Chapter 15 of What Might Have Been Expected is here in full — 112 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of What Might Have Been Expected is here in full — 112 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE COUNCIL. When Harry's mother heard that he had gone off to try and meet the horse-hunters she was quite anxious about him. But Mr. Loudon laughed at her fears. "If there had been the slightest danger," he said, "of course I would not have allowed him to go. But I was glad he wanted to go.
Chapter 15 of What Might Have Been Expected is here in full — 112 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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.
past form of “allow” — make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading “"If there had been the slightest danger," he said, "of course I would not have allowed him to go.”
eagerly desirous
From this reading “When Harry's mother heard that he had gone off to try and meet the horse-hunters she was quite anxious about him.”
a body serving in an administrative capacity
From this reading “THE COUNCIL.”
the condition of being susceptible to harm or injury
From this reading “"If there had been the slightest danger," he said, "of course I would not have allowed him to go.”
plural of “fear” — an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight)
From this reading “But Mr. Loudon laughed at her fears.”
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading “But Mr. Loudon laughed at her fears.”
superlative of “slight” — (quantifier used with mass nouns) small in quantity or degree; not much or almost none or (with “a”) at least some
From this reading “"If there had been the slightest danger," he said, "of course I would not have allowed him to go.”
make an effort or attempt
From this reading “When Harry's mother heard that he had gone off to try and meet the horse-hunters she was quite anxious about him.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading When Harry's mother heard that he had gone off to try and meet the horse-hunters she was quite anxious about him.
past form of “allow” — make it possible through a specific action or lack of action for something to happen
From this reading "If there had been the slightest danger," he said, "of course I would not have allowed him to go.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading When Harry's mother heard that he had gone off to try and meet the horse-hunters she was quite anxious about him.
eagerly desirous
From this reading When Harry's mother heard that he had gone off to try and meet the horse-hunters she was quite anxious about him.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading But Mr. Loudon laughed at her fears.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "If there had been the slightest danger," he said, "of course I would not have allowed him to go.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But Mr. Loudon laughed at her fears.
a body serving in an administrative capacity
From this reading THE COUNCIL.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading "If there had been the slightest danger," he said, "of course I would not have allowed him to go.
the condition of being susceptible to harm or injury
From this reading "If there had been the slightest danger," he said, "of course I would not have allowed him to go.
plural of “fear” — an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight)
From this reading But Mr. Loudon laughed at her fears.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading But I was glad he wanted to go.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "If there had been the slightest danger," he said, "of course I would not have allowed him to go.
destroyed or killed
From this reading When Harry's mother heard that he had gone off to try and meet the horse-hunters she was quite anxious about him.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading When Harry's mother heard that he had gone off to try and meet the horse-hunters she was quite anxious about him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Harry's mother heard that he had gone off to try and meet the horse-hunters she was quite anxious about him.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "If there had been the slightest danger," he said, "of course I would not have allowed him to go.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When Harry's mother heard that he had gone off to try and meet the horse-hunters she was quite anxious about him.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading When Harry's mother heard that he had gone off to try and meet the horse-hunters she was quite anxious about him.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading But Mr. Loudon laughed at her fears.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading When Harry's mother heard that he had gone off to try and meet the horse-hunters she was quite anxious about him.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Harry's mother heard that he had gone off to try and meet the horse-hunters she was quite anxious about him.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "If there had been the slightest danger," he said, "of course I would not have allowed him to go.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "If there had been the slightest danger," he said, "of course I would not have allowed him to go.
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading But Mr. Loudon laughed at her fears.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But Mr. Loudon laughed at her fears.
come together
From this reading When Harry's mother heard that he had gone off to try and meet the horse-hunters she was quite anxious about him.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading When Harry's mother heard that he had gone off to try and meet the horse-hunters she was quite anxious about him.
a form of address for a man
From this reading But Mr. Loudon laughed at her fears.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "If there had been the slightest danger," he said, "of course I would not have allowed him to go.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "If there had been the slightest danger," he said, "of course I would not have allowed him to go.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading When Harry's mother heard that he had gone off to try and meet the horse-hunters she was quite anxious about him.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading When Harry's mother heard that he had gone off to try and meet the horse-hunters she was quite anxious about him.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "If there had been the slightest danger," he said, "of course I would not have allowed him to go.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When Harry's mother heard that he had gone off to try and meet the horse-hunters she was quite anxious about him.
superlative of “slight” — (quantifier used with mass nouns) small in quantity or degree; not much or almost none or (with “a”) at least some
From this reading "If there had been the slightest danger," he said, "of course I would not have allowed him to go.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading When Harry's mother heard that he had gone off to try and meet the horse-hunters she was quite anxious about him.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE COUNCIL.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "If there had been the slightest danger," he said, "of course I would not have allowed him to go.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading When Harry's mother heard that he had gone off to try and meet the horse-hunters she was quite anxious about him.
make an effort or attempt
From this reading When Harry's mother heard that he had gone off to try and meet the horse-hunters she was quite anxious about him.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading But I was glad he wanted to go.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When Harry's mother heard that he had gone off to try and meet the horse-hunters she was quite anxious about him.
at the time that
From this reading When Harry's mother heard that he had gone off to try and meet the horse-hunters she was quite anxious about him.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "If there had been the slightest danger," he said, "of course I would not have allowed him to go.
Chapter 15 of What Might Have Been Expected by Frank R. Stockton holds 112 sentences, grouped into 23 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 112 sentences of What Might Have Been Expected, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of What Might Have Been Expected by Frank R. Stockton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 112 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 What Might Have Been Expected by Frank R. Stockton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2888 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18654 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #18654, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 240 minutes of reading across 578 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through What Might Have Been Expected section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of What Might Have Been Expected 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 What Might Have Been Expected, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
