Chapter 17 of The Merryweathers is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Merryweathers is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE SNOWY OWL "I THINK it is a horrid bother, if you want to know!" said Willy. "Willy Merryweather! aren't you ashamed of yourself? I never heard anything so odious, when we are all so happy, and everything is so perfectly lovely. I don't see what you mean." "I don't care, it _is_ a bother.
Chapter 17 of The Merryweathers is here in full — 103 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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.
feeling shame or guilt or embarrassment or remorse
From this reading “"Willy Merryweather! aren't you ashamed of yourself?”
take the trouble to do something; concern oneself
From this reading “THE SNOWY OWL "I THINK it is a horrid bother, if you want to know!" said Willy.”
exceedingly bad
From this reading “THE SNOWY OWL "I THINK it is a horrid bother, if you want to know!" said Willy.”
appealing to the emotions as well as the eye
From this reading “I never heard anything so odious, when we are all so happy, and everything is so perfectly lovely.”
unequivocally detestable
From this reading “I never heard anything so odious, when we are all so happy, and everything is so perfectly lovely.”
nocturnal bird of prey with hawk-like beak and claws and large head with front-facing eyes
From this reading “THE SNOWY OWL "I THINK it is a horrid bother, if you want to know!" said Willy.”
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading “I never heard anything so odious, when we are all so happy, and everything is so perfectly lovely.”
marked by the presence of snow
From this reading “THE SNOWY OWL "I THINK it is a horrid bother, if you want to know!" said Willy.”
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 THE SNOWY OWL "I THINK it is a horrid bother, if you want to know!" said Willy.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading I never heard anything so odious, when we are all so happy, and everything is so perfectly lovely.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I never heard anything so odious, when we are all so happy, and everything is so perfectly lovely.
any thing at all
From this reading I never heard anything so odious, when we are all so happy, and everything is so perfectly lovely.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading I never heard anything so odious, when we are all so happy, and everything is so perfectly lovely.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Willy Merryweather! aren't you ashamed of yourself?
feeling shame or guilt or embarrassment or remorse
From this reading "Willy Merryweather! aren't you ashamed of yourself?
take the trouble to do something; concern oneself
From this reading THE SNOWY OWL "I THINK it is a horrid bother, if you want to know!" said Willy.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading "I don't care, it _is_ a bother.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I don't see what you mean."
all things; all of a situation
From this reading I never heard anything so odious, when we are all so happy, and everything is so perfectly lovely.
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading I never heard anything so odious, when we are all so happy, and everything is so perfectly lovely.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading I never heard anything so odious, when we are all so happy, and everything is so perfectly lovely.
exceedingly bad
From this reading THE SNOWY OWL "I THINK it is a horrid bother, if you want to know!" said Willy.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading THE SNOWY OWL "I THINK it is a horrid bother, if you want to know!" said Willy.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading THE SNOWY OWL "I THINK it is a horrid bother, if you want to know!" said Willy.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE SNOWY OWL "I THINK it is a horrid bother, if you want to know!" said Willy.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading THE SNOWY OWL "I THINK it is a horrid bother, if you want to know!" said Willy.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading THE SNOWY OWL "I THINK it is a horrid bother, if you want to know!" said Willy.
appealing to the emotions as well as the eye
From this reading I never heard anything so odious, when we are all so happy, and everything is so perfectly lovely.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading I don't see what you mean."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Willy Merryweather! aren't you ashamed of yourself?
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I never heard anything so odious, when we are all so happy, and everything is so perfectly lovely.
unequivocally detestable
From this reading I never heard anything so odious, when we are all so happy, and everything is so perfectly lovely.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Willy Merryweather! aren't you ashamed of yourself?
nocturnal bird of prey with hawk-like beak and claws and large head with front-facing eyes
From this reading THE SNOWY OWL "I THINK it is a horrid bother, if you want to know!" said Willy.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading I never heard anything so odious, when we are all so happy, and everything is so perfectly lovely.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading THE SNOWY OWL "I THINK it is a horrid bother, if you want to know!" said Willy.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I don't see what you mean."
marked by the presence of snow
From this reading THE SNOWY OWL "I THINK it is a horrid bother, if you want to know!" said Willy.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I never heard anything so odious, when we are all so happy, and everything is so perfectly lovely.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE SNOWY OWL "I THINK it is a horrid bother, if you want to know!" said Willy.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading THE SNOWY OWL "I THINK it is a horrid bother, if you want to know!" said Willy.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE SNOWY OWL "I THINK it is a horrid bother, if you want to know!" said Willy.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading THE SNOWY OWL "I THINK it is a horrid bother, if you want to know!" said Willy.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading I never heard anything so odious, when we are all so happy, and everything is so perfectly lovely.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I don't see what you mean."
at the time that
From this reading I never heard anything so odious, when we are all so happy, and everything is so perfectly lovely.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE SNOWY OWL "I THINK it is a horrid bother, if you want to know!" said Willy.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading THE SNOWY OWL "I THINK it is a horrid bother, if you want to know!" said Willy.
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading "Willy Merryweather! aren't you ashamed of yourself?
Chapter 17 of The Merryweathers by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards holds 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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 17 holds 103 sentences of The Merryweathers, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Merryweathers by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 103 sentences, grouped into 21 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 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 21 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 17 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 Merryweathers by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3054 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25505 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25505, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 254 minutes of reading across 611 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Merryweathers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of The Merryweathers 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 Merryweathers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
