When Life Was Young: At the Old Farm in Maine

Chapter XIV

Chapter 14 of When Life Was Young: At the Old Farm in Maine is here in full — 173 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By C. A. (Charles Asbury) Stephens • Curated US English Learning Edition

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The old lady had never ceased to mourn the fact that there were two of her sons whose photographs had not been taken before they enlisted.

This was not so unusual an omission in those days as it would be at present; having one's photograph taken was then a much less common occurrence.

Indeed, the photograph proper had hardly begun to be made, at least, not in the rural districts.

The ambrotype was still the popular variety of portrait.

Narrator

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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 XIV Reading 1/34

When Life Was Young: At the Old Farm in Maine C. A. (Charles Asbury) Stephens

Chapter XIV

Chapter 14 of When Life Was Young: At the Old Farm in Maine is here in full — 173 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

WE ALL SET OFF TO HAVE OUR PICTURES TAKEN A few days later--I think it was June 15th--Gram's constant, urgent reminders prevailed, and directly after the noontide meal we all set off for the village, to have our pictures taken. The old lady had never ceased to mourn the fact that there were two of her sons whose photographs had not been taken before they enlisted. This was not so unusual an omission in those days as it would be at present; having one's photograph taken was then a much less common occurrence. Indeed, the photograph proper had hardly begun to be made, at least, not in the rural districts. The ambrotype was still the popular variety of portrait.

When Life Was Young: At the Old Farm in Maine

Chapter XIV

Chapter 14 of When Life Was Young: At the Old Farm in Maine is here in full — 173 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/34 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Line 2

The old lady had never ceased to mourn the fact that there were two of her sons whose photographs had not been taken before they enlisted.

/ðə oʊld ˈleɪdi hæd ˈnevər siːst tuː mɔːrn ðə fækt ðæt ðer wɜːr tuː ʌv hɜːr sʌnz huːz ˈfoʊtəɡræfs hæd nɑːt bɪn ˈteɪkən bɪˈfɔːr ðeɪ ˌenˈlɪstɪd/

Line 3

This was not so unusual an omission in those days as it would be at present; having one's photograph taken was then a much less common occurrence.

Line 4

Indeed, the photograph proper had hardly begun to be made, at least, not in the rural districts.

/ˌɪnˈdiːd ðə ˈfoʊtəɡræf ˈprɑːpər hæd ˈhɑːrdli bɪˈɡʌn tuː biː meɪd æt liːst nɑːt ɪn ðə ˈrʊrəl ˈdɪstrɪkts/

Line 5

The ambrotype was still the popular variety of portrait.

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.

districts noun US /ˈdɪstrɪkts/

plural of “district” — a region marked off for administrative or other purposes

From this reading “Indeed, the photograph proper had hardly begun to be made, at least, not in the rural districts.”

enlisted verb US /ˌenˈlɪstɪd/

past form of “enlist” — join the military

From this reading “The old lady had never ceased to mourn the fact that there were two of her sons whose photographs had not been taken before they enlisted.”

mourn verb US /mɔːrn/

feel sadness

From this reading “The old lady had never ceased to mourn the fact that there were two of her sons whose photographs had not been taken before they enlisted.”

occurrence noun US /əˈkɜːrəns/

an event that happens

From this reading “This was not so unusual an omission in those days as it would be at present; having one's photograph taken was then a much less common occurrence.”

omission noun US /oʊˈmɪʃən/

a mistake resulting from neglect

From this reading “This was not so unusual an omission in those days as it would be at present; having one's photograph taken was then a much less common occurrence.”

photographs noun US /ˈfoʊtəɡræfs/

plural of “photograph” — a representation of a person or scene in the form of a print or transparent slide or in digital format

From this reading “The old lady had never ceased to mourn the fact that there were two of her sons whose photographs had not been taken before they enlisted.”

reminders noun US /riˈmaɪndərz/

plural of “reminder” — a message that helps you remember something

From this reading “WE ALL SET OFF TO HAVE OUR PICTURES TAKEN A few days later--I think it was June 15th--Gram's constant, urgent reminders prevailed, and directly after the noontide meal we all set off for the village, to have our pictures taken.”

rural adjective US /ˈrʊrəl/

living in or characteristic of farming or country life

From this reading “Indeed, the photograph proper had hardly begun to be made, at least, not in the rural districts.”

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.

rural districts adjective + noun counted as “rural district”

In this reading “Indeed, the photograph proper had hardly begun to be made, at least, not in the rural districts.”

common occurrence adjective + noun

In this reading “This was not so unusual an omission in those days as it would be at present; having one's photograph taken was then a much less common occurrence.”

few days adjective + noun

In this reading “WE ALL SET OFF TO HAVE OUR PICTURES TAKEN A few days later--I think it was June 15th--Gram's constant, urgent reminders prevailed, and directly after the noontide meal we all set off for the village, to have our pictures taken.”

