The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe

Chapter XVI

Chapter 16 of The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe is here in full — 356 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Amanda M. Douglas • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

ALMOST DISCOURAGED.

Charlie was really tired on Friday, and did not feel equal to making any effort; so she assisted Mrs. Wilcox with the housework, and tidied up Mary Jane's room until one would hardly have known it.

But every thing seemed so strange and new.

Late in the afternoon she gained courage to say,-- "Did Mary Jane tell you, Mrs. Wilcox, that--I'd like to stay?"

"Yes.

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 XVI Reading 1/71

The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe

Chapter XVI

Chapter 16 of The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe is here in full — 356 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/71 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

ALMOST DISCOURAGED.

/ˈɔːlmoʊst dɪˈskɜːrədʒd/

Line 2

Charlie was really tired on Friday, and did not feel equal to making any effort; so she assisted Mrs. Wilcox with the housework, and tidied up Mary Jane's room until one would hardly have known it.

Line 3

But every thing seemed so strange and new.

/bʌt ˈevəri θɪŋ siːmd soʊ streɪndʒ ənd nuː/

Line 4

Late in the afternoon she gained courage to say,-- "Did Mary Jane tell you, Mrs. Wilcox, that--I'd like to stay?"

Line 5

"Yes.

/jes/

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.

assisted adjective US /əˈsɪstɪd/

having help; often used as a combining form

From this reading “Charlie was really tired on Friday, and did not feel equal to making any effort; so she assisted Mrs. Wilcox with the housework, and tidied up Mary Jane's room until one would hardly have known it.”

courage noun US /ˈkɜːrədʒ/

a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear

From this reading “Late in the afternoon she gained courage to say,-- "Did Mary Jane tell you, Mrs. Wilcox, that--I'd like to stay?"”

discouraged adjective US /dɪˈskɜːrədʒd/

made less hopeful or enthusiastic

From this reading “ALMOST DISCOURAGED.”

effort noun US /ˈefərt/

earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something

equal verb US /ˈiːkwəl/

be identical or equivalent to

Friday noun US /ˈfraɪdi/

the sixth day of the week; the fifth working day

gained verb US /ɡeɪnd/

past form of “gain” — obtain

From this reading “Late in the afternoon she gained courage to say,-- "Did Mary Jane tell you, Mrs. Wilcox, that--I'd like to stay?"”

housework noun US /ˈhaʊswɜːrk/

the work of cleaning and running a house

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.

gained courage verb + noun counted as “gain courage”

In this reading “Late in the afternoon she gained courage to say,-- "Did Mary Jane tell you, Mrs. Wilcox, that--I'd like to stay?"”

in the afternoon preposition + article + noun counted as “in … afternoon”

In this reading “Late in the afternoon she gained courage to say,-- "Did Mary Jane tell you, Mrs. Wilcox, that--I'd like to stay?"”

All words in this reading · 57

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.

afternoonnounUS /ˌæftərˈnuːn/

the part of the day between noon and evening

From this reading Late in the afternoon she gained courage to say,-- "Did Mary Jane tell you, Mrs. Wilcox, that--I'd like to stay?"

ALMOSTadverbUS /ˈɔːlmoʊst/

(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but

From this reading ALMOST DISCOURAGED.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Charlie was really tired on Friday, and did not feel equal to making any effort; so she assisted Mrs. Wilcox with the housework, and tidied up Mary Jane's room until one would hardly have known it.

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

assistedadjectiveUS /əˈsɪstɪd/

having help; often used as a combining form

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But every thing seemed so strange and new.

Charlie

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

couragenounUS /ˈkɜːrədʒ/

a quality of spirit that enables you to face danger or pain without showing fear

From this reading Late in the afternoon she gained courage to say,-- "Did Mary Jane tell you, Mrs. Wilcox, that--I'd like to stay?"

