Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The diary of Delia
The diary of Delia

Chapter X

Chapter 10 of The diary of Delia is here in full — 67 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The diary of Delia
Context Illustration Reading 1/13 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE NEXT DAY I was up to me eers in work—it being wash day.
As I carried the clothes out to be hung I noted the following: Mr. John was walking up and down taking triminjus long stips back and forth over the back lon.
Wid the tales of his coat flying out behind him and his spickticles hanging by a string from his eer he looked so like a loonytick that I drapped me baskit of clothes.
“My God, Mr. John” I exclaimed involuntarararily “Are you sun struck.
Whats the trubble” ses I, and I stopped him in his mad careerer as Mr. James wud call it by grabbing him by his cote tales.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The diary of Delia

Chapter X

Chapter 10 of The diary of Delia is here in full — 67 sentences across 14 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/13 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE NEXT DAY I was up to me eers in work—it being wash day.
Line 2
As I carried the clothes out to be hung I noted the following: Mr. John was walking up and down taking triminjus long stips back and forth over the back lon.
Line 3
Wid the tales of his coat flying out behind him and his spickticles hanging by a string from his eer he looked so like a loonytick that I drapped me baskit of clothes.
Line 4
“My God, Mr. John” I exclaimed involuntarararily “Are you sun struck.
Line 5
Whats the trubble” ses I, and I stopped him in his mad careerer as Mr. James wud call it by grabbing him by his cote tales.

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.

cote noun US /koʊt/

a small shelter for domestic animals (as sheep or pigeons)

From this reading “Whats the trubble” ses I, and I stopped him in his mad careerer as Mr. James wud call it by grabbing him by his cote tales.”

flying adjective US /ˈflaɪɪŋ/

moving swiftly

From this reading “Wid the tales of his coat flying out behind him and his spickticles hanging by a string from his eer he looked so like a loonytick that I drapped me baskit of clothes.”

grabbing verb US /ˈɡræbɪŋ/

inflected form of “grab” — take hold of so as to seize or restrain or stop the motion of

From this reading “Whats the trubble” ses I, and I stopped him in his mad careerer as Mr. James wud call it by grabbing him by his cote tales.”

hanging noun US /ˈhæŋɪŋ/

decoration that is hung (as a tapestry) on a wall or over a window

From this reading “Wid the tales of his coat flying out behind him and his spickticles hanging by a string from his eer he looked so like a loonytick that I drapped me baskit of clothes.”

noted adjective US /ˈnoʊtəd/

widely known and esteemed

From this reading “As I carried the clothes out to be hung I noted the following: Mr. John was walking up and down taking triminjus long stips back and forth over the back lon.”

string noun US /strɪŋ/

a lightweight cord

From this reading “Wid the tales of his coat flying out behind him and his spickticles hanging by a string from his eer he looked so like a loonytick that I drapped me baskit of clothes.”

tales noun US /teɪlz/

plural of “tale” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program

From this reading “Wid the tales of his coat flying out behind him and his spickticles hanging by a string from his eer he looked so like a loonytick that I drapped me baskit of clothes.”

wash verb US /wɑːʃ/

clean with some chemical process

From this reading “THE NEXT DAY I was up to me eers in work—it being wash day.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

NEXT DAY adjective + noun

In this reading “THE NEXT DAY I was up to me eers in work—it being wash day.”

All words in this reading · 77

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Wid the tales of his coat flying out behind him and his spickticles hanging by a string from his eer he looked so like a loonytick that I drapped me baskit of clothes.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading As I carried the clothes out to be hung I noted the following: Mr. John was walking up and down taking triminjus long stips back and forth over the back lon.

Areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading “My God, Mr. John” I exclaimed involuntarararily “Are you sun struck.

AsconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading As I carried the clothes out to be hung I noted the following: Mr. John was walking up and down taking triminjus long stips back and forth over the back lon.

