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The Copy-Cat, and Other Stories
The Copy-Cat, and Other Stories

Chapter XVIII · Chapter 18

Chapter 18 of The Copy-Cat, and Other Stories is here in full — 202 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/40 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Jane felt sickened by it all.
She could not understand her friend.
Not for one minute did she dream that there could be any serious outcome of the situation; that Viola, would marry this mad youth, who, she knew, was making such covert fun at her expense; but she was bewildered and indignant.
She wished that she had not come.
That evening when she went to her room she directed Margaret to pack, as she intended to return home the next day.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Copy-Cat, and Other Stories

Chapter XVIII · Chapter 18

Chapter 18 of The Copy-Cat, and Other Stories is here in full — 202 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/40 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Jane felt sickened by it all.
Line 2
She could not understand her friend.
/ʃiː kʊd nɑːt ˌʌndərˈstænd hɜːr frend/
Line 3
Not for one minute did she dream that there could be any serious outcome of the situation; that Viola, would marry this mad youth, who, she knew, was making such covert fun at her expense; but she was bewildered and indignant.
/nɑːt fɔːr wʌn ˈmɪnət dɪd ʃiː driːm ðæt ðer kʊd biː ˈeni ˈsɪriəs ˈaʊtkʌm ʌv ðə ˌsɪtʃuːˈeɪʃən ðæt vaɪˈoʊlə wʊd ˈmeri ðɪs mæd juːθ huː ʃiː nuː wɑːz ˈmeɪkɪŋ sʌtʃ ˈkoʊvərt fʌn æt hɜːr ɪkˈspens bʌt ʃiː wɑːz bɪˈwɪldərd ənd ˌɪnˈdɪɡnənt/
Line 4
She wished that she had not come.
/ʃiː wɪʃt ðæt ʃiː hæd nɑːt kʌm/
Line 5
That evening when she went to her room she directed Margaret to pack, as she intended to return home the next day.

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.

bewildered adjective US /bɪˈwɪldərd/

perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment

From this reading “Not for one minute did she dream that there could be any serious outcome of the situation; that Viola, would marry this mad youth, who, she knew, was making such covert fun at her expense; but she was bewildered and indignant.”

covert noun US /ˈkoʊvərt/

a flock of coots

From this reading “Not for one minute did she dream that there could be any serious outcome of the situation; that Viola, would marry this mad youth, who, she knew, was making such covert fun at her expense; but she was bewildered and indignant.”

expense noun US /ɪkˈspens/

amounts paid for goods and services that may be currently tax deductible (as opposed to capital expenditures)

From this reading “Not for one minute did she dream that there could be any serious outcome of the situation; that Viola, would marry this mad youth, who, she knew, was making such covert fun at her expense; but she was bewildered and indignant.”

indignant adjective US /ˌɪnˈdɪɡnənt/

angered at something unjust or wrong

From this reading “Not for one minute did she dream that there could be any serious outcome of the situation; that Viola, would marry this mad youth, who, she knew, was making such covert fun at her expense; but she was bewildered and indignant.”

outcome noun US /ˈaʊtkʌm/

something that results

From this reading “Not for one minute did she dream that there could be any serious outcome of the situation; that Viola, would marry this mad youth, who, she knew, was making such covert fun at her expense; but she was bewildered and indignant.”

pack verb US /pæk/

arrange in a container

From this reading “That evening when she went to her room she directed Margaret to pack, as she intended to return home the next day.”

sickened verb US /ˈsɪkənd/

past form of “sicken” — cause aversion in; offend the moral sense of

From this reading “Jane felt sickened by it all.”

Viola noun US /vaɪˈoʊlə/

any of the numerous plants of the genus Viola

From this reading “Not for one minute did she dream that there could be any serious outcome of the situation; that Viola, would marry this mad youth, who, she knew, was making such covert fun at her expense; but she was bewildered and indignant.”

All words in this reading · 62

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.

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 Jane felt sickened by it all.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Not for one minute did she dream that there could be any serious outcome of the situation; that Viola, would marry this mad youth, who, she knew, was making such covert fun at her expense; but she was bewildered and indignant.

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading Not for one minute did she dream that there could be any serious outcome of the situation; that Viola, would marry this mad youth, who, she knew, was making such covert fun at her expense; but she was bewildered and indignant.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading That evening when she went to her room she directed Margaret to pack, as she intended to return home the next day.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Not for one minute did she dream that there could be any serious outcome of the situation; that Viola, would marry this mad youth, who, she knew, was making such covert fun at her expense; but she was bewildered and indignant.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading Not for one minute did she dream that there could be any serious outcome of the situation; that Viola, would marry this mad youth, who, she knew, was making such covert fun at her expense; but she was bewildered and indignant.

bewilderedadjectiveUS /bɪˈwɪldərd/

perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment

From this reading Not for one minute did she dream that there could be any serious outcome of the situation; that Viola, would marry this mad youth, who, she knew, was making such covert fun at her expense; but she was bewildered and indignant.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Not for one minute did she dream that there could be any serious outcome of the situation; that Viola, would marry this mad youth, who, she knew, was making such covert fun at her expense; but she was bewildered and indignant.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Jane felt sickened by it all.

