Chapter 15 of The Young O'Briens is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of The Young O'Briens is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
She went down into the hall to help him into his coat. "It’s poor old Tellbridge, too," he observed comically. "I don’t fancy I’m much of a bargain. Oh, Nell, aren’t letters immeasurably more interesting, more human, than hard and dry figures? That Pennington," he added, "can tot up—subtract—fly around with figures, till he makes my head spin.
Chapter 15 of The Young O'Briens is here in full — 399 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/79 · 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.
an agreement between parties (usually arrived at after discussion) fixing obligations of each
From this reading “"I don’t fancy I’m much of a bargain.”
in a comical manner
From this reading “"It’s poor old Tellbridge, too," he observed comically.”
plural of “figure” — a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading “Oh, Nell, aren’t letters immeasurably more interesting, more human, than hard and dry figures?”
travel through the air; be airborne
From this reading “That Pennington," he added, "can tot up—subtract—fly around with figures, till he makes my head spin.”
to an immeasurable degree; beyond measurement
From this reading “Oh, Nell, aren’t letters immeasurably more interesting, more human, than hard and dry figures?”
revolve quickly and repeatedly around one's own axis
From this reading “That Pennington," he added, "can tot up—subtract—fly around with figures, till he makes my head spin.”
make a subtraction
From this reading “That Pennington," he added, "can tot up—subtract—fly around with figures, till he makes my head spin.”
a small amount (especially of a drink)
From this reading “That Pennington," he added, "can tot up—subtract—fly around with figures, till he makes my head spin.”
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.
In this reading “She went down into the hall to help him into his coat.”
move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
In this reading “She went down into the hall to help him into his coat.”
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 "I don’t fancy I’m much of a bargain.
past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading That Pennington," he added, "can tot up—subtract—fly around with figures, till he makes my head spin.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Oh, Nell, aren’t letters immeasurably more interesting, more human, than hard and dry figures?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Oh, Nell, aren’t letters immeasurably more interesting, more human, than hard and dry figures?
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading That Pennington," he added, "can tot up—subtract—fly around with figures, till he makes my head spin.
an agreement between parties (usually arrived at after discussion) fixing obligations of each
From this reading "I don’t fancy I’m much of a bargain.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading That Pennington," he added, "can tot up—subtract—fly around with figures, till he makes my head spin.
an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading She went down into the hall to help him into his coat.
in a comical manner
From this reading "It’s poor old Tellbridge, too," he observed comically.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don’t fancy I’m much of a bargain.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading She went down into the hall to help him into his coat.
free from liquid or moisture; lacking natural or normal moisture or depleted of water; or no longer wet
From this reading Oh, Nell, aren’t letters immeasurably more interesting, more human, than hard and dry figures?
something many people believe that is false
From this reading "I don’t fancy I’m much of a bargain.
plural of “figure” — a diagram or picture illustrating textual material
From this reading Oh, Nell, aren’t letters immeasurably more interesting, more human, than hard and dry figures?
travel through the air; be airborne
From this reading That Pennington," he added, "can tot up—subtract—fly around with figures, till he makes my head spin.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading She went down into the hall to help him into his coat.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading Oh, Nell, aren’t letters immeasurably more interesting, more human, than hard and dry figures?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "It’s poor old Tellbridge, too," he observed comically.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading That Pennington," he added, "can tot up—subtract—fly around with figures, till he makes my head spin.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading She went down into the hall to help him into his coat.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She went down into the hall to help him into his coat.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading She went down into the hall to help him into his coat.
characteristic of humanity
From this reading Oh, Nell, aren’t letters immeasurably more interesting, more human, than hard and dry figures?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I don’t fancy I’m much of a bargain.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don’t fancy I’m much of a bargain.
to an immeasurable degree; beyond measurement
From this reading Oh, Nell, aren’t letters immeasurably more interesting, more human, than hard and dry figures?
arousing or holding the attention
From this reading Oh, Nell, aren’t letters immeasurably more interesting, more human, than hard and dry figures?
moving to the inside of something
From this reading She went down into the hall to help him into his coat.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It’s poor old Tellbridge, too," he observed comically.
the literary culture
From this reading Oh, Nell, aren’t letters immeasurably more interesting, more human, than hard and dry figures?
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading That Pennington," he added, "can tot up—subtract—fly around with figures, till he makes my head spin.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading Oh, Nell, aren’t letters immeasurably more interesting, more human, than hard and dry figures?
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "I don’t fancy I’m much of a bargain.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading That Pennington," he added, "can tot up—subtract—fly around with figures, till he makes my head spin.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Oh, Nell, aren’t letters immeasurably more interesting, more human, than hard and dry figures?
discovered or determined by scientific observation
From this reading "It’s poor old Tellbridge, too," he observed comically.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "I don’t fancy I’m much of a bargain.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Oh, Nell, aren’t letters immeasurably more interesting, more human, than hard and dry figures?
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "It’s poor old Tellbridge, too," he observed comically.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That Pennington," he added, "can tot up—subtract—fly around with figures, till he makes my head spin.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading "It’s poor old Tellbridge, too," he observed comically.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She went down into the hall to help him into his coat.
revolve quickly and repeatedly around one's own axis
From this reading That Pennington," he added, "can tot up—subtract—fly around with figures, till he makes my head spin.
make a subtraction
From this reading That Pennington," he added, "can tot up—subtract—fly around with figures, till he makes my head spin.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It’s poor old Tellbridge, too," he observed comically.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Oh, Nell, aren’t letters immeasurably more interesting, more human, than hard and dry figures?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading That Pennington," he added, "can tot up—subtract—fly around with figures, till he makes my head spin.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She went down into the hall to help him into his coat.
up to a particular time
From this reading That Pennington," he added, "can tot up—subtract—fly around with figures, till he makes my head spin.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She went down into the hall to help him into his coat.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading "It’s poor old Tellbridge, too," he observed comically.
a small amount (especially of a drink)
From this reading That Pennington," he added, "can tot up—subtract—fly around with figures, till he makes my head spin.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading That Pennington," he added, "can tot up—subtract—fly around with figures, till he makes my head spin.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading She went down into the hall to help him into his coat.
in the company of; together with
From this reading That Pennington," he added, "can tot up—subtract—fly around with figures, till he makes my head spin.
Chapter 15 of The Young O'Briens by Margaret Westrup holds 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 399 sentences of The Young O'Briens, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of The Young O'Briens by Margaret Westrup exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 399 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 Young O'Briens by Margaret Westrup on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8807 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #45324 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #45324, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1762 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Young O'Briens section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of The Young O'Briens 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 Young O'Briens, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
