The Happy Average

Chapter XVIII

Chapter 18 of The Happy Average is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Brand Whitlock • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for The Happy Average

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

THE ROAD TO MINGO Lavinia sat rocking quietly back and forth, and stitched away with her colored silks on her tambourine frames, while Marley told her of the fortune Wade Powell had brought them.

He told the story briefly, and he tried to tell it simply; he did not comment on Powell's kindness or generosity, but let his deeds speak for themselves in Powell's behalf.

When he had done, Marley waited for Lavinia's comment, but she rocked on a moment and then held her tambourine frames at arm's length to study the sweet pea she was making.

When she had done so, she dropped her sewing suddenly into her lap, and looking up, said:

"He thinks everything of you, doesn't he?"

Narrator

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.

Chapter XVIII Reading 1/32

The Happy Average Brand Whitlock

Chapter XVIII

Chapter 18 of The Happy Average is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

THE ROAD TO MINGO Lavinia sat rocking quietly back and forth, and stitched away with her colored silks on her tambourine frames, while Marley told her of the fortune Wade Powell had brought them. He told the story briefly, and he tried to tell it simply; he did not comment on Powell's kindness or generosity, but let his deeds speak for themselves in Powell's behalf. When he had done, Marley waited for Lavinia's comment, but she rocked on a moment and then held her tambourine frames at arm's length to study the sweet pea she was making. When she had done so, she dropped her sewing suddenly into her lap, and looking up, said: "He thinks everything of you, doesn't he?"

The Happy Average

Chapter XVIII

Chapter 18 of The Happy Average is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/32 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

THE ROAD TO MINGO Lavinia sat rocking quietly back and forth, and stitched away with her colored silks on her tambourine frames, while Marley told her of the fortune Wade Powell had brought them.

Line 2

He told the story briefly, and he tried to tell it simply; he did not comment on Powell's kindness or generosity, but let his deeds speak for themselves in Powell's behalf.

/hiː toʊld ðə ˈstɔːri ˈbriːfli ənd hiː traɪd tuː tel ɪt ˈsɪmpli hiː dɪd nɑːt ˈkɑːment ɑːn ˈpoʊɪlz ˈkaɪndnəs ɔːr ˌdʒenərˈɑːsəti bʌt let hɪz diːdz spiːk fɔːr ðemˈselvz ɪn ˈpoʊɪlz bɪˈhæf/

Line 3

When he had done, Marley waited for Lavinia's comment, but she rocked on a moment and then held her tambourine frames at arm's length to study the sweet pea she was making.

Line 4

When she had done so, she dropped her sewing suddenly into her lap, and looking up, said:

/wen ʃiː hæd dʌn soʊ ʃiː drɑːpt hɜːr ˈsoʊɪŋ ˈsʌdənli ˈɪntuː hɜːr læp ənd ˈlʊkɪŋ ʌp sed/

Line 5

"He thinks everything of you, doesn't he?"

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.

arm's noun US /ɑːrmz/

possessive form of “arm” — a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb

From this reading “When he had done, Marley waited for Lavinia's comment, but she rocked on a moment and then held her tambourine frames at arm's length to study the sweet pea she was making.”

Marley noun US /ˈmɑːrli/

Jamaican singer who popularized reggae (1945-1981)

From this reading “THE ROAD TO MINGO Lavinia sat rocking quietly back and forth, and stitched away with her colored silks on her tambourine frames, while Marley told her of the fortune Wade Powell had brought them.”

pea noun US /piː/

seed of a pea plant used for food

From this reading “When he had done, Marley waited for Lavinia's comment, but she rocked on a moment and then held her tambourine frames at arm's length to study the sweet pea she was making.”

