The Brownies and Prince Florimel

Chapter XVI

Chapter 16 of The Brownies and Prince Florimel is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Palmer Cox • Curated US English Learning Edition

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Dragonfel had tried to prevail upon them to play dominoes or parchesi, but they had no heart for any game.

Grouthead, Wolfinger, Mandrake, Boundingbore, Snoutpimple, and others of the enchanter's followers were present and some of them looked distinctly bored.

Snoutpimple was even trying to repress a yawn.

Things at the palace had been rather slow since the abduction of Queen Titania and her party, and nothing especially wicked had occurred.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XVI Reading 1/27

The Brownies and Prince Florimel Palmer Cox

Chapter XVI

Chapter 16 of The Brownies and Prince Florimel is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

THE GERMAN BAND When the German band was announced by the Demon Usher in his queer, cackling voice Queen Titania, Dame Drusilda, Violet, and Daffodil happened to be seated on the steps of the throne, and all were feeling grumpy and out-of-sorts. Dragonfel had tried to prevail upon them to play dominoes or parchesi, but they had no heart for any game. Grouthead, Wolfinger, Mandrake, Boundingbore, Snoutpimple, and others of the enchanter's followers were present and some of them looked distinctly bored. Snoutpimple was even trying to repress a yawn. Things at the palace had been rather slow since the abduction of Queen Titania and her party, and nothing especially wicked had occurred.

The Brownies and Prince Florimel

Chapter XVI

Chapter 16 of The Brownies and Prince Florimel is here in full — 139 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/27 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Line 2

Dragonfel had tried to prevail upon them to play dominoes or parchesi, but they had no heart for any game.

Line 3

Grouthead, Wolfinger, Mandrake, Boundingbore, Snoutpimple, and others of the enchanter's followers were present and some of them looked distinctly bored.

Line 4

Snoutpimple was even trying to repress a yawn.

Line 5

Things at the palace had been rather slow since the abduction of Queen Titania and her party, and nothing especially wicked had occurred.

/θɪŋz æt ðə ˈpæləs hæd bɪn ˈræðər sloʊ sɪns ðə æbˈdʌkʃən ʌv kwiːn təˈtɑːnjə ənd hɜːr ˈpɑːrti ənd ˈnʌθɪŋ əˈspeʃli ˈwɪkəd hæd əˈkɜːrd/

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.

abduction noun US /æbˈdʌkʃən/

the criminal act of capturing and carrying away by force a family member; if a man's wife is abducted it is a crime against the family relationship and against the wife

From this reading “Things at the palace had been rather slow since the abduction of Queen Titania and her party, and nothing especially wicked had occurred.”

cackling verb US /ˈkækəlɪŋ/

-ing form of “cackle” — talk or utter in a cackling manner

From this reading “THE GERMAN BAND When the German band was announced by the Demon Usher in his queer, cackling voice Queen Titania, Dame Drusilda, Violet, and Daffodil happened to be seated on the steps of the throne, and all were feeling grumpy and out-of-sorts.”

Daffodil noun US /ˈdæfədɪl/

any of numerous varieties of Narcissus plants having showy often yellow flowers with a trumpet-shaped central crown

dominoes noun US /ˈdɑːmənoʊz/

any of several games played with small rectangular blocks

From this reading “Dragonfel had tried to prevail upon them to play dominoes or parchesi, but they had no heart for any game.”

enchanter's noun US /enˈtʃæntərz/

possessive form of “enchanter” — a sorcerer or magician

From this reading “Grouthead, Wolfinger, Mandrake, Boundingbore, Snoutpimple, and others of the enchanter's followers were present and some of them looked distinctly bored.”

grumpy adjective US /ˈɡrʌmpi/

annoyed and irritable

Mandrake noun US /ˈmændreɪk/

the root of the mandrake plant; used medicinally or as a narcotic

From this reading “Grouthead, Wolfinger, Mandrake, Boundingbore, Snoutpimple, and others of the enchanter's followers were present and some of them looked distinctly bored.”