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading As I carried the clothes out to be hung I noted the following: Mr. John was walking up and down taking triminjus long stips back and forth over the back lon.

baskit

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

From this reading Wid the tales of his coat flying out behind him and his spickticles hanging by a string from his eer he looked so like a loonytick that I drapped me baskit of clothes.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading As I carried the clothes out to be hung I noted the following: Mr. John was walking up and down taking triminjus long stips back and forth over the back lon.

behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading Wid the tales of his coat flying out behind him and his spickticles hanging by a string from his eer he looked so like a loonytick that I drapped me baskit of clothes.

beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading THE NEXT DAY I was up to me eers in work—it being wash day.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Wid the tales of his coat flying out behind him and his spickticles hanging by a string from his eer he looked so like a loonytick that I drapped me baskit of clothes.

callverbUS /kɔːl/

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading Whats the trubble” ses I, and I stopped him in his mad careerer as Mr. James wud call it by grabbing him by his cote tales.

careerer

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

From this reading Whats the trubble” ses I, and I stopped him in his mad careerer as Mr. James wud call it by grabbing him by his cote tales.

carriedverbUS /ˈkærid/

inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body

From this reading As I carried the clothes out to be hung I noted the following: Mr. John was walking up and down taking triminjus long stips back and forth over the back lon.

clothesnounUS /kloʊðz/

clothing in general

From this reading As I carried the clothes out to be hung I noted the following: Mr. John was walking up and down taking triminjus long stips back and forth over the back lon.

coatnounUS /koʊt/

an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors

From this reading Wid the tales of his coat flying out behind him and his spickticles hanging by a string from his eer he looked so like a loonytick that I drapped me baskit of clothes.

cotenounUS /koʊt/

a small shelter for domestic animals (as sheep or pigeons)

From this reading Whats the trubble” ses I, and I stopped him in his mad careerer as Mr. James wud call it by grabbing him by his cote tales.

DAYnounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading THE NEXT DAY I was up to me eers in work—it being wash day.

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading As I carried the clothes out to be hung I noted the following: Mr. John was walking up and down taking triminjus long stips back and forth over the back lon.

drapped

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

From this reading Wid the tales of his coat flying out behind him and his spickticles hanging by a string from his eer he looked so like a loonytick that I drapped me baskit of clothes.

eer

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

From this reading Wid the tales of his coat flying out behind him and his spickticles hanging by a string from his eer he looked so like a loonytick that I drapped me baskit of clothes.

eers

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

From this reading THE NEXT DAY I was up to me eers in work—it being wash day.

exclaimedverbUS /ɪkˈskleɪmd/

past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy

From this reading “My God, Mr. John” I exclaimed involuntarararily “Are you sun struck.

flyingadjectiveUS /ˈflaɪɪŋ/

moving swiftly

From this reading Wid the tales of his coat flying out behind him and his spickticles hanging by a string from his eer he looked so like a loonytick that I drapped me baskit of clothes.

followingadjectiveUS /ˈfɑːloʊɪŋ/

about to be mentioned or specified

From this reading As I carried the clothes out to be hung I noted the following: Mr. John was walking up and down taking triminjus long stips back and forth over the back lon.

forthadverbUS /fɔːrθ/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading As I carried the clothes out to be hung I noted the following: Mr. John was walking up and down taking triminjus long stips back and forth over the back lon.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Wid the tales of his coat flying out behind him and his spickticles hanging by a string from his eer he looked so like a loonytick that I drapped me baskit of clothes.