Powell noun US /ˈpaʊəl/

United States general who was the first African American to serve as chief of staff; later served as Secretary of State under President George W. Bush (born 1937)

Powell's noun US /ˈpoʊɪlz/

possessive form of “powell” — United States general who was the first African American to serve as chief of staff; later served as Secretary of State under President George W. Bush (born 1937)

From this reading “He told the story briefly, and he tried to tell it simply; he did not comment on Powell's kindness or generosity, but let his deeds speak for themselves in Powell's behalf.”

silks noun US /sɪlks/

the brightly colored garments of a jockey; emblematic of the stable

stitched adjective US /stɪtʃt/

fastened with stitches

tambourine noun US /ˌtæmbərˈiːn/

a shallow drum with a single drumhead and with metallic disks in the sides

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.

sweet pea adjective + noun

climbing garden plant having fragrant pastel-colored flowers

In this reading “When he had done, Marley waited for Lavinia's comment, but she rocked on a moment and then held her tambourine frames at arm's length to study the sweet pea she was making.”

arm's length noun + noun counted as “arm length”

In this reading “When he had done, Marley waited for Lavinia's comment, but she rocked on a moment and then held her tambourine frames at arm's length to study the sweet pea she was making.”

waited for verb + particle counted as “wait for”

In this reading “When he had done, Marley waited for Lavinia's comment, but she rocked on a moment and then held her tambourine frames at arm's length to study the sweet pea she was making.”

told the story verb + article + noun counted as “tell … story”

In this reading “He told the story briefly, and he tried to tell it simply; he did not comment on Powell's kindness or generosity, but let his deeds speak for themselves in Powell's behalf.”

All words in this reading · 84

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 When he had done, Marley waited for Lavinia's comment, but she rocked on a moment and then held her tambourine frames at arm's length to study the sweet pea she was making.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading THE ROAD TO MINGO Lavinia sat rocking quietly back and forth, and stitched away with her colored silks on her tambourine frames, while Marley told her of the fortune Wade Powell had brought them.

arm'snounUS /ɑːrmz/

possessive form of “arm” — a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb

From this reading When he had done, Marley waited for Lavinia's comment, but she rocked on a moment and then held her tambourine frames at arm's length to study the sweet pea she was making.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading When he had done, Marley waited for Lavinia's comment, but she rocked on a moment and then held her tambourine frames at arm's length to study the sweet pea she was making.

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

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

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

behalfnounUS /bɪˈhæf/

as the agent of or on someone's part (usually expressed as “on behalf of” rather than “in behalf of”)

From this reading He told the story briefly, and he tried to tell it simply; he did not comment on Powell's kindness or generosity, but let his deeds speak for themselves in Powell's behalf.

brieflyadverbUS /ˈbriːfli/

for a short time

From this reading He told the story briefly, and he tried to tell it simply; he did not comment on Powell's kindness or generosity, but let his deeds speak for themselves in Powell's behalf.

broughtverbUS /brɔːt/

inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading He told the story briefly, and he tried to tell it simply; he did not comment on Powell's kindness or generosity, but let his deeds speak for themselves in Powell's behalf.

coloredadjectiveUS /ˈkʌlərd/

having color or a certain color; sometimes used in combination

commentnounUS /ˈkɑːment/

a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information

From this reading He told the story briefly, and he tried to tell it simply; he did not comment on Powell's kindness or generosity, but let his deeds speak for themselves in Powell's behalf.

deedsnounUS /diːdz/

performance of moral or religious acts

From this reading He told the story briefly, and he tried to tell it simply; he did not comment on Powell's kindness or generosity, but let his deeds speak for themselves in Powell's behalf.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

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

From this reading He told the story briefly, and he tried to tell it simply; he did not comment on Powell's kindness or generosity, but let his deeds speak for themselves in Powell's behalf.

doesn't

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

From this reading "He thinks everything of you, doesn't he?"

doneadjectiveUS /dʌn/

having finished or arrived at completion

From this reading When he had done, Marley waited for Lavinia's comment, but she rocked on a moment and then held her tambourine frames at arm's length to study the sweet pea she was making.

droppedverbUS /drɑːpt/

inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground

From this reading When she had done so, she dropped her sewing suddenly into her lap, and looking up, said:

everythingpronounUS /ˈevriθɪŋ/

all things; all of a situation

From this reading "He thinks everything of you, doesn't he?"

