Chapter 8 of Aunt Madge's Story is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of Aunt Madge's Story is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE TANSY CHEESE. You are not to suppose from this that I became a good girl the very next day. No, nor the day after. I ceased from the wickedness of telling lies, just as I had stopped pilfering sweetmeats. This was all; but it was certainly better than nothing.
Chapter 8 of Aunt Madge's Story is here in full — 137 sentences across 28 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/27 · 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.
past form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading “I ceased from the wickedness of telling lies, just as I had stopped pilfering sweetmeats.”
a solid food prepared from the pressed curd of milk
From this reading “THE TANSY CHEESE.”
plural of “lie” — a statement that deviates from or perverts the truth
From this reading “I ceased from the wickedness of telling lies, just as I had stopped pilfering sweetmeats.”
-ing form of “pilfer” — make off with belongings of others
From this reading “I ceased from the wickedness of telling lies, just as I had stopped pilfering sweetmeats.”
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading “I ceased from the wickedness of telling lies, just as I had stopped pilfering sweetmeats.”
common perennial aromatic herb native to Eurasia having buttonlike yellow flower heads and bitter-tasting pinnate leaves sometimes used medicinally
From this reading “THE TANSY CHEESE.”
disclosing unintentionally something concealed
From this reading “I ceased from the wickedness of telling lies, just as I had stopped pilfering sweetmeats.”
morally objectionable behavior
From this reading “I ceased from the wickedness of telling lies, just as I had stopped pilfering sweetmeats.”
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 You are not to suppose from this that I became a good girl the very next day.
later than; following
From this reading No, nor the day after.
(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 This was all; but it was certainly better than nothing.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading You are not to suppose from this that I became a good girl the very next day.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I ceased from the wickedness of telling lies, just as I had stopped pilfering sweetmeats.
inflected form of “become” — enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading You are not to suppose from this that I became a good girl the very next day.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading This was all; but it was certainly better than nothing.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading This was all; but it was certainly better than nothing.
past form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading I ceased from the wickedness of telling lies, just as I had stopped pilfering sweetmeats.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading This was all; but it was certainly better than nothing.
a solid food prepared from the pressed curd of milk
From this reading THE TANSY CHEESE.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading You are not to suppose from this that I became a good girl the very next day.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading You are not to suppose from this that I became a good girl the very next day.
a young female
From this reading You are not to suppose from this that I became a good girl the very next day.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading You are not to suppose from this that I became a good girl the very next day.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I ceased from the wickedness of telling lies, just as I had stopped pilfering sweetmeats.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading You are not to suppose from this that I became a good girl the very next day.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading This was all; but it was certainly better than nothing.
and nothing more
From this reading I ceased from the wickedness of telling lies, just as I had stopped pilfering sweetmeats.
plural of “lie” — a statement that deviates from or perverts the truth
From this reading I ceased from the wickedness of telling lies, just as I had stopped pilfering sweetmeats.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading You are not to suppose from this that I became a good girl the very next day.
not any; not one
From this reading No, nor the day after.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading No, nor the day after.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading You are not to suppose from this that I became a good girl the very next day.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading This was all; but it was certainly better than nothing.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I ceased from the wickedness of telling lies, just as I had stopped pilfering sweetmeats.
-ing form of “pilfer” — make off with belongings of others
From this reading I ceased from the wickedness of telling lies, just as I had stopped pilfering sweetmeats.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading I ceased from the wickedness of telling lies, just as I had stopped pilfering sweetmeats.
express a supposition
From this reading You are not to suppose from this that I became a good girl the very next day.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I ceased from the wickedness of telling lies, just as I had stopped pilfering sweetmeats.
common perennial aromatic herb native to Eurasia having buttonlike yellow flower heads and bitter-tasting pinnate leaves sometimes used medicinally
From this reading THE TANSY CHEESE.
disclosing unintentionally something concealed
From this reading I ceased from the wickedness of telling lies, just as I had stopped pilfering sweetmeats.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading This was all; but it was certainly better than nothing.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading You are not to suppose from this that I became a good girl the very next day.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE TANSY CHEESE.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading You are not to suppose from this that I became a good girl the very next day.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading You are not to suppose from this that I became a good girl the very next day.
precisely as stated
From this reading You are not to suppose from this that I became a good girl the very next day.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading This was all; but it was certainly better than nothing.
morally objectionable behavior
From this reading I ceased from the wickedness of telling lies, just as I had stopped pilfering sweetmeats.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading You are not to suppose from this that I became a good girl the very next day.
Chapter 8 of Aunt Madge's Story by Sophie May holds 137 sentences, grouped into 28 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 8 holds 137 sentences of Aunt Madge's Story, unabridged, divided into 28 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of Aunt Madge's Story by Sophie May exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 137 sentences, grouped into 28 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 28 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 28 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 8 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 Aunt Madge's Story by Sophie May on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1717 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25356 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25356, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 143 minutes of reading across 344 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Aunt Madge's Story section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 13 chapters of Aunt Madge's Story 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 Aunt Madge's Story, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
