Chapter 23 of The Happy Isles is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of The Happy Isles is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He forgot everyone else who was present in the joy and surprise of seeing her. "When did you come? Why didn't you let me know?" "I didn't know myself till late last night, did I, Mrs. Whitelaw? Mrs. Whitelaw only wired to invite me after Mr. Whitelaw came back from Boston.
Chapter 23 of The Happy Isles is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services
From this reading “Mrs. Whitelaw only wired to invite me after Mr. Whitelaw came back from Boston.”
every person
From this reading “He forgot everyone else who was present in the joy and surprise of seeing her.”
inflected form of “forget” — dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading “He forgot everyone else who was present in the joy and surprise of seeing her.”
increase the likelihood of
From this reading “Mrs. Whitelaw only wired to invite me after Mr. Whitelaw came back from Boston.”
the emotion of great happiness
From this reading “He forgot everyone else who was present in the joy and surprise of seeing her.”
perception by means of the eyes
From this reading “He forgot everyone else who was present in the joy and surprise of seeing her.”
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading “He forgot everyone else who was present in the joy and surprise of seeing her.”
equipped with wire or wires especially for electric or telephone service
From this reading “Mrs. Whitelaw only wired to invite me after Mr. Whitelaw came back from Boston.”
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 “"I didn't know myself till late last night, did I, Mrs. Whitelaw?”
be restored
In this reading “Mrs. Whitelaw only wired to invite me after Mr. Whitelaw came back from Boston.”
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.
later than; following
From this reading Mrs. Whitelaw only wired to invite me after Mr. Whitelaw came back from Boston.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He forgot everyone else who was present in the joy and surprise of seeing her.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Mrs. Whitelaw only wired to invite me after Mr. Whitelaw came back from Boston.
state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services
From this reading Mrs. Whitelaw only wired to invite me after Mr. Whitelaw came back from Boston.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Mrs. Whitelaw only wired to invite me after Mr. Whitelaw came back from Boston.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "When did you come?
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "When did you come?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Why didn't you let me know?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He forgot everyone else who was present in the joy and surprise of seeing her.
every person
From this reading He forgot everyone else who was present in the joy and surprise of seeing her.
inflected form of “forget” — dismiss from the mind; stop remembering
From this reading He forgot everyone else who was present in the joy and surprise of seeing her.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Mrs. Whitelaw only wired to invite me after Mr. Whitelaw came back from Boston.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He forgot everyone else who was present in the joy and surprise of seeing her.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He forgot everyone else who was present in the joy and surprise of seeing her.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I didn't know myself till late last night, did I, Mrs. Whitelaw?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He forgot everyone else who was present in the joy and surprise of seeing her.
increase the likelihood of
From this reading Mrs. Whitelaw only wired to invite me after Mr. Whitelaw came back from Boston.
the emotion of great happiness
From this reading He forgot everyone else who was present in the joy and surprise of seeing her.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading Why didn't you let me know?"
immediately past
From this reading "I didn't know myself till late last night, did I, Mrs. Whitelaw?
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading "I didn't know myself till late last night, did I, Mrs. Whitelaw?
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading Why didn't you let me know?"
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Why didn't you let me know?"
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mrs. Whitelaw only wired to invite me after Mr. Whitelaw came back from Boston.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading "I didn't know myself till late last night, did I, Mrs. Whitelaw?
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading "I didn't know myself till late last night, did I, Mrs. Whitelaw?
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading "I didn't know myself till late last night, did I, Mrs. Whitelaw?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He forgot everyone else who was present in the joy and surprise of seeing her.
and nothing more
From this reading Mrs. Whitelaw only wired to invite me after Mr. Whitelaw came back from Boston.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading He forgot everyone else who was present in the joy and surprise of seeing her.
perception by means of the eyes
From this reading He forgot everyone else who was present in the joy and surprise of seeing her.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading He forgot everyone else who was present in the joy and surprise of seeing her.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He forgot everyone else who was present in the joy and surprise of seeing her.
up to a particular time
From this reading "I didn't know myself till late last night, did I, Mrs. Whitelaw?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mrs. Whitelaw only wired to invite me after Mr. Whitelaw came back from Boston.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He forgot everyone else who was present in the joy and surprise of seeing her.
at the time that
From this reading "When did you come?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I didn't know myself till late last night, did I, Mrs. Whitelaw?
which person or people
From this reading He forgot everyone else who was present in the joy and surprise of seeing her.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why didn't you let me know?"
equipped with wire or wires especially for electric or telephone service
From this reading Mrs. Whitelaw only wired to invite me after Mr. Whitelaw came back from Boston.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "When did you come?
Chapter 23 of The Happy Isles by Basil King holds 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 23 holds 408 sentences of The Happy Isles, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of The Happy Isles by Basil King exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 23 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.
