Chapter 16 of The Cinder Pond is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of The Cinder Pond is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AN OLD ALBUM "There's a great big piece of news in my letter from daddy," confided Jeanne, who had been summoned to sit with her grandfather. He had been alone for longer than he liked. Since his illness, indeed, he seemed to like someone with him; and Jeanne was usually the only person available. "What kind of news?" he asked. "Good news, I guess.
Chapter 16 of The Cinder Pond is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/28 · 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.
one or more recordings issued together; originally released on 12-inch phonograph records (usually with attractive record covers) and later on cassette audiotape and compact disc
From this reading “AN OLD ALBUM "There's a great big piece of news in my letter from daddy," confided Jeanne, who had been summoned to sit with her grandfather.”
obtainable or accessible and ready for use or service
From this reading “Since his illness, indeed, he seemed to like someone with him; and Jeanne was usually the only person available.”
past form of “confide” — reveal in private; tell confidentially
From this reading “AN OLD ALBUM "There's a great big piece of news in my letter from daddy," confided Jeanne, who had been summoned to sit with her grandfather.”
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading “AN OLD ALBUM "There's a great big piece of news in my letter from daddy," confided Jeanne, who had been summoned to sit with her grandfather.”
the father of your father or mother
From this reading “AN OLD ALBUM "There's a great big piece of news in my letter from daddy," confided Jeanne, who had been summoned to sit with her grandfather.”
impairment of normal physiological function affecting part or all of an organism
From this reading “Since his illness, indeed, he seemed to like someone with him; and Jeanne was usually the only person available.”
a person, without saying who
From this reading “Since his illness, indeed, he seemed to like someone with him; and Jeanne was usually the only person available.”
past form of “summon” — call in an official matter, such as to attend court
From this reading “AN OLD ALBUM "There's a great big piece of news in my letter from daddy," confided Jeanne, who had been summoned to sit with her grandfather.”
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.
In this reading “"Good news, I guess.”
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 AN OLD ALBUM "There's a great big piece of news in my letter from daddy," confided Jeanne, who had been summoned to sit with her grandfather.
one or more recordings issued together; originally released on 12-inch phonograph records (usually with attractive record covers) and later on cassette audiotape and compact disc
From this reading AN OLD ALBUM "There's a great big piece of news in my letter from daddy," confided Jeanne, who had been summoned to sit with her grandfather.
Having no one else present.
From this reading He had been alone for longer than he liked.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN OLD ALBUM "There's a great big piece of news in my letter from daddy," confided Jeanne, who had been summoned to sit with her grandfather.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Since his illness, indeed, he seemed to like someone with him; and Jeanne was usually the only person available.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "What kind of news?" he asked.
obtainable or accessible and ready for use or service
From this reading Since his illness, indeed, he seemed to like someone with him; and Jeanne was usually the only person available.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading AN OLD ALBUM "There's a great big piece of news in my letter from daddy," confided Jeanne, who had been summoned to sit with her grandfather.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading AN OLD ALBUM "There's a great big piece of news in my letter from daddy," confided Jeanne, who had been summoned to sit with her grandfather.
past form of “confide” — reveal in private; tell confidentially
From this reading AN OLD ALBUM "There's a great big piece of news in my letter from daddy," confided Jeanne, who had been summoned to sit with her grandfather.
an informal term for a father; probably derived from baby talk
From this reading AN OLD ALBUM "There's a great big piece of news in my letter from daddy," confided Jeanne, who had been summoned to sit with her grandfather.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He had been alone for longer than he liked.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading AN OLD ALBUM "There's a great big piece of news in my letter from daddy," confided Jeanne, who had been summoned to sit with her grandfather.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Good news, I guess.
the father of your father or mother
From this reading AN OLD ALBUM "There's a great big piece of news in my letter from daddy," confided Jeanne, who had been summoned to sit with her grandfather.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading AN OLD ALBUM "There's a great big piece of news in my letter from daddy," confided Jeanne, who had been summoned to sit with her grandfather.
