Chapter 31 of Annals of a Quiet Neighbourhood is here in full — 257 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXI
Chapter 31 of Annals of a Quiet Neighbourhood is here in full — 257 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE NEXT THING. As I sat in my study, in the twilight of that same day, the door was hurriedly opened, and Judy entered. She looked about the room with a quick glance to see that we were alone, then caught my hand in both of hers, and burst out crying. “Why, Judy!” I said, “what IS the matter?”
Chapter 31 of Annals of a Quiet Neighbourhood is here in full — 257 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/51 · 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.
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading “She looked about the room with a quick glance to see that we were alone, then caught my hand in both of hers, and burst out crying.”
demanding attention
From this reading “She looked about the room with a quick glance to see that we were alone, then caught my hand in both of hers, and burst out crying.”
throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading “She looked about the room with a quick glance to see that we were alone, then caught my hand in both of hers, and burst out crying.”
the one or ones belonging to her
From this reading “She looked about the room with a quick glance to see that we were alone, then caught my hand in both of hers, and burst out crying.”
in a hurried or hasty manner
From this reading “As I sat in my study, in the twilight of that same day, the door was hurriedly opened, and Judy entered.”
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading “She looked about the room with a quick glance to see that we were alone, then caught my hand in both of hers, and burst out crying.”
a detailed critical inspection
From this reading “As I sat in my study, in the twilight of that same day, the door was hurriedly opened, and Judy entered.”
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading “As I sat in my study, in the twilight of that same day, the door was hurriedly opened, and Judy entered.”
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 She looked about the room with a quick glance to see that we were alone, then caught my hand in both of hers, and burst out crying.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading She looked about the room with a quick glance to see that we were alone, then caught my hand in both of hers, and burst out crying.
Having no one else present.
From this reading She looked about the room with a quick glance to see that we were alone, then caught my hand in both of hers, and burst out crying.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As I sat in my study, in the twilight of that same day, the door was hurriedly opened, and Judy entered.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As I sat in my study, in the twilight of that same day, the door was hurriedly opened, and Judy entered.
the two together, not just one
From this reading She looked about the room with a quick glance to see that we were alone, then caught my hand in both of hers, and burst out crying.
come open suddenly and violently, as if from internal pressure
From this reading She looked about the room with a quick glance to see that we were alone, then caught my hand in both of hers, and burst out crying.
inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state
From this reading She looked about the room with a quick glance to see that we were alone, then caught my hand in both of hers, and burst out crying.
demanding attention
From this reading She looked about the room with a quick glance to see that we were alone, then caught my hand in both of hers, and burst out crying.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading As I sat in my study, in the twilight of that same day, the door was hurriedly opened, and Judy entered.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading As I sat in my study, in the twilight of that same day, the door was hurriedly opened, and Judy entered.
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading As I sat in my study, in the twilight of that same day, the door was hurriedly opened, and Judy entered.
throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading She looked about the room with a quick glance to see that we were alone, then caught my hand in both of hers, and burst out crying.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading She looked about the room with a quick glance to see that we were alone, then caught my hand in both of hers, and burst out crying.
the one or ones belonging to her
From this reading She looked about the room with a quick glance to see that we were alone, then caught my hand in both of hers, and burst out crying.
in a hurried or hasty manner
From this reading As I sat in my study, in the twilight of that same day, the door was hurriedly opened, and Judy entered.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading As I sat in my study, in the twilight of that same day, the door was hurriedly opened, and Judy entered.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading As I sat in my study, in the twilight of that same day, the door was hurriedly opened, and Judy entered.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I said, “what IS the matter?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As I sat in my study, in the twilight of that same day, the door was hurriedly opened, and Judy entered.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading She looked about the room with a quick glance to see that we were alone, then caught my hand in both of hers, and burst out crying.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading I said, “what IS the matter?”
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading As I sat in my study, in the twilight of that same day, the door was hurriedly opened, and Judy entered.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading THE NEXT THING.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading As I sat in my study, in the twilight of that same day, the door was hurriedly opened, and Judy entered.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading As I sat in my study, in the twilight of that same day, the door was hurriedly opened, and Judy entered.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading She looked about the room with a quick glance to see that we were alone, then caught my hand in both of hers, and burst out crying.
accomplished rapidly and without delay
From this reading She looked about the room with a quick glance to see that we were alone, then caught my hand in both of hers, and burst out crying.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading She looked about the room with a quick glance to see that we were alone, then caught my hand in both of hers, and burst out crying.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading I said, “what IS the matter?”
Identical; not different.
From this reading As I sat in my study, in the twilight of that same day, the door was hurriedly opened, and Judy entered.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading As I sat in my study, in the twilight of that same day, the door was hurriedly opened, and Judy entered.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading She looked about the room with a quick glance to see that we were alone, then caught my hand in both of hers, and burst out crying.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She looked about the room with a quick glance to see that we were alone, then caught my hand in both of hers, and burst out crying.
a detailed critical inspection
From this reading As I sat in my study, in the twilight of that same day, the door was hurriedly opened, and Judy entered.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading As I sat in my study, in the twilight of that same day, the door was hurriedly opened, and Judy entered.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE NEXT THING.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading She looked about the room with a quick glance to see that we were alone, then caught my hand in both of hers, and burst out crying.
a special situation
From this reading THE NEXT THING.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She looked about the room with a quick glance to see that we were alone, then caught my hand in both of hers, and burst out crying.
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading As I sat in my study, in the twilight of that same day, the door was hurriedly opened, and Judy entered.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading As I sat in my study, in the twilight of that same day, the door was hurriedly opened, and Judy entered.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading She looked about the room with a quick glance to see that we were alone, then caught my hand in both of hers, and burst out crying.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading She looked about the room with a quick glance to see that we were alone, then caught my hand in both of hers, and burst out crying.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading I said, “what IS the matter?”
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Why, Judy!”
in the company of; together with
From this reading She looked about the room with a quick glance to see that we were alone, then caught my hand in both of hers, and burst out crying.
Chapter 31 of Annals of a Quiet Neighbourhood by George MacDonald holds 257 sentences, grouped into 52 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 31 holds 257 sentences of Annals of a Quiet Neighbourhood, unabridged, divided into 52 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of Annals of a Quiet Neighbourhood by George MacDonald exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 257 sentences, grouped into 52 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 52 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 52 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 31 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 Annals of a Quiet Neighbourhood by George MacDonald on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8223 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5773 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5773, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1645 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Annals of a Quiet Neighbourhood section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of Annals of a Quiet Neighbourhood 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 Annals of a Quiet Neighbourhood, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