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading She wished that she had not come.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading She could not understand her friend.

covertnounUS /ˈkoʊvərt/

a flock of coots

From this reading Not for one minute did she dream that there could be any serious outcome of the situation; that Viola, would marry this mad youth, who, she knew, was making such covert fun at her expense; but she was bewildered and indignant.

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading That evening when she went to her room she directed Margaret to pack, as she intended to return home the next day.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading Not for one minute did she dream that there could be any serious outcome of the situation; that Viola, would marry this mad youth, who, she knew, was making such covert fun at her expense; but she was bewildered and indignant.

directedadjectiveUS /dərˈektəd/

(often used in combination) having a specified direction

From this reading That evening when she went to her room she directed Margaret to pack, as she intended to return home the next day.

dreamnounUS /driːm/

A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.

From this reading Not for one minute did she dream that there could be any serious outcome of the situation; that Viola, would marry this mad youth, who, she knew, was making such covert fun at her expense; but she was bewildered and indignant.

eveningnounUS /ˈiːvnɪŋ/

the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)

From this reading That evening when she went to her room she directed Margaret to pack, as she intended to return home the next day.

expensenounUS /ɪkˈspens/

amounts paid for goods and services that may be currently tax deductible (as opposed to capital expenditures)

From this reading Not for one minute did she dream that there could be any serious outcome of the situation; that Viola, would marry this mad youth, who, she knew, was making such covert fun at her expense; but she was bewildered and indignant.

feltverbUS /felt/

mat together and make felt-like

From this reading Jane felt sickened by it all.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Not for one minute did she dream that there could be any serious outcome of the situation; that Viola, would marry this mad youth, who, she knew, was making such covert fun at her expense; but she was bewildered and indignant.

friendnounUS /frend/

a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

From this reading She could not understand her friend.

funnounUS /fʌn/

activities that are enjoyable or amusing

From this reading Not for one minute did she dream that there could be any serious outcome of the situation; that Viola, would marry this mad youth, who, she knew, was making such covert fun at her expense; but she was bewildered and indignant.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading She wished that she had not come.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading She could not understand her friend.

homenounUS /hoʊm/

where you live at a particular time

From this reading That evening when she went to her room she directed Margaret to pack, as she intended to return home the next day.

indignantadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈdɪɡnənt/

angered at something unjust or wrong

From this reading Not for one minute did she dream that there could be any serious outcome of the situation; that Viola, would marry this mad youth, who, she knew, was making such covert fun at her expense; but she was bewildered and indignant.

intendedadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈtendɪd/

resulting from one's intentions

From this reading That evening when she went to her room she directed Margaret to pack, as she intended to return home the next day.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Jane felt sickened by it all.

Jane

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

From this reading Jane felt sickened by it all.

knewverbUS /nuː/

inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading Not for one minute did she dream that there could be any serious outcome of the situation; that Viola, would marry this mad youth, who, she knew, was making such covert fun at her expense; but she was bewildered and indignant.

madadjectiveUS /mæd/

roused to anger

From this reading Not for one minute did she dream that there could be any serious outcome of the situation; that Viola, would marry this mad youth, who, she knew, was making such covert fun at her expense; but she was bewildered and indignant.

makingnounUS /ˈmeɪkɪŋ/

the act that results in something coming to be

From this reading Not for one minute did she dream that there could be any serious outcome of the situation; that Viola, would marry this mad youth, who, she knew, was making such covert fun at her expense; but she was bewildered and indignant.

Margaret

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

From this reading That evening when she went to her room she directed Margaret to pack, as she intended to return home the next day.

marryverbUS /ˈmeri/

take in marriage

From this reading Not for one minute did she dream that there could be any serious outcome of the situation; that Viola, would marry this mad youth, who, she knew, was making such covert fun at her expense; but she was bewildered and indignant.

minutenounUS /ˈmɪnət/

a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour

From this reading Not for one minute did she dream that there could be any serious outcome of the situation; that Viola, would marry this mad youth, who, she knew, was making such covert fun at her expense; but she was bewildered and indignant.

nextadjectiveUS /nekst/

immediately following in time or order

From this reading That evening when she went to her room she directed Margaret to pack, as she intended to return home the next day.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading She could not understand her friend.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Not for one minute did she dream that there could be any serious outcome of the situation; that Viola, would marry this mad youth, who, she knew, was making such covert fun at her expense; but she was bewildered and indignant.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Not for one minute did she dream that there could be any serious outcome of the situation; that Viola, would marry this mad youth, who, she knew, was making such covert fun at her expense; but she was bewildered and indignant.