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading "Good news, I guess.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading AN OLD ALBUM "There's a great big piece of news in my letter from daddy," confided Jeanne, who had been summoned to sit with her grandfather.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had been alone for longer than he liked.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading AN OLD ALBUM "There's a great big piece of news in my letter from daddy," confided Jeanne, who had been summoned to sit with her grandfather.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Since his illness, indeed, he seemed to like someone with him; and Jeanne was usually the only person available.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Since his illness, indeed, he seemed to like someone with him; and Jeanne was usually the only person available.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Good news, I guess.
impairment of normal physiological function affecting part or all of an organism
From this reading Since his illness, indeed, he seemed to like someone with him; and Jeanne was usually the only person available.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading AN OLD ALBUM "There's a great big piece of news in my letter from daddy," confided Jeanne, who had been summoned to sit with her grandfather.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading Since his illness, indeed, he seemed to like someone with him; and Jeanne was usually the only person available.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AN OLD ALBUM "There's a great big piece of news in my letter from daddy," confided Jeanne, who had been summoned to sit with her grandfather.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading "What kind of news?" he asked.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading AN OLD ALBUM "There's a great big piece of news in my letter from daddy," confided Jeanne, who had been summoned to sit with her grandfather.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Since his illness, indeed, he seemed to like someone with him; and Jeanne was usually the only person available.
found pleasant or attractive; often used as a combining form
From this reading He had been alone for longer than he liked.
for more time
From this reading He had been alone for longer than he liked.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading AN OLD ALBUM "There's a great big piece of news in my letter from daddy," confided Jeanne, who had been summoned to sit with her grandfather.
information about recent and important events
From this reading AN OLD ALBUM "There's a great big piece of news in my letter from daddy," confided Jeanne, who had been summoned to sit with her grandfather.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading AN OLD ALBUM "There's a great big piece of news in my letter from daddy," confided Jeanne, who had been summoned to sit with her grandfather.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading AN OLD ALBUM "There's a great big piece of news in my letter from daddy," confided Jeanne, who had been summoned to sit with her grandfather.
and nothing more
From this reading Since his illness, indeed, he seemed to like someone with him; and Jeanne was usually the only person available.
a human being
From this reading Since his illness, indeed, he seemed to like someone with him; and Jeanne was usually the only person available.
a separate part of a whole
From this reading AN OLD ALBUM "There's a great big piece of news in my letter from daddy," confided Jeanne, who had been summoned to sit with her grandfather.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Since his illness, indeed, he seemed to like someone with him; and Jeanne was usually the only person available.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading Since his illness, indeed, he seemed to like someone with him; and Jeanne was usually the only person available.
be seated
From this reading AN OLD ALBUM "There's a great big piece of news in my letter from daddy," confided Jeanne, who had been summoned to sit with her grandfather.
a person, without saying who
From this reading Since his illness, indeed, he seemed to like someone with him; and Jeanne was usually the only person available.
past form of “summon” — call in an official matter, such as to attend court
From this reading AN OLD ALBUM "There's a great big piece of news in my letter from daddy," confided Jeanne, who had been summoned to sit with her grandfather.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading He had been alone for longer than he liked.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Since his illness, indeed, he seemed to like someone with him; and Jeanne was usually the only person available.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AN OLD ALBUM "There's a great big piece of news in my letter from daddy," confided Jeanne, who had been summoned to sit with her grandfather.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading AN OLD ALBUM "There's a great big piece of news in my letter from daddy," confided Jeanne, who had been summoned to sit with her grandfather.
under normal conditions
From this reading Since his illness, indeed, he seemed to like someone with him; and Jeanne was usually the only person available.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Since his illness, indeed, he seemed to like someone with him; and Jeanne was usually the only person available.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What kind of news?" he asked.
which person or people
From this reading AN OLD ALBUM "There's a great big piece of news in my letter from daddy," confided Jeanne, who had been summoned to sit with her grandfather.
in the company of; together with
From this reading AN OLD ALBUM "There's a great big piece of news in my letter from daddy," confided Jeanne, who had been summoned to sit with her grandfather.
Chapter 16 of The Cinder Pond by Carroll Watson Rankin holds 143 sentences, grouped into 29 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 16 holds 143 sentences of The Cinder Pond, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of The Cinder Pond by Carroll Watson Rankin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 143 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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 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.
Common questions about reading The Cinder Pond by Carroll Watson Rankin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3964 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #36119 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #36119, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 330 minutes of reading across 793 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Cinder Pond section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of The Cinder Pond 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 Cinder Pond, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
