Chapter 14 of Stalky & Co. is here in full — 234 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of Stalky & Co. is here in full — 234 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“A most extraordinary letter. Are all parents incurably mad? What do you make of it?” said the Head, handing a closely written eight pages to the Reverend John. “‘The only son of his mother, and she a widow.’ That is the least reasonable sort.”
Chapter 14 of Stalky & Co. is here in full — 234 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.
in a close relation or position in time or space
From this reading “What do you make of it?” said the Head, handing a closely written eight pages to the Reverend John.”
beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable
From this reading ““A most extraordinary letter.”
-ing form of “hand” — place into the hands or custody of
From this reading “What do you make of it?” said the Head, handing a closely written eight pages to the Reverend John.”
plural of “page” — one side of one leaf (of a book or magazine or newspaper or letter etc.) or the written or pictorial matter it contains
From this reading “What do you make of it?” said the Head, handing a closely written eight pages to the Reverend John.”
plural of “parent” — a father or mother; one who begets or one who gives birth to or nurtures and raises a child; a relative who plays the role of guardian
From this reading “Are all parents incurably mad?”
showing reason or sound judgment
From this reading “That is the least reasonable sort.””
a member of the clergy and a spiritual leader of the Christian Church
From this reading “What do you make of it?” said the Head, handing a closely written eight pages to the Reverend John.”
a woman whose husband is dead especially one who has not remarried
From this reading ““‘The only son of his mother, and she a widow.’”
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 “A most extraordinary letter.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Are all parents incurably mad?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “‘The only son of his mother, and she a widow.’
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Are all parents incurably mad?
in a close relation or position in time or space
From this reading What do you make of it?” said the Head, handing a closely written eight pages to the Reverend John.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading What do you make of it?” said the Head, handing a closely written eight pages to the Reverend John.
being one more than seven
From this reading What do you make of it?” said the Head, handing a closely written eight pages to the Reverend John.
beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable
From this reading “A most extraordinary letter.
-ing form of “hand” — place into the hands or custody of
From this reading What do you make of it?” said the Head, handing a closely written eight pages to the Reverend John.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading What do you make of it?” said the Head, handing a closely written eight pages to the Reverend John.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “‘The only son of his mother, and she a widow.’
to an incurable degree
From this reading Are all parents incurably mad?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading That is the least reasonable sort.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading What do you make of it?” said the Head, handing a closely written eight pages to the Reverend John.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading What do you make of it?” said the Head, handing a closely written eight pages to the Reverend John.
the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree
From this reading That is the least reasonable sort.”
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading “A most extraordinary letter.
roused to anger
From this reading Are all parents incurably mad?
engage in
From this reading What do you make of it?” said the Head, handing a closely written eight pages to the Reverend John.
used to form the superlative
From this reading “A most extraordinary letter.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading “‘The only son of his mother, and she a widow.’
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading What do you make of it?” said the Head, handing a closely written eight pages to the Reverend John.
and nothing more
From this reading “‘The only son of his mother, and she a widow.’
plural of “page” — one side of one leaf (of a book or magazine or newspaper or letter etc.) or the written or pictorial matter it contains
From this reading What do you make of it?” said the Head, handing a closely written eight pages to the Reverend John.
plural of “parent” — a father or mother; one who begets or one who gives birth to or nurtures and raises a child; a relative who plays the role of guardian
From this reading Are all parents incurably mad?
showing reason or sound judgment
From this reading That is the least reasonable sort.”
a member of the clergy and a spiritual leader of the Christian Church
From this reading What do you make of it?” said the Head, handing a closely written eight pages to the Reverend John.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading What do you make of it?” said the Head, handing a closely written eight pages to the Reverend John.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “‘The only son of his mother, and she a widow.’
a male human offspring
From this reading “‘The only son of his mother, and she a widow.’
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading That is the least reasonable sort.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That is the least reasonable sort.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading What do you make of it?” said the Head, handing a closely written eight pages to the Reverend John.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading What do you make of it?” said the Head, handing a closely written eight pages to the Reverend John.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What do you make of it?” said the Head, handing a closely written eight pages to the Reverend John.
a woman whose husband is dead especially one who has not remarried
From this reading “‘The only son of his mother, and she a widow.’
set down in writing in any of various ways
From this reading What do you make of it?” said the Head, handing a closely written eight pages to the Reverend John.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading What do you make of it?” said the Head, handing a closely written eight pages to the Reverend John.
Chapter 14 of Stalky & Co. by Rudyard Kipling holds 234 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 14 holds 234 sentences of Stalky & Co., unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of Stalky & Co. by Rudyard Kipling exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 234 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 14 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.