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading He told the story briefly, and he tried to tell it simply; he did not comment on Powell's kindness or generosity, but let his deeds speak for themselves in Powell's behalf.

forthadverbUS /fɔːrθ/

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

fortunenounUS /ˈfɔːrtʃən/

an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another

framesnounUS /freɪmz/

plural of “frame” — the framework for a pair of eyeglasses

generositynounUS /ˌdʒenərˈɑːsəti/

the trait of being willing to give your money or time

From this reading He told the story briefly, and he tried to tell it simply; he did not comment on Powell's kindness or generosity, but let his deeds speak for themselves in Powell's behalf.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He told the story briefly, and he tried to tell it simply; he did not comment on Powell's kindness or generosity, but let his deeds speak for themselves in Powell's behalf.

heldadjectiveUS /held/

occupied or in the control of; often used in combination

From this reading When he had done, Marley waited for Lavinia's comment, but she rocked on a moment and then held her tambourine frames at arm's length to study the sweet pea she was making.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading He told the story briefly, and he tried to tell it simply; he did not comment on Powell's kindness or generosity, but let his deeds speak for themselves in Powell's behalf.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading He told the story briefly, and he tried to tell it simply; he did not comment on Powell's kindness or generosity, but let his deeds speak for themselves in Powell's behalf.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading When she had done so, she dropped her sewing suddenly into her lap, and looking up, said:

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading He told the story briefly, and he tried to tell it simply; he did not comment on Powell's kindness or generosity, but let his deeds speak for themselves in Powell's behalf.

kindnessnounUS /ˈkaɪndnəs/

the quality of being warmhearted and considerate and humane and sympathetic

From this reading He told the story briefly, and he tried to tell it simply; he did not comment on Powell's kindness or generosity, but let his deeds speak for themselves in Powell's behalf.

lapverbUS /læp/

lie partly over or alongside of something or of one another

From this reading When she had done so, she dropped her sewing suddenly into her lap, and looking up, said:

Lavinia

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

Lavinia's

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

From this reading When he had done, Marley waited for Lavinia's comment, but she rocked on a moment and then held her tambourine frames at arm's length to study the sweet pea she was making.

lengthnounUS /leŋkθ/

the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place

From this reading When he had done, Marley waited for Lavinia's comment, but she rocked on a moment and then held her tambourine frames at arm's length to study the sweet pea she was making.

letauxiliary verbUS /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading He told the story briefly, and he tried to tell it simply; he did not comment on Powell's kindness or generosity, but let his deeds speak for themselves in Powell's behalf.

lookingnounUS /ˈlʊkɪŋ/

the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually

From this reading When she had done so, she dropped her sewing suddenly into her lap, and looking up, said:

makingnounUS /ˈmeɪkɪŋ/

the act that results in something coming to be

From this reading When he had done, Marley waited for Lavinia's comment, but she rocked on a moment and then held her tambourine frames at arm's length to study the sweet pea she was making.

MarleynounUS /ˈmɑːrli/

Jamaican singer who popularized reggae (1945-1981)

MINGO

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

momentnounUS /ˈmoʊmənt/

a particular point in time

From this reading When he had done, Marley waited for Lavinia's comment, but she rocked on a moment and then held her tambourine frames at arm's length to study the sweet pea she was making.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading He told the story briefly, and he tried to tell it simply; he did not comment on Powell's kindness or generosity, but let his deeds speak for themselves in Powell's behalf.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading He told the story briefly, and he tried to tell it simply; he did not comment on Powell's kindness or generosity, but let his deeds speak for themselves in Powell's behalf.

peanounUS /piː/

seed of a pea plant used for food

From this reading When he had done, Marley waited for Lavinia's comment, but she rocked on a moment and then held her tambourine frames at arm's length to study the sweet pea she was making.

PowellnounUS /ˈpaʊəl/

United States general who was the first African American to serve as chief of staff; later served as Secretary of State under President George W. Bush (born 1937)

Powell'snounUS /ˈpoʊɪlz/

possessive form of “powell” — United States general who was the first African American to serve as chief of staff; later served as Secretary of State under President George W. Bush (born 1937)

From this reading He told the story briefly, and he tried to tell it simply; he did not comment on Powell's kindness or generosity, but let his deeds speak for themselves in Powell's behalf.

quietlyadverbUS /ˈkwaɪətli/

with low volume

ROADnounUS /roʊd/

an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation

rockedverbUS /rɑːkt/

past form of “rock” — move back and forth or sideways

From this reading When he had done, Marley waited for Lavinia's comment, but she rocked on a moment and then held her tambourine frames at arm's length to study the sweet pea she was making.

