Chapter 10 of Aurora Leigh is here in full — 321 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter X
Chapter 10 of Aurora Leigh is here in full — 321 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
‘Speak then,’ I returned, ‘She will not vex you.’ At which, suddenly He turned his face upon me with its smile, As if to crush me. ‘I have read your book, Aurora.’ ‘You have read it,’ I replied, ‘And I have writ it,—we have done with it. And now the rest?’
Chapter 10 of Aurora Leigh is here in full — 321 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/64 · 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 first light of day
From this reading “‘I have read your book, Aurora.’”
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading “‘I have read your book, Aurora.’”
come down on or keep down by unjust use of one's authority
From this reading “At which, suddenly He turned his face upon me with its smile, As if to crush me.”
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading “‘I have read your book, Aurora.’”
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading “‘Speak then,’ I returned, ‘She will not vex you.’”
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading “At which, suddenly He turned his face upon me with its smile, As if to crush me.”
cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations
From this reading “‘Speak then,’ I returned, ‘She will not vex you.’”
(law) a legal document issued by a court or judicial officer
From this reading “‘You have read it,’ I replied, ‘And I have writ it,—we have done with it.”
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.
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading ‘You have read it,’ I replied, ‘And I have writ it,—we have done with it.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading At which, suddenly He turned his face upon me with its smile, As if to crush me.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At which, suddenly He turned his face upon me with its smile, As if to crush me.
the first light of day
From this reading ‘I have read your book, Aurora.’
a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)
From this reading ‘I have read your book, Aurora.’
come down on or keep down by unjust use of one's authority
From this reading At which, suddenly He turned his face upon me with its smile, As if to crush me.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading ‘You have read it,’ I replied, ‘And I have writ it,—we have done with it.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading At which, suddenly He turned his face upon me with its smile, As if to crush me.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading ‘I have read your book, Aurora.’
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading At which, suddenly He turned his face upon me with its smile, As if to crush me.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading At which, suddenly He turned his face upon me with its smile, As if to crush me.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading ‘Speak then,’ I returned, ‘She will not vex you.’
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading At which, suddenly He turned his face upon me with its smile, As if to crush me.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading ‘You have read it,’ I replied, ‘And I have writ it,—we have done with it.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading At which, suddenly He turned his face upon me with its smile, As if to crush me.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading At which, suddenly He turned his face upon me with its smile, As if to crush me.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading ‘Speak then,’ I returned, ‘She will not vex you.’
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading And now the rest?’
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading ‘I have read your book, Aurora.’
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading ‘You have read it,’ I replied, ‘And I have writ it,—we have done with it.
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading And now the rest?’
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading ‘Speak then,’ I returned, ‘She will not vex you.’
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading ‘Speak then,’ I returned, ‘She will not vex you.’
change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading At which, suddenly He turned his face upon me with its smile, As if to crush me.
express in speech
From this reading ‘Speak then,’ I returned, ‘She will not vex you.’
happening unexpectedly
From this reading At which, suddenly He turned his face upon me with its smile, As if to crush me.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And now the rest?’
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading ‘Speak then,’ I returned, ‘She will not vex you.’
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading At which, suddenly He turned his face upon me with its smile, As if to crush me.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading At which, suddenly He turned his face upon me with its smile, As if to crush me.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading At which, suddenly He turned his face upon me with its smile, As if to crush me.
cause annoyance in; disturb, especially by minor irritations
From this reading ‘Speak then,’ I returned, ‘She will not vex you.’
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading ‘You have read it,’ I replied, ‘And I have writ it,—we have done with it.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading At which, suddenly He turned his face upon me with its smile, As if to crush me.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading ‘Speak then,’ I returned, ‘She will not vex you.’
in the company of; together with
From this reading At which, suddenly He turned his face upon me with its smile, As if to crush me.
(law) a legal document issued by a court or judicial officer
From this reading ‘You have read it,’ I replied, ‘And I have writ it,—we have done with it.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading ‘Speak then,’ I returned, ‘She will not vex you.’
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading ‘I have read your book, Aurora.’
Chapter 10 of Aurora Leigh by Elizabeth Barrett Browning holds 321 sentences, grouped into 65 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 10 holds 321 sentences of Aurora Leigh, unabridged, divided into 65 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of Aurora Leigh by Elizabeth Barrett Browning exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 321 sentences, grouped into 65 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 65 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 65 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 10 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 Aurora Leigh by Elizabeth Barrett Browning on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3474 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #56621 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #56621, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 289 minutes of reading across 695 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Aurora Leigh section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of Aurora Leigh 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 Aurora Leigh, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
