Chapter 15 of Sir Tom is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of Sir Tom is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE OPENING OF THE DRAMA. "Come and sit beside me and tell me everything," said the Contessa. She had appropriated the little sofa next the fire where Lady Randolph generally sat in the evening. She had taken Lucy's arm on the way from the dining-room, and drew her with her to this corner. Nothing could be more caressing or tender than her manner.
Chapter 15 of Sir Tom is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
past form of “appropriate” — give or assign a resource to a particular person or cause
From this reading “She had appropriated the little sofa next the fire where Lady Randolph generally sat in the evening.”
affectionate play (or foreplay without contact with the genital organs)
From this reading “Nothing could be more caressing or tender than her manner.”
a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage
From this reading “THE OPENING OF THE DRAMA.”
usually; as a rule
From this reading “She had appropriated the little sofa next the fire where Lady Randolph generally sat in the evening.”
possessive form of “lucy” — incomplete skeleton of female found in eastern Ethiopia in 1974
From this reading “She had taken Lucy's arm on the way from the dining-room, and drew her with her to this corner.”
an open or empty space in or between things
From this reading “THE OPENING OF THE DRAMA.”
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading “She had appropriated the little sofa next the fire where Lady Randolph generally sat in the evening.”
given to sympathy or gentleness or sentimentality
From this reading “Nothing could be more caressing or tender than her manner.”
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 “"Come and sit beside me and tell me everything," said the Contessa.”
In this reading “She had appropriated the little sofa next the fire where Lady Randolph generally sat in the evening.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Come and sit beside me and tell me everything," said the Contessa.
past form of “appropriate” — give or assign a resource to a particular person or cause
From this reading She had appropriated the little sofa next the fire where Lady Randolph generally sat in the evening.
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading She had taken Lucy's arm on the way from the dining-room, and drew her with her to this corner.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Nothing could be more caressing or tender than her manner.
next to; at the side of
From this reading "Come and sit beside me and tell me everything," said the Contessa.
affectionate play (or foreplay without contact with the genital organs)
From this reading Nothing could be more caressing or tender than her manner.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Come and sit beside me and tell me everything," said the Contessa.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Come and sit beside me and tell me everything," said the Contessa.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading She had taken Lucy's arm on the way from the dining-room, and drew her with her to this corner.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Nothing could be more caressing or tender than her manner.
a room used for dining
From this reading She had taken Lucy's arm on the way from the dining-room, and drew her with her to this corner.
a dramatic work intended for performance by actors on a stage
From this reading THE OPENING OF THE DRAMA.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading She had taken Lucy's arm on the way from the dining-room, and drew her with her to this corner.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading She had appropriated the little sofa next the fire where Lady Randolph generally sat in the evening.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading "Come and sit beside me and tell me everything," said the Contessa.
start firing a weapon
From this reading She had appropriated the little sofa next the fire where Lady Randolph generally sat in the evening.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading She had taken Lucy's arm on the way from the dining-room, and drew her with her to this corner.
usually; as a rule
From this reading She had appropriated the little sofa next the fire where Lady Randolph generally sat in the evening.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had appropriated the little sofa next the fire where Lady Randolph generally sat in the evening.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She had taken Lucy's arm on the way from the dining-room, and drew her with her to this corner.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She had appropriated the little sofa next the fire where Lady Randolph generally sat in the evening.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading She had appropriated the little sofa next the fire where Lady Randolph generally sat in the evening.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading She had appropriated the little sofa next the fire where Lady Randolph generally sat in the evening.
possessive form of “lucy” — incomplete skeleton of female found in eastern Ethiopia in 1974
From this reading She had taken Lucy's arm on the way from the dining-room, and drew her with her to this corner.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Nothing could be more caressing or tender than her manner.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Come and sit beside me and tell me everything," said the Contessa.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Nothing could be more caressing or tender than her manner.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading She had appropriated the little sofa next the fire where Lady Randolph generally sat in the evening.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading Nothing could be more caressing or tender than her manner.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE OPENING OF THE DRAMA.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She had taken Lucy's arm on the way from the dining-room, and drew her with her to this corner.
an open or empty space in or between things
From this reading THE OPENING OF THE DRAMA.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Nothing could be more caressing or tender than her manner.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She had appropriated the little sofa next the fire where Lady Randolph generally sat in the evening.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Come and sit beside me and tell me everything," said the Contessa.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading She had appropriated the little sofa next the fire where Lady Randolph generally sat in the evening.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had appropriated the little sofa next the fire where Lady Randolph generally sat in the evening.
be seated
From this reading "Come and sit beside me and tell me everything," said the Contessa.
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading She had appropriated the little sofa next the fire where Lady Randolph generally sat in the evening.
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading She had taken Lucy's arm on the way from the dining-room, and drew her with her to this corner.
express in words
From this reading "Come and sit beside me and tell me everything," said the Contessa.
given to sympathy or gentleness or sentimentality
From this reading Nothing could be more caressing or tender than her manner.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Nothing could be more caressing or tender than her manner.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE OPENING OF THE DRAMA.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading She had taken Lucy's arm on the way from the dining-room, and drew her with her to this corner.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She had taken Lucy's arm on the way from the dining-room, and drew her with her to this corner.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading She had taken Lucy's arm on the way from the dining-room, and drew her with her to this corner.
in or at the place that
From this reading She had appropriated the little sofa next the fire where Lady Randolph generally sat in the evening.
in the company of; together with
From this reading She had taken Lucy's arm on the way from the dining-room, and drew her with her to this corner.
Chapter 15 of Sir Tom by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant holds 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 15 holds 408 sentences of Sir Tom, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of Sir Tom by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 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.
Common questions about reading Sir Tom by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9204 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30692 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #30692, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1841 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Sir Tom section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Sir Tom 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 Sir Tom, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
