Chapter 26 of The Imaginary Marriage is here in full — 380 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVI
Chapter 26 of The Imaginary Marriage is here in full — 380 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“IF YOU NEED ME” Naturally enough, Johnny Everard, seeing Ellice, would have stopped. He had his foot on the clutch and was feeling for the brake when Joan realised his intention. “Please drive on! Please drive straight on!” And Johnny, receiving his instructions, obeyed them without hesitation.
Chapter 26 of The Imaginary Marriage is here in full — 380 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/76 · 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 restraint used to slow or stop a vehicle
From this reading “He had his foot on the clutch and was feeling for the brake when Joan realised his intention.”
the act of grasping
From this reading “He had his foot on the clutch and was feeling for the brake when Joan realised his intention.”
indecision in speech or action
From this reading “And Johnny, receiving his instructions, obeyed them without hesitation.”
a manual usually accompanying a technical device and explaining how to install or operate it
From this reading “And Johnny, receiving his instructions, obeyed them without hesitation.”
“Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms
From this reading ““IF YOU NEED ME” Naturally enough, Johnny Everard, seeing Ellice, would have stopped.”
past form of “obey” — be obedient to
From this reading “And Johnny, receiving his instructions, obeyed them without hesitation.”
successfully completed or brought to an end
From this reading “He had his foot on the clutch and was feeling for the brake when Joan realised his intention.”
-ing form of “receive” — get something; come into possession of
From this reading “And Johnny, receiving his instructions, obeyed them without hesitation.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had his foot on the clutch and was feeling for the brake when Joan realised his intention.
a restraint used to slow or stop a vehicle
From this reading He had his foot on the clutch and was feeling for the brake when Joan realised his intention.
the act of grasping
From this reading He had his foot on the clutch and was feeling for the brake when Joan realised his intention.
operate or control a vehicle
From this reading “Please drive on!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “IF YOU NEED ME” Naturally enough, Johnny Everard, seeing Ellice, would have stopped.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading “IF YOU NEED ME” Naturally enough, Johnny Everard, seeing Ellice, would have stopped.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “IF YOU NEED ME” Naturally enough, Johnny Everard, seeing Ellice, would have stopped.
the experiencing of affective and emotional states
From this reading He had his foot on the clutch and was feeling for the brake when Joan realised his intention.
the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint
From this reading He had his foot on the clutch and was feeling for the brake when Joan realised his intention.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading He had his foot on the clutch and was feeling for the brake when Joan realised his intention.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had his foot on the clutch and was feeling for the brake when Joan realised his intention.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “IF YOU NEED ME” Naturally enough, Johnny Everard, seeing Ellice, would have stopped.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had his foot on the clutch and was feeling for the brake when Joan realised his intention.
indecision in speech or action
From this reading And Johnny, receiving his instructions, obeyed them without hesitation.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He had his foot on the clutch and was feeling for the brake when Joan realised his intention.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “IF YOU NEED ME” Naturally enough, Johnny Everard, seeing Ellice, would have stopped.
a manual usually accompanying a technical device and explaining how to install or operate it
From this reading And Johnny, receiving his instructions, obeyed them without hesitation.
an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading He had his foot on the clutch and was feeling for the brake when Joan realised his intention.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had his foot on the clutch and was feeling for the brake when Joan realised his intention.
“Johnny” was applied as a nickname for Confederate soldiers by the Federal soldiers in the American Civil War; “greyback” derived from their grey Confederate uniforms
From this reading “IF YOU NEED ME” Naturally enough, Johnny Everard, seeing Ellice, would have stopped.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “IF YOU NEED ME” Naturally enough, Johnny Everard, seeing Ellice, would have stopped.
as might be expected
From this reading “IF YOU NEED ME” Naturally enough, Johnny Everard, seeing Ellice, would have stopped.
a condition requiring relief
From this reading “IF YOU NEED ME” Naturally enough, Johnny Everard, seeing Ellice, would have stopped.
past form of “obey” — be obedient to
From this reading And Johnny, receiving his instructions, obeyed them without hesitation.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He had his foot on the clutch and was feeling for the brake when Joan realised his intention.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading “Please drive on!
successfully completed or brought to an end
From this reading He had his foot on the clutch and was feeling for the brake when Joan realised his intention.
-ing form of “receive” — get something; come into possession of
From this reading And Johnny, receiving his instructions, obeyed them without hesitation.
perception by means of the eyes
From this reading “IF YOU NEED ME” Naturally enough, Johnny Everard, seeing Ellice, would have stopped.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading “IF YOU NEED ME” Naturally enough, Johnny Everard, seeing Ellice, would have stopped.
successive (without a break)
From this reading Please drive straight on!”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He had his foot on the clutch and was feeling for the brake when Joan realised his intention.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading And Johnny, receiving his instructions, obeyed them without hesitation.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He had his foot on the clutch and was feeling for the brake when Joan realised his intention.
at the time that
From this reading He had his foot on the clutch and was feeling for the brake when Joan realised his intention.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading And Johnny, receiving his instructions, obeyed them without hesitation.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading “IF YOU NEED ME” Naturally enough, Johnny Everard, seeing Ellice, would have stopped.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “IF YOU NEED ME” Naturally enough, Johnny Everard, seeing Ellice, would have stopped.
Chapter 26 of The Imaginary Marriage by Henry St. John Cooper holds 380 sentences, grouped into 76 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 26 holds 380 sentences of The Imaginary Marriage, unabridged, divided into 76 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 of The Imaginary Marriage by Henry St. John Cooper exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 380 sentences, grouped into 76 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 76 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 76 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 26 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 Imaginary Marriage by Henry St. John Cooper on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5630 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #15103 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #15103, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 469 minutes of reading across 1126 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Imaginary Marriage section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Imaginary Marriage 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 Imaginary Marriage, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
