Chapter 23 of Birds of Prey is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Birds of Prey is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
HUNTING THE JUDSONS. _Oct. 10th_. Yesterday and the day before were blank days. On Saturday I read Mrs. Rebecca's letters a second time after a late breakfast, and spent a lazy morning in the endeavour to pick up any stray crumbs of information which I might have overlooked the previous night.
Chapter 23 of Birds of Prey is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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.
(of a surface) not written or printed on
From this reading “Yesterday and the day before were blank days.”
plural of “crumb” — a very small quantity of something
From this reading “On Saturday I read Mrs. Rebecca's letters a second time after a late breakfast, and spent a lazy morning in the endeavour to pick up any stray crumbs of information which I might have overlooked the previous night.”
a purposeful or industrious undertaking (especially one that requires effort or boldness)
From this reading “On Saturday I read Mrs. Rebecca's letters a second time after a late breakfast, and spent a lazy morning in the endeavour to pick up any stray crumbs of information which I might have overlooked the previous night.”
moving slowly and gently
From this reading “On Saturday I read Mrs. Rebecca's letters a second time after a late breakfast, and spent a lazy morning in the endeavour to pick up any stray crumbs of information which I might have overlooked the previous night.”
the month following September and preceding November
not taken into account
From this reading “On Saturday I read Mrs. Rebecca's letters a second time after a late breakfast, and spent a lazy morning in the endeavour to pick up any stray crumbs of information which I might have overlooked the previous night.”
possessive form of “rebecca” — (Old Testament) wife of Isaac and mother of Jacob and Esau
From this reading “On Saturday I read Mrs. Rebecca's letters a second time after a late breakfast, and spent a lazy morning in the endeavour to pick up any stray crumbs of information which I might have overlooked the previous night.”
move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
From this reading “On Saturday I read Mrs. Rebecca's letters a second time after a late breakfast, and spent a lazy morning in the endeavour to pick up any stray crumbs of information which I might have overlooked the previous night.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 10th_.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading On Saturday I read Mrs. Rebecca's letters a second time after a late breakfast, and spent a lazy morning in the endeavour to pick up any stray crumbs of information which I might have overlooked the previous night.
later than; following
From this reading On Saturday I read Mrs. Rebecca's letters a second time after a late breakfast, and spent a lazy morning in the endeavour to pick up any stray crumbs of information which I might have overlooked the previous night.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Yesterday and the day before were blank days.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading On Saturday I read Mrs. Rebecca's letters a second time after a late breakfast, and spent a lazy morning in the endeavour to pick up any stray crumbs of information which I might have overlooked the previous night.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Yesterday and the day before were blank days.
(of a surface) not written or printed on
From this reading Yesterday and the day before were blank days.
eat an early morning meal
From this reading On Saturday I read Mrs. Rebecca's letters a second time after a late breakfast, and spent a lazy morning in the endeavour to pick up any stray crumbs of information which I might have overlooked the previous night.
plural of “crumb” — a very small quantity of something
From this reading On Saturday I read Mrs. Rebecca's letters a second time after a late breakfast, and spent a lazy morning in the endeavour to pick up any stray crumbs of information which I might have overlooked the previous night.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Yesterday and the day before were blank days.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading Yesterday and the day before were blank days.
a purposeful or industrious undertaking (especially one that requires effort or boldness)
From this reading On Saturday I read Mrs. Rebecca's letters a second time after a late breakfast, and spent a lazy morning in the endeavour to pick up any stray crumbs of information which I might have overlooked the previous night.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading On Saturday I read Mrs. Rebecca's letters a second time after a late breakfast, and spent a lazy morning in the endeavour to pick up any stray crumbs of information which I might have overlooked the previous night.
the pursuit and killing or capture of wild animals regarded as a sport
From this reading HUNTING THE JUDSONS.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading On Saturday I read Mrs. Rebecca's letters a second time after a late breakfast, and spent a lazy morning in the endeavour to pick up any stray crumbs of information which I might have overlooked the previous night.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading On Saturday I read Mrs. Rebecca's letters a second time after a late breakfast, and spent a lazy morning in the endeavour to pick up any stray crumbs of information which I might have overlooked the previous night.
a message received and understood
From this reading On Saturday I read Mrs. Rebecca's letters a second time after a late breakfast, and spent a lazy morning in the endeavour to pick up any stray crumbs of information which I might have overlooked the previous night.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HUNTING THE JUDSONS.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading On Saturday I read Mrs. Rebecca's letters a second time after a late breakfast, and spent a lazy morning in the endeavour to pick up any stray crumbs of information which I might have overlooked the previous night.
moving slowly and gently
From this reading On Saturday I read Mrs. Rebecca's letters a second time after a late breakfast, and spent a lazy morning in the endeavour to pick up any stray crumbs of information which I might have overlooked the previous night.