GodnounUS /ɡɑːd/

the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions

From this reading “My God, Mr. John” I exclaimed involuntarararily “Are you sun struck.

grabbingverbUS /ˈɡræbɪŋ/

inflected form of “grab” — take hold of so as to seize or restrain or stop the motion of

From this reading Whats the trubble” ses I, and I stopped him in his mad careerer as Mr. James wud call it by grabbing him by his cote tales.

hangingnounUS /ˈhæŋɪŋ/

decoration that is hung (as a tapestry) on a wall or over a window

From this reading Wid the tales of his coat flying out behind him and his spickticles hanging by a string from his eer he looked so like a loonytick that I drapped me baskit of clothes.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Wid the tales of his coat flying out behind him and his spickticles hanging by a string from his eer he looked so like a loonytick that I drapped me baskit of clothes.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Wid the tales of his coat flying out behind him and his spickticles hanging by a string from his eer he looked so like a loonytick that I drapped me baskit of clothes.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Wid the tales of his coat flying out behind him and his spickticles hanging by a string from his eer he looked so like a loonytick that I drapped me baskit of clothes.

hungverbUS /hʌŋ/

inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging

From this reading As I carried the clothes out to be hung I noted the following: Mr. John was walking up and down taking triminjus long stips back and forth over the back lon.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading THE NEXT DAY I was up to me eers in work—it being wash day.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading THE NEXT DAY I was up to me eers in work—it being wash day.

involuntarararily

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

From this reading “My God, Mr. John” I exclaimed involuntarararily “Are you sun struck.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading THE NEXT DAY I was up to me eers in work—it being wash day.

JamesnounUS /dʒeɪmz/

a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)

From this reading Whats the trubble” ses I, and I stopped him in his mad careerer as Mr. James wud call it by grabbing him by his cote tales.

JohnnounUS /dʒɑːn/

a room or building equipped with one or more toilets

From this reading As I carried the clothes out to be hung I noted the following: Mr. John was walking up and down taking triminjus long stips back and forth over the back lon.

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading Wid the tales of his coat flying out behind him and his spickticles hanging by a string from his eer he looked so like a loonytick that I drapped me baskit of clothes.

lon

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

From this reading As I carried the clothes out to be hung I noted the following: Mr. John was walking up and down taking triminjus long stips back and forth over the back lon.

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading As I carried the clothes out to be hung I noted the following: Mr. John was walking up and down taking triminjus long stips back and forth over the back lon.

lookedverbUS /lʊkt/

past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading Wid the tales of his coat flying out behind him and his spickticles hanging by a string from his eer he looked so like a loonytick that I drapped me baskit of clothes.

loonytick

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

From this reading Wid the tales of his coat flying out behind him and his spickticles hanging by a string from his eer he looked so like a loonytick that I drapped me baskit of clothes.

madadjectiveUS /mæd/

roused to anger

From this reading Whats the trubble” ses I, and I stopped him in his mad careerer as Mr. James wud call it by grabbing him by his cote tales.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading THE NEXT DAY I was up to me eers in work—it being wash day.

MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading As I carried the clothes out to be hung I noted the following: Mr. John was walking up and down taking triminjus long stips back and forth over the back lon.

MydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading “My God, Mr. John” I exclaimed involuntarararily “Are you sun struck.

NEXTadjectiveUS /nekst/

immediately following in time or order

From this reading THE NEXT DAY I was up to me eers in work—it being wash day.

notedadjectiveUS /ˈnoʊtəd/

widely known and esteemed

From this reading As I carried the clothes out to be hung I noted the following: Mr. John was walking up and down taking triminjus long stips back and forth over the back lon.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Wid the tales of his coat flying out behind him and his spickticles hanging by a string from his eer he looked so like a loonytick that I drapped me baskit of clothes.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading As I carried the clothes out to be hung I noted the following: Mr. John was walking up and down taking triminjus long stips back and forth over the back lon.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading As I carried the clothes out to be hung I noted the following: Mr. John was walking up and down taking triminjus long stips back and forth over the back lon.

ses

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

From this reading Whats the trubble” ses I, and I stopped him in his mad careerer as Mr. James wud call it by grabbing him by his cote tales.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Wid the tales of his coat flying out behind him and his spickticles hanging by a string from his eer he looked so like a loonytick that I drapped me baskit of clothes.

spickticles

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

From this reading Wid the tales of his coat flying out behind him and his spickticles hanging by a string from his eer he looked so like a loonytick that I drapped me baskit of clothes.

