Chapter 23 of Nancy: A Novel is here in full — 232 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Nancy: A Novel is here in full — 232 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
How are unmusical people to express themselves when they are glad? People with an ear and a voice can sing, but what is to become of those who have not? Must they whoop inarticulately? For myself, I do not know one tune from another. I am like the man who said that he knew two tunes, one was "God save the Queen," and the other was not.
Chapter 23 of Nancy: A Novel is here in full — 232 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/46 · 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.
the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading “People with an ear and a voice can sing, but what is to become of those who have not?”
give expression to
From this reading “How are unmusical people to express themselves when they are glad?”
the only fertile female in a colony of social insects such as bees and ants and termites; its function is to lay eggs
From this reading “I am like the man who said that he knew two tunes, one was "God save the Queen," and the other was not.”
except for; apart from
From this reading “I am like the man who said that he knew two tunes, one was "God save the Queen," and the other was not.”
deliver by singing
From this reading “People with an ear and a voice can sing, but what is to become of those who have not?”
a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence
From this reading “For myself, I do not know one tune from another.”
plural of “tune” — a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence
From this reading “I am like the man who said that he knew two tunes, one was "God save the Queen," and the other was not.”
shout, as if with joy or enthusiasm
From this reading “Must they whoop inarticulately?”
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 People with an ear and a voice can sing, but what is to become of those who have not?
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I am like the man who said that he knew two tunes, one was "God save the Queen," and the other was not.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading People with an ear and a voice can sing, but what is to become of those who have not?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading People with an ear and a voice can sing, but what is to become of those who have not?
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading For myself, I do not know one tune from another.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading How are unmusical people to express themselves when they are glad?
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading People with an ear and a voice can sing, but what is to become of those who have not?
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading People with an ear and a voice can sing, but what is to become of those who have not?
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading People with an ear and a voice can sing, but what is to become of those who have not?
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading For myself, I do not know one tune from another.
the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading People with an ear and a voice can sing, but what is to become of those who have not?
give expression to
From this reading How are unmusical people to express themselves when they are glad?
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For myself, I do not know one tune from another.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading For myself, I do not know one tune from another.
showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy
From this reading How are unmusical people to express themselves when they are glad?
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading I am like the man who said that he knew two tunes, one was "God save the Queen," and the other was not.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading People with an ear and a voice can sing, but what is to become of those who have not?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I am like the man who said that he knew two tunes, one was "God save the Queen," and the other was not.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How are unmusical people to express themselves when they are glad?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading For myself, I do not know one tune from another.
without eloquence; in an inarticulate manner
From this reading Must they whoop inarticulately?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading People with an ear and a voice can sing, but what is to become of those who have not?
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 I am like the man who said that he knew two tunes, one was "God save the Queen," and the other was not.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading For myself, I do not know one tune from another.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading I am like the man who said that he knew two tunes, one was "God save the Queen," and the other was not.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading I am like the man who said that he knew two tunes, one was "God save the Queen," and the other was not.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading Must they whoop inarticulately?
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading For myself, I do not know one tune from another.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading People with an ear and a voice can sing, but what is to become of those who have not?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading People with an ear and a voice can sing, but what is to become of those who have not?
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading For myself, I do not know one tune from another.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading I am like the man who said that he knew two tunes, one was "God save the Queen," and the other was not.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading How are unmusical people to express themselves when they are glad?
the only fertile female in a colony of social insects such as bees and ants and termites; its function is to lay eggs
From this reading I am like the man who said that he knew two tunes, one was "God save the Queen," and the other was not.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading I am like the man who said that he knew two tunes, one was "God save the Queen," and the other was not.
except for; apart from
From this reading I am like the man who said that he knew two tunes, one was "God save the Queen," and the other was not.
deliver by singing
From this reading People with an ear and a voice can sing, but what is to become of those who have not?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I am like the man who said that he knew two tunes, one was "God save the Queen," and the other was not.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I am like the man who said that he knew two tunes, one was "God save the Queen," and the other was not.
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading How are unmusical people to express themselves when they are glad?
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading How are unmusical people to express themselves when they are glad?
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading People with an ear and a voice can sing, but what is to become of those who have not?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading How are unmusical people to express themselves when they are glad?
a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence
From this reading For myself, I do not know one tune from another.
plural of “tune” — a succession of notes forming a distinctive sequence
From this reading I am like the man who said that he knew two tunes, one was "God save the Queen," and the other was not.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading I am like the man who said that he knew two tunes, one was "God save the Queen," and the other was not.
lacking interest in or talent for music
From this reading How are unmusical people to express themselves when they are glad?
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading People with an ear and a voice can sing, but what is to become of those who have not?
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I am like the man who said that he knew two tunes, one was "God save the Queen," and the other was not.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading People with an ear and a voice can sing, but what is to become of those who have not?
at the time that
From this reading How are unmusical people to express themselves when they are glad?
which person or people
From this reading People with an ear and a voice can sing, but what is to become of those who have not?
shout, as if with joy or enthusiasm
From this reading Must they whoop inarticulately?
in the company of; together with
From this reading People with an ear and a voice can sing, but what is to become of those who have not?
Chapter 23 of Nancy: A Novel by Rhoda Broughton holds 232 sentences, grouped into 47 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 232 sentences of Nancy: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Nancy: A Novel by Rhoda Broughton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 232 sentences, grouped into 47 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 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 47 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 Nancy: A Novel by Rhoda Broughton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7184 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12304 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12304, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 598 minutes of reading across 1437 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Nancy: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Nancy: A Novel 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 Nancy: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