the literary culture
From this reading On Saturday I read Mrs. Rebecca's letters a second time after a late breakfast, and spent a lazy morning in the endeavour to pick up any stray crumbs of information which I might have overlooked the previous night.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading On Saturday I read Mrs. Rebecca's letters a second time after a late breakfast, and spent a lazy morning in the endeavour to pick up any stray crumbs of information which I might have overlooked the previous night.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading On Saturday I read Mrs. Rebecca's letters a second time after a late breakfast, and spent a lazy morning in the endeavour to pick up any stray crumbs of information which I might have overlooked the previous night.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading On Saturday I read Mrs. Rebecca's letters a second time after a late breakfast, and spent a lazy morning in the endeavour to pick up any stray crumbs of information which I might have overlooked the previous night.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading On Saturday I read Mrs. Rebecca's letters a second time after a late breakfast, and spent a lazy morning in the endeavour to pick up any stray crumbs of information which I might have overlooked the previous night.
the month following September and preceding November
From this reading _Oct.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading On Saturday I read Mrs. Rebecca's letters a second time after a late breakfast, and spent a lazy morning in the endeavour to pick up any stray crumbs of information which I might have overlooked the previous night.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On Saturday I read Mrs. Rebecca's letters a second time after a late breakfast, and spent a lazy morning in the endeavour to pick up any stray crumbs of information which I might have overlooked the previous night.
not taken into account
From this reading On Saturday I read Mrs. Rebecca's letters a second time after a late breakfast, and spent a lazy morning in the endeavour to pick up any stray crumbs of information which I might have overlooked the previous night.
select carefully from a group
From this reading On Saturday I read Mrs. Rebecca's letters a second time after a late breakfast, and spent a lazy morning in the endeavour to pick up any stray crumbs of information which I might have overlooked the previous night.
just preceding something else in time or order
From this reading On Saturday I read Mrs. Rebecca's letters a second time after a late breakfast, and spent a lazy morning in the endeavour to pick up any stray crumbs of information which I might have overlooked the previous night.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading On Saturday I read Mrs. Rebecca's letters a second time after a late breakfast, and spent a lazy morning in the endeavour to pick up any stray crumbs of information which I might have overlooked the previous night.
possessive form of “rebecca” — (Old Testament) wife of Isaac and mother of Jacob and Esau
From this reading On Saturday I read Mrs. Rebecca's letters a second time after a late breakfast, and spent a lazy morning in the endeavour to pick up any stray crumbs of information which I might have overlooked the previous night.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading On Saturday I read Mrs. Rebecca's letters a second time after a late breakfast, and spent a lazy morning in the endeavour to pick up any stray crumbs of information which I might have overlooked the previous night.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading On Saturday I read Mrs. Rebecca's letters a second time after a late breakfast, and spent a lazy morning in the endeavour to pick up any stray crumbs of information which I might have overlooked the previous night.
depleted of energy, force, or strength
From this reading On Saturday I read Mrs. Rebecca's letters a second time after a late breakfast, and spent a lazy morning in the endeavour to pick up any stray crumbs of information which I might have overlooked the previous night.
move about aimlessly or without any destination, often in search of food or employment
From this reading On Saturday I read Mrs. Rebecca's letters a second time after a late breakfast, and spent a lazy morning in the endeavour to pick up any stray crumbs of information which I might have overlooked the previous night.
the fifth day of the week; the fourth working day
From this reading 10th_.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading HUNTING THE JUDSONS.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading On Saturday I read Mrs. Rebecca's letters a second time after a late breakfast, and spent a lazy morning in the endeavour to pick up any stray crumbs of information which I might have overlooked the previous night.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading On Saturday I read Mrs. Rebecca's letters a second time after a late breakfast, and spent a lazy morning in the endeavour to pick up any stray crumbs of information which I might have overlooked the previous night.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading On Saturday I read Mrs. Rebecca's letters a second time after a late breakfast, and spent a lazy morning in the endeavour to pick up any stray crumbs of information which I might have overlooked the previous night.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Yesterday and the day before were blank days.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading On Saturday I read Mrs. Rebecca's letters a second time after a late breakfast, and spent a lazy morning in the endeavour to pick up any stray crumbs of information which I might have overlooked the previous night.
the day immediately before today
From this reading Yesterday and the day before were blank days.
Chapter 23 of Birds of Prey by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon holds 122 sentences, grouped into 25 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 23 holds 122 sentences of Birds of Prey, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Birds of Prey by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 122 sentences, grouped into 25 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 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 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 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.
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Yes. All 6938 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9362 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9362, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 578 minutes of reading across 1388 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Birds of Prey section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 38 chapters of Birds of Prey to begin.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Birds of Prey, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