stips

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

From this reading As I carried the clothes out to be hung I noted the following: Mr. John was walking up and down taking triminjus long stips back and forth over the back lon.

stoppedadjectiveUS /stɑːpt/

(of a nose) blocked

From this reading Whats the trubble” ses I, and I stopped him in his mad careerer as Mr. James wud call it by grabbing him by his cote tales.

stringnounUS /strɪŋ/

a lightweight cord

From this reading Wid the tales of his coat flying out behind him and his spickticles hanging by a string from his eer he looked so like a loonytick that I drapped me baskit of clothes.

struckadjectiveUS /strʌk/

(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming

From this reading “My God, Mr. John” I exclaimed involuntarararily “Are you sun struck.

sunnounUS /sʌn/

the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system

From this reading “My God, Mr. John” I exclaimed involuntarararily “Are you sun struck.

takingnounUS /ˈteɪkɪŋ/

the act of someone who picks up or takes something

From this reading As I carried the clothes out to be hung I noted the following: Mr. John was walking up and down taking triminjus long stips back and forth over the back lon.

talesnounUS /teɪlz/

plural of “tale” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program

From this reading Wid the tales of his coat flying out behind him and his spickticles hanging by a string from his eer he looked so like a loonytick that I drapped me baskit of clothes.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Wid the tales of his coat flying out behind him and his spickticles hanging by a string from his eer he looked so like a loonytick that I drapped me baskit of clothes.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE NEXT DAY I was up to me eers in work—it being wash day.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading THE NEXT DAY I was up to me eers in work—it being wash day.

triminjus

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

From this reading As I carried the clothes out to be hung I noted the following: Mr. John was walking up and down taking triminjus long stips back and forth over the back lon.

trubble

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

From this reading Whats the trubble” ses I, and I stopped him in his mad careerer as Mr. James wud call it by grabbing him by his cote tales.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading THE NEXT DAY I was up to me eers in work—it being wash day.

walkingadjectiveUS /ˈwɔːkɪŋ/

close enough to be walked to

From this reading As I carried the clothes out to be hung I noted the following: Mr. John was walking up and down taking triminjus long stips back and forth over the back lon.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading THE NEXT DAY I was up to me eers in work—it being wash day.

washverbUS /wɑːʃ/

clean with some chemical process

From this reading THE NEXT DAY I was up to me eers in work—it being wash day.

Whats

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

From this reading Whats the trubble” ses I, and I stopped him in his mad careerer as Mr. James wud call it by grabbing him by his cote tales.

Wid

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

From this reading Wid the tales of his coat flying out behind him and his spickticles hanging by a string from his eer he looked so like a loonytick that I drapped me baskit of clothes.

workverbUS /wɜːrk/

exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity

From this reading THE NEXT DAY I was up to me eers in work—it being wash day.

wud

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

From this reading Whats the trubble” ses I, and I stopped him in his mad careerer as Mr. James wud call it by grabbing him by his cote tales.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “My God, Mr. John” I exclaimed involuntarararily “Are you sun struck.

Chapter 10 of The diary of Delia by Onoto Watanna holds 67 sentences, grouped into 14 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.

What does chapter 10 of The diary of Delia contain?

Chapter 10 holds 67 sentences of The diary of Delia, unabridged, divided into 14 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 10 of The diary of Delia by Onoto Watanna exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 67 sentences, grouped into 14 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 10 of The diary of Delia?

Work through the 14 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 14 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 10 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 10 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 diary of Delia

Common questions about reading The diary of Delia by Onoto Watanna on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The diary of Delia?

Yes. All 2061 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #61238 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The diary of Delia is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #61238, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The diary of Delia take to read?

About 171 minutes of reading across 413 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The diary of Delia section by section

How to work through The diary of Delia section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 30 chapters of The diary of Delia to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The diary of Delia

Words and structures a reader meets early in The diary of Delia, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Siven
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The diary of Delia; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Washed
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The diary of Delia; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Dressed
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The diary of Delia; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Kittle
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The diary of Delia; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.