Chapter 23 of Neighbours is here in full — 359 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Neighbours is here in full — 359 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
After the first blank moment of surprise I turned, not to Spoof or "Mrs. Alton" or the boy, but to Jean. There was a momentary tremulousness, but almost instantly Jean had herself under control; she was more the artist than I knew. I began to realize how far her artistry carried. "This _is_ news!" she cried. "When did----" She stopped short.
Chapter 23 of Neighbours is here in full — 359 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/71 · 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.
a person whose creative work shows sensitivity and imagination
From this reading “There was a momentary tremulousness, but almost instantly Jean had herself under control; she was more the artist than I knew.”
a superior skill that you can learn by study and practice and observation
From this reading “I began to realize how far her artistry carried.”
(of a surface) not written or printed on
From this reading “After the first blank moment of surprise I turned, not to Spoof or "Mrs. Alton" or the boy, but to Jean.”
power to direct or determine
From this reading “There was a momentary tremulousness, but almost instantly Jean had herself under control; she was more the artist than I knew.”
a coarse durable twill-weave cotton fabric
From this reading “After the first blank moment of surprise I turned, not to Spoof or "Mrs. Alton" or the boy, but to Jean.”
lasting for a markedly brief time
From this reading “There was a momentary tremulousness, but almost instantly Jean had herself under control; she was more the artist than I knew.”
be fully aware or cognizant of
From this reading “I began to realize how far her artistry carried.”
a composition that imitates or misrepresents somebody's style, usually in a humorous way
From this reading “After the first blank moment of surprise I turned, not to Spoof or "Mrs. Alton" or the boy, but to Jean.”
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 “There was a momentary tremulousness, but almost instantly Jean had herself under control; she was more the artist than I knew.”
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 There was a momentary tremulousness, but almost instantly Jean had herself under control; she was more the artist than I knew.
later than; following
From this reading After the first blank moment of surprise I turned, not to Spoof or "Mrs. Alton" or the boy, but to Jean.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading There was a momentary tremulousness, but almost instantly Jean had herself under control; she was more the artist than I knew.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading After the first blank moment of surprise I turned, not to Spoof or "Mrs. Alton" or the boy, but to Jean.
a person whose creative work shows sensitivity and imagination
From this reading There was a momentary tremulousness, but almost instantly Jean had herself under control; she was more the artist than I knew.
a superior skill that you can learn by study and practice and observation
From this reading I began to realize how far her artistry carried.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading I began to realize how far her artistry carried.
(of a surface) not written or printed on
From this reading After the first blank moment of surprise I turned, not to Spoof or "Mrs. Alton" or the boy, but to Jean.
a youthful male person
From this reading After the first blank moment of surprise I turned, not to Spoof or "Mrs. Alton" or the boy, but to Jean.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading After the first blank moment of surprise I turned, not to Spoof or "Mrs. Alton" or the boy, but to Jean.
inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body
From this reading I began to realize how far her artistry carried.
power to direct or determine
From this reading There was a momentary tremulousness, but almost instantly Jean had herself under control; she was more the artist than I knew.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading "This _is_ news!" she cried.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "When did----" She stopped short.
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading I began to realize how far her artistry carried.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading After the first blank moment of surprise I turned, not to Spoof or "Mrs. Alton" or the boy, but to Jean.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading There was a momentary tremulousness, but almost instantly Jean had herself under control; she was more the artist than I knew.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading I began to realize how far her artistry carried.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading There was a momentary tremulousness, but almost instantly Jean had herself under control; she was more the artist than I knew.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I began to realize how far her artistry carried.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading After the first blank moment of surprise I turned, not to Spoof or "Mrs. Alton" or the boy, but to Jean.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading There was a momentary tremulousness, but almost instantly Jean had herself under control; she was more the artist than I knew.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "This _is_ news!" she cried.
a coarse durable twill-weave cotton fabric
From this reading After the first blank moment of surprise I turned, not to Spoof or "Mrs. Alton" or the boy, but to Jean.
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 There was a momentary tremulousness, but almost instantly Jean had herself under control; she was more the artist than I knew.
a particular point in time
From this reading After the first blank moment of surprise I turned, not to Spoof or "Mrs. Alton" or the boy, but to Jean.
lasting for a markedly brief time
From this reading There was a momentary tremulousness, but almost instantly Jean had herself under control; she was more the artist than I knew.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading There was a momentary tremulousness, but almost instantly Jean had herself under control; she was more the artist than I knew.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading After the first blank moment of surprise I turned, not to Spoof or "Mrs. Alton" or the boy, but to Jean.
information about recent and important events
From this reading "This _is_ news!" she cried.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading After the first blank moment of surprise I turned, not to Spoof or "Mrs. Alton" or the boy, but to Jean.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading After the first blank moment of surprise I turned, not to Spoof or "Mrs. Alton" or the boy, but to Jean.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading After the first blank moment of surprise I turned, not to Spoof or "Mrs. Alton" or the boy, but to Jean.
be fully aware or cognizant of
From this reading I began to realize how far her artistry carried.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading There was a momentary tremulousness, but almost instantly Jean had herself under control; she was more the artist than I knew.
primarily temporal sense; indicating or being or seeming to be limited in duration
From this reading "When did----" She stopped short.
a composition that imitates or misrepresents somebody's style, usually in a humorous way
From this reading After the first blank moment of surprise I turned, not to Spoof or "Mrs. Alton" or the boy, but to Jean.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading "When did----" She stopped short.
the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you
From this reading After the first blank moment of surprise I turned, not to Spoof or "Mrs. Alton" or the boy, but to Jean.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading There was a momentary tremulousness, but almost instantly Jean had herself under control; she was more the artist than I knew.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading After the first blank moment of surprise I turned, not to Spoof or "Mrs. Alton" or the boy, but to Jean.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a momentary tremulousness, but almost instantly Jean had herself under control; she was more the artist than I knew.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "This _is_ news!" she cried.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading After the first blank moment of surprise I turned, not to Spoof or "Mrs. Alton" or the boy, but to Jean.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was a momentary tremulousness, but almost instantly Jean had herself under control; she was more the artist than I knew.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading After the first blank moment of surprise I turned, not to Spoof or "Mrs. Alton" or the boy, but to Jean.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading There was a momentary tremulousness, but almost instantly Jean had herself under control; she was more the artist than I knew.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was a momentary tremulousness, but almost instantly Jean had herself under control; she was more the artist than I knew.
at the time that
From this reading "When did----" She stopped short.
Chapter 23 of Neighbours by Robert J. C. Stead holds 359 sentences, grouped into 72 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 359 sentences of Neighbours, unabridged, divided into 72 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Neighbours by Robert J. C. Stead exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 359 sentences, grouped into 72 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 72 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 72 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 Neighbours by Robert J. C. Stead on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5202 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35478 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #35478, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 433 minutes of reading across 1041 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Neighbours section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of Neighbours 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 Neighbours, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
