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Plane and Plank
Plane and Plank

Chapter XVI

Chapter 16 of Plane and Plank is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Plane and Plank
Context Illustration Reading 1/31 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
IN WHICH PHIL STRUGGLES EARNESTLY TO REFORM HIS FATHER.
The skilful ministrations of Mrs. Greenough soon restored my father to himself.
He had probably eaten nothing since he took his breakfast with me early in the morning, and his frame was not in condition to bear the pressure of the strong emotions which had agitated him.
"My son!" exclaimed he, as the incidents which had just transpired came back to his mind.
"My father!"
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Plane and Plank

Chapter XVI

Chapter 16 of Plane and Plank is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/31 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
IN WHICH PHIL STRUGGLES EARNESTLY TO REFORM HIS FATHER.
Line 2
The skilful ministrations of Mrs. Greenough soon restored my father to himself.
Line 3
He had probably eaten nothing since he took his breakfast with me early in the morning, and his frame was not in condition to bear the pressure of the strong emotions which had agitated him.
/hiː hæd ˈprɑːbəbliː ˈiːtən ˈnʌθɪŋ sɪns hiː tʊk hɪz ˈbrekfəst wɪð miː ˈɜːrli ɪn ðə ˈmɔːrnɪŋ ənd hɪz freɪm wɑːz nɑːt ɪn kənˈdɪʃən tuː ber ðə ˈpreʃər ʌv ðə strɔːŋ ɪˈmoʊʃənz wɪtʃ hæd ˈædʒəteɪtɪd hɪm/
Line 4
"My son!" exclaimed he, as the incidents which had just transpired came back to his mind.
/maɪ sʌn ɪkˈskleɪmd hiː æz ðə ˈɪnsədənts wɪtʃ hæd dʒʌst trænˈspaɪərd keɪm bæk tuː hɪz maɪnd/
Line 5
"My father!"
/maɪ ˈfɑːðər/

Learner Dictionary

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.

agitated adjective US /ˈædʒəteɪtɪd/

troubled emotionally and usually deeply

From this reading “He had probably eaten nothing since he took his breakfast with me early in the morning, and his frame was not in condition to bear the pressure of the strong emotions which had agitated him.”

emotions noun US /ɪˈmoʊʃənz/

plural of “emotion” — any strong feeling

From this reading “He had probably eaten nothing since he took his breakfast with me early in the morning, and his frame was not in condition to bear the pressure of the strong emotions which had agitated him.”

incidents noun US /ˈɪnsədənts/

plural of “incident” — a single distinct event

From this reading “"My son!" exclaimed he, as the incidents which had just transpired came back to his mind.”

ministrations noun US /ˌmɪnəˈstreɪʃənz/

plural of “ministration” — assistance in time of difficulty

From this reading “The skilful ministrations of Mrs. Greenough soon restored my father to himself.”

reform noun US /rəˈfɔːrm/

a change for the better as a result of correcting abuses

From this reading “IN WHICH PHIL STRUGGLES EARNESTLY TO REFORM HIS FATHER.”

restored verb US /rɪˈstɔːrd/

past form of “restore” — return to its original or usable and functioning condition

From this reading “The skilful ministrations of Mrs. Greenough soon restored my father to himself.”

struggles noun US /ˈstrʌɡəlz/

plural of “struggle” — an energetic attempt to achieve something

From this reading “IN WHICH PHIL STRUGGLES EARNESTLY TO REFORM HIS FATHER.”

transpired verb US /trænˈspaɪərd/

past form of “transpire” — pass through the tissue or substance or its pores or interstices, as of gas

From this reading “"My son!" exclaimed he, as the incidents which had just transpired came back to his mind.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

strong emotions adjective + noun counted as “strong emotion”

In this reading “He had probably eaten nothing since he took his breakfast with me early in the morning, and his frame was not in condition to bear the pressure of the strong emotions which had agitated him.”

came back verb + particle counted as “come back”

be restored

In this reading “"My son!" exclaimed he, as the incidents which had just transpired came back to his mind.”

in the morning preposition + article + noun counted as “in … morning”

In this reading “He had probably eaten nothing since he took his breakfast with me early in the morning, and his frame was not in condition to bear the pressure of the strong emotions which had agitated him.”

breakfast with verb + particle

In this reading “He had probably eaten nothing since he took his breakfast with me early in the morning, and his frame was not in condition to bear the pressure of the strong emotions which had agitated him.”

