Chapter 13 of Stalky & Co. is here in full — 233 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of Stalky & Co. is here in full — 233 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“What are you doing down there?” Mr. Prout was at the head of the lavatory stairs, attracted by the noise of splashing. “We’ve only been caned by the Head, sir, and we’re washing off the blood. The Head said we were to tell you. We were coming to report ourselves in a minute, sir.
Chapter 13 of Stalky & Co. is here in full — 233 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/46 · 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 “attract” — direct toward itself or oneself by means of some psychological power or physical attributes
From this reading “Mr. Prout was at the head of the lavatory stairs, attracted by the noise of splashing.”
past form of “cane” — beat with a cane
From this reading ““We’ve only been caned by the Head, sir, and we’re washing off the blood.”
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading “Mr. Prout was at the head of the lavatory stairs, attracted by the noise of splashing.”
sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
From this reading “Mr. Prout was at the head of the lavatory stairs, attracted by the noise of splashing.”
to give an account or representation of in words
From this reading “We were coming to report ourselves in a minute, sir.”
the act of splashing a (liquid) substance on a surface
From this reading “Mr. Prout was at the head of the lavatory stairs, attracted by the noise of splashing.”
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading “Mr. Prout was at the head of the lavatory stairs, attracted by the noise of splashing.”
the work of cleansing (usually with soap and water)
From this reading ““We’ve only been caned by the Head, sir, and we’re washing off the blood.”
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 We were coming to report ourselves in a minute, sir.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “We’ve only been caned by the Head, sir, and we’re washing off the blood.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “What are you doing down there?”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Mr. Prout was at the head of the lavatory stairs, attracted by the noise of splashing.
past form of “attract” — direct toward itself or oneself by means of some psychological power or physical attributes
From this reading Mr. Prout was at the head of the lavatory stairs, attracted by the noise of splashing.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “We’ve only been caned by the Head, sir, and we’re washing off the blood.
The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.
From this reading “We’ve only been caned by the Head, sir, and we’re washing off the blood.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Mr. Prout was at the head of the lavatory stairs, attracted by the noise of splashing.
past form of “cane” — beat with a cane
From this reading “We’ve only been caned by the Head, sir, and we’re washing off the blood.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading We were coming to report ourselves in a minute, sir.
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading “What are you doing down there?”
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading “What are you doing down there?”
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Mr. Prout was at the head of the lavatory stairs, attracted by the noise of splashing.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading We were coming to report ourselves in a minute, sir.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading Mr. Prout was at the head of the lavatory stairs, attracted by the noise of splashing.
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading We were coming to report ourselves in a minute, sir.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Prout was at the head of the lavatory stairs, attracted by the noise of splashing.
sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
From this reading Mr. Prout was at the head of the lavatory stairs, attracted by the noise of splashing.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Mr. Prout was at the head of the lavatory stairs, attracted by the noise of splashing.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading “We’ve only been caned by the Head, sir, and we’re washing off the blood.
and nothing more
From this reading “We’ve only been caned by the Head, sir, and we’re washing off the blood.
used when we are both doing the action and receiving it
From this reading We were coming to report ourselves in a minute, sir.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Prout was at the head of the lavatory stairs, attracted by the noise of splashing.
to give an account or representation of in words
From this reading We were coming to report ourselves in a minute, sir.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading The Head said we were to tell you.
term of address for a man
From this reading “We’ve only been caned by the Head, sir, and we’re washing off the blood.
the act of splashing a (liquid) substance on a surface
From this reading Mr. Prout was at the head of the lavatory stairs, attracted by the noise of splashing.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading Mr. Prout was at the head of the lavatory stairs, attracted by the noise of splashing.
express in words
From this reading The Head said we were to tell you.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Mr. Prout was at the head of the lavatory stairs, attracted by the noise of splashing.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “What are you doing down there?”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The Head said we were to tell you.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Mr. Prout was at the head of the lavatory stairs, attracted by the noise of splashing.
the work of cleansing (usually with soap and water)
From this reading “We’ve only been caned by the Head, sir, and we’re washing off the blood.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading The Head said we were to tell you.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “We’ve only been caned by the Head, sir, and we’re washing off the blood.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “We’ve only been caned by the Head, sir, and we’re washing off the blood.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The Head said we were to tell you.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “What are you doing down there?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “What are you doing down there?”
Chapter 13 of Stalky & Co. by Rudyard Kipling holds 233 sentences, grouped into 47 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 13 holds 233 sentences of Stalky & Co., unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of Stalky & Co. by Rudyard Kipling exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 233 sentences, grouped into 47 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 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 47 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 13 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 Stalky & Co. by Rudyard Kipling on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5387 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3006 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3006, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 448 minutes of reading across 1078 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Stalky & Co. section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of Stalky & Co. 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 Stalky & Co., each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