Titania noun US /təˈtɑːnjə/

a white powder used as a pigment for its high covering power and durability

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.

prevail upon verb + particle

In this reading “Dragonfel had tried to prevail upon them to play dominoes or parchesi, but they had no heart for any game.”

rather slow adverb + adjective

In this reading “Things at the palace had been rather slow since the abduction of Queen Titania and her party, and nothing especially wicked had occurred.”

Usher in verb + particle

be a precursor of

In this reading “THE GERMAN BAND When the German band was announced by the Demon Usher in his queer, cackling voice Queen Titania, Dame Drusilda, Violet, and Daffodil happened to be seated on the steps of the throne, and all were feeling grumpy and out-of-sorts.”

on the steps preposition + article + noun counted as “on … steps”

at the palace preposition + article + noun counted as “at … palace”

In this reading “Things at the palace had been rather slow since the abduction of Queen Titania and her party, and nothing especially wicked had occurred.”

All words in this reading · 83

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Snoutpimple was even trying to repress a yawn.

abductionnounUS /æbˈdʌkʃən/

the criminal act of capturing and carrying away by force a family member; if a man's wife is abducted it is a crime against the family relationship and against the wife

From this reading Things at the palace had been rather slow since the abduction of Queen Titania and her party, and nothing especially wicked had occurred.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 THE GERMAN BAND When the German band was announced by the Demon Usher in his queer, cackling voice Queen Titania, Dame Drusilda, Violet, and Daffodil happened to be seated on the steps of the throne, and all were feeling grumpy and out-of-sorts.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

announcedadjectiveUS /əˈnaʊnst/

declared publicly; made widely known

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading Dragonfel had tried to prevail upon them to play dominoes or parchesi, but they had no heart for any game.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Things at the palace had been rather slow since the abduction of Queen Titania and her party, and nothing especially wicked had occurred.

BANDnounUS /bænd/

an unofficial association of people or groups

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Things at the palace had been rather slow since the abduction of Queen Titania and her party, and nothing especially wicked had occurred.

boredadjectiveUS /bɔːrd/

tired of the world

From this reading Grouthead, Wolfinger, Mandrake, Boundingbore, Snoutpimple, and others of the enchanter's followers were present and some of them looked distinctly bored.

Boundingbore

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Grouthead, Wolfinger, Mandrake, Boundingbore, Snoutpimple, and others of the enchanter's followers were present and some of them looked distinctly bored.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Dragonfel had tried to prevail upon them to play dominoes or parchesi, but they had no heart for any game.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

cacklingverbUS /ˈkækəlɪŋ/

-ing form of “cackle” — talk or utter in a cackling manner

DaffodilnounUS /ˈdæfədɪl/

any of numerous varieties of Narcissus plants having showy often yellow flowers with a trumpet-shaped central crown

DamenounUS /deɪm/

informal terms for a (young) woman

DemonnounUS /ˈdiːmən/

an evil supernatural being

distinctlyadverbUS /dɪˈstɪŋktli/

clear to the mind; with distinct mental discernment

From this reading Grouthead, Wolfinger, Mandrake, Boundingbore, Snoutpimple, and others of the enchanter's followers were present and some of them looked distinctly bored.

dominoesnounUS /ˈdɑːmənoʊz/

any of several games played with small rectangular blocks

From this reading Dragonfel had tried to prevail upon them to play dominoes or parchesi, but they had no heart for any game.

Dragonfel

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Dragonfel had tried to prevail upon them to play dominoes or parchesi, but they had no heart for any game.

