Chapter 39 of Irish Fairy Tales is here in full — 84 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXIX
Chapter 39 of Irish Fairy Tales is here in full — 84 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
But they were not alone, although they thought they were. The hag that guarded the jewels was in the room. She sat hunched up against the wail, and as she looked like a bundle of rags they did not notice her. She began to speak then. “Terrible are the things I see,” said she.
Chapter 39 of Irish Fairy Tales is here in full — 84 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/16 · 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.
a collection of things wrapped or boxed together
From this reading “She sat hunched up against the wail, and as she looked like a bundle of rags they did not notice her.”
prudent
From this reading “The hag that guarded the jewels was in the room.”
an ugly evil-looking old woman
From this reading “The hag that guarded the jewels was in the room.”
having the back and shoulders rounded; not erect
From this reading “She sat hunched up against the wail, and as she looked like a bundle of rags they did not notice her.”
plural of “jewel” — a precious or semiprecious stone incorporated into a piece of jewelry
From this reading “The hag that guarded the jewels was in the room.”
an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading “She sat hunched up against the wail, and as she looked like a bundle of rags they did not notice her.”
plural of “rag” — a small piece of cloth or paper
From this reading “She sat hunched up against the wail, and as she looked like a bundle of rags they did not notice her.”
emit long loud cries
From this reading “She sat hunched up against the wail, and as she looked like a bundle of rags they did not notice her.”
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 She sat hunched up against the wail, and as she looked like a bundle of rags they did not notice her.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading She sat hunched up against the wail, and as she looked like a bundle of rags they did not notice her.
Having no one else present.
From this reading But they were not alone, although they thought they were.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading But they were not alone, although they thought they were.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She sat hunched up against the wail, and as she looked like a bundle of rags they did not notice her.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Terrible are the things I see,” said she.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading She sat hunched up against the wail, and as she looked like a bundle of rags they did not notice her.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading She began to speak then.
a collection of things wrapped or boxed together
From this reading She sat hunched up against the wail, and as she looked like a bundle of rags they did not notice her.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But they were not alone, although they thought they were.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading She sat hunched up against the wail, and as she looked like a bundle of rags they did not notice her.
prudent
From this reading The hag that guarded the jewels was in the room.
an ugly evil-looking old woman
From this reading The hag that guarded the jewels was in the room.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She sat hunched up against the wail, and as she looked like a bundle of rags they did not notice her.
having the back and shoulders rounded; not erect
From this reading She sat hunched up against the wail, and as she looked like a bundle of rags they did not notice her.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “Terrible are the things I see,” said she.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The hag that guarded the jewels was in the room.
plural of “jewel” — a precious or semiprecious stone incorporated into a piece of jewelry
From this reading The hag that guarded the jewels was in the room.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading She sat hunched up against the wail, and as she looked like a bundle of rags they did not notice her.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading She sat hunched up against the wail, and as she looked like a bundle of rags they did not notice her.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But they were not alone, although they thought they were.
an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading She sat hunched up against the wail, and as she looked like a bundle of rags they did not notice her.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She sat hunched up against the wail, and as she looked like a bundle of rags they did not notice her.
plural of “rag” — a small piece of cloth or paper
From this reading She sat hunched up against the wail, and as she looked like a bundle of rags they did not notice her.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading The hag that guarded the jewels was in the room.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Terrible are the things I see,” said she.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading She sat hunched up against the wail, and as she looked like a bundle of rags they did not notice her.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “Terrible are the things I see,” said she.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She sat hunched up against the wail, and as she looked like a bundle of rags they did not notice her.
express in speech
From this reading She began to speak then.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading “Terrible are the things I see,” said she.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The hag that guarded the jewels was in the room.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The hag that guarded the jewels was in the room.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading She began to speak then.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But they were not alone, although they thought they were.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading “Terrible are the things I see,” said she.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading But they were not alone, although they thought they were.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She began to speak then.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading She sat hunched up against the wail, and as she looked like a bundle of rags they did not notice her.
emit long loud cries
From this reading She sat hunched up against the wail, and as she looked like a bundle of rags they did not notice her.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The hag that guarded the jewels was in the room.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading But they were not alone, although they thought they were.
Chapter 39 of Irish Fairy Tales by James Stephens holds 84 sentences, grouped into 17 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 39 holds 84 sentences of Irish Fairy Tales, unabridged, divided into 17 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 39 of Irish Fairy Tales by James Stephens exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 84 sentences, grouped into 17 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 17 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 17 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 39 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 Irish Fairy Tales by James Stephens on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3329 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2892 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2892, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 277 minutes of reading across 666 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Irish Fairy Tales section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Irish Fairy Tales 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 Irish Fairy Tales, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
