Chapter 26 of The Copy-Cat, and Other Stories is here in full — 208 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVI
Chapter 26 of The Copy-Cat, and Other Stories is here in full — 208 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Dear Annie is really very singular lately. It has distressed us all, especially father,” said Susan, but deprecatingly. Then Imogen spoke, and to the point. “Annie must be in that house,” said she. “She went in there, and she could not have gone out without our seeing her.”
Chapter 26 of The Copy-Cat, and Other Stories is here in full — 208 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/41 · 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.
facing or experiencing financial trouble or difficulty
From this reading “It has distressed us all, especially father,” said Susan, but deprecatingly.”
to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common
From this reading “It has distressed us all, especially father,” said Susan, but deprecatingly.”
in the recent past
From this reading ““Dear Annie is really very singular lately.”
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading “Then Imogen spoke, and to the point.”
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading ““Dear Annie is really very singular lately.”
perception by means of the eyes
From this reading ““She went in there, and she could not have gone out without our seeing her.””
unusual or striking
From this reading ““Dear Annie is really very singular lately.”
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading “Then Imogen spoke, and to the point.”
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.
(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 It has distressed us all, especially father,” said Susan, but deprecatingly.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Then Imogen spoke, and to the point.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Dear Annie is really very singular lately.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “Annie must be in that house,” said she.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It has distressed us all, especially father,” said Susan, but deprecatingly.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading “She went in there, and she could not have gone out without our seeing her.”
dearly loved
From this reading “Dear Annie is really very singular lately.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It has distressed us all, especially father,” said Susan, but deprecatingly.
facing or experiencing financial trouble or difficulty
From this reading It has distressed us all, especially father,” said Susan, but deprecatingly.
to a distinctly greater extent or degree than is common
From this reading It has distressed us all, especially father,” said Susan, but deprecatingly.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading It has distressed us all, especially father,” said Susan, but deprecatingly.
destroyed or killed
From this reading “She went in there, and she could not have gone out without our seeing her.”
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It has distressed us all, especially father,” said Susan, but deprecatingly.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “She went in there, and she could not have gone out without our seeing her.”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “She went in there, and she could not have gone out without our seeing her.”
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading “Annie must be in that house,” said she.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then Imogen spoke, and to the point.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Annie must be in that house,” said she.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Dear Annie is really very singular lately.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It has distressed us all, especially father,” said Susan, but deprecatingly.
in the recent past
From this reading “Dear Annie is really very singular lately.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “Annie must be in that house,” said she.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “She went in there, and she could not have gone out without our seeing her.”
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading “She went in there, and she could not have gone out without our seeing her.”
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading “She went in there, and she could not have gone out without our seeing her.”
a geometric element that has position but no extension
From this reading Then Imogen spoke, and to the point.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading “Dear Annie is really very singular lately.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading It has distressed us all, especially father,” said Susan, but deprecatingly.
perception by means of the eyes
From this reading “She went in there, and she could not have gone out without our seeing her.”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Annie must be in that house,” said she.
unusual or striking
From this reading “Dear Annie is really very singular lately.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading Then Imogen spoke, and to the point.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It has distressed us all, especially father,” said Susan, but deprecatingly.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Annie must be in that house,” said she.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Then Imogen spoke, and to the point.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then Imogen spoke, and to the point.
in or at that place or location
From this reading “She went in there, and she could not have gone out without our seeing her.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Then Imogen spoke, and to the point.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It has distressed us all, especially father,” said Susan, but deprecatingly.
precisely as stated
From this reading “Dear Annie is really very singular lately.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “She went in there, and she could not have gone out without our seeing her.”
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading “She went in there, and she could not have gone out without our seeing her.”
Chapter 26 of The Copy-Cat, and Other Stories by Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman holds 208 sentences, grouped into 42 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.
Chapter 26 holds 208 sentences of The Copy-Cat, and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 42 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 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 208 sentences, grouped into 42 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 42 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 42 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 Copy-Cat, and Other Stories by Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5664 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1716 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1716, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 472 minutes of reading across 1133 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Copy-Cat, and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of The Copy-Cat, and Other Stories 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 Copy-Cat, and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