Drusilda

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

enchanter'snounUS /enˈtʃæntərz/

possessive form of “enchanter” — a sorcerer or magician

From this reading Grouthead, Wolfinger, Mandrake, Boundingbore, Snoutpimple, and others of the enchanter's followers were present and some of them looked distinctly bored.

especiallyadverbUS /əˈspeʃli/

to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common

From this reading Things at the palace had been rather slow since the abduction of Queen Titania and her party, and nothing especially wicked had occurred.

evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

From this reading Snoutpimple was even trying to repress a yawn.

feelingnounUS /ˈfiːlɪŋ/

the experiencing of affective and emotional states

followersnounUS /ˈfɑːloʊərz/

a group of followers or enthusiasts

From this reading Grouthead, Wolfinger, Mandrake, Boundingbore, Snoutpimple, and others of the enchanter's followers were present and some of them looked distinctly bored.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Dragonfel had tried to prevail upon them to play dominoes or parchesi, but they had no heart for any game.

gamenounUS /ɡeɪm/

a contest with rules to determine a winner

From this reading Dragonfel had tried to prevail upon them to play dominoes or parchesi, but they had no heart for any game.

GERMANnounUS /ˈdʒɜːrmən/

a person of German nationality

Grouthead

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Grouthead, Wolfinger, Mandrake, Boundingbore, Snoutpimple, and others of the enchanter's followers were present and some of them looked distinctly bored.

grumpyadjectiveUS /ˈɡrʌmpi/

annoyed and irritable

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Dragonfel had tried to prevail upon them to play dominoes or parchesi, but they had no heart for any game.

happenedverbUS /ˈhæpənd/

past form of “happen” — come to pass

heartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading Dragonfel had tried to prevail upon them to play dominoes or parchesi, but they had no heart for any game.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading Things at the palace had been rather slow since the abduction of Queen Titania and her party, and nothing especially wicked had occurred.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

lookedverbUS /lʊkt/

past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading Grouthead, Wolfinger, Mandrake, Boundingbore, Snoutpimple, and others of the enchanter's followers were present and some of them looked distinctly bored.

MandrakenounUS /ˈmændreɪk/

the root of the mandrake plant; used medicinally or as a narcotic

From this reading Grouthead, Wolfinger, Mandrake, Boundingbore, Snoutpimple, and others of the enchanter's followers were present and some of them looked distinctly bored.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading Dragonfel had tried to prevail upon them to play dominoes or parchesi, but they had no heart for any game.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading Things at the palace had been rather slow since the abduction of Queen Titania and her party, and nothing especially wicked had occurred.

occurredverbUS /əˈkɜːrd/

inflected form of “occur” — come to pass

From this reading Things at the palace had been rather slow since the abduction of Queen Titania and her party, and nothing especially wicked had occurred.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Dragonfel had tried to prevail upon them to play dominoes or parchesi, but they had no heart for any game.

others

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Grouthead, Wolfinger, Mandrake, Boundingbore, Snoutpimple, and others of the enchanter's followers were present and some of them looked distinctly bored.

out-of-sorts

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

palacenounUS /ˈpæləs/

a large and stately mansion

From this reading Things at the palace had been rather slow since the abduction of Queen Titania and her party, and nothing especially wicked had occurred.

parchesinoun

an ancient board game resembling backgammon; played on a cross-shaped board

From this reading Dragonfel had tried to prevail upon them to play dominoes or parchesi, but they had no heart for any game.

partynounUS /ˈpɑːrti/

an organization to gain political power

From this reading Things at the palace had been rather slow since the abduction of Queen Titania and her party, and nothing especially wicked had occurred.

playverbUS /pleɪ/

participate in games or sport

From this reading Dragonfel had tried to prevail upon them to play dominoes or parchesi, but they had no heart for any game.

presentverbUS /ˈprezənt/

give an exhibition of to an interested audience

From this reading Grouthead, Wolfinger, Mandrake, Boundingbore, Snoutpimple, and others of the enchanter's followers were present and some of them looked distinctly bored.

prevailverbUS /prɪˈveɪl/

be larger in number, quantity, power, status or importance

From this reading Dragonfel had tried to prevail upon them to play dominoes or parchesi, but they had no heart for any game.

