Chapter 15 of The Able McLaughlins is here in full — 230 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of The Able McLaughlins is here in full — 230 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“You go on with the corn,” Wully said to John at breakfast. “I’m taking Chirstie over to mother’s.” John made no comment. Chirstie looked as if she had had fever unusually severe the day before, and naturally she would be better cared for at the McLaughlins’. John suspected nothing.
Chapter 15 of The Able McLaughlins is here in full — 230 sentences across 46 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.
past form of “care” — feel concern or interest
From this reading “Chirstie looked as if she had had fever unusually severe the day before, and naturally she would be better cared for at the McLaughlins’.”
a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information
From this reading “John made no comment.”
tall annual cereal grass bearing kernels on large ears: widely cultivated in America in many varieties; the principal cereal in Mexico and Central and South America since pre-Columbian times
From this reading ““You go on with the corn,” Wully said to John at breakfast.”
a rise in the temperature of the body; frequently a symptom of infection
From this reading “Chirstie looked as if she had had fever unusually severe the day before, and naturally she would be better cared for at the McLaughlins’.”
possessive form of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
intensely or extremely bad or unpleasant in degree or quality
From this reading “Chirstie looked as if she had had fever unusually severe the day before, and naturally she would be better cared for at the McLaughlins’.”
believed likely
From this reading “John suspected nothing.”
to a remarkable degree or extent
From this reading “Chirstie looked as if she had had fever unusually severe the day before, and naturally she would be better cared for at the McLaughlins’.”
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.
continue a certain state, condition, or activity
In this reading ““You go on with the corn,” Wully said to John at breakfast.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Chirstie looked as if she had had fever unusually severe the day before, and naturally she would be better cared for at the McLaughlins’.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Chirstie looked as if she had had fever unusually severe the day before, and naturally she would be better cared for at the McLaughlins’.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “You go on with the corn,” Wully said to John at breakfast.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Chirstie looked as if she had had fever unusually severe the day before, and naturally she would be better cared for at the McLaughlins’.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Chirstie looked as if she had had fever unusually severe the day before, and naturally she would be better cared for at the McLaughlins’.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading Chirstie looked as if she had had fever unusually severe the day before, and naturally she would be better cared for at the McLaughlins’.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading “You go on with the corn,” Wully said to John at breakfast.
past form of “care” — feel concern or interest
From this reading Chirstie looked as if she had had fever unusually severe the day before, and naturally she would be better cared for at the McLaughlins’.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I’m taking Chirstie over to mother’s.”
a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information
From this reading John made no comment.
tall annual cereal grass bearing kernels on large ears: widely cultivated in America in many varieties; the principal cereal in Mexico and Central and South America since pre-Columbian times
From this reading “You go on with the corn,” Wully said to John at breakfast.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Chirstie looked as if she had had fever unusually severe the day before, and naturally she would be better cared for at the McLaughlins’.
a rise in the temperature of the body; frequently a symptom of infection
From this reading Chirstie looked as if she had had fever unusually severe the day before, and naturally she would be better cared for at the McLaughlins’.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Chirstie looked as if she had had fever unusually severe the day before, and naturally she would be better cared for at the McLaughlins’.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “You go on with the corn,” Wully said to John at breakfast.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Chirstie looked as if she had had fever unusually severe the day before, and naturally she would be better cared for at the McLaughlins’.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I’m taking Chirstie over to mother’s.”
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Chirstie looked as if she had had fever unusually severe the day before, and naturally she would be better cared for at the McLaughlins’.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading “You go on with the corn,” Wully said to John at breakfast.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Chirstie looked as if she had had fever unusually severe the day before, and naturally she would be better cared for at the McLaughlins’.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading John made no comment.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Chirstie looked as if she had had fever unusually severe the day before, and naturally she would be better cared for at the McLaughlins’.
possessive form of “mother” — a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading “I’m taking Chirstie over to mother’s.”
as might be expected
From this reading Chirstie looked as if she had had fever unusually severe the day before, and naturally she would be better cared for at the McLaughlins’.
not any; not one
From this reading John made no comment.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading John suspected nothing.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “You go on with the corn,” Wully said to John at breakfast.
above and across; more than
From this reading “I’m taking Chirstie over to mother’s.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “You go on with the corn,” Wully said to John at breakfast.
intensely or extremely bad or unpleasant in degree or quality
From this reading Chirstie looked as if she had had fever unusually severe the day before, and naturally she would be better cared for at the McLaughlins’.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Chirstie looked as if she had had fever unusually severe the day before, and naturally she would be better cared for at the McLaughlins’.
believed likely
From this reading John suspected nothing.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading “I’m taking Chirstie over to mother’s.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “You go on with the corn,” Wully said to John at breakfast.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “You go on with the corn,” Wully said to John at breakfast.
to a remarkable degree or extent
From this reading Chirstie looked as if she had had fever unusually severe the day before, and naturally she would be better cared for at the McLaughlins’.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “You go on with the corn,” Wully said to John at breakfast.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Chirstie looked as if she had had fever unusually severe the day before, and naturally she would be better cared for at the McLaughlins’.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “You go on with the corn,” Wully said to John at breakfast.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You go on with the corn,” Wully said to John at breakfast.
Chapter 15 of The Able McLaughlins by Margaret Wilson holds 230 sentences, grouped into 46 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.
Chapter 15 holds 230 sentences of The Able McLaughlins, unabridged, divided into 46 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of The Able McLaughlins by Margaret Wilson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 230 sentences, grouped into 46 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 46 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 46 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 The Able McLaughlins by Margaret Wilson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4956 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #59845 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #59845, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 413 minutes of reading across 992 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Able McLaughlins section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of The Able McLaughlins 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 The Able McLaughlins, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
