Chapter 15 of The Happy Isles is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of The Happy Isles is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"I don't owe 'em nothink," he ended. "Belonged to me just as much as it belonged to them. Nothink don't belong to nobody. I never was able to figger it out just the way I wanted to, because I ain't never had no eddication; but Gord's lor I believes it is. Never could get the 'ang o' the lor o' man, not nohow."
Chapter 15 of The Happy Isles is here in full — 390 sentences across 78 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/78 · 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.
a civilian reserve component of the United States Air Force that provides prompt mobilization during war and assistance during national emergencies
From this reading “Never could get the 'ang o' the lor o' man, not nohow."”
third-person singular of “believe” — accept as true; take to be true
From this reading “I never was able to figger it out just the way I wanted to, because I ain't never had no eddication; but Gord's lor I believes it is.”
be owned by; be in the possession of
From this reading “Nothink don't belong to nobody.”
past form of “belong” — be owned by; be in the possession of
From this reading “"Belonged to me just as much as it belonged to them.”
having come or been brought to a conclusion
From this reading “"I don't owe 'em nothink," he ended.”
no person; not anyone
From this reading “Nothink don't belong to nobody.”
be obliged to pay or repay
From this reading “"I don't owe 'em nothink," he ended.”
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading “I never was able to figger it out just the way I wanted to, because I ain't never had no eddication; but Gord's lor I believes it is.”
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.
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 I never was able to figger it out just the way I wanted to, because I ain't never had no eddication; but Gord's lor I believes it is.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I never was able to figger it out just the way I wanted to, because I ain't never had no eddication; but Gord's lor I believes it is.
a civilian reserve component of the United States Air Force that provides prompt mobilization during war and assistance during national emergencies
From this reading Never could get the 'ang o' the lor o' man, not nohow."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Belonged to me just as much as it belonged to them.
for the reason that
From this reading I never was able to figger it out just the way I wanted to, because I ain't never had no eddication; but Gord's lor I believes it is.
third-person singular of “believe” — accept as true; take to be true
From this reading I never was able to figger it out just the way I wanted to, because I ain't never had no eddication; but Gord's lor I believes it is.
be owned by; be in the possession of
From this reading Nothink don't belong to nobody.
past form of “belong” — be owned by; be in the possession of
From this reading "Belonged to me just as much as it belonged to them.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I never was able to figger it out just the way I wanted to, because I ain't never had no eddication; but Gord's lor I believes it is.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Never could get the 'ang o' the lor o' man, not nohow."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't owe 'em nothink," he ended.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I never was able to figger it out just the way I wanted to, because I ain't never had no eddication; but Gord's lor I believes it is.
a quad with a square body
From this reading "I don't owe 'em nothink," he ended.
having come or been brought to a conclusion
From this reading "I don't owe 'em nothink," he ended.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I never was able to figger it out just the way I wanted to, because I ain't never had no eddication; but Gord's lor I believes it is.
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading Never could get the 'ang o' the lor o' man, not nohow."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I never was able to figger it out just the way I wanted to, because I ain't never had no eddication; but Gord's lor I believes it is.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I never was able to figger it out just the way I wanted to, because I ain't never had no eddication; but Gord's lor I believes it is.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I don't owe 'em nothink," he ended.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I don't owe 'em nothink," he ended.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I never was able to figger it out just the way I wanted to, because I ain't never had no eddication; but Gord's lor I believes it is.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Belonged to me just as much as it belonged to them.
and nothing more
From this reading "Belonged to me just as much as it belonged to them.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I never was able to figger it out just the way I wanted to, because I ain't never had no eddication; but Gord's lor I believes it is.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading Never could get the 'ang o' the lor o' man, not nohow."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Belonged to me just as much as it belonged to them.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "Belonged to me just as much as it belonged to them.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I never was able to figger it out just the way I wanted to, because I ain't never had no eddication; but Gord's lor I believes it is.
not any; not one
From this reading I never was able to figger it out just the way I wanted to, because I ain't never had no eddication; but Gord's lor I believes it is.
no person; not anyone
From this reading Nothink don't belong to nobody.
in no manner; in no way
From this reading Never could get the 'ang o' the lor o' man, not nohow."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Never could get the 'ang o' the lor o' man, not nohow."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't owe 'em nothink," he ended.
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 Never could get the 'ang o' the lor o' man, not nohow."
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading I never was able to figger it out just the way I wanted to, because I ain't never had no eddication; but Gord's lor I believes it is.
be obliged to pay or repay
From this reading "I don't owe 'em nothink," he ended.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I never was able to figger it out just the way I wanted to, because I ain't never had no eddication; but Gord's lor I believes it is.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "Belonged to me just as much as it belonged to them.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Belonged to me just as much as it belonged to them.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading I never was able to figger it out just the way I wanted to, because I ain't never had no eddication; but Gord's lor I believes it is.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I never was able to figger it out just the way I wanted to, because I ain't never had no eddication; but Gord's lor I believes it is.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading I never was able to figger it out just the way I wanted to, because I ain't never had no eddication; but Gord's lor I believes it is.
Chapter 15 of The Happy Isles by Basil King holds 390 sentences, grouped into 78 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 15 holds 390 sentences of The Happy Isles, unabridged, divided into 78 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of The Happy Isles by Basil King exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 390 sentences, grouped into 78 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 78 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 78 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 15 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 Happy Isles by Basil King on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9301 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #61344 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #61344, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1861 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Happy Isles section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of The Happy Isles 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 Happy Isles, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
