Chapter 21 of Mary Olivier: a Life is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of Mary Olivier: a Life is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Uncle Victor's letter came on the day when the gentians flowered. One minute Mamma had been happy, the next she was crying. When you saw her with the letter you knew. Uncle Victor was sending Dan home. Dan was no good at the office; he had been drinking since Roddy died.
Chapter 21 of Mary Olivier: a Life is here in full — 413 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
demanding attention
From this reading “One minute Mamma had been happy, the next she was crying.”
the act of consuming liquids
From this reading “Dan was no good at the office; he had been drinking since Roddy died.”
resembling or made of or suggestive of flowers
From this reading “Uncle Victor's letter came on the day when the gentians flowered.”
informal terms for a mother
From this reading “One minute Mamma had been happy, the next she was crying.”
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading “One minute Mamma had been happy, the next she was crying.”
the act of causing something to go (especially messages)
From this reading “Uncle Victor was sending Dan home.”
a combatant who is able to defeat rivals
From this reading “Uncle Victor's letter came on the day when the gentians flowered.”
possessive form of “victor” — a combatant who is able to defeat rivals
From this reading “Uncle Victor's letter came on the day when the gentians flowered.”
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.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Dan was no good at the office; he had been drinking since Roddy died.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading One minute Mamma had been happy, the next she was crying.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Uncle Victor's letter came on the day when the gentians flowered.
demanding attention
From this reading One minute Mamma had been happy, the next she was crying.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Uncle Victor was sending Dan home.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading Uncle Victor's letter came on the day when the gentians flowered.
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading Dan was no good at the office; he had been drinking since Roddy died.
the act of consuming liquids
From this reading Dan was no good at the office; he had been drinking since Roddy died.
resembling or made of or suggestive of flowers
From this reading Uncle Victor's letter came on the day when the gentians flowered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Uncle Victor's letter came on the day when the gentians flowered.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Dan was no good at the office; he had been drinking since Roddy died.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading One minute Mamma had been happy, the next she was crying.
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading One minute Mamma had been happy, the next she was crying.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Dan was no good at the office; he had been drinking since Roddy died.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading When you saw her with the letter you knew.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Uncle Victor was sending Dan home.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading When you saw her with the letter you knew.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading Uncle Victor's letter came on the day when the gentians flowered.
informal terms for a mother
From this reading One minute Mamma had been happy, the next she was crying.
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading One minute Mamma had been happy, the next she was crying.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading One minute Mamma had been happy, the next she was crying.
not any; not one
From this reading Dan was no good at the office; he had been drinking since Roddy died.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading Dan was no good at the office; he had been drinking since Roddy died.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Uncle Victor's letter came on the day when the gentians flowered.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One minute Mamma had been happy, the next she was crying.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Dan was no good at the office; he had been drinking since Roddy died.
cut with a saw
From this reading When you saw her with the letter you knew.
the act of causing something to go (especially messages)
From this reading Uncle Victor was sending Dan home.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading One minute Mamma had been happy, the next she was crying.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading Dan was no good at the office; he had been drinking since Roddy died.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Uncle Victor's letter came on the day when the gentians flowered.
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading Uncle Victor's letter came on the day when the gentians flowered.
a combatant who is able to defeat rivals
From this reading Uncle Victor was sending Dan home.
possessive form of “victor” — a combatant who is able to defeat rivals
From this reading Uncle Victor's letter came on the day when the gentians flowered.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading One minute Mamma had been happy, the next she was crying.
at the time that
From this reading Uncle Victor's letter came on the day when the gentians flowered.
in the company of; together with
From this reading When you saw her with the letter you knew.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading When you saw her with the letter you knew.
Chapter 21 of Mary Olivier: a Life by May Sinclair holds 413 sentences, grouped into 83 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 21 holds 413 sentences of Mary Olivier: a Life, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of Mary Olivier: a Life by May Sinclair exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 413 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 21 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 Mary Olivier: a Life by May Sinclair on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 11459 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9366 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9366, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2292 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mary Olivier: a Life section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of Mary Olivier: a Life 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 Mary Olivier: a Life, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
