Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of Tar and feathers is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The telephone bell rang. “Hello!” It was McCall. He was coming up. Robert took a long breath.
Tar and feathers
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of Tar and feathers is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
English subtitles · tap any word to listen
1 / 5
The
telephone
bell
rang.
“Hello!”
It
was
McCall.
He
was
coming
up.
Robert
took
a
long
breath.
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Tar and feathers
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of Tar and feathers is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
Line 1
The
telephone
bell
rang.
/ðə ˈteləfoʊn bel ræŋ/
Line 2
“Hello!”
/həˈloʊ/
Line 3
It
was
McCall.
Line 4
He
was
coming
up.
/hiː wɑːz ˈkʌmɪŋ ʌp/
Line 5
Robert
took
a
long
breath.
/ˈrɑːbərt tʊk ə lɔːŋ breθ/
Learner Dictionary
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 hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading “The telephone bell rang.”
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading “Robert took a long breath.”
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading “He was coming up.”
Hello
noun
US /həˈloʊ/
an expression of greeting
From this reading ““Hello!””
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading “The telephone bell rang.”
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading “Robert took a long breath.”
telephone
noun
US /ˈteləfoʊn/
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading “The telephone bell rang.”
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading “Robert took a long breath.”
Word partnerships in these lines
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
telephone bell
noun + noun
electric bell that rings to signal a call
In this reading “The telephone bell rang.”
long breath
adjective + noun
In this reading “Robert took a long breath.”
All words in this reading · 16
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 Robert took a long breath.
a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading The telephone bell rang.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading Robert took a long breath.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading He was coming up.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was coming up.
HellonounUS /həˈloʊ/
an expression of greeting
From this reading “Hello!”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was McCall.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Robert took a long breath.
McCall
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was McCall.
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading The telephone bell rang.
United States parliamentary authority and author (in 1876) of Robert's Rules of Order (1837-1923)
From this reading Robert took a long breath.
telephonenounUS /ˈteləfoʊn/
electronic equipment that converts sound into electrical signals that can be transmitted over distances and then converts received signals back into sounds
From this reading The telephone bell rang.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The telephone bell rang.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Robert took a long breath.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He was coming up.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was McCall.
Chapter 15 of Tar and feathers by Victor Rubin holds 420 sentences, grouped into 84 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, 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.
What does chapter 15 of Tar and feathers contain?
Chapter 15 holds 420 sentences of Tar and feathers, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of Tar and feathers by Victor Rubin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 420 sentences, grouped into 84 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.
How do I study chapter 15 of Tar and feathers?
Work through the 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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.
Can chapter 15 be read aloud to me?
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.
Questions about reading Tar and feathers
Common questions about reading Tar and feathers by Victor Rubin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Is this the complete text of Tar and feathers?
Yes. All 6678 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #73731 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Which edition of Tar and feathers is used?
Project Gutenberg eBook #73731, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
How long does Tar and feathers take to read?
About 556 minutes of reading across 1336 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to read Tar and feathers section by section
How to work through Tar and feathers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Open a chapter
Choose one of the 16 chapters of Tar and feathers to begin.
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Read one section
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
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Listen and tap
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Vocabulary met early in Tar and feathers
Words and structures a reader meets early in Tar and feathers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
- Entrancing
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tar and feathers; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Post-war
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tar and feathers; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Romance
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tar and feathers; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
- Principles
- A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tar and feathers; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.