Chapter 26 of The Cassowary is here in full — 135 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVI
Chapter 26 of The Cassowary is here in full — 135 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE PALE PEACOCK AND THE PURPLE HERRING The Young Lady was much applauded. Colonel Livingstone looked into Stafford's eyes, and was hesitant. Yet he still had something of the old masterly way about him, and he spoke out openly and very frankly. There is something about the United States army officer that is worth while. He rose to the occasion.
Chapter 26 of The Cassowary is here in full — 135 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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 “applaud” — clap one's hands or shout after performances to indicate approval
From this reading “THE PALE PEACOCK AND THE PURPLE HERRING The Young Lady was much applauded.”
(used as intensives reflecting the speaker's attitude) it is sincerely the case that
From this reading “Yet he still had something of the old masterly way about him, and he spoke out openly and very frankly.”
valuable flesh of fatty fish from shallow waters of northern Atlantic or Pacific; usually salted or pickled
From this reading “THE PALE PEACOCK AND THE PURPLE HERRING The Young Lady was much applauded.”
lacking decisiveness of character; unable to act or decide quickly or firmly
From this reading “Colonel Livingstone looked into Stafford's eyes, and was hesitant.”
Scottish missionary and explorer who discovered the Zambezi River and Victoria Falls (1813-1873)
From this reading “Colonel Livingstone looked into Stafford's eyes, and was hesitant.”
having or revealing supreme mastery or skill
From this reading “Yet he still had something of the old masterly way about him, and he spoke out openly and very frankly.”
in an open way
From this reading “Yet he still had something of the old masterly way about him, and he spoke out openly and very frankly.”
European butterfly having reddish-brown wings each marked with a purple eyespot
From this reading “THE PALE PEACOCK AND THE PURPLE HERRING The Young Lady was much applauded.”
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.
a young female
In this reading “THE PALE PEACOCK AND THE PURPLE HERRING The Young Lady was much applauded.”
an officer in the armed forces
In this reading “There is something about the United States army officer that is worth while.”
investigate scientifically
In this reading “Colonel Livingstone looked into Stafford's eyes, and was hesitant.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Yet he still had something of the old masterly way about him, and he spoke out openly and very frankly.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE PALE PEACOCK AND THE PURPLE HERRING The Young Lady was much applauded.
past form of “applaud” — clap one's hands or shout after performances to indicate approval
From this reading THE PALE PEACOCK AND THE PURPLE HERRING The Young Lady was much applauded.
a permanent organization of the military land forces of a nation or state
From this reading There is something about the United States army officer that is worth while.
a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
From this reading Colonel Livingstone looked into Stafford's eyes, and was hesitant.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Colonel Livingstone looked into Stafford's eyes, and was hesitant.
(used as intensives reflecting the speaker's attitude) it is sincerely the case that
From this reading Yet he still had something of the old masterly way about him, and he spoke out openly and very frankly.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Yet he still had something of the old masterly way about him, and he spoke out openly and very frankly.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Yet he still had something of the old masterly way about him, and he spoke out openly and very frankly.
valuable flesh of fatty fish from shallow waters of northern Atlantic or Pacific; usually salted or pickled
From this reading THE PALE PEACOCK AND THE PURPLE HERRING The Young Lady was much applauded.
lacking decisiveness of character; unable to act or decide quickly or firmly
From this reading Colonel Livingstone looked into Stafford's eyes, and was hesitant.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Yet he still had something of the old masterly way about him, and he spoke out openly and very frankly.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Colonel Livingstone looked into Stafford's eyes, and was hesitant.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There is something about the United States army officer that is worth while.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading THE PALE PEACOCK AND THE PURPLE HERRING The Young Lady was much applauded.
Scottish missionary and explorer who discovered the Zambezi River and Victoria Falls (1813-1873)
From this reading Colonel Livingstone looked into Stafford's eyes, and was hesitant.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Colonel Livingstone looked into Stafford's eyes, and was hesitant.
having or revealing supreme mastery or skill
From this reading Yet he still had something of the old masterly way about him, and he spoke out openly and very frankly.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading THE PALE PEACOCK AND THE PURPLE HERRING The Young Lady was much applauded.
an event that occurs at a critical time
From this reading He rose to the occasion.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Yet he still had something of the old masterly way about him, and he spoke out openly and very frankly.
any person in the armed services who holds a position of authority or command
From this reading There is something about the United States army officer that is worth while.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading Yet he still had something of the old masterly way about him, and he spoke out openly and very frankly.
in an open way
From this reading Yet he still had something of the old masterly way about him, and he spoke out openly and very frankly.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Yet he still had something of the old masterly way about him, and he spoke out openly and very frankly.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading THE PALE PEACOCK AND THE PURPLE HERRING The Young Lady was much applauded.
European butterfly having reddish-brown wings each marked with a purple eyespot
From this reading THE PALE PEACOCK AND THE PURPLE HERRING The Young Lady was much applauded.
a purple color or pigment
From this reading THE PALE PEACOCK AND THE PURPLE HERRING The Young Lady was much applauded.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading He rose to the occasion.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Yet he still had something of the old masterly way about him, and he spoke out openly and very frankly.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading Yet he still had something of the old masterly way about him, and he spoke out openly and very frankly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Colonel Livingstone looked into Stafford's eyes, and was hesitant.
plural of “state” — the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation
From this reading There is something about the United States army officer that is worth while.
not in physical motion
From this reading Yet he still had something of the old masterly way about him, and he spoke out openly and very frankly.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading There is something about the United States army officer that is worth while.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE PALE PEACOCK AND THE PURPLE HERRING The Young Lady was much applauded.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There is something about the United States army officer that is worth while.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He rose to the occasion.
characterized by unity; being or joined into a single entity
From this reading There is something about the United States army officer that is worth while.
precisely as stated
From this reading Yet he still had something of the old masterly way about him, and he spoke out openly and very frankly.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE PALE PEACOCK AND THE PURPLE HERRING The Young Lady was much applauded.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Yet he still had something of the old masterly way about him, and he spoke out openly and very frankly.
during the time that
From this reading There is something about the United States army officer that is worth while.
an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value
From this reading There is something about the United States army officer that is worth while.
but in spite of that
From this reading Yet he still had something of the old masterly way about him, and he spoke out openly and very frankly.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading THE PALE PEACOCK AND THE PURPLE HERRING The Young Lady was much applauded.
Chapter 26 of The Cassowary by Stanley Waterloo holds 135 sentences, grouped into 27 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 26 holds 135 sentences of The Cassowary, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 of The Cassowary by Stanley Waterloo exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 135 sentences, grouped into 27 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 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 27 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 26 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 Cassowary by Stanley Waterloo on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4279 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37509 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #37509, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 356 minutes of reading across 856 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Cassowary section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Cassowary 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 Cassowary, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
