Chapter 1 of Old Lady Mary is here in full — 460 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of Old Lady Mary is here in full — 460 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
OLD LADY MARY. A STORY OF THE SEEN AND THE UNSEEN. She was very old, and therefore it was very hard for her to make up her mind to die. I am aware that this is not at all the general view, but that it is believed, as old age must be near death, that it prepares the soul for that inevitable event. It is not so, however, in many cases.
Chapter 1 of Old Lady Mary is here in full — 460 sentences across 92 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/92 · 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.
(sometimes followed by “of”) having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization or perception
From this reading “I am aware that this is not at all the general view, but that it is believed, as old age must be near death, that it prepares the soul for that inevitable event.”
past form of “believe” — accept as true; take to be true
From this reading “I am aware that this is not at all the general view, but that it is believed, as old age must be near death, that it prepares the soul for that inevitable event.”
plural of “case” — an occurrence of something
From this reading “It is not so, however, in many cases.”
something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading “I am aware that this is not at all the general view, but that it is believed, as old age must be near death, that it prepares the soul for that inevitable event.”
incapable of being avoided or prevented
From this reading “I am aware that this is not at all the general view, but that it is believed, as old age must be near death, that it prepares the soul for that inevitable event.”
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading “OLD LADY MARY.”
third-person singular of “prepare” — make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc
From this reading “I am aware that this is not at all the general view, but that it is believed, as old age must be near death, that it prepares the soul for that inevitable event.”
not seen or perceived
From this reading “A STORY OF THE SEEN AND THE UNSEEN.”
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 A STORY OF THE SEEN AND THE UNSEEN.
how long something has existed
From this reading I am aware that this is not at all the general view, but that it is believed, as old age must be near death, that it prepares the soul for that inevitable event.
(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 I am aware that this is not at all the general view, but that it is believed, as old age must be near death, that it prepares the soul for that inevitable event.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I am aware that this is not at all the general view, but that it is believed, as old age must be near death, that it prepares the soul for that inevitable event.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A STORY OF THE SEEN AND THE UNSEEN.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I am aware that this is not at all the general view, but that it is believed, as old age must be near death, that it prepares the soul for that inevitable event.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I am aware that this is not at all the general view, but that it is believed, as old age must be near death, that it prepares the soul for that inevitable event.
(sometimes followed by “of”) having or showing knowledge or understanding or realization or perception
From this reading I am aware that this is not at all the general view, but that it is believed, as old age must be near death, that it prepares the soul for that inevitable event.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading I am aware that this is not at all the general view, but that it is believed, as old age must be near death, that it prepares the soul for that inevitable event.
past form of “believe” — accept as true; take to be true
From this reading I am aware that this is not at all the general view, but that it is believed, as old age must be near death, that it prepares the soul for that inevitable event.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I am aware that this is not at all the general view, but that it is believed, as old age must be near death, that it prepares the soul for that inevitable event.
plural of “case” — an occurrence of something
From this reading It is not so, however, in many cases.
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading I am aware that this is not at all the general view, but that it is believed, as old age must be near death, that it prepares the soul for that inevitable event.
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading She was very old, and therefore it was very hard for her to make up her mind to die.
something that happens at a given place and time
From this reading I am aware that this is not at all the general view, but that it is believed, as old age must be near death, that it prepares the soul for that inevitable event.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading She was very old, and therefore it was very hard for her to make up her mind to die.
applying to all or most members of a category or group
From this reading I am aware that this is not at all the general view, but that it is believed, as old age must be near death, that it prepares the soul for that inevitable event.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading She was very old, and therefore it was very hard for her to make up her mind to die.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She was very old, and therefore it was very hard for her to make up her mind to die.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading It is not so, however, in many cases.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I am aware that this is not at all the general view, but that it is believed, as old age must be near death, that it prepares the soul for that inevitable event.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It is not so, however, in many cases.
incapable of being avoided or prevented
From this reading I am aware that this is not at all the general view, but that it is believed, as old age must be near death, that it prepares the soul for that inevitable event.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I am aware that this is not at all the general view, but that it is believed, as old age must be near death, that it prepares the soul for that inevitable event.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading She was very old, and therefore it was very hard for her to make up her mind to die.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading OLD LADY MARY.
engage in
From this reading She was very old, and therefore it was very hard for her to make up her mind to die.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading It is not so, however, in many cases.
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading OLD LADY MARY.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading She was very old, and therefore it was very hard for her to make up her mind to die.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading I am aware that this is not at all the general view, but that it is believed, as old age must be near death, that it prepares the soul for that inevitable event.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading I am aware that this is not at all the general view, but that it is believed, as old age must be near death, that it prepares the soul for that inevitable event.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I am aware that this is not at all the general view, but that it is believed, as old age must be near death, that it prepares the soul for that inevitable event.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A STORY OF THE SEEN AND THE UNSEEN.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading OLD LADY MARY.
third-person singular of “prepare” — make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc
From this reading I am aware that this is not at all the general view, but that it is believed, as old age must be near death, that it prepares the soul for that inevitable event.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading A STORY OF THE SEEN AND THE UNSEEN.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was very old, and therefore it was very hard for her to make up her mind to die.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading It is not so, however, in many cases.
the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life
From this reading I am aware that this is not at all the general view, but that it is believed, as old age must be near death, that it prepares the soul for that inevitable event.
a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading A STORY OF THE SEEN AND THE UNSEEN.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading I am aware that this is not at all the general view, but that it is believed, as old age must be near death, that it prepares the soul for that inevitable event.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A STORY OF THE SEEN AND THE UNSEEN.
for that reason; as a result
From this reading She was very old, and therefore it was very hard for her to make up her mind to die.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading I am aware that this is not at all the general view, but that it is believed, as old age must be near death, that it prepares the soul for that inevitable event.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She was very old, and therefore it was very hard for her to make up her mind to die.
not seen or perceived
From this reading A STORY OF THE SEEN AND THE UNSEEN.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading She was very old, and therefore it was very hard for her to make up her mind to die.
precisely as stated
From this reading She was very old, and therefore it was very hard for her to make up her mind to die.
a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
From this reading I am aware that this is not at all the general view, but that it is believed, as old age must be near death, that it prepares the soul for that inevitable event.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She was very old, and therefore it was very hard for her to make up her mind to die.
Chapter 1 of Old Lady Mary by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant holds 460 sentences, grouped into 92 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 1 holds 460 sentences of Old Lady Mary, unabridged, divided into 92 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of Old Lady Mary by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 460 sentences, grouped into 92 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 92 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 92 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 1 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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Yes. All 1321 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #10049 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #10049, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 110 minutes of reading across 265 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Old Lady Mary section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of Old Lady Mary 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 Old Lady Mary, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
