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Autobiography of a Female Slave
Autobiography of a Female Slave

Chapter XIX

Chapter 19 of Autobiography of a Female Slave is here in full — 598 sentences across 120 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/119 · 5 lines
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EXECUTION OF THE SENTENCE--A CHANGE--HOPE.
On the last and concluding day of the term of the court, the jailer signified to me that the constable would, on the morrow, administer the first fifty lashes; and, of course, I passed the night in great trepidation.
But the morning came bright and clear, and the jailer, accompanied by Constable Calcraft, entered.
"Come, girl," said the latter, "I have to execute the sentence upon you."
Without one word, I followed him into the jail yard.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Autobiography of a Female Slave

Chapter XIX

Chapter 19 of Autobiography of a Female Slave is here in full — 598 sentences across 120 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/119 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
EXECUTION OF THE SENTENCE--A CHANGE--HOPE.
Line 2
On the last and concluding day of the term of the court, the jailer signified to me that the constable would, on the morrow, administer the first fifty lashes; and, of course, I passed the night in great trepidation.
/ɑːn ðə læst ənd kənˈkluːdɪŋ deɪ ʌv ðə tɜːrm ʌv ðə kɔːrt ðə ˈdʒeɪlər ˈsɪɡnəfaɪd tuː miː ðæt ðə ˈkɑːnstəbəl wʊd ɑːn ðə ˈmɑːroʊ ədˈmɪnəstər ðə fɜːrst ˈfɪfti ˈlæʃɪz ənd ʌv kɔːrs aɪ pæst ðə naɪt ɪn ɡreɪt ˌtrepɪˈdeɪʃən/
Line 3
But the morning came bright and clear, and the jailer, accompanied by Constable Calcraft, entered.
Line 4
"Come, girl," said the latter, "I have to execute the sentence upon you."
/kʌm ɡɜːrl sed ðə ˈlætər aɪ hæv tuː ˈeksəkjuːt ðə ˈsentəns əˈpɑːn juː/
Line 5
Without one word, I followed him into the jail yard.
/wɪˈθaʊt wʌn wɜːrd aɪ ˈfɑːloʊd hɪm ˈɪntuː ðə dʒeɪl jɑːrd/

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.

administer verb US /ədˈmɪnəstər/

work in an administrative capacity; supervise or be in charge of

From this reading “On the last and concluding day of the term of the court, the jailer signified to me that the constable would, on the morrow, administer the first fifty lashes; and, of course, I passed the night in great trepidation.”

concluding adjective US /kənˈkluːdɪŋ/

occurring at or forming an end or termination

From this reading “On the last and concluding day of the term of the court, the jailer signified to me that the constable would, on the morrow, administer the first fifty lashes; and, of course, I passed the night in great trepidation.”

constable noun US /ˈkɑːnstəbəl/

a lawman with less authority and jurisdiction than a sheriff

From this reading “On the last and concluding day of the term of the court, the jailer signified to me that the constable would, on the morrow, administer the first fifty lashes; and, of course, I passed the night in great trepidation.”

execute verb US /ˈeksəkjuːt/

kill as a means of socially sanctioned punishment

From this reading “"Come, girl," said the latter, "I have to execute the sentence upon you."”

jailer noun US /ˈdʒeɪlər/

someone who guards prisoners

From this reading “On the last and concluding day of the term of the court, the jailer signified to me that the constable would, on the morrow, administer the first fifty lashes; and, of course, I passed the night in great trepidation.”

lashes noun US /ˈlæʃɪz/

plural of “lash” — any of the short curved hairs that grow from the edges of the eyelids

From this reading “On the last and concluding day of the term of the court, the jailer signified to me that the constable would, on the morrow, administer the first fifty lashes; and, of course, I passed the night in great trepidation.”

signified noun US /ˈsɪɡnəfaɪd/

the meaning of a word or expression; the way in which a word or expression or situation can be interpreted

From this reading “On the last and concluding day of the term of the court, the jailer signified to me that the constable would, on the morrow, administer the first fifty lashes; and, of course, I passed the night in great trepidation.”

trepidation noun US /ˌtrepɪˈdeɪʃən/

a feeling of alarm or dread

From this reading “On the last and concluding day of the term of the court, the jailer signified to me that the constable would, on the morrow, administer the first fifty lashes; and, of course, I passed the night in great trepidation.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

on the morrow preposition + article + noun counted as “on … morrow”

In this reading “On the last and concluding day of the term of the court, the jailer signified to me that the constable would, on the morrow, administer the first fifty lashes; and, of course, I passed the night in great trepidation.”

of course preposition + noun

as might be expected

In this reading “On the last and concluding day of the term of the court, the jailer signified to me that the constable would, on the morrow, administer the first fifty lashes; and, of course, I passed the night in great trepidation.”

passed the night verb + article + noun counted as “pass … night”

In this reading “On the last and concluding day of the term of the court, the jailer signified to me that the constable would, on the morrow, administer the first fifty lashes; and, of course, I passed the night in great trepidation.”

