Chapter 16 of Stalky & Co. is here in full — 238 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of Stalky & Co. is here in full — 238 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“It was a wet sponge when I was junior in the dormitory... Hullo! What’s happening?” The darkness had filled with whispers, the sound of trailing rugs, bare feet on bare boards, protests, giggles, and threats such as: “Be quiet, you ass!...
Chapter 16 of Stalky & Co. is here in full — 238 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/47 · 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.
(used in the plural) the stage of a theater
From this reading “The darkness had filled with whispers, the sound of trailing rugs, bare feet on bare boards, protests, giggles, and threats such as:”
a college or university building containing living quarters for students
From this reading ““It was a wet sponge when I was junior in the dormitory...”
plural of “giggle” — a foolish or nervous laugh
From this reading “The darkness had filled with whispers, the sound of trailing rugs, bare feet on bare boards, protests, giggles, and threats such as:”
term of address for a disrespectful and annoying male
From this reading ““It was a wet sponge when I was junior in the dormitory...”
plural of “protest” — a formal and solemn declaration of objection
From this reading “The darkness had filled with whispers, the sound of trailing rugs, bare feet on bare boards, protests, giggles, and threats such as:”
plural of “rug” — floor covering consisting of a piece of thick heavy fabric (usually with nap or pile)
From this reading “The darkness had filled with whispers, the sound of trailing rugs, bare feet on bare boards, protests, giggles, and threats such as:”
wipe with a sponge, so as to clean or moisten
From this reading ““It was a wet sponge when I was junior in the dormitory...”
the pursuit (of a person or animal) by following tracks or marks they left behind
From this reading “The darkness had filled with whispers, the sound of trailing rugs, bare feet on bare boards, protests, giggles, and threats such as:”
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 “It was a wet sponge when I was junior in the dormitory...
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The darkness had filled with whispers, the sound of trailing rugs, bare feet on bare boards, protests, giggles, and threats such as:
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The darkness had filled with whispers, the sound of trailing rugs, bare feet on bare boards, protests, giggles, and threats such as:
the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on
From this reading “Be quiet, you ass!...
completely unclothed
From this reading The darkness had filled with whispers, the sound of trailing rugs, bare feet on bare boards, protests, giggles, and threats such as:
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “Be quiet, you ass!...
(used in the plural) the stage of a theater
From this reading The darkness had filled with whispers, the sound of trailing rugs, bare feet on bare boards, protests, giggles, and threats such as:
absence of light or illumination
From this reading The darkness had filled with whispers, the sound of trailing rugs, bare feet on bare boards, protests, giggles, and threats such as:
a college or university building containing living quarters for students
From this reading “It was a wet sponge when I was junior in the dormitory...
plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading The darkness had filled with whispers, the sound of trailing rugs, bare feet on bare boards, protests, giggles, and threats such as:
(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with
From this reading The darkness had filled with whispers, the sound of trailing rugs, bare feet on bare boards, protests, giggles, and threats such as:
plural of “giggle” — a foolish or nervous laugh
From this reading The darkness had filled with whispers, the sound of trailing rugs, bare feet on bare boards, protests, giggles, and threats such as:
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The darkness had filled with whispers, the sound of trailing rugs, bare feet on bare boards, protests, giggles, and threats such as:
an event that happens
From this reading What’s happening?”
an expression of greeting
From this reading Hullo!
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “It was a wet sponge when I was junior in the dormitory...
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “It was a wet sponge when I was junior in the dormitory...
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “It was a wet sponge when I was junior in the dormitory...
term of address for a disrespectful and annoying male
From this reading “It was a wet sponge when I was junior in the dormitory...
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The darkness had filled with whispers, the sound of trailing rugs, bare feet on bare boards, protests, giggles, and threats such as:
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The darkness had filled with whispers, the sound of trailing rugs, bare feet on bare boards, protests, giggles, and threats such as:
plural of “protest” — a formal and solemn declaration of objection
From this reading The darkness had filled with whispers, the sound of trailing rugs, bare feet on bare boards, protests, giggles, and threats such as:
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading “Be quiet, you ass!...
plural of “rug” — floor covering consisting of a piece of thick heavy fabric (usually with nap or pile)
From this reading The darkness had filled with whispers, the sound of trailing rugs, bare feet on bare boards, protests, giggles, and threats such as:
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading The darkness had filled with whispers, the sound of trailing rugs, bare feet on bare boards, protests, giggles, and threats such as:
wipe with a sponge, so as to clean or moisten
From this reading “It was a wet sponge when I was junior in the dormitory...
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading The darkness had filled with whispers, the sound of trailing rugs, bare feet on bare boards, protests, giggles, and threats such as:
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “It was a wet sponge when I was junior in the dormitory...
plural of “threat” — something that is a source of danger
From this reading The darkness had filled with whispers, the sound of trailing rugs, bare feet on bare boards, protests, giggles, and threats such as:
the pursuit (of a person or animal) by following tracks or marks they left behind
From this reading The darkness had filled with whispers, the sound of trailing rugs, bare feet on bare boards, protests, giggles, and threats such as:
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “It was a wet sponge when I was junior in the dormitory...
covered or soaked with a liquid such as water
From this reading “It was a wet sponge when I was junior in the dormitory...
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What’s happening?”
at the time that
From this reading “It was a wet sponge when I was junior in the dormitory...
plural of “whisper” — speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
From this reading The darkness had filled with whispers, the sound of trailing rugs, bare feet on bare boards, protests, giggles, and threats such as:
in the company of; together with
From this reading The darkness had filled with whispers, the sound of trailing rugs, bare feet on bare boards, protests, giggles, and threats such as:
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Be quiet, you ass!...
Chapter 16 of Stalky & Co. by Rudyard Kipling holds 238 sentences, grouped into 48 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 16 holds 238 sentences of Stalky & Co., unabridged, divided into 48 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of Stalky & Co. by Rudyard Kipling exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 238 sentences, grouped into 48 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 48 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 48 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 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.
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.
