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The Daisy
The Daisy

Chapter XXIII · Chapter 23

Chapter 23 of The Daisy is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Daisy
Context Illustration Reading 1/86 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"I don't know where it is," he replied; "no one knows.
All his friends are dead; no one took care of him, and I was only a little boy."
"Oh, how dreadfully lonely he must have been," said she.
"Yes, terribly lonely," cried the tin soldier; "still it is delightful not to be forgotten."
"Delightful indeed," cried a voice quite near to them; no one but the tin soldier saw that it came from a rag of the leather which hung in tatters; it had lost all its gilding, and looked like wet earth, but it had an opinion, and it spoke it thus:--
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Daisy

Chapter XXIII · Chapter 23

Chapter 23 of The Daisy is here in full — 430 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/86 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"I don't know where it is," he replied; "no one knows.
Line 2
All his friends are dead; no one took care of him, and I was only a little boy."
/ɔːl hɪz frendz ɑːr ded noʊ wʌn tʊk ker ʌv hɪm ənd aɪ wɑːz ˈoʊnli ə ˈlɪtəl bɔɪ/
Line 3
"Oh, how dreadfully lonely he must have been," said she.
Line 4
"Yes, terribly lonely," cried the tin soldier; "still it is delightful not to be forgotten."
/jes ˈterəbli ˈloʊnli kraɪd ðə tɪn ˈsoʊldʒər stɪl ɪt ɪz dɪˈlaɪtfəl nɑːt tuː biː fərˈɡɑːt.n̩/
Line 5
"Delightful indeed," cried a voice quite near to them; no one but the tin soldier saw that it came from a rag of the leather which hung in tatters; it had lost all its gilding, and looked like wet earth, but it had an opinion, and it spoke it thus:--
/dɪˈlaɪtfəl ˌɪnˈdiːd kraɪd ə vɔɪs kwaɪt nɪr tuː ðem noʊ wʌn bʌt ðə tɪn ˈsoʊldʒər sɔː ðæt ɪt keɪm frʌm ə ræɡ ʌv ðə ˈleðər wɪtʃ hʌŋ ɪn ˈtætərz ɪt hæd lɔːst ɔːl ɪts ˈɡɪldɪŋ ənd lʊkt laɪk wet ɜːrθ bʌt ɪt hæd æn əˈpɪnjən ənd ɪt spoʊk ɪt ðʌs/

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.

delightful adjective US /dɪˈlaɪtfəl/

greatly pleasing or entertaining

From this reading “"Yes, terribly lonely," cried the tin soldier; "still it is delightful not to be forgotten."”

dreadfully adverb US /ˈdredfəli/

of a dreadful kind

From this reading “"Oh, how dreadfully lonely he must have been," said she.”

gilding noun US /ˈɡɪldɪŋ/

a coating of gold or of something that looks like gold

From this reading “"Delightful indeed," cried a voice quite near to them; no one but the tin soldier saw that it came from a rag of the leather which hung in tatters; it had lost all its gilding, and looked like wet earth, but it had an opinion, and it spoke it thus:--”

leather noun US /ˈleðər/

an animal skin made smooth and flexible by removing the hair and then tanning

From this reading “"Delightful indeed," cried a voice quite near to them; no one but the tin soldier saw that it came from a rag of the leather which hung in tatters; it had lost all its gilding, and looked like wet earth, but it had an opinion, and it spoke it thus:--”

rag noun US /ræɡ/

a small piece of cloth or paper

From this reading “"Delightful indeed," cried a voice quite near to them; no one but the tin soldier saw that it came from a rag of the leather which hung in tatters; it had lost all its gilding, and looked like wet earth, but it had an opinion, and it spoke it thus:--”

tatters noun US /ˈtætərz/

plural of “tatter” — a small piece of cloth or paper

From this reading “"Delightful indeed," cried a voice quite near to them; no one but the tin soldier saw that it came from a rag of the leather which hung in tatters; it had lost all its gilding, and looked like wet earth, but it had an opinion, and it spoke it thus:--”

terribly adverb US /ˈterəbli/

used as intensifiers

From this reading “"Yes, terribly lonely," cried the tin soldier; "still it is delightful not to be forgotten."”

tin noun US /tɪn/

a silvery malleable metallic element that resists corrosion; used in many alloys and to coat other metals to prevent corrosion; obtained chiefly from cassiterite where it occurs as tin oxide

From this reading “"Yes, terribly lonely," cried the tin soldier; "still it is delightful not to be forgotten."”