All words in this reading · 58

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 EXECUTION OF THE SENTENCE--A CHANGE--HOPE.

accompaniedadjectiveUS /əˈkʌmpənid/

having companions or an escort

From this reading But the morning came bright and clear, and the jailer, accompanied by Constable Calcraft, entered.

administerverbUS /ədˈmɪnəstər/

work in an administrative capacity; supervise or be in charge of

From this reading On the last and concluding day of the term of the court, the jailer signified to me that the constable would, on the morrow, administer the first fifty lashes; and, of course, I passed the night in great trepidation.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading On the last and concluding day of the term of the court, the jailer signified to me that the constable would, on the morrow, administer the first fifty lashes; and, of course, I passed the night in great trepidation.

brightadjectiveUS /braɪt/

emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts

From this reading But the morning came bright and clear, and the jailer, accompanied by Constable Calcraft, entered.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But the morning came bright and clear, and the jailer, accompanied by Constable Calcraft, entered.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading But the morning came bright and clear, and the jailer, accompanied by Constable Calcraft, entered.

Calcraft

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

From this reading But the morning came bright and clear, and the jailer, accompanied by Constable Calcraft, entered.

cameverbUS /keɪm/

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

From this reading But the morning came bright and clear, and the jailer, accompanied by Constable Calcraft, entered.

CHANGEverbUS /tʃeɪndʒ/

cause to change; make different; cause a transformation

From this reading EXECUTION OF THE SENTENCE--A CHANGE--HOPE.

clearverbUS /klɪr/

rid of obstructions

From this reading But the morning came bright and clear, and the jailer, accompanied by Constable Calcraft, entered.

ComeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading "Come, girl," said the latter, "I have to execute the sentence upon you."

concludingadjectiveUS /kənˈkluːdɪŋ/

occurring at or forming an end or termination

From this reading On the last and concluding day of the term of the court, the jailer signified to me that the constable would, on the morrow, administer the first fifty lashes; and, of course, I passed the night in great trepidation.

constablenounUS /ˈkɑːnstəbəl/

a lawman with less authority and jurisdiction than a sheriff

From this reading On the last and concluding day of the term of the court, the jailer signified to me that the constable would, on the morrow, administer the first fifty lashes; and, of course, I passed the night in great trepidation.

coursenounUS /kɔːrs/

education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings

From this reading On the last and concluding day of the term of the court, the jailer signified to me that the constable would, on the morrow, administer the first fifty lashes; and, of course, I passed the night in great trepidation.

courtnounUS /kɔːrt/

an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business

From this reading On the last and concluding day of the term of the court, the jailer signified to me that the constable would, on the morrow, administer the first fifty lashes; and, of course, I passed the night in great trepidation.

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading On the last and concluding day of the term of the court, the jailer signified to me that the constable would, on the morrow, administer the first fifty lashes; and, of course, I passed the night in great trepidation.

enteredverbUS /ˈentərd/

past form of “enter” — to come or go into

From this reading But the morning came bright and clear, and the jailer, accompanied by Constable Calcraft, entered.

executeverbUS /ˈeksəkjuːt/

kill as a means of socially sanctioned punishment

From this reading "Come, girl," said the latter, "I have to execute the sentence upon you."

EXECUTIONnounUS /ˌeksəˈkjuːʃən/

putting a condemned person to death

From this reading EXECUTION OF THE SENTENCE--A CHANGE--HOPE.

fiftynounUS /ˈfɪfti/

the cardinal number that is the product of ten and five

From this reading On the last and concluding day of the term of the court, the jailer signified to me that the constable would, on the morrow, administer the first fifty lashes; and, of course, I passed the night in great trepidation.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading On the last and concluding day of the term of the court, the jailer signified to me that the constable would, on the morrow, administer the first fifty lashes; and, of course, I passed the night in great trepidation.

followedverbUS /ˈfɑːloʊd/

past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after

From this reading Without one word, I followed him into the jail yard.

girlnounUS /ɡɜːrl/

a young female

From this reading "Come, girl," said the latter, "I have to execute the sentence upon you."

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading On the last and concluding day of the term of the court, the jailer signified to me that the constable would, on the morrow, administer the first fifty lashes; and, of course, I passed the night in great trepidation.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "Come, girl," said the latter, "I have to execute the sentence upon you."

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading Without one word, I followed him into the jail yard.

HOPEnounUS /hoʊp/

a specific instance of feeling hopeful

From this reading EXECUTION OF THE SENTENCE--A CHANGE--HOPE.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading On the last and concluding day of the term of the court, the jailer signified to me that the constable would, on the morrow, administer the first fifty lashes; and, of course, I passed the night in great trepidation.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading On the last and concluding day of the term of the court, the jailer signified to me that the constable would, on the morrow, administer the first fifty lashes; and, of course, I passed the night in great trepidation.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading Without one word, I followed him into the jail yard.

jailnounUS /dʒeɪl/

a correctional institution used to detain persons who are in the lawful custody of the government (either accused persons awaiting trial or convicted persons serving a sentence)

From this reading Without one word, I followed him into the jail yard.

jailernounUS /ˈdʒeɪlər/

someone who guards prisoners

From this reading On the last and concluding day of the term of the court, the jailer signified to me that the constable would, on the morrow, administer the first fifty lashes; and, of course, I passed the night in great trepidation.

