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Polly Oliver's Problem
Polly Oliver's Problem

Chapter XV · Chapter 15

Chapter 15 of Polly Oliver's Problem is here in full — 87 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Polly Oliver's Problem
Context Illustration Reading 1/17 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
EDGAR DISCOURSES OF SCARLET RUNNERS.
One day, in the middle of October, the mail brought Polly two letters: the first from Edgar, who often dashed off cheery scrawls in the hope of getting cheery replies, which never came; and the second from Mrs. Bird, who had a plan to propose.
Edgar wrote:-- .
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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.

Polly Oliver's Problem

Chapter XV · Chapter 15

Chapter 15 of Polly Oliver's Problem 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

Line 1
EDGAR DISCOURSES OF SCARLET RUNNERS.
/ˈedɡər dɪˈskɔːrsɪz ʌv ˈskɑːrlət ˈrʌnərz/
Line 2
One day, in the middle of October, the mail brought Polly two letters: the first from Edgar, who often dashed off cheery scrawls in the hope of getting cheery replies, which never came; and the second from Mrs. Bird, who had a plan to propose.
Line 3
Edgar wrote:-- .
/ˈedɡər roʊt/
Line 4
Line 5

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.

cheery adjective US /ˈtʃɪri/

bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer

From this reading “One day, in the middle of October, the mail brought Polly two letters: the first from Edgar, who often dashed off cheery scrawls in the hope of getting cheery replies, which never came; and the second from Mrs. Bird, who had a plan to propose.”

discourses noun US /dɪˈskɔːrsɪz/

plural of “discourse” — extended verbal expression in speech or writing

From this reading “EDGAR DISCOURSES OF SCARLET RUNNERS.”

edgar noun US /ˈedɡər/

the younger brother of Edwy who became king of Northumbria when it renounced Edwy; on Edwy's death he succeeded to the throne of England (944-975)

From this reading “EDGAR DISCOURSES OF SCARLET RUNNERS.”

mail noun US /meɪl/

the bags of letters and packages that are transported by the postal service

From this reading “One day, in the middle of October, the mail brought Polly two letters: the first from Edgar, who often dashed off cheery scrawls in the hope of getting cheery replies, which never came; and the second from Mrs. Bird, who had a plan to propose.”

October noun US /ɑːkˈtoʊbər/

the month following September and preceding November

From this reading “One day, in the middle of October, the mail brought Polly two letters: the first from Edgar, who often dashed off cheery scrawls in the hope of getting cheery replies, which never came; and the second from Mrs. Bird, who had a plan to propose.”

propose verb US /prəˈpoʊz/

make a proposal, declare a plan for something

From this reading “One day, in the middle of October, the mail brought Polly two letters: the first from Edgar, who often dashed off cheery scrawls in the hope of getting cheery replies, which never came; and the second from Mrs. Bird, who had a plan to propose.”

replies noun US /rɪˈplaɪz/

plural of “reply” — a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation

From this reading “One day, in the middle of October, the mail brought Polly two letters: the first from Edgar, who often dashed off cheery scrawls in the hope of getting cheery replies, which never came; and the second from Mrs. Bird, who had a plan to propose.”

runners noun US /ˈrʌnərz/

plural of “runner” — someone who imports or exports without paying duties

From this reading “EDGAR DISCOURSES OF SCARLET RUNNERS.”

All words in this reading · 40

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading One day, in the middle of October, the mail brought Polly two letters: the first from Edgar, who often dashed off cheery scrawls in the hope of getting cheery replies, which never came; and the second from Mrs. Bird, who had a plan to propose.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading One day, in the middle of October, the mail brought Polly two letters: the first from Edgar, who often dashed off cheery scrawls in the hope of getting cheery replies, which never came; and the second from Mrs. Bird, who had a plan to propose.

BirdnounUS /bɜːrd/

warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings

From this reading One day, in the middle of October, the mail brought Polly two letters: the first from Edgar, who often dashed off cheery scrawls in the hope of getting cheery replies, which never came; and the second from Mrs. Bird, who had a plan to propose.

broughtverbUS /brɔːt/

inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

From this reading One day, in the middle of October, the mail brought Polly two letters: the first from Edgar, who often dashed off cheery scrawls in the hope of getting cheery replies, which never came; and the second from Mrs. Bird, who had a plan to propose.

cameverbUS /keɪm/

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

From this reading One day, in the middle of October, the mail brought Polly two letters: the first from Edgar, who often dashed off cheery scrawls in the hope of getting cheery replies, which never came; and the second from Mrs. Bird, who had a plan to propose.

cheeryadjectiveUS /ˈtʃɪri/

bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer

From this reading One day, in the middle of October, the mail brought Polly two letters: the first from Edgar, who often dashed off cheery scrawls in the hope of getting cheery replies, which never came; and the second from Mrs. Bird, who had a plan to propose.

dashedadjectiveUS /dæʃt/

having gaps or spaces

From this reading One day, in the middle of October, the mail brought Polly two letters: the first from Edgar, who often dashed off cheery scrawls in the hope of getting cheery replies, which never came; and the second from Mrs. Bird, who had a plan to propose.

