Chapter 30 of Clipped Wings is here in full — 76 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXX
Chapter 30 of Clipped Wings is here in full — 76 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The most thrilling first night of Sheila’s life was her debut as a mother. The doctor and the stork had a nip-and-tuck race. The young gentleman weighed more than ten pounds. According to all the formulas of tradition, this epochal event should have made a different woman of Sheila. The child should have filled her life.
Chapter 30 of Clipped Wings is here in full — 76 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/15 · 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.
present for the first time to the public
From this reading “The most thrilling first night of Sheila’s life was her debut as a mother.”
highly significant or important especially bringing about or marking the beginning of a new development or era
From this reading “According to all the formulas of tradition, this epochal event should have made a different woman of Sheila.”
something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading “According to all the formulas of tradition, this epochal event should have made a different woman of Sheila.”
plural of “formula” — a group of symbols that make a mathematical statement
From this reading “According to all the formulas of tradition, this epochal event should have made a different woman of Sheila.”
large mostly Old World wading birds typically having white-and-black plumage
From this reading “The doctor and the stork had a nip-and-tuck race.”
causing a surge of emotion or excitement
From this reading “The most thrilling first night of Sheila’s life was her debut as a mother.”
an inherited pattern of thought or action
From this reading “According to all the formulas of tradition, this epochal event should have made a different woman of Sheila.”
past form of “weigh” — have a certain weight
From this reading “The young gentleman weighed more than ten pounds.”
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 “The young gentleman weighed more than ten pounds.”
In this reading “The most thrilling first night of Sheila’s life was her debut as a mother.”
In this reading “The most thrilling first night of Sheila’s life was her debut as a mother.”
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 The most thrilling first night of Sheila’s life was her debut as a mother.
(followed by “to”) in agreement with or accordant with
From this reading According to all the formulas of tradition, this epochal event should have made a different woman of Sheila.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading According to all the formulas of tradition, this epochal event should have made a different woman of Sheila.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The doctor and the stork had a nip-and-tuck race.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The most thrilling first night of Sheila’s life was her debut as a mother.
a young person of either sex
From this reading The child should have filled her life.
present for the first time to the public
From this reading The most thrilling first night of Sheila’s life was her debut as a mother.
unlike in nature or quality or form or degree
From this reading According to all the formulas of tradition, this epochal event should have made a different woman of Sheila.
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading The doctor and the stork had a nip-and-tuck race.
highly significant or important especially bringing about or marking the beginning of a new development or era
From this reading According to all the formulas of tradition, this epochal event should have made a different woman of Sheila.
something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading According to all the formulas of tradition, this epochal event should have made a different woman of Sheila.
(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with
From this reading The child should have filled her life.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The most thrilling first night of Sheila’s life was her debut as a mother.
plural of “formula” — a group of symbols that make a mathematical statement
From this reading According to all the formulas of tradition, this epochal event should have made a different woman of Sheila.
a man of refinement
From this reading The young gentleman weighed more than ten pounds.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The doctor and the stork had a nip-and-tuck race.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading According to all the formulas of tradition, this epochal event should have made a different woman of Sheila.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The most thrilling first night of Sheila’s life was her debut as a mother.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading The most thrilling first night of Sheila’s life was her debut as a mother.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading According to all the formulas of tradition, this epochal event should have made a different woman of Sheila.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading The young gentleman weighed more than ten pounds.
used to form the superlative
From this reading The most thrilling first night of Sheila’s life was her debut as a mother.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading The most thrilling first night of Sheila’s life was her debut as a mother.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading The most thrilling first night of Sheila’s life was her debut as a mother.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The doctor and the stork had a nip-and-tuck race.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The most thrilling first night of Sheila’s life was her debut as a mother.
plural of “pound” — 16 ounces avoirdupois
From this reading The young gentleman weighed more than ten pounds.
any competition
From this reading The doctor and the stork had a nip-and-tuck race.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading According to all the formulas of tradition, this epochal event should have made a different woman of Sheila.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The most thrilling first night of Sheila’s life was her debut as a mother.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading According to all the formulas of tradition, this epochal event should have made a different woman of Sheila.
large mostly Old World wading birds typically having white-and-black plumage
From this reading The doctor and the stork had a nip-and-tuck race.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading The young gentleman weighed more than ten pounds.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading The young gentleman weighed more than ten pounds.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The most thrilling first night of Sheila’s life was her debut as a mother.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading According to all the formulas of tradition, this epochal event should have made a different woman of Sheila.
causing a surge of emotion or excitement
From this reading The most thrilling first night of Sheila’s life was her debut as a mother.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading According to all the formulas of tradition, this epochal event should have made a different woman of Sheila.
an inherited pattern of thought or action
From this reading According to all the formulas of tradition, this epochal event should have made a different woman of Sheila.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The most thrilling first night of Sheila’s life was her debut as a mother.
past form of “weigh” — have a certain weight
From this reading The young gentleman weighed more than ten pounds.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading According to all the formulas of tradition, this epochal event should have made a different woman of Sheila.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading The young gentleman weighed more than ten pounds.
Chapter 30 of Clipped Wings by Rupert Hughes holds 76 sentences, grouped into 16 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 76 sentences of Clipped Wings, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 30 of Clipped Wings by Rupert Hughes exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 76 sentences, grouped into 16 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 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 16 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 Clipped Wings by Rupert Hughes on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8610 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #60037 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #60037, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1722 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Clipped Wings section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 39 chapters of Clipped Wings 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 Clipped Wings, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