All words in this reading · 75

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading All his friends are dead; no one took care of him, and I was only a little boy."

AlladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

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

From this reading All his friends are dead; no one took care of him, and I was only a little boy."

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading "Delightful indeed," cried a voice quite near to them; no one but the tin soldier saw that it came from a rag of the leather which hung in tatters; it had lost all its gilding, and looked like wet earth, but it had an opinion, and it spoke it thus:--

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading All his friends are dead; no one took care of him, and I was only a little boy."

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading All his friends are dead; no one took care of him, and I was only a little boy."

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading "Yes, terribly lonely," cried the tin soldier; "still it is delightful not to be forgotten."

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading "Oh, how dreadfully lonely he must have been," said she.

boynounUS /bɔɪ/

a youthful male person

From this reading All his friends are dead; no one took care of him, and I was only a little boy."

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading "Delightful indeed," cried a voice quite near to them; no one but the tin soldier saw that it came from a rag of the leather which hung in tatters; it had lost all its gilding, and looked like wet earth, but it had an opinion, and it spoke it thus:--

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading "Delightful indeed," cried a voice quite near to them; no one but the tin soldier saw that it came from a rag of the leather which hung in tatters; it had lost all its gilding, and looked like wet earth, but it had an opinion, and it spoke it thus:--

carenounUS /ker/

the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something

From this reading All his friends are dead; no one took care of him, and I was only a little boy."

criedverbUS /kraɪd/

inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry

From this reading "Yes, terribly lonely," cried the tin soldier; "still it is delightful not to be forgotten."

deadadjectiveUS /ded/

no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life

From this reading All his friends are dead; no one took care of him, and I was only a little boy."

delightfuladjectiveUS /dɪˈlaɪtfəl/

greatly pleasing or entertaining

From this reading "Yes, terribly lonely," cried the tin soldier; "still it is delightful not to be forgotten."

don't

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

From this reading "I don't know where it is," he replied; "no one knows.

dreadfullyadverbUS /ˈdredfəli/

of a dreadful kind

From this reading "Oh, how dreadfully lonely he must have been," said she.

earthnounUS /ɜːrθ/

the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on

From this reading "Delightful indeed," cried a voice quite near to them; no one but the tin soldier saw that it came from a rag of the leather which hung in tatters; it had lost all its gilding, and looked like wet earth, but it had an opinion, and it spoke it thus:--

forgottenadjectiveUS /fərˈɡɑːt.n̩/

Not remembered; lapsed from memory.

From this reading "Yes, terribly lonely," cried the tin soldier; "still it is delightful not to be forgotten."

friendsnounUS /frendz/

plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

From this reading All his friends are dead; no one took care of him, and I was only a little boy."

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading "Delightful indeed," cried a voice quite near to them; no one but the tin soldier saw that it came from a rag of the leather which hung in tatters; it had lost all its gilding, and looked like wet earth, but it had an opinion, and it spoke it thus:--

gildingnounUS /ˈɡɪldɪŋ/

a coating of gold or of something that looks like gold

From this reading "Delightful indeed," cried a voice quite near to them; no one but the tin soldier saw that it came from a rag of the leather which hung in tatters; it had lost all its gilding, and looked like wet earth, but it had an opinion, and it spoke it thus:--

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading "Delightful indeed," cried a voice quite near to them; no one but the tin soldier saw that it came from a rag of the leather which hung in tatters; it had lost all its gilding, and looked like wet earth, but it had an opinion, and it spoke it thus:--

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "Oh, how dreadfully lonely he must have been," said she.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "I don't know where it is," he replied; "no one knows.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading All his friends are dead; no one took care of him, and I was only a little boy."

