Chapter 28 of Airy Fairy Lilian is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVIII
Chapter 28 of Airy Fairy Lilian is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"_Lys._--How now, my love? Why is your cheek so pale? How chance the roses there do fade so fast? _Her._--Belike, for want of rain, which I could well Between them from the tempest of mine eyes." --_Midsummer Night's Dream._ Up in her chamber sits Cecilia, speechless, spell-bound, fighting with a misery too great for tears.
Chapter 28 of Airy Fairy Lilian is here in full — 166 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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.
become less clearly visible or distinguishable; disappear gradually or seemingly
From this reading “How chance the roses there do fade so fast?”
June 21, when the sun is at its northernmost point
a state of ill-being due to affliction or misfortune
From this reading “--_Midsummer Night's Dream._ Up in her chamber sits Cecilia, speechless, spell-bound, fighting with a misery too great for tears.”
possessive form of “night” — the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading “--_Midsummer Night's Dream._ Up in her chamber sits Cecilia, speechless, spell-bound, fighting with a misery too great for tears.”
plural of “rose” — any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading “How chance the roses there do fade so fast?”
third-person singular of “sit” — be seated
From this reading “--_Midsummer Night's Dream._ Up in her chamber sits Cecilia, speechless, spell-bound, fighting with a misery too great for tears.”
temporarily incapable of speaking
From this reading “--_Midsummer Night's Dream._ Up in her chamber sits Cecilia, speechless, spell-bound, fighting with a misery too great for tears.”
a violent commotion or disturbance
From this reading “_Her._--Belike, for want of rain, which I could well Between them from the tempest of mine eyes."”
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 “--_Midsummer Night's Dream._ Up in her chamber sits Cecilia, speechless, spell-bound, fighting with a misery too great for tears.”
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 --_Midsummer Night's Dream._ Up in her chamber sits Cecilia, speechless, spell-bound, fighting with a misery too great for tears.
with considerable certainty; without much doubt
From this reading _Her._--Belike, for want of rain, which I could well Between them from the tempest of mine eyes."
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading _Her._--Belike, for want of rain, which I could well Between them from the tempest of mine eyes."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading --_Midsummer Night's Dream._ Up in her chamber sits Cecilia, speechless, spell-bound, fighting with a misery too great for tears.
a natural or artificial enclosed space
From this reading --_Midsummer Night's Dream._ Up in her chamber sits Cecilia, speechless, spell-bound, fighting with a misery too great for tears.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading How chance the roses there do fade so fast?
either side of the face below the eyes
From this reading Why is your cheek so pale?
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading _Her._--Belike, for want of rain, which I could well Between them from the tempest of mine eyes."
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading How chance the roses there do fade so fast?
A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.
From this reading --_Midsummer Night's Dream._ Up in her chamber sits Cecilia, speechless, spell-bound, fighting with a misery too great for tears.
opinion or judgment
From this reading _Her._--Belike, for want of rain, which I could well Between them from the tempest of mine eyes."
become less clearly visible or distinguishable; disappear gradually or seemingly
From this reading How chance the roses there do fade so fast?
quickly or rapidly (often used as a combining form)
From this reading How chance the roses there do fade so fast?
the act of fighting; any contest or struggle
From this reading --_Midsummer Night's Dream._ Up in her chamber sits Cecilia, speechless, spell-bound, fighting with a misery too great for tears.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading _Her._--Belike, for want of rain, which I could well Between them from the tempest of mine eyes."
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading _Her._--Belike, for want of rain, which I could well Between them from the tempest of mine eyes."
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading --_Midsummer Night's Dream._ Up in her chamber sits Cecilia, speechless, spell-bound, fighting with a misery too great for tears.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading _Her._--Belike, for want of rain, which I could well Between them from the tempest of mine eyes."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "_Lys._--How now, my love?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading _Her._--Belike, for want of rain, which I could well Between them from the tempest of mine eyes."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading --_Midsummer Night's Dream._ Up in her chamber sits Cecilia, speechless, spell-bound, fighting with a misery too great for tears.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Why is your cheek so pale?
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading "_Lys._--How now, my love?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "_Lys._--How now, my love?
June 21, when the sun is at its northernmost point
From this reading --_Midsummer Night's Dream._ Up in her chamber sits Cecilia, speechless, spell-bound, fighting with a misery too great for tears.
the one or ones belonging to the person speaking
From this reading _Her._--Belike, for want of rain, which I could well Between them from the tempest of mine eyes."
a state of ill-being due to affliction or misfortune
From this reading --_Midsummer Night's Dream._ Up in her chamber sits Cecilia, speechless, spell-bound, fighting with a misery too great for tears.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "_Lys._--How now, my love?
possessive form of “night” — the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading --_Midsummer Night's Dream._ Up in her chamber sits Cecilia, speechless, spell-bound, fighting with a misery too great for tears.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "_Lys._--How now, my love?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading _Her._--Belike, for want of rain, which I could well Between them from the tempest of mine eyes."
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading Why is your cheek so pale?
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading _Her._--Belike, for want of rain, which I could well Between them from the tempest of mine eyes."
plural of “rose” — any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading How chance the roses there do fade so fast?
third-person singular of “sit” — be seated
From this reading --_Midsummer Night's Dream._ Up in her chamber sits Cecilia, speechless, spell-bound, fighting with a misery too great for tears.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Why is your cheek so pale?
temporarily incapable of speaking
From this reading --_Midsummer Night's Dream._ Up in her chamber sits Cecilia, speechless, spell-bound, fighting with a misery too great for tears.
having your attention fixated as though by a spell
From this reading --_Midsummer Night's Dream._ Up in her chamber sits Cecilia, speechless, spell-bound, fighting with a misery too great for tears.
the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)
From this reading --_Midsummer Night's Dream._ Up in her chamber sits Cecilia, speechless, spell-bound, fighting with a misery too great for tears.
a violent commotion or disturbance
From this reading _Her._--Belike, for want of rain, which I could well Between them from the tempest of mine eyes."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading How chance the roses there do fade so fast?
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading _Her._--Belike, for want of rain, which I could well Between them from the tempest of mine eyes."
in or at that place or location
From this reading How chance the roses there do fade so fast?
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading --_Midsummer Night's Dream._ Up in her chamber sits Cecilia, speechless, spell-bound, fighting with a misery too great for tears.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading --_Midsummer Night's Dream._ Up in her chamber sits Cecilia, speechless, spell-bound, fighting with a misery too great for tears.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading _Her._--Belike, for want of rain, which I could well Between them from the tempest of mine eyes."
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading _Her._--Belike, for want of rain, which I could well Between them from the tempest of mine eyes."
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading _Her._--Belike, for want of rain, which I could well Between them from the tempest of mine eyes."
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why is your cheek so pale?
in the company of; together with
From this reading --_Midsummer Night's Dream._ Up in her chamber sits Cecilia, speechless, spell-bound, fighting with a misery too great for tears.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Why is your cheek so pale?
Chapter 28 of Airy Fairy Lilian by Duchess holds 166 sentences, grouped into 34 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 28 holds 166 sentences of Airy Fairy Lilian, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 28 of Airy Fairy Lilian by Duchess exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 166 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 28 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 Airy Fairy Lilian by Duchess on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7953 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35228 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #35228, 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 Airy Fairy Lilian section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of Airy Fairy Lilian 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 Airy Fairy Lilian, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