SET OFF verb + particle

put in motion or move to act

old lady adjective + noun

your own wife

In this reading “The old lady had never ceased to mourn the fact that there were two of her sons whose photographs had not been taken before they enlisted.”

photograph taken verb + adjective

In this reading “This was not so unusual an omission in those days as it would be at present; having one's photograph taken was then a much less common occurrence.”

All words in this reading · 86

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.

15th

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

From this reading WE ALL SET OFF TO HAVE OUR PICTURES TAKEN A few days later--I think it was June 15th--Gram's constant, urgent reminders prevailed, and directly after the noontide meal we all set off for the village, to have our pictures taken.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

ALLadjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

ambrotype

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

From this reading The ambrotype was still the popular variety of portrait.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading This was not so unusual an omission in those days as it would be at present; having one's photograph taken was then a much less common occurrence.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading This was not so unusual an omission in those days as it would be at present; having one's photograph taken was then a much less common occurrence.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading This was not so unusual an omission in those days as it would be at present; having one's photograph taken was then a much less common occurrence.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading This was not so unusual an omission in those days as it would be at present; having one's photograph taken was then a much less common occurrence.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading The old lady had never ceased to mourn the fact that there were two of her sons whose photographs had not been taken before they enlisted.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading The old lady had never ceased to mourn the fact that there were two of her sons whose photographs had not been taken before they enlisted.

begunverbUS /bɪˈɡʌn/

inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading Indeed, the photograph proper had hardly begun to be made, at least, not in the rural districts.

ceasedverbUS /siːst/

past form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity

From this reading The old lady had never ceased to mourn the fact that there were two of her sons whose photographs had not been taken before they enlisted.

commonadjectiveUS /ˈkɑːmən/

belonging to or participated in by a community as a whole; public

From this reading This was not so unusual an omission in those days as it would be at present; having one's photograph taken was then a much less common occurrence.

constantadjectiveUS /ˈkɑːnstənt/

unvarying in nature

daysnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

directlyadverbUS /dərˈektli/

without deviation

districtsnounUS /ˈdɪstrɪkts/

plural of “district” — a region marked off for administrative or other purposes

From this reading Indeed, the photograph proper had hardly begun to be made, at least, not in the rural districts.

enlistedverbUS /ˌenˈlɪstɪd/

past form of “enlist” — join the military

From this reading The old lady had never ceased to mourn the fact that there were two of her sons whose photographs had not been taken before they enlisted.

factnounUS /fækt/

a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred

From this reading The old lady had never ceased to mourn the fact that there were two of her sons whose photographs had not been taken before they enlisted.

fewadjectiveUS /fjuː/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

Gram's

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

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading The old lady had never ceased to mourn the fact that there were two of her sons whose photographs had not been taken before they enlisted.

hardlyadverbUS /ˈhɑːrdli/

only a very short time before

From this reading Indeed, the photograph proper had hardly begun to be made, at least, not in the rural districts.

HAVEauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/

the -ing form of “have”

From this reading This was not so unusual an omission in those days as it would be at present; having one's photograph taken was then a much less common occurrence.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading The old lady had never ceased to mourn the fact that there were two of her sons whose photographs had not been taken before they enlisted.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading This was not so unusual an omission in those days as it would be at present; having one's photograph taken was then a much less common occurrence.

IndeedadverbUS /ˌɪnˈdiːd/

in truth (often tends to intensify)

From this reading Indeed, the photograph proper had hardly begun to be made, at least, not in the rural districts.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

JunenounUS /dʒuːn/

the month following May and preceding July

ladynounUS /ˈleɪdi/

a polite name for any woman

From this reading The old lady had never ceased to mourn the fact that there were two of her sons whose photographs had not been taken before they enlisted.

lateradverbUS /ˈleɪtər/

happening at a time subsequent to a reference time

leastadjectiveUS /liːst/

the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree

From this reading Indeed, the photograph proper had hardly begun to be made, at least, not in the rural districts.

lessadverbUS /les/

used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs

From this reading This was not so unusual an omission in those days as it would be at present; having one's photograph taken was then a much less common occurrence.

madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading Indeed, the photograph proper had hardly begun to be made, at least, not in the rural districts.

mealnounUS /miːl/

the food served and eaten at one time

mournverbUS /mɔːrn/

feel sadness

From this reading The old lady had never ceased to mourn the fact that there were two of her sons whose photographs had not been taken before they enlisted.

muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

From this reading This was not so unusual an omission in those days as it would be at present; having one's photograph taken was then a much less common occurrence.

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading The old lady had never ceased to mourn the fact that there were two of her sons whose photographs had not been taken before they enlisted.

noontidenoun

the middle of the day

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading The old lady had never ceased to mourn the fact that there were two of her sons whose photographs had not been taken before they enlisted.

occurrencenounUS /əˈkɜːrəns/

an event that happens

From this reading This was not so unusual an omission in those days as it would be at present; having one's photograph taken was then a much less common occurrence.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The old lady had never ceased to mourn the fact that there were two of her sons whose photographs had not been taken before they enlisted.