lashesnounUS /ˈlæʃɪz/

plural of “lash” — any of the short curved hairs that grow from the edges of the eyelids

From this reading On the last and concluding day of the term of the court, the jailer signified to me that the constable would, on the morrow, administer the first fifty lashes; and, of course, I passed the night in great trepidation.

lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

From this reading On the last and concluding day of the term of the court, the jailer signified to me that the constable would, on the morrow, administer the first fifty lashes; and, of course, I passed the night in great trepidation.

latteradjectiveUS /ˈlætər/

referring to the second of two things or persons mentioned (or the last one or ones of several)

From this reading "Come, girl," said the latter, "I have to execute the sentence upon you."

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading On the last and concluding day of the term of the court, the jailer signified to me that the constable would, on the morrow, administer the first fifty lashes; and, of course, I passed the night in great trepidation.

morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading But the morning came bright and clear, and the jailer, accompanied by Constable Calcraft, entered.

morrownounUS /ˈmɑːroʊ/

the next day

From this reading On the last and concluding day of the term of the court, the jailer signified to me that the constable would, on the morrow, administer the first fifty lashes; and, of course, I passed the night in great trepidation.

nightnounUS /naɪt/

the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside

From this reading On the last and concluding day of the term of the court, the jailer signified to me that the constable would, on the morrow, administer the first fifty lashes; and, of course, I passed the night in great trepidation.

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading EXECUTION OF THE SENTENCE--A CHANGE--HOPE.

OnprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading On the last and concluding day of the term of the court, the jailer signified to me that the constable would, on the morrow, administer the first fifty lashes; and, of course, I passed the night in great trepidation.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Without one word, I followed him into the jail yard.

passedverbUS /pæst/

past form of “pass” — go across or through

From this reading On the last and concluding day of the term of the court, the jailer signified to me that the constable would, on the morrow, administer the first fifty lashes; and, of course, I passed the night in great trepidation.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "Come, girl," said the latter, "I have to execute the sentence upon you."

SENTENCEnounUS /ˈsentəns/

a string of words satisfying the grammatical rules of a language

From this reading EXECUTION OF THE SENTENCE--A CHANGE--HOPE.

signifiednounUS /ˈsɪɡnəfaɪd/

the meaning of a word or expression; the way in which a word or expression or situation can be interpreted

From this reading On the last and concluding day of the term of the court, the jailer signified to me that the constable would, on the morrow, administer the first fifty lashes; and, of course, I passed the night in great trepidation.

termnounUS /tɜːrm/

a word or expression used for some particular thing

From this reading On the last and concluding day of the term of the court, the jailer signified to me that the constable would, on the morrow, administer the first fifty lashes; and, of course, I passed the night in great trepidation.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading On the last and concluding day of the term of the court, the jailer signified to me that the constable would, on the morrow, administer the first fifty lashes; and, of course, I passed the night in great trepidation.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading EXECUTION OF THE SENTENCE--A CHANGE--HOPE.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading On the last and concluding day of the term of the court, the jailer signified to me that the constable would, on the morrow, administer the first fifty lashes; and, of course, I passed the night in great trepidation.

trepidationnounUS /ˌtrepɪˈdeɪʃən/

a feeling of alarm or dread

From this reading On the last and concluding day of the term of the court, the jailer signified to me that the constable would, on the morrow, administer the first fifty lashes; and, of course, I passed the night in great trepidation.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading "Come, girl," said the latter, "I have to execute the sentence upon you."

WithoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading Without one word, I followed him into the jail yard.

wordnounUS /wɜːrd/

a unit of language that native speakers can identify

From this reading Without one word, I followed him into the jail yard.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading On the last and concluding day of the term of the court, the jailer signified to me that the constable would, on the morrow, administer the first fifty lashes; and, of course, I passed the night in great trepidation.

yardnounUS /jɑːrd/

a unit of length equal to 3 feet; defined as 91.44 centimeters; originally taken to be the average length of a stride

From this reading Without one word, I followed him into the jail yard.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "Come, girl," said the latter, "I have to execute the sentence upon you."

Chapter 19 of Autobiography of a Female Slave by Martha Griffith Browne holds 598 sentences, grouped into 120 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 19 of Autobiography of a Female Slave contain?

Chapter 19 holds 598 sentences of Autobiography of a Female Slave, unabridged, divided into 120 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 19 of Autobiography of a Female Slave by Martha Griffith Browne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 598 sentences, grouped into 120 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 19 of Autobiography of a Female Slave?

Work through the 120 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 120 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 19 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 19 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.

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Is this the complete text of Autobiography of a Female Slave?

Yes. All 7379 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55813 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #55813, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 600 minutes of reading across 1476 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in Autobiography of a Female Slave

Words and structures a reader meets early in Autobiography of a Female Slave, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Conclusion
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Autobiography of a Female Slave; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Autobiography
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Autobiography of a Female Slave; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Female
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Autobiography of a Female Slave; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Slave
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Autobiography of a Female Slave; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.