Chapter 16 of The diary of Delia is here in full — 33 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of The diary of Delia is here in full — 33 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A WEEK LATER “The curse of true love” ses Miss Claire mornfully “never did run smoothly. O Delia” ses she “I wish I were ded!” “Whats the thrubble, darlint?” ses I stopping me wark for a moment. “Don’t you know?” she arsks. “Why no darling.
Chapter 16 of The diary of Delia is here in full — 33 sentences across 7 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/6 · 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.
profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger
From this reading “A WEEK LATER “The curse of true love” ses Miss Claire mornfully “never did run smoothly.”
a special loved one
From this reading ““Why no darling.”
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading “A WEEK LATER “The curse of true love” ses Miss Claire mornfully “never did run smoothly.”
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading “A WEEK LATER “The curse of true love” ses Miss Claire mornfully “never did run smoothly.”
with no problems or difficulties
From this reading “A WEEK LATER “The curse of true love” ses Miss Claire mornfully “never did run smoothly.”
fastener consisting of a narrow strip of welded metal used to join steel members
From this reading ““Whats the thrubble, darlint?” ses I stopping me wark for a moment.”
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading “A WEEK LATER “The curse of true love” ses Miss Claire mornfully “never did run smoothly.”
hope for; have a wish
From this reading “O Delia” ses she “I wish I were ded!””
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 “A WEEK LATER “The curse of true love” ses Miss Claire mornfully “never did run smoothly.”
temporarily
In this reading ““Whats the thrubble, darlint?” ses I stopping me wark for a moment.”
In this reading “A WEEK LATER “The curse of true love” ses Miss Claire mornfully “never did run smoothly.”
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 A WEEK LATER “The curse of true love” ses Miss Claire mornfully “never did run smoothly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Don’t you know?” she arsks.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A WEEK LATER “The curse of true love” ses Miss Claire mornfully “never did run smoothly.
profane or obscene expression usually of surprise or anger
From this reading A WEEK LATER “The curse of true love” ses Miss Claire mornfully “never did run smoothly.
a special loved one
From this reading “Why no darling.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Whats the thrubble, darlint?” ses I stopping me wark for a moment.
a doctor's degree in education
From this reading O Delia” ses she “I wish I were ded!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading O Delia” ses she “I wish I were ded!”
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading A WEEK LATER “The curse of true love” ses Miss Claire mornfully “never did run smoothly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Don’t you know?” she arsks.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “Whats the thrubble, darlint?” ses I stopping me wark for a moment.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading O Delia” ses she “I wish I were ded!”
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “Don’t you know?” she arsks.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading A WEEK LATER “The curse of true love” ses Miss Claire mornfully “never did run smoothly.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading A WEEK LATER “The curse of true love” ses Miss Claire mornfully “never did run smoothly.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Whats the thrubble, darlint?” ses I stopping me wark for a moment.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading A WEEK LATER “The curse of true love” ses Miss Claire mornfully “never did run smoothly.
a particular point in time
From this reading “Whats the thrubble, darlint?” ses I stopping me wark for a moment.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A WEEK LATER “The curse of true love” ses Miss Claire mornfully “never did run smoothly.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading A WEEK LATER “The curse of true love” ses Miss Claire mornfully “never did run smoothly.
not any; not one
From this reading “Why no darling.
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading O Delia” ses she “I wish I were ded!”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A WEEK LATER “The curse of true love” ses Miss Claire mornfully “never did run smoothly.
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading A WEEK LATER “The curse of true love” ses Miss Claire mornfully “never did run smoothly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A WEEK LATER “The curse of true love” ses Miss Claire mornfully “never did run smoothly.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading O Delia” ses she “I wish I were ded!”
with no problems or difficulties
From this reading A WEEK LATER “The curse of true love” ses Miss Claire mornfully “never did run smoothly.
fastener consisting of a narrow strip of welded metal used to join steel members
From this reading “Whats the thrubble, darlint?” ses I stopping me wark for a moment.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A WEEK LATER “The curse of true love” ses Miss Claire mornfully “never did run smoothly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Whats the thrubble, darlint?” ses I stopping me wark for a moment.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading A WEEK LATER “The curse of true love” ses Miss Claire mornfully “never did run smoothly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Whats the thrubble, darlint?” ses I stopping me wark for a moment.
any period of seven consecutive days
From this reading A WEEK LATER “The curse of true love” ses Miss Claire mornfully “never did run smoothly.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading O Delia” ses she “I wish I were ded!”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Whats the thrubble, darlint?” ses I stopping me wark for a moment.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Why no darling.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading O Delia” ses she “I wish I were ded!”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Don’t you know?” she arsks.
Chapter 16 of The diary of Delia by Onoto Watanna holds 33 sentences, grouped into 7 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 33 sentences of The diary of Delia, unabridged, divided into 7 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of The diary of Delia by Onoto Watanna exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 33 sentences, grouped into 7 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 7 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 7 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 diary of Delia by Onoto Watanna on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2061 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #61238 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #61238, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 171 minutes of reading across 413 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The diary of Delia section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of The diary of Delia 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 diary of Delia, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
