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Girls of the True Blue
Girls of the True Blue

Chapter X

Chapter 10 of Girls of the True Blue is here in full — 171 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By L. T. Meade • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for Girls of the True Blue
Context Illustration Reading 1/34 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
UNDER HER THUMB.
Augusta Duncan was considered by her elders to be one of the best girls in existence.
She was always neat and nice to look at; she had refined, gracious, gentle manners.
At school she learnt her lessons correctly, and took place after place in form, rising by slow but sure degrees to the head of the school.
But Augusta was not a favourite with her companions.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Girls of the True Blue

Chapter X

Chapter 10 of Girls of the True Blue is here in full — 171 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/34 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
UNDER HER THUMB.
/ˈʌndər hɜːr θʌm/
Line 2
Augusta Duncan was considered by her elders to be one of the best girls in existence.
/əˈɡʌstə ˈdʌŋkən wɑːz kənˈsɪdərd baɪ hɜːr ˈeldərz tuː biː wʌn ʌv ðə best ɡɜːrlz ɪn eɡˈzɪstəns/
Line 3
She was always neat and nice to look at; she had refined, gracious, gentle manners.
/ʃiː wɑːz ˈɔːlweɪz niːt ənd naɪs tuː lʊk æt ʃiː hæd rəˈfaɪnd ˈɡreɪʃəs ˈdʒentəl ˈmænərz/
Line 4
At school she learnt her lessons correctly, and took place after place in form, rising by slow but sure degrees to the head of the school.
/æt skuːl ʃiː lɜːrnt hɜːr ˈlesənz kərˈektli ənd tʊk pleɪs ˈæftər pleɪs ɪn fɔːrm ˈraɪzɪŋ baɪ sloʊ bʌt ʃʊr dɪˈɡriːz tuː ðə hed ʌv ðə skuːl/
Line 5
But Augusta was not a favourite with her companions.
/bʌt əˈɡʌstə wɑːz nɑːt ə ˈfeɪvərɪt wɪð hɜːr kəmˈpænjənz/

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.

Augusta noun US /əˈɡʌstə/

the capital of the state of Maine

From this reading “Augusta Duncan was considered by her elders to be one of the best girls in existence.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
correctly adverb US /kərˈektli/

in an accurate manner

From this reading “At school she learnt her lessons correctly, and took place after place in form, rising by slow but sure degrees to the head of the school.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Duncan noun US /ˈdʌŋkən/

United States dancer and pioneer of modern dance (1878-1927)

From this reading “Augusta Duncan was considered by her elders to be one of the best girls in existence.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
elders noun US /ˈeldərz/

plural of “elder” — a person who is older than you are

From this reading “Augusta Duncan was considered by her elders to be one of the best girls in existence.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
learnt verb US /lɜːrnt/

inflected form of “learn” — gain knowledge or skills

From this reading “At school she learnt her lessons correctly, and took place after place in form, rising by slow but sure degrees to the head of the school.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
neat adjective US /niːt/

clean or organized

From this reading “She was always neat and nice to look at; she had refined, gracious, gentle manners.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
refined adjective US /rəˈfaɪnd/

(used of persons and their behavior) cultivated and genteel

From this reading “She was always neat and nice to look at; she had refined, gracious, gentle manners.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thumb noun US /θʌm/

the thick short innermost digit of the forelimb

From this reading “UNDER HER THUMB.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

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.

gentle manners adjective + noun

In this reading “She was always neat and nice to look at; she had refined, gracious, gentle manners.”

245 times in 426,211 chapters
look at verb + particle

take into consideration for exemplifying purposes

In this reading “She was always neat and nice to look at; she had refined, gracious, gentle manners.”

296,767 times in 426,211 chapters
took place verb + noun counted as “take place”

come to pass

In this reading “At school she learnt her lessons correctly, and took place after place in form, rising by slow but sure degrees to the head of the school.”

30,477 times in 426,211 chapters
At school preposition + noun

In this reading “At school she learnt her lessons correctly, and took place after place in form, rising by slow but sure degrees to the head of the school.”

10,747 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 49

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 But Augusta was not a favourite with her companions.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading At school she learnt her lessons correctly, and took place after place in form, rising by slow but sure degrees to the head of the school.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
alwaysadverbUS /ˈɔːlweɪz/

at all times; all the time and on every occasion

From this reading She was always neat and nice to look at; she had refined, gracious, gentle manners.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading She was always neat and nice to look at; she had refined, gracious, gentle manners.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading She was always neat and nice to look at; she had refined, gracious, gentle manners.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
AugustanounUS /əˈɡʌstə/

the capital of the state of Maine

From this reading Augusta Duncan was considered by her elders to be one of the best girls in existence.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Augusta Duncan was considered by her elders to be one of the best girls in existence.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
bestnounUS /best/

the supreme effort one can make

From this reading Augusta Duncan was considered by her elders to be one of the best girls in existence.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading At school she learnt her lessons correctly, and took place after place in form, rising by slow but sure degrees to the head of the school.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Augusta Duncan was considered by her elders to be one of the best girls in existence.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
companionsnounUS /kəmˈpænjənz/

plural of “companion” — a friend who is frequently in the company of another

From this reading But Augusta was not a favourite with her companions.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
consideredadjectiveUS /kənˈsɪdərd/

carefully weighed

From this reading Augusta Duncan was considered by her elders to be one of the best girls in existence.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
correctlyadverbUS /kərˈektli/

in an accurate manner

From this reading At school she learnt her lessons correctly, and took place after place in form, rising by slow but sure degrees to the head of the school.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
degreesnounUS /dɪˈɡriːz/

plural of “degree” — a position on a scale of intensity or amount or quality

From this reading At school she learnt her lessons correctly, and took place after place in form, rising by slow but sure degrees to the head of the school.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
DuncannounUS /ˈdʌŋkən/

