members connected by rungs; for climbing up or down
From this reading "We'd better get the ladder," Janet suggested.
by good fortune
From this reading Luckily Annie and Lucy were too busy preparing supper to notice them.
incomplete skeleton of female found in eastern Ethiopia in 1974
From this reading Luckily Annie and Lucy were too busy preparing supper to notice them.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading It was only a matter of minutes before they had it waiting in readiness in the yard.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading It was only a matter of minutes before they had it waiting in readiness in the yard.
an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading Luckily Annie and Lucy were too busy preparing supper to notice them.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was only a matter of minutes before they had it waiting in readiness in the yard.
and nothing more
From this reading It was only a matter of minutes before they had it waiting in readiness in the yard.
-ing form of “prepare” — make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc
From this reading Luckily Annie and Lucy were too busy preparing supper to notice them.
the state of having been made ready or prepared for use or action (especially military action)
From this reading It was only a matter of minutes before they had it waiting in readiness in the yard.
past form of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading "We'd better get the ladder," Janet suggested.
a light evening meal; served in early evening if dinner is at midday or served late in the evening at bedtime
From this reading Luckily Annie and Lucy were too busy preparing supper to notice them.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "We'd better get the ladder," Janet suggested.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Luckily Annie and Lucy were too busy preparing supper to notice them.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They went down into the cellar and found it close by the door.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Luckily Annie and Lucy were too busy preparing supper to notice them.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Luckily Annie and Lucy were too busy preparing supper to notice them.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading It was only a matter of minutes before they had it waiting in readiness in the yard.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was only a matter of minutes before they had it waiting in readiness in the yard.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "We'd better get the ladder," Janet suggested.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading They went down into the cellar and found it close by the door.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Luckily Annie and Lucy were too busy preparing supper to notice them.
a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride
From this reading It was only a matter of minutes before they had it waiting in readiness in the yard.
Chapter 16 of Phyllis, a twin by Dorothy Whitehill holds 87 sentences, grouped into 18 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 87 sentences of Phyllis, a twin, unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of Phyllis, a twin by Dorothy Whitehill exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 87 sentences, grouped into 18 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 18 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 18 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 Phyllis, a twin by Dorothy Whitehill on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2611 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #22912 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #22912, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 217 minutes of reading across 523 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Phyllis, a twin section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of Phyllis, a twin 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 Phyllis, a twin, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
