Chapter 15 of The Window-Gazer is here in full — 289 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of The Window-Gazer is here in full — 289 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
We left the professor somewhat abruptly in the midst of a cryptic ejaculation of "My Aunt!" "How can it be your Aunt?" asked Desire reasonably. "I don't know how. But, owing to some mysterious combination of the forces of nature, it is my Aunt. No one else could wear that hat."
Chapter 15 of The Window-Gazer is here in full — 289 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/57 · 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.
quickly and without warning
From this reading “We left the professor somewhat abruptly in the midst of a cryptic ejaculation of "My Aunt!"”
a collection of things that have been combined; an assemblage of separate parts or qualities
From this reading “But, owing to some mysterious combination of the forces of nature, it is my Aunt.”
of an obscure nature
From this reading “We left the professor somewhat abruptly in the midst of a cryptic ejaculation of "My Aunt!"”
an abrupt emphatic exclamation expressing emotion
From this reading “We left the professor somewhat abruptly in the midst of a cryptic ejaculation of "My Aunt!"”
plural of “force” — a powerful effect or influence
From this reading “But, owing to some mysterious combination of the forces of nature, it is my Aunt.”
owed as a debt
From this reading “But, owing to some mysterious combination of the forces of nature, it is my Aunt.”
someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
From this reading “We left the professor somewhat abruptly in the midst of a cryptic ejaculation of "My Aunt!"”
to certain extent or degree
From this reading “"How can it be your Aunt?" asked Desire reasonably.”
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 We left the professor somewhat abruptly in the midst of a cryptic ejaculation of "My Aunt!"
quickly and without warning
From this reading We left the professor somewhat abruptly in the midst of a cryptic ejaculation of "My Aunt!"
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "How can it be your Aunt?" asked Desire reasonably.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading We left the professor somewhat abruptly in the midst of a cryptic ejaculation of "My Aunt!"
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "How can it be your Aunt?" asked Desire reasonably.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But, owing to some mysterious combination of the forces of nature, it is my Aunt.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "How can it be your Aunt?" asked Desire reasonably.
a collection of things that have been combined; an assemblage of separate parts or qualities
From this reading But, owing to some mysterious combination of the forces of nature, it is my Aunt.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading No one else could wear that hat."
of an obscure nature
From this reading We left the professor somewhat abruptly in the midst of a cryptic ejaculation of "My Aunt!"
the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state
From this reading "How can it be your Aunt?" asked Desire reasonably.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't know how.
an abrupt emphatic exclamation expressing emotion
From this reading We left the professor somewhat abruptly in the midst of a cryptic ejaculation of "My Aunt!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading No one else could wear that hat."
plural of “force” — a powerful effect or influence
From this reading But, owing to some mysterious combination of the forces of nature, it is my Aunt.
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading No one else could wear that hat."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How can it be your Aunt?" asked Desire reasonably.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I don't know how.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading We left the professor somewhat abruptly in the midst of a cryptic ejaculation of "My Aunt!"
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But, owing to some mysterious combination of the forces of nature, it is my Aunt.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "How can it be your Aunt?" asked Desire reasonably.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I don't know how.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading We left the professor somewhat abruptly in the midst of a cryptic ejaculation of "My Aunt!"
the location of something surrounded by other things
From this reading We left the professor somewhat abruptly in the midst of a cryptic ejaculation of "My Aunt!"
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading We left the professor somewhat abruptly in the midst of a cryptic ejaculation of "My Aunt!"
of an obscure nature
From this reading But, owing to some mysterious combination of the forces of nature, it is my Aunt.
the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading But, owing to some mysterious combination of the forces of nature, it is my Aunt.
not any; not one
From this reading No one else could wear that hat."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading We left the professor somewhat abruptly in the midst of a cryptic ejaculation of "My Aunt!"
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading No one else could wear that hat."
owed as a debt
From this reading But, owing to some mysterious combination of the forces of nature, it is my Aunt.
someone who is a member of the faculty at a college or university
From this reading We left the professor somewhat abruptly in the midst of a cryptic ejaculation of "My Aunt!"
to certain extent or degree
From this reading "How can it be your Aunt?" asked Desire reasonably.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading But, owing to some mysterious combination of the forces of nature, it is my Aunt.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading We left the professor somewhat abruptly in the midst of a cryptic ejaculation of "My Aunt!"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading No one else could wear that hat."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading We left the professor somewhat abruptly in the midst of a cryptic ejaculation of "My Aunt!"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But, owing to some mysterious combination of the forces of nature, it is my Aunt.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We left the professor somewhat abruptly in the midst of a cryptic ejaculation of "My Aunt!"
be dressed in
From this reading No one else could wear that hat."
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "How can it be your Aunt?" asked Desire reasonably.
Chapter 15 of The Window-Gazer by Isabel Ecclestone Mackay holds 289 sentences, grouped into 58 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 289 sentences of The Window-Gazer, unabridged, divided into 58 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of The Window-Gazer by Isabel Ecclestone Mackay exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 289 sentences, grouped into 58 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 58 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 58 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 Window-Gazer by Isabel Ecclestone Mackay on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7711 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4284 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4284, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1543 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Window-Gazer section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 38 chapters of The Window-Gazer 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 Window-Gazer, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