QueennounUS /kwiːn/

the only fertile female in a colony of social insects such as bees and ants and termites; its function is to lay eggs

queeradjectiveUS /kwɪr/

beyond or deviating from the usual or expected

ratheradverbUS /ˈræðər/

on the contrary

From this reading Things at the palace had been rather slow since the abduction of Queen Titania and her party, and nothing especially wicked had occurred.

repressverbUS /riˈpres/

put down by force or intimidation

From this reading Snoutpimple was even trying to repress a yawn.

seatedadjectiveUS /ˈsiːtɪd/

(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks

sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading Things at the palace had been rather slow since the abduction of Queen Titania and her party, and nothing especially wicked had occurred.

slowadjectiveUS /sloʊ/

not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time

From this reading Things at the palace had been rather slow since the abduction of Queen Titania and her party, and nothing especially wicked had occurred.

Snoutpimple

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Grouthead, Wolfinger, Mandrake, Boundingbore, Snoutpimple, and others of the enchanter's followers were present and some of them looked distinctly bored.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading Grouthead, Wolfinger, Mandrake, Boundingbore, Snoutpimple, and others of the enchanter's followers were present and some of them looked distinctly bored.

stepsnounUS /steps/

a flight of stairs or a flight of steps

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Dragonfel had tried to prevail upon them to play dominoes or parchesi, but they had no heart for any game.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Dragonfel had tried to prevail upon them to play dominoes or parchesi, but they had no heart for any game.

ThingsnounUS /θɪŋz/

any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)

From this reading Things at the palace had been rather slow since the abduction of Queen Titania and her party, and nothing especially wicked had occurred.

thronenounUS /θroʊn/

the chair of state for a monarch, bishop, etc.

TitanianounUS /təˈtɑːnjə/

a white powder used as a pigment for its high covering power and durability

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

triedadjectiveUS /traɪd/

tested and proved useful or correct

From this reading Dragonfel had tried to prevail upon them to play dominoes or parchesi, but they had no heart for any game.

tryingadjectiveUS /ˈtraɪɪŋ/

hard to endure

From this reading Snoutpimple was even trying to repress a yawn.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading Dragonfel had tried to prevail upon them to play dominoes or parchesi, but they had no heart for any game.

UsherverbUS /ˈʌʃər/

take (someone) to their seats, as in theaters or auditoriums

VioletnounUS /ˈvaɪəlɪt/

any of numerous low-growing violas with small flowers

voicenounUS /vɔɪs/

the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

wickedadjectiveUS /ˈwɪkəd/

morally bad in principle or practice

From this reading Things at the palace had been rather slow since the abduction of Queen Titania and her party, and nothing especially wicked had occurred.

Wolfinger

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Grouthead, Wolfinger, Mandrake, Boundingbore, Snoutpimple, and others of the enchanter's followers were present and some of them looked distinctly bored.

yawnverbUS /jɔːn/

utter a yawn, as from lack of oxygen or when one is tired

From this reading Snoutpimple was even trying to repress a yawn.

Chapter 16 of The Brownies and Prince Florimel by Palmer Cox holds 139 sentences, grouped into 28 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 16 of The Brownies and Prince Florimel contain?

Chapter 16 holds 139 sentences of The Brownies and Prince Florimel, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 16 of The Brownies and Prince Florimel by Palmer Cox exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 139 sentences, grouped into 28 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 16 of The Brownies and Prince Florimel?

Work through the 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 28 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 16 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 16 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 The Brownies and Prince Florimel

Common questions about reading The Brownies and Prince Florimel by Palmer Cox on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Brownies and Prince Florimel?

Yes. All 2134 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40502 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #40502, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Brownies and Prince Florimel take to read?

About 177 minutes of reading across 427 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The Brownies and Prince Florimel

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Brownies and Prince Florimel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Txt-version: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Brownies and Prince Florimel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
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Chapter XVI

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