Chapter 30 of Birds of Prey is here in full — 557 sentences across 112 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXX
Chapter 30 of Birds of Prey is here in full — 557 sentences across 112 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
FOUND IN THE BIBLE. _November_ 3 _d_. The most wonderful event has befallen--surely the most wonderful that ever came to pass outside the realms of fiction. Let me set down the circumstances of yesterday coolly and quietly if I can. I invoke the placid spirit of my Sheldon.
Chapter 30 of Birds of Prey is here in full — 557 sentences across 112 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/111 · 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.
inflected form of “befall” — become of; happen to
From this reading “The most wonderful event has befallen--surely the most wonderful that ever came to pass outside the realms of fiction.”
the sacred writings of the Christian religions
From this reading “FOUND IN THE BIBLE.”
in a composed and unconcerned manner
From this reading “Let me set down the circumstances of yesterday coolly and quietly if I can.”
a literary work based on the imagination and not necessarily on fact
From this reading “The most wonderful event has befallen--surely the most wonderful that ever came to pass outside the realms of fiction.”
summon into action or bring into existence, often as if by magic
From this reading “I invoke the placid spirit of my Sheldon.”
the month following October and preceding December
(of a body of water) free from disturbance by heavy waves
From this reading “I invoke the placid spirit of my Sheldon.”
plural of “realm” — a domain in which something is dominant
From this reading “The most wonderful event has befallen--surely the most wonderful that ever came to pass outside the realms of fiction.”
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 _November_ 3 _d_.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Let me set down the circumstances of yesterday coolly and quietly if I can.
inflected form of “befall” — become of; happen to
From this reading The most wonderful event has befallen--surely the most wonderful that ever came to pass outside the realms of fiction.
the sacred writings of the Christian religions
From this reading FOUND IN THE BIBLE.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The most wonderful event has befallen--surely the most wonderful that ever came to pass outside the realms of fiction.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading Let me set down the circumstances of yesterday coolly and quietly if I can.
your overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens to you)
From this reading Let me set down the circumstances of yesterday coolly and quietly if I can.
in a composed and unconcerned manner
From this reading Let me set down the circumstances of yesterday coolly and quietly if I can.
a fat-soluble vitamin that prevents rickets
From this reading _November_ 3 _d_.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Let me set down the circumstances of yesterday coolly and quietly if I can.
something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading The most wonderful event has befallen--surely the most wonderful that ever came to pass outside the realms of fiction.
at any time
From this reading The most wonderful event has befallen--surely the most wonderful that ever came to pass outside the realms of fiction.
a literary work based on the imagination and not necessarily on fact
From this reading The most wonderful event has befallen--surely the most wonderful that ever came to pass outside the realms of fiction.
set up or found
From this reading FOUND IN THE BIBLE.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The most wonderful event has befallen--surely the most wonderful that ever came to pass outside the realms of fiction.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Let me set down the circumstances of yesterday coolly and quietly if I can.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Let me set down the circumstances of yesterday coolly and quietly if I can.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading FOUND IN THE BIBLE.
summon into action or bring into existence, often as if by magic
From this reading I invoke the placid spirit of my Sheldon.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading Let me set down the circumstances of yesterday coolly and quietly if I can.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Let me set down the circumstances of yesterday coolly and quietly if I can.
used to form the superlative
From this reading The most wonderful event has befallen--surely the most wonderful that ever came to pass outside the realms of fiction.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I invoke the placid spirit of my Sheldon.
the month following October and preceding December
From this reading _November_ 3 _d_.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The most wonderful event has befallen--surely the most wonderful that ever came to pass outside the realms of fiction.
relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit
From this reading The most wonderful event has befallen--surely the most wonderful that ever came to pass outside the realms of fiction.
go across or through
From this reading The most wonderful event has befallen--surely the most wonderful that ever came to pass outside the realms of fiction.
(of a body of water) free from disturbance by heavy waves
From this reading I invoke the placid spirit of my Sheldon.
with low volume
From this reading Let me set down the circumstances of yesterday coolly and quietly if I can.
plural of “realm” — a domain in which something is dominant
From this reading The most wonderful event has befallen--surely the most wonderful that ever came to pass outside the realms of fiction.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Let me set down the circumstances of yesterday coolly and quietly if I can.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I invoke the placid spirit of my Sheldon.
the vital principle or animating force within living things
From this reading I invoke the placid spirit of my Sheldon.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading The most wonderful event has befallen--surely the most wonderful that ever came to pass outside the realms of fiction.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The most wonderful event has befallen--surely the most wonderful that ever came to pass outside the realms of fiction.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading FOUND IN THE BIBLE.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The most wonderful event has befallen--surely the most wonderful that ever came to pass outside the realms of fiction.
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading The most wonderful event has befallen--surely the most wonderful that ever came to pass outside the realms of fiction.
the day immediately before today
From this reading Let me set down the circumstances of yesterday coolly and quietly if I can.
Chapter 30 of Birds of Prey by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon holds 557 sentences, grouped into 112 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 30 holds 557 sentences of Birds of Prey, unabridged, divided into 112 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 30 of Birds of Prey by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 557 sentences, grouped into 112 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 112 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 112 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 30 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 Birds of Prey by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon on this page, its source edition and its audio.
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.
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 Birds of Prey, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
