Chapter 19 of A bird of passage is here in full — 110 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIX
Chapter 19 of A bird of passage is here in full — 110 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
PROOF POSITIVE. "About a hoop of gold—a paltry ring that she did give me." _Merchant of Venice._ "Is this a prologue—or the poesy of a ring? 'Tis brief, my lord—as woman's love." _Hamlet._ IT will not surprise any one to hear, that there was rather a stormy meeting between Mr. Lisle and his fellow inmate.
Chapter 19 of A bird of passage is here in full — 110 sentences across 22 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.
a community of people smaller than a village
a light curved skeleton to spread out a skirt
From this reading “"About a hoop of gold—a paltry ring that she did give me."”
one of several resident of a dwelling (especially someone confined to a prison or hospital)
From this reading “_Hamlet._ IT will not surprise any one to hear, that there was rather a stormy meeting between Mr. Lisle and his fellow inmate.”
a fabric woven with lisle thread
From this reading “_Hamlet._ IT will not surprise any one to hear, that there was rather a stormy meeting between Mr. Lisle and his fellow inmate.”
not worth considering
From this reading “"About a hoop of gold—a paltry ring that she did give me."”
an introduction to a play
From this reading “_Merchant of Venice._ "Is this a prologue—or the poesy of a ring?”
(especially of weather) affected or characterized by storms or commotion
From this reading “_Hamlet._ IT will not surprise any one to hear, that there was rather a stormy meeting between Mr. Lisle and his fellow inmate.”
the provincial capital of Veneto; built on 118 islands within a lagoon in the Gulf of Venice; has canals instead of streets; one of Italy's major ports and a famous tourist attraction
From this reading “_Merchant of Venice._ "Is this a prologue—or the poesy of a ring?”
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.
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 "About a hoop of gold—a paltry ring that she did give me."
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "About a hoop of gold—a paltry ring that she did give me."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading _Hamlet._ IT will not surprise any one to hear, that there was rather a stormy meeting between Mr. Lisle and his fellow inmate.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading _Hamlet._ IT will not surprise any one to hear, that there was rather a stormy meeting between Mr. Lisle and his fellow inmate.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading 'Tis brief, my lord—as woman's love."
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading _Hamlet._ IT will not surprise any one to hear, that there was rather a stormy meeting between Mr. Lisle and his fellow inmate.
of short duration or distance
From this reading 'Tis brief, my lord—as woman's love."
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "About a hoop of gold—a paltry ring that she did give me."
a boy or man
From this reading _Hamlet._ IT will not surprise any one to hear, that there was rather a stormy meeting between Mr. Lisle and his fellow inmate.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading "About a hoop of gold—a paltry ring that she did give me."
coins made of gold
From this reading "About a hoop of gold—a paltry ring that she did give me."
a community of people smaller than a village
From this reading _Hamlet._ IT will not surprise any one to hear, that there was rather a stormy meeting between Mr. Lisle and his fellow inmate.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading _Hamlet._ IT will not surprise any one to hear, that there was rather a stormy meeting between Mr. Lisle and his fellow inmate.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading _Hamlet._ IT will not surprise any one to hear, that there was rather a stormy meeting between Mr. Lisle and his fellow inmate.
a light curved skeleton to spread out a skirt
From this reading "About a hoop of gold—a paltry ring that she did give me."
one of several resident of a dwelling (especially someone confined to a prison or hospital)
From this reading _Hamlet._ IT will not surprise any one to hear, that there was rather a stormy meeting between Mr. Lisle and his fellow inmate.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading _Merchant of Venice._ "Is this a prologue—or the poesy of a ring?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading _Hamlet._ IT will not surprise any one to hear, that there was rather a stormy meeting between Mr. Lisle and his fellow inmate.
a fabric woven with lisle thread
From this reading _Hamlet._ IT will not surprise any one to hear, that there was rather a stormy meeting between Mr. Lisle and his fellow inmate.
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading 'Tis brief, my lord—as woman's love."
