Chapter 17 of Cicely is here in full — 209 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Cicely is here in full — 209 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
SOME SUMMER DAYS. . there arrives a lull in the hot race * * * * * * And an unwonted calm pervades his breast. And then he thinks he knows The hills where his life rose, And the sea where it goes.”
Chapter 17 of Cicely is here in full — 209 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/41 · 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.
third-person singular of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading “. there arrives a lull in the hot race * * * * * * And an unwonted calm pervades his breast.”
the front of the trunk from the neck to the abdomen
From this reading “. there arrives a lull in the hot race * * * * * * And an unwonted calm pervades his breast.”
make calm or still
From this reading “. there arrives a lull in the hot race * * * * * * And an unwonted calm pervades his breast.”
plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading “And then he thinks he knows The hills where his life rose, And the sea where it goes.””
calm by deception
From this reading “. there arrives a lull in the hot race * * * * * * And an unwonted calm pervades his breast.”
third-person singular of “pervade” — spread or diffuse through
From this reading “. there arrives a lull in the hot race * * * * * * And an unwonted calm pervades his breast.”
any competition
From this reading “. there arrives a lull in the hot race * * * * * * And an unwonted calm pervades his breast.”
plural of “think” — an instance of deliberate thinking
From this reading “And then he thinks he knows The hills where his life rose, And the sea where it goes.””
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.
In this reading “SOME SUMMER DAYS.”
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 . there arrives a lull in the hot race * * * * * * And an unwonted calm pervades his breast.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading . there arrives a lull in the hot race * * * * * * And an unwonted calm pervades his breast.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading . there arrives a lull in the hot race * * * * * * And an unwonted calm pervades his breast.
third-person singular of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading . there arrives a lull in the hot race * * * * * * And an unwonted calm pervades his breast.
the front of the trunk from the neck to the abdomen
From this reading . there arrives a lull in the hot race * * * * * * And an unwonted calm pervades his breast.
make calm or still
From this reading . there arrives a lull in the hot race * * * * * * And an unwonted calm pervades his breast.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading SOME SUMMER DAYS.
plural of “go” — a time period for working (after which you will be relieved by someone else)
From this reading And then he thinks he knows The hills where his life rose, And the sea where it goes.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And then he thinks he knows The hills where his life rose, And the sea where it goes.”
plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading And then he thinks he knows The hills where his life rose, And the sea where it goes.”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading . there arrives a lull in the hot race * * * * * * And an unwonted calm pervades his breast.
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading . there arrives a lull in the hot race * * * * * * And an unwonted calm pervades his breast.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading . there arrives a lull in the hot race * * * * * * And an unwonted calm pervades his breast.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And then he thinks he knows The hills where his life rose, And the sea where it goes.”
plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people
From this reading And then he thinks he knows The hills where his life rose, And the sea where it goes.”
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading And then he thinks he knows The hills where his life rose, And the sea where it goes.”
calm by deception
From this reading . there arrives a lull in the hot race * * * * * * And an unwonted calm pervades his breast.
third-person singular of “pervade” — spread or diffuse through
From this reading . there arrives a lull in the hot race * * * * * * And an unwonted calm pervades his breast.
any competition
From this reading . there arrives a lull in the hot race * * * * * * And an unwonted calm pervades his breast.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading And then he thinks he knows The hills where his life rose, And the sea where it goes.”
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading And then he thinks he knows The hills where his life rose, And the sea where it goes.”
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading SOME SUMMER DAYS.
the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading SOME SUMMER DAYS.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading . there arrives a lull in the hot race * * * * * * And an unwonted calm pervades his breast.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading And then he thinks he knows The hills where his life rose, And the sea where it goes.”
in or at that place or location
From this reading . there arrives a lull in the hot race * * * * * * And an unwonted calm pervades his breast.
plural of “think” — an instance of deliberate thinking
From this reading And then he thinks he knows The hills where his life rose, And the sea where it goes.”
unaccustomed or unusual
From this reading . there arrives a lull in the hot race * * * * * * And an unwonted calm pervades his breast.
in or at the place that
From this reading And then he thinks he knows The hills where his life rose, And the sea where it goes.”
Chapter 17 of Cicely by Mrs. Molesworth holds 209 sentences, grouped into 42 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 17 holds 209 sentences of Cicely, unabridged, divided into 42 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Cicely by Mrs. Molesworth exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 209 sentences, grouped into 42 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 42 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 42 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 17 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 Cicely by Mrs. Molesworth on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8830 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #72219 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #72219, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1766 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Cicely section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of Cicely 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 Cicely, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