OFFadverbUS /ɔːf/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading The old lady had never ceased to mourn the fact that there were two of her sons whose photographs had not been taken before they enlisted.

omissionnounUS /oʊˈmɪʃən/

a mistake resulting from neglect

From this reading This was not so unusual an omission in those days as it would be at present; having one's photograph taken was then a much less common occurrence.

one's

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

From this reading This was not so unusual an omission in those days as it would be at present; having one's photograph taken was then a much less common occurrence.

OURdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

photographverbUS /ˈfoʊtəɡræf/

record on photographic film

From this reading This was not so unusual an omission in those days as it would be at present; having one's photograph taken was then a much less common occurrence.

photographsnounUS /ˈfoʊtəɡræfs/

plural of “photograph” — a representation of a person or scene in the form of a print or transparent slide or in digital format

From this reading The old lady had never ceased to mourn the fact that there were two of her sons whose photographs had not been taken before they enlisted.

PICTURESnounUS /ˈpɪktʃərz/

plural of “picture” — a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface

popularadjectiveUS /ˈpɑːpjələr/

regarded with great favor, approval, or affection especially by the general public

From this reading The ambrotype was still the popular variety of portrait.

portraitnounUS /ˈpɔːrtrət/

a word picture of a person's appearance and character

From this reading The ambrotype was still the popular variety of portrait.

presentverbUS /ˈprezənt/

give an exhibition of to an interested audience

From this reading This was not so unusual an omission in those days as it would be at present; having one's photograph taken was then a much less common occurrence.

prevailedverbUS /prɪˈveɪld/

past form of “prevail” — be larger in number, quantity, power, status or importance

properadjectiveUS /ˈprɑːpər/

marked by suitability or rightness or appropriateness

From this reading Indeed, the photograph proper had hardly begun to be made, at least, not in the rural districts.

remindersnounUS /riˈmaɪndərz/

plural of “reminder” — a message that helps you remember something

ruraladjectiveUS /ˈrʊrəl/

living in or characteristic of farming or country life

From this reading Indeed, the photograph proper had hardly begun to be made, at least, not in the rural districts.

SETverbUS /set/

put into a certain place or abstract location

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading This was not so unusual an omission in those days as it would be at present; having one's photograph taken was then a much less common occurrence.

sonsnounUS /sʌnz/

plural of “son” — a male human offspring

From this reading The old lady had never ceased to mourn the fact that there were two of her sons whose photographs had not been taken before they enlisted.

stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading The ambrotype was still the popular variety of portrait.

TAKENadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/

understood in a certain way; made sense of

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The old lady had never ceased to mourn the fact that there were two of her sons whose photographs had not been taken before they enlisted.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading This was not so unusual an omission in those days as it would be at present; having one's photograph taken was then a much less common occurrence.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading The old lady had never ceased to mourn the fact that there were two of her sons whose photographs had not been taken before they enlisted.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading The old lady had never ceased to mourn the fact that there were two of her sons whose photographs had not been taken before they enlisted.

thinkverbUS /θɪŋk/

judge or regard; look upon; judge

ThisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading This was not so unusual an omission in those days as it would be at present; having one's photograph taken was then a much less common occurrence.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading This was not so unusual an omission in those days as it would be at present; having one's photograph taken was then a much less common occurrence.

TOparticleUS /tuː/

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

twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading The old lady had never ceased to mourn the fact that there were two of her sons whose photographs had not been taken before they enlisted.

unusualadjectiveUS /əˈnjuːʒuːəl/

not usual or common or ordinary

From this reading This was not so unusual an omission in those days as it would be at present; having one's photograph taken was then a much less common occurrence.

urgentadjectiveUS /ˈɜːrdʒənt/

compelling immediate action

varietynounUS /vərˈaɪəti/

a collection containing a variety of sorts of things

From this reading The ambrotype was still the popular variety of portrait.

villagenounUS /ˈvɪlədʒ/

a community of people smaller than a town

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

WEpronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading The old lady had never ceased to mourn the fact that there were two of her sons whose photographs had not been taken before they enlisted.

whosedeterminerUS /huːz/

belonging to which person

From this reading The old lady had never ceased to mourn the fact that there were two of her sons whose photographs had not been taken before they enlisted.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

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

From this reading This was not so unusual an omission in those days as it would be at present; having one's photograph taken was then a much less common occurrence.

Chapter 14 of When Life Was Young: At the Old Farm in Maine by C. A. (Charles Asbury) Stephens holds 173 sentences, grouped into 35 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.

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Chapter 14 holds 173 sentences of When Life Was Young: At the Old Farm in Maine, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 14 of When Life Was Young: At the Old Farm in Maine by C. A. (Charles Asbury) Stephens exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 173 sentences, grouped into 35 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 14 of When Life Was Young: At the Old Farm in Maine?

Work through the 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

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Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 14 can be played aloud in United States English.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #26994, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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Chapter XIV

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