Chapter 10 of It May Be True, Vol. 2 (of 3) is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter X
Chapter 10 of It May Be True, Vol. 2 (of 3) is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
JANE. "Oh, memory, creature of the past! Why dost thou haunt me still? Why thy dark shadow o'er me cast, My better thoughts to chill? I spread my fingers to the sun, No stain of blood is there; Yet oh! that age might see undone, The deeds that youth would dare!"
Chapter 10 of It May Be True, Vol. 2 (of 3) is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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.
coldness due to a cold environment
From this reading “Why thy dark shadow o'er me cast, My better thoughts to chill?”
performance of moral or religious acts
From this reading “I spread my fingers to the sun, No stain of blood is there; Yet oh! that age might see undone, The deeds that youth would dare!"”
an old form of “do”, used with “thou”
From this reading “Why dost thou haunt me still?”
follow stealthily or recur constantly and spontaneously to
From this reading “Why dost thou haunt me still?”
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading “Why thy dark shadow o'er me cast, My better thoughts to chill?”
distribute or disperse widely
From this reading “I spread my fingers to the sun, No stain of blood is there; Yet oh! that age might see undone, The deeds that youth would dare!"”
a soiled or discolored appearance
From this reading “I spread my fingers to the sun, No stain of blood is there; Yet oh! that age might see undone, The deeds that youth would dare!"”
not done
From this reading “I spread my fingers to the sun, No stain of blood is there; Yet oh! that age might see undone, The deeds that youth would dare!"”
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 “Why thy dark shadow o'er me cast, My better thoughts to chill?”
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.
how long something has existed
From this reading I spread my fingers to the sun, No stain of blood is there; Yet oh! that age might see undone, The deeds that youth would dare!"
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading Why thy dark shadow o'er me cast, My better thoughts to chill?
The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.
From this reading I spread my fingers to the sun, No stain of blood is there; Yet oh! that age might see undone, The deeds that youth would dare!"
put or send forth
From this reading Why thy dark shadow o'er me cast, My better thoughts to chill?
coldness due to a cold environment
From this reading Why thy dark shadow o'er me cast, My better thoughts to chill?
a living organism characterized by voluntary movement
From this reading "Oh, memory, creature of the past!
take upon oneself; act presumptuously, without permission
From this reading I spread my fingers to the sun, No stain of blood is there; Yet oh! that age might see undone, The deeds that youth would dare!"
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Why thy dark shadow o'er me cast, My better thoughts to chill?
performance of moral or religious acts
From this reading I spread my fingers to the sun, No stain of blood is there; Yet oh! that age might see undone, The deeds that youth would dare!"
an old form of “do”, used with “thou”
From this reading Why dost thou haunt me still?
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading I spread my fingers to the sun, No stain of blood is there; Yet oh! that age might see undone, The deeds that youth would dare!"
follow stealthily or recur constantly and spontaneously to
From this reading Why dost thou haunt me still?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I spread my fingers to the sun, No stain of blood is there; Yet oh! that age might see undone, The deeds that youth would dare!"
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I spread my fingers to the sun, No stain of blood is there; Yet oh! that age might see undone, The deeds that youth would dare!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading JANE.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Why dost thou haunt me still?
The faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information and knowledge.
From this reading "Oh, memory, creature of the past!
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading I spread my fingers to the sun, No stain of blood is there; Yet oh! that age might see undone, The deeds that youth would dare!"
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Why thy dark shadow o'er me cast, My better thoughts to chill?
not any; not one
From this reading I spread my fingers to the sun, No stain of blood is there; Yet oh! that age might see undone, The deeds that youth would dare!"
throughout a period of time
From this reading Why thy dark shadow o'er me cast, My better thoughts to chill?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Oh, memory, creature of the past!
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, memory, creature of the past!
the time that has elapsed
From this reading "Oh, memory, creature of the past!
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I spread my fingers to the sun, No stain of blood is there; Yet oh! that age might see undone, The deeds that youth would dare!"
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading Why thy dark shadow o'er me cast, My better thoughts to chill?
distribute or disperse widely
From this reading I spread my fingers to the sun, No stain of blood is there; Yet oh! that age might see undone, The deeds that youth would dare!"
a soiled or discolored appearance
From this reading I spread my fingers to the sun, No stain of blood is there; Yet oh! that age might see undone, The deeds that youth would dare!"
not in physical motion
From this reading Why dost thou haunt me still?
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading I spread my fingers to the sun, No stain of blood is there; Yet oh! that age might see undone, The deeds that youth would dare!"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I spread my fingers to the sun, No stain of blood is there; Yet oh! that age might see undone, The deeds that youth would dare!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Oh, memory, creature of the past!
in or at that place or location
From this reading I spread my fingers to the sun, No stain of blood is there; Yet oh! that age might see undone, The deeds that youth would dare!"
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading Why dost thou haunt me still?
plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading Why thy dark shadow o'er me cast, My better thoughts to chill?
an old word for “your”, speaking to one person
From this reading Why thy dark shadow o'er me cast, My better thoughts to chill?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Why thy dark shadow o'er me cast, My better thoughts to chill?
not done
From this reading I spread my fingers to the sun, No stain of blood is there; Yet oh! that age might see undone, The deeds that youth would dare!"
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why dost thou haunt me still?
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading I spread my fingers to the sun, No stain of blood is there; Yet oh! that age might see undone, The deeds that youth would dare!"
but in spite of that
From this reading I spread my fingers to the sun, No stain of blood is there; Yet oh! that age might see undone, The deeds that youth would dare!"
a young person (especially a young man or boy)
From this reading I spread my fingers to the sun, No stain of blood is there; Yet oh! that age might see undone, The deeds that youth would dare!"
Chapter 10 of It May Be True, Vol. 2 (of 3) by Henry, Mrs. Wood holds 156 sentences, grouped into 32 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 10 holds 156 sentences of It May Be True, Vol. 2 (of 3), unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of It May Be True, Vol. 2 (of 3) by Henry, Mrs. Wood exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 156 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 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.
Common questions about reading It May Be True, Vol. 2 (of 3) by Henry, Mrs. Wood on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2767 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39192 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #39192, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 230 minutes of reading across 554 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through It May Be True, Vol. 2 (of 3) section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 12 chapters of It May Be True, Vol. 2 (of 3) 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 It May Be True, Vol. 2 (of 3), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