rockingverbUS /ˈrɑːkɪŋ/

-ing form of “rock” — move back and forth or sideways

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading When she had done so, she dropped her sewing suddenly into her lap, and looking up, said:

satnounUS /sæt/

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

sewingnounUS /ˈsoʊɪŋ/

joining or attaching by stitches

From this reading When she had done so, she dropped her sewing suddenly into her lap, and looking up, said:

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading When he had done, Marley waited for Lavinia's comment, but she rocked on a moment and then held her tambourine frames at arm's length to study the sweet pea she was making.

silksnounUS /sɪlks/

the brightly colored garments of a jockey; emblematic of the stable

simplyadverbUS /ˈsɪmpli/

and nothing more

From this reading He told the story briefly, and he tried to tell it simply; he did not comment on Powell's kindness or generosity, but let his deeds speak for themselves in Powell's behalf.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading When she had done so, she dropped her sewing suddenly into her lap, and looking up, said:

speakverbUS /spiːk/

express in speech

From this reading He told the story briefly, and he tried to tell it simply; he did not comment on Powell's kindness or generosity, but let his deeds speak for themselves in Powell's behalf.

stitchedadjectiveUS /stɪtʃt/

fastened with stitches

storynounUS /ˈstɔːri/

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 He told the story briefly, and he tried to tell it simply; he did not comment on Powell's kindness or generosity, but let his deeds speak for themselves in Powell's behalf.

studynounUS /ˈstʌdi/

a detailed critical inspection

From this reading When he had done, Marley waited for Lavinia's comment, but she rocked on a moment and then held her tambourine frames at arm's length to study the sweet pea she was making.

suddenlyadverbUS /ˈsʌdənli/

happening unexpectedly

From this reading When she had done so, she dropped her sewing suddenly into her lap, and looking up, said:

sweetadjectiveUS /swiːt/

having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar

From this reading When he had done, Marley waited for Lavinia's comment, but she rocked on a moment and then held her tambourine frames at arm's length to study the sweet pea she was making.

tambourinenounUS /ˌtæmbərˈiːn/

a shallow drum with a single drumhead and with metallic disks in the sides

tellverbUS /tel/

express in words

From this reading He told the story briefly, and he tried to tell it simply; he did not comment on Powell's kindness or generosity, but let his deeds speak for themselves in Powell's behalf.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

themselvespronounUS /ðemˈselvz/

used when the people doing the action are also its object

From this reading He told the story briefly, and he tried to tell it simply; he did not comment on Powell's kindness or generosity, but let his deeds speak for themselves in Powell's behalf.

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading When he had done, Marley waited for Lavinia's comment, but she rocked on a moment and then held her tambourine frames at arm's length to study the sweet pea she was making.

thinksnounUS /θɪŋks/

plural of “think” — an instance of deliberate thinking

From this reading "He thinks everything of you, doesn't he?"

TOparticleUS /tuː/

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

toldverbUS /toʊld/

inflected form of “tell” — express in words

triedadjectiveUS /traɪd/

tested and proved useful or correct

From this reading He told the story briefly, and he tried to tell it simply; he did not comment on Powell's kindness or generosity, but let his deeds speak for themselves in Powell's behalf.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

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

From this reading When she had done so, she dropped her sewing suddenly into her lap, and looking up, said:

WadeverbUS /weɪd/

walk (through relatively shallow water)

waitedverbUS /ˈweɪtɪd/

past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something

From this reading When he had done, Marley waited for Lavinia's comment, but she rocked on a moment and then held her tambourine frames at arm's length to study the sweet pea she was making.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading When he had done, Marley waited for Lavinia's comment, but she rocked on a moment and then held her tambourine frames at arm's length to study the sweet pea she was making.

WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading When he had done, Marley waited for Lavinia's comment, but she rocked on a moment and then held her tambourine frames at arm's length to study the sweet pea she was making.

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "He thinks everything of you, doesn't he?"

Chapter 18 of The Happy Average by Brand Whitlock holds 162 sentences, grouped into 33 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 18 of The Happy Average contain?

Chapter 18 holds 162 sentences of The Happy Average, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 18 of The Happy Average by Brand Whitlock exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 162 sentences, grouped into 33 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 Happy Average?

Work through the 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 33 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 Happy Average

Common questions about reading The Happy Average by Brand Whitlock on this page, its source edition and its audio.

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Yes. All 3524 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #45728 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #45728, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 293 minutes of reading across 705 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Chapter XVIII

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