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

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

DISCOURAGEDadjectiveUS /dɪˈskɜːrədʒd/

made less hopeful or enthusiastic

From this reading ALMOST DISCOURAGED.

effortnounUS /ˈefərt/

earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something

equalverbUS /ˈiːkwəl/

be identical or equivalent to

everydeterminerUS /ˈevəri/

all the members of a group, with none left out

From this reading But every thing seemed so strange and new.

feelverbUS /fiːl/

undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind

FridaynounUS /ˈfraɪdi/

the sixth day of the week; the fifth working day

gainedverbUS /ɡeɪnd/

past form of “gain” — obtain

From this reading Late in the afternoon she gained courage to say,-- "Did Mary Jane tell you, Mrs. Wilcox, that--I'd like to stay?"

hardlyadverbUS /ˈhɑːrdli/

only a very short time before

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

houseworknounUS /ˈhaʊswɜːrk/

the work of cleaning and running a house

I'd

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

From this reading Late in the afternoon she gained courage to say,-- "Did Mary Jane tell you, Mrs. Wilcox, that--I'd like to stay?"

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Late in the afternoon she gained courage to say,-- "Did Mary Jane tell you, Mrs. Wilcox, that--I'd like to stay?"

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

Jane

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

From this reading Late in the afternoon she gained courage to say,-- "Did Mary Jane tell you, Mrs. Wilcox, that--I'd like to stay?"

Jane's

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

knownadjectiveUS /noʊn/

apprehended with certainty

LateadjectiveUS /leɪt/

being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time

From this reading Late in the afternoon she gained courage to say,-- "Did Mary Jane tell you, Mrs. Wilcox, that--I'd like to stay?"

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading Late in the afternoon she gained courage to say,-- "Did Mary Jane tell you, Mrs. Wilcox, that--I'd like to stay?"

makingnounUS /ˈmeɪkɪŋ/

the act that results in something coming to be

MarynounUS /ˈmeri/

the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics

MrsnounUS /ˈmɪsɪz/

a form of address for a married woman

newadjectiveUS /nuː/

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

From this reading But every thing seemed so strange and new.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

reallyadverbUS /ˈrɪli/

in accordance with truth or fact or reality

roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

sayverbUS /seɪ/

express in words

From this reading Late in the afternoon she gained courage to say,-- "Did Mary Jane tell you, Mrs. Wilcox, that--I'd like to stay?"

seemedverbUS /siːmd/

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading But every thing seemed so strange and new.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

stayverbUS /steɪ/

stay the same; remain in a certain state

From this reading Late in the afternoon she gained courage to say,-- "Did Mary Jane tell you, Mrs. Wilcox, that--I'd like to stay?"

strangeadjectiveUS /streɪndʒ/

being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird

From this reading But every thing seemed so strange and new.

tellverbUS /tel/

express in words

From this reading Late in the afternoon she gained courage to say,-- "Did Mary Jane tell you, Mrs. Wilcox, that--I'd like to stay?"

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Late in the afternoon she gained courage to say,-- "Did Mary Jane tell you, Mrs. Wilcox, that--I'd like to stay?"

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

thingnounUS /θɪŋ/

a special situation

From this reading But every thing seemed so strange and new.

tidied

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

tiredadjectiveUS /ˈtaɪərd/

depleted of strength or energy

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/

up to a particular time

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

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

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

Wilcox

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

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

YesnounUS /jes/

an affirmative

From this reading "Yes.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Late in the afternoon she gained courage to say,-- "Did Mary Jane tell you, Mrs. Wilcox, that--I'd like to stay?"

Chapter 16 of The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe by Amanda M. Douglas holds 356 sentences, grouped into 72 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 16 of The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe contain?

Chapter 16 holds 356 sentences of The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe, unabridged, divided into 72 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 16 of The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe by Amanda M. Douglas exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 356 sentences, grouped into 72 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 16 of The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe?

Work through the 72 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 72 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.

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Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 16 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.

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Yes. All 6567 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43659 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #43659, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 547 minutes of reading across 1314 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Boston: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
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Chapter XVI

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