Chapter 13 of The day's play is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of The day's play is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE CURTAIN GOES DOWN "Ladies and gentlemen," said Simpson at the supper-table, glass in hand, "it is my pleasant duty----" "Bother!" murmured Myra. "Drinking healths always makes me feel funny." "Silence for McSimp," shouted Archie. "Now then, pass along there, please. There's no need to push, you'll all be able to hear.
Chapter 13 of The day's play is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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.
take the trouble to do something; concern oneself
From this reading “THE CURTAIN GOES DOWN "Ladies and gentlemen," said Simpson at the supper-table, glass in hand, "it is my pleasant duty----" "Bother!" murmured Myra.”
hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading “THE CURTAIN GOES DOWN "Ladies and gentlemen," said Simpson at the supper-table, glass in hand, "it is my pleasant duty----" "Bother!" murmured Myra.”
the act of consuming liquids
From this reading “"Drinking healths always makes me feel funny."”
arousing or provoking laughter
From this reading “"Drinking healths always makes me feel funny."”
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading “THE CURTAIN GOES DOWN "Ladies and gentlemen," said Simpson at the supper-table, glass in hand, "it is my pleasant duty----" "Bother!" murmured Myra.”
move with force
From this reading “There's no need to push, you'll all be able to hear.”
in a vehement outcry
From this reading “"Silence for McSimp," shouted Archie.”
United States divorcee whose marriage to Edward VIII created a constitutional crisis leading to his abdication
From this reading “THE CURTAIN GOES DOWN "Ladies and gentlemen," said Simpson at the supper-table, glass in hand, "it is my pleasant duty----" "Bother!" murmured Myra.”
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.
transmit information
In this reading “"Now then, pass along there, please.”
move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
In this reading “THE CURTAIN GOES DOWN "Ladies and gentlemen," said Simpson at the supper-table, glass in hand, "it is my pleasant duty----" "Bother!" murmured Myra.”
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.
(usually followed by “to”) having the necessary means or skill or know-how or authority to do something
From this reading There's no need to push, you'll all be able to hear.
(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 There's no need to push, you'll all be able to hear.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading "Now then, pass along there, please.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading "Drinking healths always makes me feel funny."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE CURTAIN GOES DOWN "Ladies and gentlemen," said Simpson at the supper-table, glass in hand, "it is my pleasant duty----" "Bother!" murmured Myra.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Silence for McSimp," shouted Archie.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading THE CURTAIN GOES DOWN "Ladies and gentlemen," said Simpson at the supper-table, glass in hand, "it is my pleasant duty----" "Bother!" murmured Myra.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading There's no need to push, you'll all be able to hear.
take the trouble to do something; concern oneself
From this reading THE CURTAIN GOES DOWN "Ladies and gentlemen," said Simpson at the supper-table, glass in hand, "it is my pleasant duty----" "Bother!" murmured Myra.
hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading THE CURTAIN GOES DOWN "Ladies and gentlemen," said Simpson at the supper-table, glass in hand, "it is my pleasant duty----" "Bother!" murmured Myra.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading THE CURTAIN GOES DOWN "Ladies and gentlemen," said Simpson at the supper-table, glass in hand, "it is my pleasant duty----" "Bother!" murmured Myra.
the act of consuming liquids
From this reading "Drinking healths always makes me feel funny."
the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force
From this reading THE CURTAIN GOES DOWN "Ladies and gentlemen," said Simpson at the supper-table, glass in hand, "it is my pleasant duty----" "Bother!" murmured Myra.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading "Drinking healths always makes me feel funny."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Silence for McSimp," shouted Archie.
arousing or provoking laughter
From this reading "Drinking healths always makes me feel funny."
plural of “gentleman” — a man of refinement
From this reading THE CURTAIN GOES DOWN "Ladies and gentlemen," said Simpson at the supper-table, glass in hand, "it is my pleasant duty----" "Bother!" murmured Myra.
a brittle transparent solid with irregular atomic structure
From this reading THE CURTAIN GOES DOWN "Ladies and gentlemen," said Simpson at the supper-table, glass in hand, "it is my pleasant duty----" "Bother!" murmured Myra.
plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)
From this reading THE CURTAIN GOES DOWN "Ladies and gentlemen," said Simpson at the supper-table, glass in hand, "it is my pleasant duty----" "Bother!" murmured Myra.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading THE CURTAIN GOES DOWN "Ladies and gentlemen," said Simpson at the supper-table, glass in hand, "it is my pleasant duty----" "Bother!" murmured Myra.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Drinking healths always makes me feel funny."
