Chapter 13 of A Modern Madonna is here in full — 173 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of A Modern Madonna is here in full — 173 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MAMMY CELY'S STORY "I haven't always lived in Maryland, Miss Margaret," Aunt Cely began. "I was born in Figinny--in Goochland County, near Goochland Co't-'ouse. I belonged to the Davidsons. They was mighty fine people, the Davidsons was. They wa'n't no po' white trash, _I_ tell you!
Chapter 13 of A Modern Madonna 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
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.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading “MAMMY CELY'S STORY "I haven't always lived in Maryland, Miss Margaret," Aunt Cely began.”
past form of “belong” — be owned by; be in the possession of
From this reading “I belonged to the Davidsons.”
brought into existence
From this reading “"I was born in Figinny--in Goochland County, near Goochland Co't-'ouse.”
(United Kingdom) a region created by territorial division for the purpose of local government
From this reading “"I was born in Figinny--in Goochland County, near Goochland Co't-'ouse.”
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading “MAMMY CELY'S STORY "I haven't always lived in Maryland, Miss Margaret," Aunt Cely began.”
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading “MAMMY CELY'S STORY "I haven't always lived in Maryland, Miss Margaret," Aunt Cely began.”
having or showing great strength or force or intensity
From this reading “They was mighty fine people, the Davidsons was.”
worthless material that is to be disposed of
From this reading “They wa'n't no po' white trash, _I_ tell you!”
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.
(slang) an offensive term for White people who are impoverished
In this reading “They wa'n't no po' white trash, _I_ tell you!”
live in the house where one works
In this reading “MAMMY CELY'S STORY "I haven't always lived in Maryland, Miss Margaret," Aunt Cely began.”
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.
at all times; all the time and on every occasion
From this reading MAMMY CELY'S STORY "I haven't always lived in Maryland, Miss Margaret," Aunt Cely began.
the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading MAMMY CELY'S STORY "I haven't always lived in Maryland, Miss Margaret," Aunt Cely began.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading MAMMY CELY'S STORY "I haven't always lived in Maryland, Miss Margaret," Aunt Cely began.
past form of “belong” — be owned by; be in the possession of
From this reading I belonged to the Davidsons.
brought into existence
From this reading "I was born in Figinny--in Goochland County, near Goochland Co't-'ouse.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MAMMY CELY'S STORY "I haven't always lived in Maryland, Miss Margaret," Aunt Cely began.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MAMMY CELY'S STORY "I haven't always lived in Maryland, Miss Margaret," Aunt Cely began.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I was born in Figinny--in Goochland County, near Goochland Co't-'ouse.
(United Kingdom) a region created by territorial division for the purpose of local government
From this reading "I was born in Figinny--in Goochland County, near Goochland Co't-'ouse.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I belonged to the Davidsons.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I was born in Figinny--in Goochland County, near Goochland Co't-'ouse.
being satisfactory or in satisfactory condition
From this reading They was mighty fine people, the Davidsons was.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I was born in Figinny--in Goochland County, near Goochland Co't-'ouse.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MAMMY CELY'S STORY "I haven't always lived in Maryland, Miss Margaret," Aunt Cely began.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading MAMMY CELY'S STORY "I haven't always lived in Maryland, Miss Margaret," Aunt Cely began.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading MAMMY CELY'S STORY "I haven't always lived in Maryland, Miss Margaret," Aunt Cely began.
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading MAMMY CELY'S STORY "I haven't always lived in Maryland, Miss Margaret," Aunt Cely began.
an offensive term for a Black nursemaid in the southern U.S.
From this reading MAMMY CELY'S STORY "I haven't always lived in Maryland, Miss Margaret," Aunt Cely began.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MAMMY CELY'S STORY "I haven't always lived in Maryland, Miss Margaret," Aunt Cely began.
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading MAMMY CELY'S STORY "I haven't always lived in Maryland, Miss Margaret," Aunt Cely began.
having or showing great strength or force or intensity
From this reading They was mighty fine people, the Davidsons was.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading MAMMY CELY'S STORY "I haven't always lived in Maryland, Miss Margaret," Aunt Cely began.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading "I was born in Figinny--in Goochland County, near Goochland Co't-'ouse.
not any; not one
From this reading They wa'n't no po' white trash, _I_ tell you!
a river in northeastern England that flows generally southeastward to join the Trent River and form the Humber
From this reading "I was born in Figinny--in Goochland County, near Goochland Co't-'ouse.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading They was mighty fine people, the Davidsons was.
a radioactive metallic element that is similar to tellurium and bismuth; occurs in uranium ores but can be produced by bombarding bismuth with neutrons in a nuclear reactor
From this reading They wa'n't no po' white trash, _I_ tell you!
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading MAMMY CELY'S STORY "I haven't always lived in Maryland, Miss Margaret," Aunt Cely began.
express in words
From this reading They wa'n't no po' white trash, _I_ tell you!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I belonged to the Davidsons.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They was mighty fine people, the Davidsons was.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I belonged to the Davidsons.
worthless material that is to be disposed of
From this reading They wa'n't no po' white trash, _I_ tell you!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading They wa'n't no po' white trash, _I_ tell you!
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I was born in Figinny--in Goochland County, near Goochland Co't-'ouse.
a Caucasian
From this reading They wa'n't no po' white trash, _I_ tell you!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading They wa'n't no po' white trash, _I_ tell you!
Chapter 13 of A Modern Madonna by Caroline Abbot Stanley 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.
Chapter 13 holds 173 sentences of A Modern Madonna, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of A Modern Madonna by Caroline Abbot Stanley 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.
Work through the 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 35 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 13 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 Modern Madonna by Caroline Abbot Stanley on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7951 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57418 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #57418, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1591 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Modern Madonna section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of A Modern Madonna 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 Modern Madonna, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
