Chapter 19 of Stalky & Co. is here in full — 237 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIX
Chapter 19 of Stalky & Co. is here in full — 237 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Look at his back while he’s talkin’ to the Head. Vile bad form to turn your back on the audience! He’s a Philistine--a Bopper--a Jebusite--an’ a Hivite.” McTurk leaned back and sniffed contemptuously. In a few colorless words, the Head introduced the speaker and sat down amid applause.
Chapter 19 of Stalky & Co. is here in full — 237 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.
a demonstration of approval by clapping the hands together
From this reading “In a few colorless words, the Head introduced the speaker and sat down amid applause.”
lacking in variety and interest
From this reading “In a few colorless words, the Head introduced the speaker and sat down amid applause.”
without respect; in a disdainful manner
From this reading “McTurk leaned back and sniffed contemptuously.”
past form of “introduce” — cause to come to know personally
From this reading “In a few colorless words, the Head introduced the speaker and sat down amid applause.”
a person who is uninterested in intellectual pursuits
From this reading “He’s a Philistine--a Bopper--a Jebusite--an’ a Hivite.””
past form of “sniff” — perceive by inhaling through the nose
From this reading “McTurk leaned back and sniffed contemptuously.”
someone who expresses in language; someone who talks (especially someone who delivers a public speech or someone especially garrulous)
From this reading “In a few colorless words, the Head introduced the speaker and sat down amid applause.”
morally reprehensible
From this reading “Vile bad form to turn your back on the audience!”
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 He’s a Philistine--a Bopper--a Jebusite--an’ a Hivite.”
in the middle of; surrounded by
From this reading In a few colorless words, the Head introduced the speaker and sat down amid applause.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading He’s a Philistine--a Bopper--a Jebusite--an’ a Hivite.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading McTurk leaned back and sniffed contemptuously.
a demonstration of approval by clapping the hands together
From this reading In a few colorless words, the Head introduced the speaker and sat down amid applause.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Look at his back while he’s talkin’ to the Head.
a gathering of spectators or listeners at a (usually public) performance
From this reading Vile bad form to turn your back on the audience!
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading “Look at his back while he’s talkin’ to the Head.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading Vile bad form to turn your back on the audience!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He’s a Philistine--a Bopper--a Jebusite--an’ a Hivite.”
lacking in variety and interest
From this reading In a few colorless words, the Head introduced the speaker and sat down amid applause.
without respect; in a disdainful manner
From this reading McTurk leaned back and sniffed contemptuously.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading In a few colorless words, the Head introduced the speaker and sat down amid applause.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading In a few colorless words, the Head introduced the speaker and sat down amid applause.
the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something
From this reading Vile bad form to turn your back on the audience!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Look at his back while he’s talkin’ to the Head.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading “Look at his back while he’s talkin’ to the Head.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading “Look at his back while he’s talkin’ to the Head.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He’s a Philistine--a Bopper--a Jebusite--an’ a Hivite.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In a few colorless words, the Head introduced the speaker and sat down amid applause.
past form of “introduce” — cause to come to know personally
From this reading In a few colorless words, the Head introduced the speaker and sat down amid applause.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He’s a Philistine--a Bopper--a Jebusite--an’ a Hivite.”
past form of “lean” — to incline or bend from a vertical position
From this reading McTurk leaned back and sniffed contemptuously.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading “Look at his back while he’s talkin’ to the Head.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading McTurk leaned back and sniffed contemptuously.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Vile bad form to turn your back on the audience!
a person who is uninterested in intellectual pursuits
From this reading He’s a Philistine--a Bopper--a Jebusite--an’ a Hivite.”
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading In a few colorless words, the Head introduced the speaker and sat down amid applause.
past form of “sniff” — perceive by inhaling through the nose
From this reading McTurk leaned back and sniffed contemptuously.
someone who expresses in language; someone who talks (especially someone who delivers a public speech or someone especially garrulous)
From this reading In a few colorless words, the Head introduced the speaker and sat down amid applause.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Look at his back while he’s talkin’ to the Head.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Look at his back while he’s talkin’ to the Head.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Look at his back while he’s talkin’ to the Head.
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading Vile bad form to turn your back on the audience!
morally reprehensible
From this reading Vile bad form to turn your back on the audience!
during the time that
From this reading “Look at his back while he’s talkin’ to the Head.
the words that are spoken
From this reading In a few colorless words, the Head introduced the speaker and sat down amid applause.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Vile bad form to turn your back on the audience!
Chapter 19 of Stalky & Co. by Rudyard Kipling holds 237 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 19 holds 237 sentences of Stalky & Co., unabridged, divided into 48 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 19 of Stalky & Co. by Rudyard Kipling exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 237 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 19 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.
