Chapter 21 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 XXI
Chapter 21 of Stalky & Co. is here in full — 234 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I see. All right,” said Stalky. McTurk’s lank frame stiffened in every muscle and his eyelids dropped half over his eyes. That last was a war-signal. The eight or nine seniors, their faces very set and sober, were ranged in chairs round Carson’s severely Philistine study.
Chapter 21 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.
possessive form of “carson” — United States biologist remembered for her opposition to the use of pesticides that were hazardous to wildlife (1907-1964)
plural of “eyelid” — either of two folds of skin that can be moved to cover or open the eye
From this reading “McTurk’s lank frame stiffened in every muscle and his eyelids dropped half over his eyes.”
long and thin and often limp
From this reading “McTurk’s lank frame stiffened in every muscle and his eyelids dropped half over his eyes.”
one of the contractile organs of the body
From this reading “McTurk’s lank frame stiffened in every muscle and his eyelids dropped half over his eyes.”
a person who is uninterested in intellectual pursuits
From this reading “The eight or nine seniors, their faces very set and sober, were ranged in chairs round Carson’s severely Philistine study.”
past form of “range” — change or be different within limits
From this reading “The eight or nine seniors, their faces very set and sober, were ranged in chairs round Carson’s severely Philistine study.”
plural of “senior” — an undergraduate student during the year preceding graduation
From this reading “The eight or nine seniors, their faces very set and sober, were ranged in chairs round Carson’s severely Philistine study.”
past form of “stiffen” — become stiff or stiffer
From this reading “McTurk’s lank frame stiffened in every muscle and his eyelids dropped half over his eyes.”
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 That last was a war-signal.
(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 All right,” said Stalky.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading McTurk’s lank frame stiffened in every muscle and his eyelids dropped half over his eyes.
possessive form of “carson” — United States biologist remembered for her opposition to the use of pesticides that were hazardous to wildlife (1907-1964)
From this reading The eight or nine seniors, their faces very set and sober, were ranged in chairs round Carson’s severely Philistine study.
plural of “chair” — a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading The eight or nine seniors, their faces very set and sober, were ranged in chairs round Carson’s severely Philistine study.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading McTurk’s lank frame stiffened in every muscle and his eyelids dropped half over his eyes.
being one more than seven
From this reading The eight or nine seniors, their faces very set and sober, were ranged in chairs round Carson’s severely Philistine study.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading McTurk’s lank frame stiffened in every muscle and his eyelids dropped half over his eyes.
plural of “eyelid” — either of two folds of skin that can be moved to cover or open the eye
From this reading McTurk’s lank frame stiffened in every muscle and his eyelids dropped half over his eyes.
opinion or judgment
From this reading McTurk’s lank frame stiffened in every muscle and his eyelids dropped half over his eyes.
plural of “face” — the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading The eight or nine seniors, their faces very set and sober, were ranged in chairs round Carson’s severely Philistine study.
enclose in or as if in a frame
From this reading McTurk’s lank frame stiffened in every muscle and his eyelids dropped half over his eyes.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading McTurk’s lank frame stiffened in every muscle and his eyelids dropped half over his eyes.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading McTurk’s lank frame stiffened in every muscle and his eyelids dropped half over his eyes.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I see.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading McTurk’s lank frame stiffened in every muscle and his eyelids dropped half over his eyes.
long and thin and often limp
From this reading McTurk’s lank frame stiffened in every muscle and his eyelids dropped half over his eyes.
immediately past
From this reading That last was a war-signal.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading McTurk’s lank frame stiffened in every muscle and his eyelids dropped half over his eyes.
one of the contractile organs of the body
From this reading McTurk’s lank frame stiffened in every muscle and his eyelids dropped half over his eyes.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one
From this reading The eight or nine seniors, their faces very set and sober, were ranged in chairs round Carson’s severely Philistine study.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading The eight or nine seniors, their faces very set and sober, were ranged in chairs round Carson’s severely Philistine study.
above and across; more than
From this reading McTurk’s lank frame stiffened in every muscle and his eyelids dropped half over his eyes.
a person who is uninterested in intellectual pursuits
From this reading The eight or nine seniors, their faces very set and sober, were ranged in chairs round Carson’s severely Philistine study.
past form of “range” — change or be different within limits
From this reading The eight or nine seniors, their faces very set and sober, were ranged in chairs round Carson’s severely Philistine study.
precisely, exactly
From this reading All right,” said Stalky.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading The eight or nine seniors, their faces very set and sober, were ranged in chairs round Carson’s severely Philistine study.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading All right,” said Stalky.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “I see.
plural of “senior” — an undergraduate student during the year preceding graduation
From this reading The eight or nine seniors, their faces very set and sober, were ranged in chairs round Carson’s severely Philistine study.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The eight or nine seniors, their faces very set and sober, were ranged in chairs round Carson’s severely Philistine study.
to a severe or serious degree
From this reading The eight or nine seniors, their faces very set and sober, were ranged in chairs round Carson’s severely Philistine study.
not affected by a chemical substance (especially alcohol)
From this reading The eight or nine seniors, their faces very set and sober, were ranged in chairs round Carson’s severely Philistine study.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading All right,” said Stalky.
past form of “stiffen” — become stiff or stiffer
From this reading McTurk’s lank frame stiffened in every muscle and his eyelids dropped half over his eyes.
a detailed critical inspection
From this reading The eight or nine seniors, their faces very set and sober, were ranged in chairs round Carson’s severely Philistine study.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That last was a war-signal.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The eight or nine seniors, their faces very set and sober, were ranged in chairs round Carson’s severely Philistine study.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading The eight or nine seniors, their faces very set and sober, were ranged in chairs round Carson’s severely Philistine study.
precisely as stated
From this reading The eight or nine seniors, their faces very set and sober, were ranged in chairs round Carson’s severely Philistine study.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That last was a war-signal.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading That last was a war-signal.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The eight or nine seniors, their faces very set and sober, were ranged in chairs round Carson’s severely Philistine study.
Chapter 21 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 21 holds 234 sentences of Stalky & Co., unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 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 21 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.
