Chapter 15 of The School Queens is here in full — 106 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of The School Queens is here in full — 106 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
IN THE PARK. Mrs. Howland did not like to have her years mentioned. Mr. Martin had been careful never to do so until Maggie appeared on the scene. On the contrary, he had dropped hints that his birdling, his Little-sing, his Victoria, was in the early bloom of youth. But now he said that she was a wonderful woman for her years.
Chapter 15 of The School Queens is here in full — 106 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/21 · 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.
the organic process of bearing flowers
From this reading “On the contrary, he had dropped hints that his birdling, his Little-sing, his Victoria, was in the early bloom of youth.”
exercising caution or showing care or attention
From this reading “Mr. Martin had been careful never to do so until Maggie appeared on the scene.”
very opposed in nature or character or purpose
From this reading “On the contrary, he had dropped hints that his birdling, his Little-sing, his Victoria, was in the early bloom of youth.”
plural of “hint” — an indirect suggestion
From this reading “On the contrary, he had dropped hints that his birdling, his Little-sing, his Victoria, was in the early bloom of youth.”
French bishop who is a patron saint of France (died in 397)
From this reading “Mr. Martin had been careful never to do so until Maggie appeared on the scene.”
past form of “mention” — make reference to
From this reading “Mrs. Howland did not like to have her years mentioned.”
a large area of land preserved in its natural state as public property
From this reading “IN THE PARK.”
queen of Great Britain and Ireland and empress of India from 1837 to 1901; the last Hanoverian ruler of England (1819-1901)
From this reading “On the contrary, he had dropped hints that his birdling, his Little-sing, his Victoria, was in the early bloom of youth.”
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 But now he said that she was a wonderful woman for her years.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Mr. Martin had been careful never to do so until Maggie appeared on the scene.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Mr. Martin had been careful never to do so until Maggie appeared on the scene.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On the contrary, he had dropped hints that his birdling, his Little-sing, his Victoria, was in the early bloom of youth.
the organic process of bearing flowers
From this reading On the contrary, he had dropped hints that his birdling, his Little-sing, his Victoria, was in the early bloom of youth.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But now he said that she was a wonderful woman for her years.
exercising caution or showing care or attention
From this reading Mr. Martin had been careful never to do so until Maggie appeared on the scene.
very opposed in nature or character or purpose
From this reading On the contrary, he had dropped hints that his birdling, his Little-sing, his Victoria, was in the early bloom of youth.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Mrs. Howland did not like to have her years mentioned.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Mr. Martin had been careful never to do so until Maggie appeared on the scene.
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading On the contrary, he had dropped hints that his birdling, his Little-sing, his Victoria, was in the early bloom of youth.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading On the contrary, he had dropped hints that his birdling, his Little-sing, his Victoria, was in the early bloom of youth.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading But now he said that she was a wonderful woman for her years.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Mr. Martin had been careful never to do so until Maggie appeared on the scene.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Mrs. Howland did not like to have her years mentioned.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading On the contrary, he had dropped hints that his birdling, his Little-sing, his Victoria, was in the early bloom of youth.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Mrs. Howland did not like to have her years mentioned.
plural of “hint” — an indirect suggestion
From this reading On the contrary, he had dropped hints that his birdling, his Little-sing, his Victoria, was in the early bloom of youth.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading On the contrary, he had dropped hints that his birdling, his Little-sing, his Victoria, was in the early bloom of youth.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Howland did not like to have her years mentioned.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN THE PARK.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Mrs. Howland did not like to have her years mentioned.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading On the contrary, he had dropped hints that his birdling, his Little-sing, his Victoria, was in the early bloom of youth.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mr. Martin had been careful never to do so until Maggie appeared on the scene.
French bishop who is a patron saint of France (died in 397)
From this reading Mr. Martin had been careful never to do so until Maggie appeared on the scene.
past form of “mention” — make reference to
From this reading Mrs. Howland did not like to have her years mentioned.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Mr. Martin had been careful never to do so until Maggie appeared on the scene.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Howland did not like to have her years mentioned.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Mr. Martin had been careful never to do so until Maggie appeared on the scene.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Mrs. Howland did not like to have her years mentioned.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading But now he said that she was a wonderful woman for her years.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading On the contrary, he had dropped hints that his birdling, his Little-sing, his Victoria, was in the early bloom of youth.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Mr. Martin had been careful never to do so until Maggie appeared on the scene.
a large area of land preserved in its natural state as public property
From this reading IN THE PARK.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading But now he said that she was a wonderful woman for her years.
the place where some action occurs
From this reading Mr. Martin had been careful never to do so until Maggie appeared on the scene.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But now he said that she was a wonderful woman for her years.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Mr. Martin had been careful never to do so until Maggie appeared on the scene.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading On the contrary, he had dropped hints that his birdling, his Little-sing, his Victoria, was in the early bloom of youth.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading IN THE PARK.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mrs. Howland did not like to have her years mentioned.
up to a particular time
From this reading Mr. Martin had been careful never to do so until Maggie appeared on the scene.
queen of Great Britain and Ireland and empress of India from 1837 to 1901; the last Hanoverian ruler of England (1819-1901)
From this reading On the contrary, he had dropped hints that his birdling, his Little-sing, his Victoria, was in the early bloom of youth.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading On the contrary, he had dropped hints that his birdling, his Little-sing, his Victoria, was in the early bloom of youth.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading But now he said that she was a wonderful woman for her years.
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading But now he said that she was a wonderful woman for her years.
a late time of life
From this reading Mrs. Howland did not like to have her years mentioned.
a young person (especially a young man or boy)
From this reading On the contrary, he had dropped hints that his birdling, his Little-sing, his Victoria, was in the early bloom of youth.
Chapter 15 of The School Queens by L. T. Meade holds 106 sentences, grouped into 22 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 106 sentences of The School Queens, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of The School Queens by L. T. Meade exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 106 sentences, grouped into 22 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 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 22 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 School Queens by L. T. Meade on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6102 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28819 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28819, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 508 minutes of reading across 1221 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The School Queens section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of The School Queens 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 School Queens, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