All words in this reading · 51

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.

agitatedadjectiveUS /ˈædʒəteɪtɪd/

troubled emotionally and usually deeply

From this reading He had probably eaten nothing since he took his breakfast with me early in the morning, and his frame was not in condition to bear the pressure of the strong emotions which had agitated him.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading He had probably eaten nothing since he took his breakfast with me early in the morning, and his frame was not in condition to bear the pressure of the strong emotions which had agitated him.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading "My son!" exclaimed he, as the incidents which had just transpired came back to his mind.

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading "My son!" exclaimed he, as the incidents which had just transpired came back to his mind.

bearverbUS /ber/

have

From this reading He had probably eaten nothing since he took his breakfast with me early in the morning, and his frame was not in condition to bear the pressure of the strong emotions which had agitated him.

breakfastverbUS /ˈbrekfəst/

eat an early morning meal

From this reading He had probably eaten nothing since he took his breakfast with me early in the morning, and his frame was not in condition to bear the pressure of the strong emotions which had agitated him.

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading "My son!" exclaimed he, as the incidents which had just transpired came back to his mind.

conditionnounUS /kənˈdɪʃən/

a state at a particular time

From this reading He had probably eaten nothing since he took his breakfast with me early in the morning, and his frame was not in condition to bear the pressure of the strong emotions which had agitated him.

earlyadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrli/

at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time

From this reading He had probably eaten nothing since he took his breakfast with me early in the morning, and his frame was not in condition to bear the pressure of the strong emotions which had agitated him.

EARNESTLYadverbUS /ˈɜːrnəstli/

in a serious manner

From this reading IN WHICH PHIL STRUGGLES EARNESTLY TO REFORM HIS FATHER.

eatenverbUS /ˈiːtən/

inflected form of “eat” — take in solid food

From this reading He had probably eaten nothing since he took his breakfast with me early in the morning, and his frame was not in condition to bear the pressure of the strong emotions which had agitated him.

emotionsnounUS /ɪˈmoʊʃənz/

plural of “emotion” — any strong feeling

From this reading He had probably eaten nothing since he took his breakfast with me early in the morning, and his frame was not in condition to bear the pressure of the strong emotions which had agitated him.

exclaimedverbUS /ɪkˈskleɪmd/

past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy

From this reading "My son!" exclaimed he, as the incidents which had just transpired came back to his mind.

FATHERnounUS /ˈfɑːðər/

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading IN WHICH PHIL STRUGGLES EARNESTLY TO REFORM HIS FATHER.

frameverbUS /freɪm/

enclose in or as if in a frame

From this reading He had probably eaten nothing since he took his breakfast with me early in the morning, and his frame was not in condition to bear the pressure of the strong emotions which had agitated him.

Greenough

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The skilful ministrations of Mrs. Greenough soon restored my father to himself.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading He had probably eaten nothing since he took his breakfast with me early in the morning, and his frame was not in condition to bear the pressure of the strong emotions which had agitated him.

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He had probably eaten nothing since he took his breakfast with me early in the morning, and his frame was not in condition to bear the pressure of the strong emotions which had agitated him.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading He had probably eaten nothing since he took his breakfast with me early in the morning, and his frame was not in condition to bear the pressure of the strong emotions which had agitated him.

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading The skilful ministrations of Mrs. Greenough soon restored my father to himself.

HISdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading IN WHICH PHIL STRUGGLES EARNESTLY TO REFORM HIS FATHER.

INprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading IN WHICH PHIL STRUGGLES EARNESTLY TO REFORM HIS FATHER.

incidentsnounUS /ˈɪnsədənts/

plural of “incident” — a single distinct event

From this reading "My son!" exclaimed he, as the incidents which had just transpired came back to his mind.

justadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading "My son!" exclaimed he, as the incidents which had just transpired came back to his mind.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading He had probably eaten nothing since he took his breakfast with me early in the morning, and his frame was not in condition to bear the pressure of the strong emotions which had agitated him.

mindnounUS /maɪnd/

The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.

From this reading "My son!" exclaimed he, as the incidents which had just transpired came back to his mind.

ministrationsnounUS /ˌmɪnəˈstreɪʃənz/

plural of “ministration” — assistance in time of difficulty

From this reading The skilful ministrations of Mrs. Greenough soon restored my father to himself.

morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading He had probably eaten nothing since he took his breakfast with me early in the morning, and his frame was not in condition to bear the pressure of the strong emotions which had agitated him.

