Chapter 23 of "My Novel" — Volume 03 is here in full — 58 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of "My Novel" — Volume 03 is here in full — 58 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The squire staggered as if the breath had been knocked out of him, and, for want of a better seat, sat down on the stocks. All the female heads in the neighbouring cottages peered, themselves unseen, through the casements. What could the squire be about? What new mischief did he meditate? Did he mean to fortify the stocks?
Chapter 23 of "My Novel" — Volume 03 is here in full — 58 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/11 · 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.
plural of “cottage” — a small house with a single story
From this reading “All the female heads in the neighbouring cottages peered, themselves unseen, through the casements.”
make strong or stronger
From this reading “Did he mean to fortify the stocks?”
reflect deeply on a subject
From this reading “What new mischief did he meditate?”
-ing form of “neighbour” — live or be located as a neighbor
From this reading “All the female heads in the neighbouring cottages peered, themselves unseen, through the casements.”
past form of “peer” — look searchingly
From this reading “All the female heads in the neighbouring cottages peered, themselves unseen, through the casements.”
past form of “stagger” — walk as if unable to control one's movements
From this reading “The squire staggered as if the breath had been knocked out of him, and, for want of a better seat, sat down on the stocks.”
a frame that supports a boat while it is under construction
From this reading “The squire staggered as if the breath had been knocked out of him, and, for want of a better seat, sat down on the stocks.”
not seen or perceived
From this reading “All the female heads in the neighbouring cottages peered, themselves unseen, through the casements.”
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 The squire staggered as if the breath had been knocked out of him, and, for want of a better seat, sat down on the stocks.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading What could the squire be about?
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading All the female heads in the neighbouring cottages peered, themselves unseen, through the casements.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The squire staggered as if the breath had been knocked out of him, and, for want of a better seat, sat down on the stocks.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The squire staggered as if the breath had been knocked out of him, and, for want of a better seat, sat down on the stocks.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading What could the squire be about?
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The squire staggered as if the breath had been knocked out of him, and, for want of a better seat, sat down on the stocks.
(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 The squire staggered as if the breath had been knocked out of him, and, for want of a better seat, sat down on the stocks.
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading The squire staggered as if the breath had been knocked out of him, and, for want of a better seat, sat down on the stocks.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading All the female heads in the neighbouring cottages peered, themselves unseen, through the casements.
plural of “cottage” — a small house with a single story
From this reading All the female heads in the neighbouring cottages peered, themselves unseen, through the casements.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading What could the squire be about?
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading What new mischief did he meditate?
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading The squire staggered as if the breath had been knocked out of him, and, for want of a better seat, sat down on the stocks.
being the sex (of plant or animal) that produces fertilizable gametes (ova) from which offspring develop
From this reading All the female heads in the neighbouring cottages peered, themselves unseen, through the casements.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The squire staggered as if the breath had been knocked out of him, and, for want of a better seat, sat down on the stocks.
make strong or stronger
From this reading Did he mean to fortify the stocks?
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The squire staggered as if the breath had been knocked out of him, and, for want of a better seat, sat down on the stocks.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading What new mischief did he meditate?
plural of “head” — the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading All the female heads in the neighbouring cottages peered, themselves unseen, through the casements.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The squire staggered as if the breath had been knocked out of him, and, for want of a better seat, sat down on the stocks.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading The squire staggered as if the breath had been knocked out of him, and, for want of a better seat, sat down on the stocks.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading All the female heads in the neighbouring cottages peered, themselves unseen, through the casements.
past form of “knock” — deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading The squire staggered as if the breath had been knocked out of him, and, for want of a better seat, sat down on the stocks.
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading Did he mean to fortify the stocks?
reflect deeply on a subject
From this reading What new mischief did he meditate?
reckless or malicious behavior that causes discomfort or annoyance in others
From this reading What new mischief did he meditate?
-ing form of “neighbour” — live or be located as a neighbor
From this reading All the female heads in the neighbouring cottages peered, themselves unseen, through the casements.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading What new mischief did he meditate?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The squire staggered as if the breath had been knocked out of him, and, for want of a better seat, sat down on the stocks.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The squire staggered as if the breath had been knocked out of him, and, for want of a better seat, sat down on the stocks.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The squire staggered as if the breath had been knocked out of him, and, for want of a better seat, sat down on the stocks.
past form of “peer” — look searchingly
From this reading All the female heads in the neighbouring cottages peered, themselves unseen, through the casements.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading The squire staggered as if the breath had been knocked out of him, and, for want of a better seat, sat down on the stocks.
a space reserved for sitting (as in a theater or on a train or airplane)
From this reading The squire staggered as if the breath had been knocked out of him, and, for want of a better seat, sat down on the stocks.
young nobleman attendant on a knight
From this reading The squire staggered as if the breath had been knocked out of him, and, for want of a better seat, sat down on the stocks.
past form of “stagger” — walk as if unable to control one's movements
From this reading The squire staggered as if the breath had been knocked out of him, and, for want of a better seat, sat down on the stocks.
a frame that supports a boat while it is under construction
From this reading The squire staggered as if the breath had been knocked out of him, and, for want of a better seat, sat down on the stocks.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The squire staggered as if the breath had been knocked out of him, and, for want of a better seat, sat down on the stocks.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading All the female heads in the neighbouring cottages peered, themselves unseen, through the casements.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading All the female heads in the neighbouring cottages peered, themselves unseen, through the casements.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Did he mean to fortify the stocks?
not seen or perceived
From this reading All the female heads in the neighbouring cottages peered, themselves unseen, through the casements.
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading The squire staggered as if the breath had been knocked out of him, and, for want of a better seat, sat down on the stocks.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What could the squire be about?
Chapter 23 of "My Novel" — Volume 03 by Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron Lytton holds 58 sentences, grouped into 12 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 58 sentences of "My Novel" — Volume 03, unabridged, divided into 12 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of "My Novel" — Volume 03 by Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron Lytton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 58 sentences, grouped into 12 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 12 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 12 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.
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Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through "My Novel" — Volume 03 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in "My Novel" — Volume 03, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
