Chapter 23 of Mistress Nancy Molesworth is here in full — 321 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Mistress Nancy Molesworth is here in full — 321 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
IN WHICH IT IS SHOWN THAT UNCLE ANTHONY WAS MORE THAN A DROLL. As may be imagined, Adam's message excited me much. What purpose had Colman Killigrew in coming to Restormel so late at night? And Otho, what was the meaning of his being present? Had either of them any suspicion of my whereabouts?
Chapter 23 of Mistress Nancy Molesworth is here in full — 321 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/64 · 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.
possessive form of “adam” — (Old Testament) in Judeo-Christian mythology; the first man and the husband of Eve and the progenitor of the human race
From this reading “As may be imagined, Adam's message excited me much.”
Roman general under Julius Caesar in the Gallic wars; repudiated his wife for the Egyptian queen Cleopatra; they were defeated by Octavian at Actium (83-30 BC)
From this reading “IN WHICH IT IS SHOWN THAT UNCLE ANTHONY WAS MORE THAN A DROLL.”
comical in an odd or whimsical manner
From this reading “IN WHICH IT IS SHOWN THAT UNCLE ANTHONY WAS MORE THAN A DROLL.”
(of persons) excessively affected by emotion
From this reading “As may be imagined, Adam's message excited me much.”
past form of “imagine” — form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case
From this reading “As may be imagined, Adam's message excited me much.”
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading “As may be imagined, Adam's message excited me much.”
an impression that something might be the case
From this reading “Had either of them any suspicion of my whereabouts?”
the general location where something is
From this reading “Had either of them any suspicion of my whereabouts?”
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 “Had either of them any suspicion of my whereabouts?”
In this reading “What purpose had Colman Killigrew in coming to Restormel so late at night?”
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 IN WHICH IT IS SHOWN THAT UNCLE ANTHONY WAS MORE THAN A DROLL.
possessive form of “adam” — (Old Testament) in Judeo-Christian mythology; the first man and the husband of Eve and the progenitor of the human race
From this reading As may be imagined, Adam's message excited me much.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And Otho, what was the meaning of his being present?
Roman general under Julius Caesar in the Gallic wars; repudiated his wife for the Egyptian queen Cleopatra; they were defeated by Octavian at Actium (83-30 BC)
From this reading IN WHICH IT IS SHOWN THAT UNCLE ANTHONY WAS MORE THAN A DROLL.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Had either of them any suspicion of my whereabouts?
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As may be imagined, Adam's message excited me much.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading What purpose had Colman Killigrew in coming to Restormel so late at night?
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading As may be imagined, Adam's message excited me much.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading And Otho, what was the meaning of his being present?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What purpose had Colman Killigrew in coming to Restormel so late at night?
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading What purpose had Colman Killigrew in coming to Restormel so late at night?
comical in an odd or whimsical manner
From this reading IN WHICH IT IS SHOWN THAT UNCLE ANTHONY WAS MORE THAN A DROLL.
one or the other of two
From this reading Had either of them any suspicion of my whereabouts?
(of persons) excessively affected by emotion
From this reading As may be imagined, Adam's message excited me much.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading What purpose had Colman Killigrew in coming to Restormel so late at night?
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading And Otho, what was the meaning of his being present?
past form of “imagine” — form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case
From this reading As may be imagined, Adam's message excited me much.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN WHICH IT IS SHOWN THAT UNCLE ANTHONY WAS MORE THAN A DROLL.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading IN WHICH IT IS SHOWN THAT UNCLE ANTHONY WAS MORE THAN A DROLL.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading IN WHICH IT IS SHOWN THAT UNCLE ANTHONY WAS MORE THAN A DROLL.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What purpose had Colman Killigrew in coming to Restormel so late at night?
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading What purpose had Colman Killigrew in coming to Restormel so late at night?
used to say something is possible, or to give permission
From this reading As may be imagined, Adam's message excited me much.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading As may be imagined, Adam's message excited me much.
the message that is intended or expressed or signified
From this reading And Otho, what was the meaning of his being present?
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading As may be imagined, Adam's message excited me much.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading IN WHICH IT IS SHOWN THAT UNCLE ANTHONY WAS MORE THAN A DROLL.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading As may be imagined, Adam's message excited me much.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Had either of them any suspicion of my whereabouts?
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading What purpose had Colman Killigrew in coming to Restormel so late at night?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading And Otho, what was the meaning of his being present?
French pope from 1088 to 1099 whose sermons called for the First Crusade (1042-1099)
From this reading And Otho, what was the meaning of his being present?
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading And Otho, what was the meaning of his being present?
an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading What purpose had Colman Killigrew in coming to Restormel so late at night?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading What purpose had Colman Killigrew in coming to Restormel so late at night?
inflected form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading IN WHICH IT IS SHOWN THAT UNCLE ANTHONY WAS MORE THAN A DROLL.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading What purpose had Colman Killigrew in coming to Restormel so late at night?
an impression that something might be the case
From this reading Had either of them any suspicion of my whereabouts?
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading IN WHICH IT IS SHOWN THAT UNCLE ANTHONY WAS MORE THAN A DROLL.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading IN WHICH IT IS SHOWN THAT UNCLE ANTHONY WAS MORE THAN A DROLL.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading And Otho, what was the meaning of his being present?
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Had either of them any suspicion of my whereabouts?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading What purpose had Colman Killigrew in coming to Restormel so late at night?
the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt
From this reading IN WHICH IT IS SHOWN THAT UNCLE ANTHONY WAS MORE THAN A DROLL.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading IN WHICH IT IS SHOWN THAT UNCLE ANTHONY WAS MORE THAN A DROLL.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What purpose had Colman Killigrew in coming to Restormel so late at night?
the general location where something is
From this reading Had either of them any suspicion of my whereabouts?
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading IN WHICH IT IS SHOWN THAT UNCLE ANTHONY WAS MORE THAN A DROLL.
Chapter 23 of Mistress Nancy Molesworth by Joseph Hocking holds 321 sentences, grouped into 65 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 23 holds 321 sentences of Mistress Nancy Molesworth, unabridged, divided into 65 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Mistress Nancy Molesworth by Joseph Hocking exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 321 sentences, grouped into 65 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 65 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 65 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 23 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 Mistress Nancy Molesworth by Joseph Hocking on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7824 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54239 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #54239, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1565 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mistress Nancy Molesworth section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of Mistress Nancy Molesworth 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 Mistress Nancy Molesworth, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