MrsnounUS /ˈmɪsɪz/

a form of address for a married woman

From this reading The skilful ministrations of Mrs. Greenough soon restored my father to himself.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading The skilful ministrations of Mrs. Greenough soon restored my father to himself.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading He had probably eaten nothing since he took his breakfast with me early in the morning, and his frame was not in condition to bear the pressure of the strong emotions which had agitated him.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading He had probably eaten nothing since he took his breakfast with me early in the morning, and his frame was not in condition to bear the pressure of the strong emotions which had agitated him.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The skilful ministrations of Mrs. Greenough soon restored my father to himself.

PHIL

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading IN WHICH PHIL STRUGGLES EARNESTLY TO REFORM HIS FATHER.

pressurenounUS /ˈpreʃər/

the force applied to a unit area of surface; measured in pascals (SI unit) or in dynes (cgs unit)

From this reading He had probably eaten nothing since he took his breakfast with me early in the morning, and his frame was not in condition to bear the pressure of the strong emotions which had agitated him.

probablyadverbUS /ˈprɑːbəbliː/

with considerable certainty; without much doubt

From this reading He had probably eaten nothing since he took his breakfast with me early in the morning, and his frame was not in condition to bear the pressure of the strong emotions which had agitated him.

REFORMnounUS /rəˈfɔːrm/

a change for the better as a result of correcting abuses

From this reading IN WHICH PHIL STRUGGLES EARNESTLY TO REFORM HIS FATHER.

restoredverbUS /rɪˈstɔːrd/

past form of “restore” — return to its original or usable and functioning condition

From this reading The skilful ministrations of Mrs. Greenough soon restored my father to himself.

sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading He had probably eaten nothing since he took his breakfast with me early in the morning, and his frame was not in condition to bear the pressure of the strong emotions which had agitated him.

skilfuladjective

having or showing knowledge and skill and aptitude

From this reading The skilful ministrations of Mrs. Greenough soon restored my father to himself.

sonnounUS /sʌn/

a male human offspring

From this reading "My son!" exclaimed he, as the incidents which had just transpired came back to his mind.

soonadverbUS /suːn/

in the near future

From this reading The skilful ministrations of Mrs. Greenough soon restored my father to himself.

strongadjectiveUS /strɔːŋ/

having strength or power greater than average or expected

From this reading He had probably eaten nothing since he took his breakfast with me early in the morning, and his frame was not in condition to bear the pressure of the strong emotions which had agitated him.

STRUGGLESnounUS /ˈstrʌɡəlz/

plural of “struggle” — an energetic attempt to achieve something

From this reading IN WHICH PHIL STRUGGLES EARNESTLY TO REFORM HIS FATHER.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The skilful ministrations of Mrs. Greenough soon restored my father to himself.

TOparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading IN WHICH PHIL STRUGGLES EARNESTLY TO REFORM HIS FATHER.

tookverbUS /tʊk/

inflected form of “take” — carry out

From this reading He had probably eaten nothing since he took his breakfast with me early in the morning, and his frame was not in condition to bear the pressure of the strong emotions which had agitated him.

transpiredverbUS /trænˈspaɪərd/

past form of “transpire” — pass through the tissue or substance or its pores or interstices, as of gas

From this reading "My son!" exclaimed he, as the incidents which had just transpired came back to his mind.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading He had probably eaten nothing since he took his breakfast with me early in the morning, and his frame was not in condition to bear the pressure of the strong emotions which had agitated him.

WHICHpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading IN WHICH PHIL STRUGGLES EARNESTLY TO REFORM HIS FATHER.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading He had probably eaten nothing since he took his breakfast with me early in the morning, and his frame was not in condition to bear the pressure of the strong emotions which had agitated him.

Chapter 16 of Plane and Plank by Oliver Optic holds 156 sentences, grouped into 32 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.

What does chapter 16 of Plane and Plank contain?

Chapter 16 holds 156 sentences of Plane and Plank, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 16 of Plane and Plank by Oliver Optic exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 156 sentences, grouped into 32 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.

How do I study chapter 16 of Plane and Plank?

Work through the 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 32 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.

Can chapter 16 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading Plane and Plank

Common questions about reading Plane and Plank by Oliver Optic on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Plane and Plank?

Yes. All 3859 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44950 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Plane and Plank is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #44950, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Plane and Plank take to read?

About 321 minutes of reading across 772 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Plane and Plank section by section

How to work through Plane and Plank section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Plane and Plank

Words and structures a reader meets early in Plane and Plank, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Upward
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Plane and Plank; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Onward
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Plane and Plank; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Series
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Plane and Plank; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Mishaps
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Plane and Plank; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.