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading There's no need to push, you'll all be able to hear.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE CURTAIN GOES DOWN "Ladies and gentlemen," said Simpson at the supper-table, glass in hand, "it is my pleasant duty----" "Bother!" murmured Myra.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE CURTAIN GOES DOWN "Ladies and gentlemen," said Simpson at the supper-table, glass in hand, "it is my pleasant duty----" "Bother!" murmured Myra.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading THE CURTAIN GOES DOWN "Ladies and gentlemen," said Simpson at the supper-table, glass in hand, "it is my pleasant duty----" "Bother!" murmured Myra.
plural of “lady” — a polite name for any woman
From this reading THE CURTAIN GOES DOWN "Ladies and gentlemen," said Simpson at the supper-table, glass in hand, "it is my pleasant duty----" "Bother!" murmured Myra.
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading "Drinking healths always makes me feel funny."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Silence for McSimp," shouted Archie.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Drinking healths always makes me feel funny."
past form of “murmur” — speak softly or indistinctly
From this reading THE CURTAIN GOES DOWN "Ladies and gentlemen," said Simpson at the supper-table, glass in hand, "it is my pleasant duty----" "Bother!" murmured Myra.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading THE CURTAIN GOES DOWN "Ladies and gentlemen," said Simpson at the supper-table, glass in hand, "it is my pleasant duty----" "Bother!" murmured Myra.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE CURTAIN GOES DOWN "Ladies and gentlemen," said Simpson at the supper-table, glass in hand, "it is my pleasant duty----" "Bother!" murmured Myra.
a condition requiring relief
From this reading There's no need to push, you'll all be able to hear.
not any; not one
From this reading There's no need to push, you'll all be able to hear.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Now then, pass along there, please.
go across or through
From this reading "Now then, pass along there, please.
affording pleasure; being in harmony with your taste or likings
From this reading THE CURTAIN GOES DOWN "Ladies and gentlemen," said Simpson at the supper-table, glass in hand, "it is my pleasant duty----" "Bother!" murmured Myra.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading "Now then, pass along there, please.
move with force
From this reading There's no need to push, you'll all be able to hear.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading THE CURTAIN GOES DOWN "Ladies and gentlemen," said Simpson at the supper-table, glass in hand, "it is my pleasant duty----" "Bother!" murmured Myra.
in a vehement outcry
From this reading "Silence for McSimp," shouted Archie.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading "Silence for McSimp," shouted Archie.
United States divorcee whose marriage to Edward VIII created a constitutional crisis leading to his abdication
From this reading THE CURTAIN GOES DOWN "Ladies and gentlemen," said Simpson at the supper-table, glass in hand, "it is my pleasant duty----" "Bother!" murmured Myra.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE CURTAIN GOES DOWN "Ladies and gentlemen," said Simpson at the supper-table, glass in hand, "it is my pleasant duty----" "Bother!" murmured Myra.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE CURTAIN GOES DOWN "Ladies and gentlemen," said Simpson at the supper-table, glass in hand, "it is my pleasant duty----" "Bother!" murmured Myra.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Now then, pass along there, please.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Now then, pass along there, please.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There's no need to push, you'll all be able to hear.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading There's no need to push, you'll all be able to hear.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There's no need to push, you'll all be able to hear.
Chapter 13 of The day's play by A. A. (Alan Alexander) Milne holds 196 sentences, grouped into 40 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 13 holds 196 sentences of The day's play, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of The day's play by A. A. (Alan Alexander) Milne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 196 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 13 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 day's play by A. A. (Alan Alexander) Milne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
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Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The day's play section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The day's play 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 day's play, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
