Chapter 15 of Strictly Business is here in full — 202 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of Strictly Business is here in full — 202 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Quigg’s title came through his mother. One of her ancestors was a Margravine of Saxony. His father was a Tammany brave. On account of the dilution of his heredity he found that he could neither become a reigning potentate nor get a job in the City Hall. So he opened a restaurant.
Chapter 15 of Strictly Business is here in full — 202 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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.
plural of “ancestor” — someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent)
From this reading “One of her ancestors was a Margravine of Saxony.”
a diluted solution
From this reading “On account of the dilution of his heredity he found that he could neither become a reigning potentate nor get a job in the City Hall.”
the biological process whereby genetic factors are transmitted from one generation to the next
From this reading “On account of the dilution of his heredity he found that he could neither become a reigning potentate nor get a job in the City Hall.”
a ruler who is unconstrained by law
From this reading “On account of the dilution of his heredity he found that he could neither become a reigning potentate nor get a job in the City Hall.”
exercising power or authority
From this reading “On account of the dilution of his heredity he found that he could neither become a reigning potentate nor get a job in the City Hall.”
a building where people go to eat
From this reading “So he opened a restaurant.”
an area in Germany around the upper Elbe river; the original home of the Saxons
From this reading “One of her ancestors was a Margravine of Saxony.”
a political organization within the Democratic Party in New York City (late 1800's and early 1900's) seeking political control by corruption and bossism
From this reading “His father was a Tammany brave.”
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 One of her ancestors was a Margravine of Saxony.
a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading On account of the dilution of his heredity he found that he could neither become a reigning potentate nor get a job in the City Hall.
plural of “ancestor” — someone from whom you are descended (but usually more remote than a grandparent)
From this reading One of her ancestors was a Margravine of Saxony.
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading On account of the dilution of his heredity he found that he could neither become a reigning potentate nor get a job in the City Hall.
possessing or displaying courage; able to face and deal with danger or fear without flinching
From this reading His father was a Tammany brave.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Quigg’s title came through his mother.
a large and densely populated urban area; may include several independent administrative districts
From this reading On account of the dilution of his heredity he found that he could neither become a reigning potentate nor get a job in the City Hall.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading On account of the dilution of his heredity he found that he could neither become a reigning potentate nor get a job in the City Hall.
a diluted solution
From this reading On account of the dilution of his heredity he found that he could neither become a reigning potentate nor get a job in the City Hall.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading His father was a Tammany brave.
set up or found
From this reading On account of the dilution of his heredity he found that he could neither become a reigning potentate nor get a job in the City Hall.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading On account of the dilution of his heredity he found that he could neither become a reigning potentate nor get a job in the City Hall.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading On account of the dilution of his heredity he found that he could neither become a reigning potentate nor get a job in the City Hall.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading On account of the dilution of his heredity he found that he could neither become a reigning potentate nor get a job in the City Hall.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading One of her ancestors was a Margravine of Saxony.
the biological process whereby genetic factors are transmitted from one generation to the next
From this reading On account of the dilution of his heredity he found that he could neither become a reigning potentate nor get a job in the City Hall.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Quigg’s title came through his mother.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading On account of the dilution of his heredity he found that he could neither become a reigning potentate nor get a job in the City Hall.
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading On account of the dilution of his heredity he found that he could neither become a reigning potentate nor get a job in the City Hall.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading One of her ancestors was a Margravine of Saxony.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading Quigg’s title came through his mother.
not one and not the other of two
From this reading On account of the dilution of his heredity he found that he could neither become a reigning potentate nor get a job in the City Hall.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading On account of the dilution of his heredity he found that he could neither become a reigning potentate nor get a job in the City Hall.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading One of her ancestors was a Margravine of Saxony.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On account of the dilution of his heredity he found that he could neither become a reigning potentate nor get a job in the City Hall.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One of her ancestors was a Margravine of Saxony.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading So he opened a restaurant.
a ruler who is unconstrained by law
From this reading On account of the dilution of his heredity he found that he could neither become a reigning potentate nor get a job in the City Hall.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Quigg’s title came through his mother.
exercising power or authority
From this reading On account of the dilution of his heredity he found that he could neither become a reigning potentate nor get a job in the City Hall.
a building where people go to eat
From this reading So he opened a restaurant.
an area in Germany around the upper Elbe river; the original home of the Saxons
From this reading One of her ancestors was a Margravine of Saxony.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So he opened a restaurant.
a political organization within the Democratic Party in New York City (late 1800's and early 1900's) seeking political control by corruption and bossism
From this reading His father was a Tammany brave.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading On account of the dilution of his heredity he found that he could neither become a reigning potentate nor get a job in the City Hall.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading On account of the dilution of his heredity he found that he could neither become a reigning potentate nor get a job in the City Hall.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Quigg’s title came through his mother.
a heading that names a statute or legislative bill; may give a brief summary of the matters it deals with
From this reading Quigg’s title came through his mother.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading One of her ancestors was a Margravine of Saxony.
Chapter 15 of Strictly Business by O. Henry holds 202 sentences, grouped into 41 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 15 holds 202 sentences of Strictly Business, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of Strictly Business by O. Henry exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 202 sentences, grouped into 41 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 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 41 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 15 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 Strictly Business by O. Henry on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4844 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2141 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2141, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 403 minutes of reading across 969 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Strictly Business section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of Strictly Business 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 Strictly Business, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