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading All his friends are dead; no one took care of him, and I was only a little boy."

how

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

From this reading "Oh, how dreadfully lonely he must have been," said she.

hungverbUS /hʌŋ/

inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging

From this reading "Delightful indeed," cried a voice quite near to them; no one but the tin soldier saw that it came from a rag of the leather which hung in tatters; it had lost all its gilding, and looked like wet earth, but it had an opinion, and it spoke it thus:--

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading "I don't know where it is," he replied; "no one knows.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading "Delightful indeed," cried a voice quite near to them; no one but the tin soldier saw that it came from a rag of the leather which hung in tatters; it had lost all its gilding, and looked like wet earth, but it had an opinion, and it spoke it thus:--

indeedadverbUS /ˌɪnˈdiːd/

in truth (often tends to intensify)

From this reading "Delightful indeed," cried a voice quite near to them; no one but the tin soldier saw that it came from a rag of the leather which hung in tatters; it had lost all its gilding, and looked like wet earth, but it had an opinion, and it spoke it thus:--

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading "I don't know where it is," he replied; "no one knows.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading "I don't know where it is," he replied; "no one knows.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading "Delightful indeed," cried a voice quite near to them; no one but the tin soldier saw that it came from a rag of the leather which hung in tatters; it had lost all its gilding, and looked like wet earth, but it had an opinion, and it spoke it thus:--

knowverbUS /noʊ/

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading "I don't know where it is," he replied; "no one knows.

knowsnounUS /noʊz/

plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people

From this reading "I don't know where it is," he replied; "no one knows.

leathernounUS /ˈleðər/

an animal skin made smooth and flexible by removing the hair and then tanning

From this reading "Delightful indeed," cried a voice quite near to them; no one but the tin soldier saw that it came from a rag of the leather which hung in tatters; it had lost all its gilding, and looked like wet earth, but it had an opinion, and it spoke it thus:--

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading "Delightful indeed," cried a voice quite near to them; no one but the tin soldier saw that it came from a rag of the leather which hung in tatters; it had lost all its gilding, and looked like wet earth, but it had an opinion, and it spoke it thus:--

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading All his friends are dead; no one took care of him, and I was only a little boy."

lonelyadjectiveUS /ˈloʊnli/

lacking companions or companionship

From this reading "Oh, how dreadfully lonely he must have been," said she.

lookedverbUS /lʊkt/

past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading "Delightful indeed," cried a voice quite near to them; no one but the tin soldier saw that it came from a rag of the leather which hung in tatters; it had lost all its gilding, and looked like wet earth, but it had an opinion, and it spoke it thus:--

lostadjectiveUS /lɔːst/

no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered

From this reading "Delightful indeed," cried a voice quite near to them; no one but the tin soldier saw that it came from a rag of the leather which hung in tatters; it had lost all its gilding, and looked like wet earth, but it had an opinion, and it spoke it thus:--

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading "Oh, how dreadfully lonely he must have been," said she.

nearadverbUS /nɪr/

near in time or place or relationship

From this reading "Delightful indeed," cried a voice quite near to them; no one but the tin soldier saw that it came from a rag of the leather which hung in tatters; it had lost all its gilding, and looked like wet earth, but it had an opinion, and it spoke it thus:--

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading "I don't know where it is," he replied; "no one knows.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading "Yes, terribly lonely," cried the tin soldier; "still it is delightful not to be forgotten."

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading All his friends are dead; no one took care of him, and I was only a little boy."

OhnounUS /oʊ/

a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region

From this reading "Oh, how dreadfully lonely he must have been," said she.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading "I don't know where it is," he replied; "no one knows.

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading All his friends are dead; no one took care of him, and I was only a little boy."

opinionnounUS /əˈpɪnjən/

a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty

From this reading "Delightful indeed," cried a voice quite near to them; no one but the tin soldier saw that it came from a rag of the leather which hung in tatters; it had lost all its gilding, and looked like wet earth, but it had an opinion, and it spoke it thus:--

quiteadverbUS /kwaɪt/

to a degree (not used with a negative)

From this reading "Delightful indeed," cried a voice quite near to them; no one but the tin soldier saw that it came from a rag of the leather which hung in tatters; it had lost all its gilding, and looked like wet earth, but it had an opinion, and it spoke it thus:--

ragnounUS /ræɡ/

a small piece of cloth or paper

From this reading "Delightful indeed," cried a voice quite near to them; no one but the tin soldier saw that it came from a rag of the leather which hung in tatters; it had lost all its gilding, and looked like wet earth, but it had an opinion, and it spoke it thus:--

repliedverbUS /rɪˈplaɪd/

inflected form of “reply” — react verbally

From this reading "I don't know where it is," he replied; "no one knows.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "Oh, how dreadfully lonely he must have been," said she.

sawverbUS /sɔː/

cut with a saw

From this reading "Delightful indeed," cried a voice quite near to them; no one but the tin soldier saw that it came from a rag of the leather which hung in tatters; it had lost all its gilding, and looked like wet earth, but it had an opinion, and it spoke it thus:--