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading One day, in the middle of October, the mail brought Polly two letters: the first from Edgar, who often dashed off cheery scrawls in the hope of getting cheery replies, which never came; and the second from Mrs. Bird, who had a plan to propose.

DISCOURSESnounUS /dɪˈskɔːrsɪz/

plural of “discourse” — extended verbal expression in speech or writing

From this reading EDGAR DISCOURSES OF SCARLET RUNNERS.

EDGARnounUS /ˈedɡər/

the younger brother of Edwy who became king of Northumbria when it renounced Edwy; on Edwy's death he succeeded to the throne of England (944-975)

From this reading EDGAR DISCOURSES OF SCARLET RUNNERS.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading One day, in the middle of October, the mail brought Polly two letters: the first from Edgar, who often dashed off cheery scrawls in the hope of getting cheery replies, which never came; and the second from Mrs. Bird, who had a plan to propose.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading One day, in the middle of October, the mail brought Polly two letters: the first from Edgar, who often dashed off cheery scrawls in the hope of getting cheery replies, which never came; and the second from Mrs. Bird, who had a plan to propose.

gettingnounUS /ˈɡetɪŋ/

the act of acquiring something

From this reading One day, in the middle of October, the mail brought Polly two letters: the first from Edgar, who often dashed off cheery scrawls in the hope of getting cheery replies, which never came; and the second from Mrs. Bird, who had a plan to propose.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading One day, in the middle of October, the mail brought Polly two letters: the first from Edgar, who often dashed off cheery scrawls in the hope of getting cheery replies, which never came; and the second from Mrs. Bird, who had a plan to propose.

hopenounUS /hoʊp/

a specific instance of feeling hopeful

From this reading One day, in the middle of October, the mail brought Polly two letters: the first from Edgar, who often dashed off cheery scrawls in the hope of getting cheery replies, which never came; and the second from Mrs. Bird, who had a plan to propose.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading One day, in the middle of October, the mail brought Polly two letters: the first from Edgar, who often dashed off cheery scrawls in the hope of getting cheery replies, which never came; and the second from Mrs. Bird, who had a plan to propose.

lettersnounUS /ˈletərz/

the literary culture

From this reading One day, in the middle of October, the mail brought Polly two letters: the first from Edgar, who often dashed off cheery scrawls in the hope of getting cheery replies, which never came; and the second from Mrs. Bird, who had a plan to propose.

mailnounUS /meɪl/

the bags of letters and packages that are transported by the postal service

From this reading One day, in the middle of October, the mail brought Polly two letters: the first from Edgar, who often dashed off cheery scrawls in the hope of getting cheery replies, which never came; and the second from Mrs. Bird, who had a plan to propose.

middlenounUS /ˈmɪdəl/

an area that is approximately central within some larger region

From this reading One day, in the middle of October, the mail brought Polly two letters: the first from Edgar, who often dashed off cheery scrawls in the hope of getting cheery replies, which never came; and the second from Mrs. Bird, who had a plan to propose.

MrsnounUS /ˈmɪsɪz/

a form of address for a married woman

From this reading One day, in the middle of October, the mail brought Polly two letters: the first from Edgar, who often dashed off cheery scrawls in the hope of getting cheery replies, which never came; and the second from Mrs. Bird, who had a plan to propose.

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading One day, in the middle of October, the mail brought Polly two letters: the first from Edgar, who often dashed off cheery scrawls in the hope of getting cheery replies, which never came; and the second from Mrs. Bird, who had a plan to propose.

OctobernounUS /ɑːkˈtoʊbər/

the month following September and preceding November

From this reading One day, in the middle of October, the mail brought Polly two letters: the first from Edgar, who often dashed off cheery scrawls in the hope of getting cheery replies, which never came; and the second from Mrs. Bird, who had a plan to propose.

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading EDGAR DISCOURSES OF SCARLET RUNNERS.

offadverbUS /ɔːf/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading One day, in the middle of October, the mail brought Polly two letters: the first from Edgar, who often dashed off cheery scrawls in the hope of getting cheery replies, which never came; and the second from Mrs. Bird, who had a plan to propose.

oftenadverbUS /ˈɔːfən/

many times at short intervals

From this reading One day, in the middle of October, the mail brought Polly two letters: the first from Edgar, who often dashed off cheery scrawls in the hope of getting cheery replies, which never came; and the second from Mrs. Bird, who had a plan to propose.

OnepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading One day, in the middle of October, the mail brought Polly two letters: the first from Edgar, who often dashed off cheery scrawls in the hope of getting cheery replies, which never came; and the second from Mrs. Bird, who had a plan to propose.

planverbUS /plæn/

have the will and intention to carry out some action

From this reading One day, in the middle of October, the mail brought Polly two letters: the first from Edgar, who often dashed off cheery scrawls in the hope of getting cheery replies, which never came; and the second from Mrs. Bird, who had a plan to propose.

Polly

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

From this reading One day, in the middle of October, the mail brought Polly two letters: the first from Edgar, who often dashed off cheery scrawls in the hope of getting cheery replies, which never came; and the second from Mrs. Bird, who had a plan to propose.

proposeverbUS /prəˈpoʊz/

make a proposal, declare a plan for something

From this reading One day, in the middle of October, the mail brought Polly two letters: the first from Edgar, who often dashed off cheery scrawls in the hope of getting cheery replies, which never came; and the second from Mrs. Bird, who had a plan to propose.

repliesnounUS /rɪˈplaɪz/

plural of “reply” — a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation

From this reading One day, in the middle of October, the mail brought Polly two letters: the first from Edgar, who often dashed off cheery scrawls in the hope of getting cheery replies, which never came; and the second from Mrs. Bird, who had a plan to propose.

RUNNERSnounUS /ˈrʌnərz/

plural of “runner” — someone who imports or exports without paying duties

From this reading EDGAR DISCOURSES OF SCARLET RUNNERS.

SCARLETnounUS /ˈskɑːrlət/

a variable color that is vivid red but sometimes with an orange tinge

From this reading EDGAR DISCOURSES OF SCARLET RUNNERS.

scrawls

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

From this reading One day, in the middle of October, the mail brought Polly two letters: the first from Edgar, who often dashed off cheery scrawls in the hope of getting cheery replies, which never came; and the second from Mrs. Bird, who had a plan to propose.

secondnounUS /ˈsekənd/

1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites

From this reading One day, in the middle of October, the mail brought Polly two letters: the first from Edgar, who often dashed off cheery scrawls in the hope of getting cheery replies, which never came; and the second from Mrs. Bird, who had a plan to propose.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading One day, in the middle of October, the mail brought Polly two letters: the first from Edgar, who often dashed off cheery scrawls in the hope of getting cheery replies, which never came; and the second from Mrs. Bird, who had a plan to propose.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading One day, in the middle of October, the mail brought Polly two letters: the first from Edgar, who often dashed off cheery scrawls in the hope of getting cheery replies, which never came; and the second from Mrs. Bird, who had a plan to propose.

twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading One day, in the middle of October, the mail brought Polly two letters: the first from Edgar, who often dashed off cheery scrawls in the hope of getting cheery replies, which never came; and the second from Mrs. Bird, who had a plan to propose.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading One day, in the middle of October, the mail brought Polly two letters: the first from Edgar, who often dashed off cheery scrawls in the hope of getting cheery replies, which never came; and the second from Mrs. Bird, who had a plan to propose.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading One day, in the middle of October, the mail brought Polly two letters: the first from Edgar, who often dashed off cheery scrawls in the hope of getting cheery replies, which never came; and the second from Mrs. Bird, who had a plan to propose.

wroteverbUS /roʊt/

inflected form of “write” — produce a literary work

From this reading Edgar wrote:-- .

Chapter 15 of Polly Oliver's Problem by Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin 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.

What does chapter 15 of Polly Oliver's Problem contain?

Chapter 15 holds 87 sentences of Polly Oliver's Problem, unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 15 of Polly Oliver's Problem by Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin 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.

How do I study chapter 15 of Polly Oliver's Problem?

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.

Can chapter 15 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 15 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 Polly Oliver's Problem

Common questions about reading Polly Oliver's Problem by Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Polly Oliver's Problem?

Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Polly Oliver's Problem is used?

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

How long does Polly Oliver's Problem take to read?

About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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How to work through Polly Oliver's Problem section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  2. Read one section

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  3. Listen and tap

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Vocabulary met early in Polly Oliver's Problem

Words and structures a reader meets early in Polly Oliver's Problem, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
One of the 0 chapters of Polly Oliver's Problem, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 2
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Chapter 3
One of the 0 chapters of Polly Oliver's Problem, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.