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading 'Tis brief, my lord—as woman's love."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "About a hoop of gold—a paltry ring that she did give me."
a formally arranged gathering
From this reading _Hamlet._ IT will not surprise any one to hear, that there was rather a stormy meeting between Mr. Lisle and his fellow inmate.
A person or company involved in wholesale trade, especially with foreign countries.
From this reading _Merchant of Venice._ "Is this a prologue—or the poesy of a ring?
a form of address for a man
From this reading _Hamlet._ IT will not surprise any one to hear, that there was rather a stormy meeting between Mr. Lisle and his fellow inmate.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading 'Tis brief, my lord—as woman's love."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading _Hamlet._ IT will not surprise any one to hear, that there was rather a stormy meeting between Mr. Lisle and his fellow inmate.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "About a hoop of gold—a paltry ring that she did give me."
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading _Hamlet._ IT will not surprise any one to hear, that there was rather a stormy meeting between Mr. Lisle and his fellow inmate.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading _Merchant of Venice._ "Is this a prologue—or the poesy of a ring?
not worth considering
From this reading "About a hoop of gold—a paltry ring that she did give me."
literature in metrical form
From this reading _Merchant of Venice._ "Is this a prologue—or the poesy of a ring?
characterized by or displaying affirmation or acceptance or certainty etc.
From this reading PROOF POSITIVE.
an introduction to a play
From this reading _Merchant of Venice._ "Is this a prologue—or the poesy of a ring?
any factual evidence that helps to establish the truth of something
From this reading PROOF POSITIVE.
on the contrary
From this reading _Hamlet._ IT will not surprise any one to hear, that there was rather a stormy meeting between Mr. Lisle and his fellow inmate.
sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading "About a hoop of gold—a paltry ring that she did give me."
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "About a hoop of gold—a paltry ring that she did give me."
(especially of weather) affected or characterized by storms or commotion
From this reading _Hamlet._ IT will not surprise any one to hear, that there was rather a stormy meeting between Mr. Lisle and his fellow inmate.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading _Hamlet._ IT will not surprise any one to hear, that there was rather a stormy meeting between Mr. Lisle and his fellow inmate.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "About a hoop of gold—a paltry ring that she did give me."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading _Merchant of Venice._ "Is this a prologue—or the poesy of a ring?
in or at that place or location
From this reading _Hamlet._ IT will not surprise any one to hear, that there was rather a stormy meeting between Mr. Lisle and his fellow inmate.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading _Merchant of Venice._ "Is this a prologue—or the poesy of a ring?
plural of “ti” — a light strong grey lustrous corrosion-resistant metallic element used in strong lightweight alloys (as for airplane parts); the main sources are rutile and ilmenite
From this reading 'Tis brief, my lord—as woman's love."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading _Hamlet._ IT will not surprise any one to hear, that there was rather a stormy meeting between Mr. Lisle and his fellow inmate.
the provincial capital of Veneto; built on 118 islands within a lagoon in the Gulf of Venice; has canals instead of streets; one of Italy's major ports and a famous tourist attraction
From this reading _Merchant of Venice._ "Is this a prologue—or the poesy of a ring?
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading _Hamlet._ IT will not surprise any one to hear, that there was rather a stormy meeting between Mr. Lisle and his fellow inmate.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading _Hamlet._ IT will not surprise any one to hear, that there was rather a stormy meeting between Mr. Lisle and his fellow inmate.
possessive form of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading 'Tis brief, my lord—as woman's love."
Chapter 19 of A bird of passage by B. M. (Bithia Mary) Croker holds 110 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 19 holds 110 sentences of A bird of passage, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 19 of A bird of passage by B. M. (Bithia Mary) Croker exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 110 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 19 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 A bird of passage by B. M. (Bithia Mary) Croker on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6249 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #69198 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #69198, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 520 minutes of reading across 1250 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
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Choose one of the 40 chapters of A bird of passage 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 A bird of passage, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