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading "Oh, how dreadfully lonely he must have been," said she.

soldiernounUS /ˈsoʊldʒər/

an enlisted man or woman who serves in an army

From this reading "Yes, terribly lonely," cried the tin soldier; "still it is delightful not to be forgotten."

spokenounUS /spoʊk/

support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim

From this reading "Delightful indeed," cried a voice quite near to them; no one but the tin soldier saw that it came from a rag of the leather which hung in tatters; it had lost all its gilding, and looked like wet earth, but it had an opinion, and it spoke it thus:--

stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading "Yes, terribly lonely," cried the tin soldier; "still it is delightful not to be forgotten."

tattersnounUS /ˈtætərz/

plural of “tatter” — a small piece of cloth or paper

From this reading "Delightful indeed," cried a voice quite near to them; no one but the tin soldier saw that it came from a rag of the leather which hung in tatters; it had lost all its gilding, and looked like wet earth, but it had an opinion, and it spoke it thus:--

terriblyadverbUS /ˈterəbli/

used as intensifiers

From this reading "Yes, terribly lonely," cried the tin soldier; "still it is delightful not to be forgotten."

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "Delightful indeed," cried a voice quite near to them; no one but the tin soldier saw that it came from a rag of the leather which hung in tatters; it had lost all its gilding, and looked like wet earth, but it had an opinion, and it spoke it thus:--

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading "Yes, terribly lonely," cried the tin soldier; "still it is delightful not to be forgotten."

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading "Delightful indeed," cried a voice quite near to them; no one but the tin soldier saw that it came from a rag of the leather which hung in tatters; it had lost all its gilding, and looked like wet earth, but it had an opinion, and it spoke it thus:--

thusadverbUS /ðʌs/

(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result

From this reading "Delightful indeed," cried a voice quite near to them; no one but the tin soldier saw that it came from a rag of the leather which hung in tatters; it had lost all its gilding, and looked like wet earth, but it had an opinion, and it spoke it thus:--

tinnounUS /tɪn/

a silvery malleable metallic element that resists corrosion; used in many alloys and to coat other metals to prevent corrosion; obtained chiefly from cassiterite where it occurs as tin oxide

From this reading "Yes, terribly lonely," cried the tin soldier; "still it is delightful not to be forgotten."

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading "Yes, terribly lonely," cried the tin soldier; "still it is delightful not to be forgotten."

tookverbUS /tʊk/

inflected form of “take” — carry out

From this reading All his friends are dead; no one took care of him, and I was only a little boy."

voicenounUS /vɔɪs/

the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech

From this reading "Delightful indeed," cried a voice quite near to them; no one but the tin soldier saw that it came from a rag of the leather which hung in tatters; it had lost all its gilding, and looked like wet earth, but it had an opinion, and it spoke it thus:--

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading All his friends are dead; no one took care of him, and I was only a little boy."

wetadjectiveUS /wet/

covered or soaked with a liquid such as water

From this reading "Delightful indeed," cried a voice quite near to them; no one but the tin soldier saw that it came from a rag of the leather which hung in tatters; it had lost all its gilding, and looked like wet earth, but it had an opinion, and it spoke it thus:--

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading "I don't know where it is," he replied; "no one knows.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading "Delightful indeed," cried a voice quite near to them; no one but the tin soldier saw that it came from a rag of the leather which hung in tatters; it had lost all its gilding, and looked like wet earth, but it had an opinion, and it spoke it thus:--

YesnounUS /jes/

an affirmative

From this reading "Yes, terribly lonely," cried the tin soldier; "still it is delightful not to be forgotten."

Chapter 23 of The Daisy by Hans Christian Andersen holds 430 sentences, grouped into 86 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.

What does chapter 23 of The Daisy contain?

Chapter 23 holds 430 sentences of The Daisy, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 23 of The Daisy by Hans Christian Andersen exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 430 sentences, grouped into 86 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 23 of The Daisy?

Work through the 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 86 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.

Can chapter 23 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 23 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.

Questions about reading The Daisy

Common questions about reading The Daisy by Hans Christian Andersen on this page, its source edition and its audio.

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Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Daisy is used?

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

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About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Daisy section by section

How to work through The Daisy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  3. Listen and tap

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Vocabulary met early in The Daisy

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Daisy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
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Chapter 2
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Chapter 3
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