outcomenounUS /ˈaʊtkʌm/

something that results

From this reading Not for one minute did she dream that there could be any serious outcome of the situation; that Viola, would marry this mad youth, who, she knew, was making such covert fun at her expense; but she was bewildered and indignant.

packverbUS /pæk/

arrange in a container

From this reading That evening when she went to her room she directed Margaret to pack, as she intended to return home the next day.

returnverbUS /rɪˈtɜːrn/

go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before

From this reading That evening when she went to her room she directed Margaret to pack, as she intended to return home the next day.

roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading That evening when she went to her room she directed Margaret to pack, as she intended to return home the next day.

seriousadjectiveUS /ˈsɪriəs/

concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities

From this reading Not for one minute did she dream that there could be any serious outcome of the situation; that Viola, would marry this mad youth, who, she knew, was making such covert fun at her expense; but she was bewildered and indignant.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She could not understand her friend.

sickenedverbUS /ˈsɪkənd/

past form of “sicken” — cause aversion in; offend the moral sense of

From this reading Jane felt sickened by it all.

situationnounUS /ˌsɪtʃuːˈeɪʃən/

the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time

From this reading Not for one minute did she dream that there could be any serious outcome of the situation; that Viola, would marry this mad youth, who, she knew, was making such covert fun at her expense; but she was bewildered and indignant.

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading Not for one minute did she dream that there could be any serious outcome of the situation; that Viola, would marry this mad youth, who, she knew, was making such covert fun at her expense; but she was bewildered and indignant.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Not for one minute did she dream that there could be any serious outcome of the situation; that Viola, would marry this mad youth, who, she knew, was making such covert fun at her expense; but she was bewildered and indignant.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Not for one minute did she dream that there could be any serious outcome of the situation; that Viola, would marry this mad youth, who, she knew, was making such covert fun at her expense; but she was bewildered and indignant.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading Not for one minute did she dream that there could be any serious outcome of the situation; that Viola, would marry this mad youth, who, she knew, was making such covert fun at her expense; but she was bewildered and indignant.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading Not for one minute did she dream that there could be any serious outcome of the situation; that Viola, would marry this mad youth, who, she knew, was making such covert fun at her expense; but she was bewildered and indignant.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading That evening when she went to her room she directed Margaret to pack, as she intended to return home the next day.

understandverbUS /ˌʌndərˈstænd/

know and comprehend the nature or meaning of

From this reading She could not understand her friend.

ViolanounUS /vaɪˈoʊlə/

any of the numerous plants of the genus Viola

From this reading Not for one minute did she dream that there could be any serious outcome of the situation; that Viola, would marry this mad youth, who, she knew, was making such covert fun at her expense; but she was bewildered and indignant.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Not for one minute did she dream that there could be any serious outcome of the situation; that Viola, would marry this mad youth, who, she knew, was making such covert fun at her expense; but she was bewildered and indignant.

wentverbUS /went/

inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading That evening when she went to her room she directed Margaret to pack, as she intended to return home the next day.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading That evening when she went to her room she directed Margaret to pack, as she intended to return home the next day.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading Not for one minute did she dream that there could be any serious outcome of the situation; that Viola, would marry this mad youth, who, she knew, was making such covert fun at her expense; but she was bewildered and indignant.

wishedverbUS /wɪʃt/

past form of “wish” — hope for; have a wish

From this reading She wished that she had not come.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading Not for one minute did she dream that there could be any serious outcome of the situation; that Viola, would marry this mad youth, who, she knew, was making such covert fun at her expense; but she was bewildered and indignant.

youthnounUS /juːθ/

a young person (especially a young man or boy)

From this reading Not for one minute did she dream that there could be any serious outcome of the situation; that Viola, would marry this mad youth, who, she knew, was making such covert fun at her expense; but she was bewildered and indignant.

Chapter 18 of The Copy-Cat, and Other Stories by Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman holds 202 sentences, grouped into 41 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 18 of The Copy-Cat, and Other Stories contain?

Chapter 18 holds 202 sentences of The Copy-Cat, and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 18 of The Copy-Cat, and Other Stories by Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 202 sentences, grouped into 41 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 18 of The Copy-Cat, and Other Stories?

Work through the 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 41 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 18 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 18 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 Copy-Cat, and Other Stories

Common questions about reading The Copy-Cat, and Other Stories by Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Copy-Cat, and Other Stories?

Yes. All 5664 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1716 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Copy-Cat, and Other Stories is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #1716, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Copy-Cat, and Other Stories take to read?

About 472 minutes of reading across 1133 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Copy-Cat, and Other Stories section by section

How to work through The Copy-Cat, and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

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  3. Listen and tap

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Vocabulary met early in The Copy-Cat, and Other Stories

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Copy-Cat, and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Affair
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Copy-Cat, and Other Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Simmons's
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Copy-Cat, and Other Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Never
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Copy-Cat, and Other Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Became
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Copy-Cat, and Other Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.