United States dancer and pioneer of modern dance (1878-1927)

From this reading Augusta Duncan was considered by her elders to be one of the best girls in existence.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
eldersnounUS /ˈeldərz/

plural of “elder” — a person who is older than you are

From this reading Augusta Duncan was considered by her elders to be one of the best girls in existence.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
existencenounUS /eɡˈzɪstəns/

the state or fact of existing

From this reading Augusta Duncan was considered by her elders to be one of the best girls in existence.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
favouritenounUS /ˈfeɪvərɪt/

a competitor thought likely to win

From this reading But Augusta was not a favourite with her companions.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
formnounUS /fɔːrm/

the phonological or orthographic sound or appearance of a word that can be used to describe or identify something

From this reading At school she learnt her lessons correctly, and took place after place in form, rising by slow but sure degrees to the head of the school.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
gentleadjectiveUS /ˈdʒentəl/

soft and mild; not harsh or stern or severe

From this reading She was always neat and nice to look at; she had refined, gracious, gentle manners.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
girlsnounUS /ɡɜːrlz/

plural of “girl” — a young female

From this reading Augusta Duncan was considered by her elders to be one of the best girls in existence.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
graciousadjectiveUS /ˈɡreɪʃəs/

characterized by charm, good taste, and generosity of spirit

From this reading She was always neat and nice to look at; she had refined, gracious, gentle manners.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading She was always neat and nice to look at; she had refined, gracious, gentle manners.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
headnounUS /hed/

the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains

From this reading At school she learnt her lessons correctly, and took place after place in form, rising by slow but sure degrees to the head of the school.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
HERdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading UNDER HER THUMB.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Augusta Duncan was considered by her elders to be one of the best girls in existence.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
learntverbUS /lɜːrnt/

inflected form of “learn” — gain knowledge or skills

From this reading At school she learnt her lessons correctly, and took place after place in form, rising by slow but sure degrees to the head of the school.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lessonsnounUS /ˈlesənz/

plural of “lesson” — a unit of instruction

From this reading At school she learnt her lessons correctly, and took place after place in form, rising by slow but sure degrees to the head of the school.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lookverbUS /lʊk/

perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading She was always neat and nice to look at; she had refined, gracious, gentle manners.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mannersnounUS /ˈmænərz/

social deportment

From this reading She was always neat and nice to look at; she had refined, gracious, gentle manners.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
neatadjectiveUS /niːt/

clean or organized

From this reading She was always neat and nice to look at; she had refined, gracious, gentle manners.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
niceadjectiveUS /naɪs/

pleasant or pleasing or agreeable in nature or appearance

From this reading She was always neat and nice to look at; she had refined, gracious, gentle manners.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading But Augusta was not a favourite with her companions.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Augusta Duncan was considered by her elders to be one of the best girls in existence.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Augusta Duncan was considered by her elders to be one of the best girls in existence.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
placenounUS /pleɪs/

a point located with respect to surface features of some region

From this reading At school she learnt her lessons correctly, and took place after place in form, rising by slow but sure degrees to the head of the school.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
refinedadjectiveUS /rəˈfaɪnd/

(used of persons and their behavior) cultivated and genteel

From this reading She was always neat and nice to look at; she had refined, gracious, gentle manners.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
risingadjectiveUS /ˈraɪzɪŋ/

advancing or becoming higher or greater in degree or value or status

From this reading At school she learnt her lessons correctly, and took place after place in form, rising by slow but sure degrees to the head of the school.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
schoolnounUS /skuːl/

an educational institution

From this reading At school she learnt her lessons correctly, and took place after place in form, rising by slow but sure degrees to the head of the school.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She was always neat and nice to look at; she had refined, gracious, gentle manners.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
slowadjectiveUS /sloʊ/

not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time

From this reading At school she learnt her lessons correctly, and took place after place in form, rising by slow but sure degrees to the head of the school.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sureadjectiveUS /ʃʊr/

having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured

From this reading At school she learnt her lessons correctly, and took place after place in form, rising by slow but sure degrees to the head of the school.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Augusta Duncan was considered by her elders to be one of the best girls in existence.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
THUMBnounUS /θʌm/

the thick short innermost digit of the forelimb

From this reading UNDER HER THUMB.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Augusta Duncan was considered by her elders to be one of the best girls in existence.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
tookverbUS /tʊk/

inflected form of “take” — carry out

From this reading At school she learnt her lessons correctly, and took place after place in form, rising by slow but sure degrees to the head of the school.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
UNDERprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/

below or beneath something; less than

From this reading UNDER HER THUMB.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Augusta Duncan was considered by her elders to be one of the best girls in existence.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading But Augusta was not a favourite with her companions.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 10 of Girls of the True Blue by L. T. Meade holds 171 sentences, grouped into 35 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 10 of Girls of the True Blue contain?

Chapter 10 holds 171 sentences of Girls of the True Blue, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 10 of Girls of the True Blue by L. T. Meade exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 171 sentences, grouped into 35 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 10 of Girls of the True Blue?

Work through the 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 35 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 10 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 10 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.

Questions about reading Girls of the True Blue

Common questions about reading Girls of the True Blue by L. T. Meade on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Girls of the True Blue?

Yes. All 6672 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #42556 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Girls of the True Blue is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #42556, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Girls of the True Blue take to read?

About 556 minutes of reading across 1335 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Girls of the True Blue section by section

How to work through Girls of the True Blue section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 36 chapters of Girls of the True Blue to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Girls of the True Blue

Words and structures a reader meets early in Girls of the True Blue, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Nonentity
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Girls of the True Blue; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Evens
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Girls of the True Blue; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Light
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Girls of the True Blue; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Morning
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Girls of the True Blue; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.