Chapter 23 of Olivia is here in full — 169 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Olivia is here in full — 169 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AT THE ALTAR. The morning broke as brightly as even the most superstitious of brides could desire. Annie and Mary knocked softly at Olivia’s door as the first bell rang, and Olivia opened the door herself, fully dressed in her plain morning-frock. “Why, dear,” they exclaimed, “up already, and dressed, too! We were afraid we should wake you.”
Chapter 23 of Olivia is here in full — 169 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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 table in Christian churches where communion is given
From this reading “AT THE ALTAR.”
plural of “bride” — a woman who has recently been married
From this reading “The morning broke as brightly as even the most superstitious of brides could desire.”
with brightness
From this reading “The morning broke as brightly as even the most superstitious of brides could desire.”
to the greatest degree or extent; completely or entirely; (“full” in this sense is used as a combining form)
From this reading “Annie and Mary knocked softly at Olivia’s door as the first bell rang, and Olivia opened the door herself, fully dressed in her plain morning-frock.”
past form of “knock” — deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading “Annie and Mary knocked softly at Olivia’s door as the first bell rang, and Olivia opened the door herself, fully dressed in her plain morning-frock.”
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading “Annie and Mary knocked softly at Olivia’s door as the first bell rang, and Olivia opened the door herself, fully dressed in her plain morning-frock.”
showing ignorance of the laws of nature and faith in magic or chance
From this reading “The morning broke as brightly as even the most superstitious of brides could desire.”
be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading “We were afraid we should wake you.””
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 “Annie and Mary knocked softly at Olivia’s door as the first bell rang, and Olivia opened the door herself, fully dressed in her plain morning-frock.”
In this reading “Annie and Mary knocked softly at Olivia’s door as the first bell rang, and Olivia opened the door herself, fully dressed in her plain morning-frock.”
In this reading “AT THE ALTAR.”
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.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading We were afraid we should wake you.”
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading “Why, dear,” they exclaimed, “up already, and dressed, too!
the table in Christian churches where communion is given
From this reading AT THE ALTAR.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Annie and Mary knocked softly at Olivia’s door as the first bell rang, and Olivia opened the door herself, fully dressed in her plain morning-frock.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Annie and Mary knocked softly at Olivia’s door as the first bell rang, and Olivia opened the door herself, fully dressed in her plain morning-frock.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The morning broke as brightly as even the most superstitious of brides could desire.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading AT THE ALTAR.
a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading Annie and Mary knocked softly at Olivia’s door as the first bell rang, and Olivia opened the door herself, fully dressed in her plain morning-frock.
plural of “bride” — a woman who has recently been married
From this reading The morning broke as brightly as even the most superstitious of brides could desire.
with brightness
From this reading The morning broke as brightly as even the most superstitious of brides could desire.
lacking funds
From this reading The morning broke as brightly as even the most superstitious of brides could desire.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading The morning broke as brightly as even the most superstitious of brides could desire.
dearly loved
From this reading “Why, dear,” they exclaimed, “up already, and dressed, too!
the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state
From this reading The morning broke as brightly as even the most superstitious of brides could desire.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Annie and Mary knocked softly at Olivia’s door as the first bell rang, and Olivia opened the door herself, fully dressed in her plain morning-frock.
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading Annie and Mary knocked softly at Olivia’s door as the first bell rang, and Olivia opened the door herself, fully dressed in her plain morning-frock.
divisible by two
From this reading The morning broke as brightly as even the most superstitious of brides could desire.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “Why, dear,” they exclaimed, “up already, and dressed, too!
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Annie and Mary knocked softly at Olivia’s door as the first bell rang, and Olivia opened the door herself, fully dressed in her plain morning-frock.
to the greatest degree or extent; completely or entirely; (“full” in this sense is used as a combining form)
From this reading Annie and Mary knocked softly at Olivia’s door as the first bell rang, and Olivia opened the door herself, fully dressed in her plain morning-frock.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Annie and Mary knocked softly at Olivia’s door as the first bell rang, and Olivia opened the door herself, fully dressed in her plain morning-frock.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading Annie and Mary knocked softly at Olivia’s door as the first bell rang, and Olivia opened the door herself, fully dressed in her plain morning-frock.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Annie and Mary knocked softly at Olivia’s door as the first bell rang, and Olivia opened the door herself, fully dressed in her plain morning-frock.
past form of “knock” — deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading Annie and Mary knocked softly at Olivia’s door as the first bell rang, and Olivia opened the door herself, fully dressed in her plain morning-frock.
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading Annie and Mary knocked softly at Olivia’s door as the first bell rang, and Olivia opened the door herself, fully dressed in her plain morning-frock.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading The morning broke as brightly as even the most superstitious of brides could desire.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Annie and Mary knocked softly at Olivia’s door as the first bell rang, and Olivia opened the door herself, fully dressed in her plain morning-frock.
used to form the superlative
From this reading The morning broke as brightly as even the most superstitious of brides could desire.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The morning broke as brightly as even the most superstitious of brides could desire.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Annie and Mary knocked softly at Olivia’s door as the first bell rang, and Olivia opened the door herself, fully dressed in her plain morning-frock.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Annie and Mary knocked softly at Olivia’s door as the first bell rang, and Olivia opened the door herself, fully dressed in her plain morning-frock.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading Annie and Mary knocked softly at Olivia’s door as the first bell rang, and Olivia opened the door herself, fully dressed in her plain morning-frock.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading Annie and Mary knocked softly at Olivia’s door as the first bell rang, and Olivia opened the door herself, fully dressed in her plain morning-frock.
inflected form of “ring” — sound loudly and sonorously
From this reading Annie and Mary knocked softly at Olivia’s door as the first bell rang, and Olivia opened the door herself, fully dressed in her plain morning-frock.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading We were afraid we should wake you.”
with low volume
From this reading Annie and Mary knocked softly at Olivia’s door as the first bell rang, and Olivia opened the door herself, fully dressed in her plain morning-frock.
showing ignorance of the laws of nature and faith in magic or chance
From this reading The morning broke as brightly as even the most superstitious of brides could desire.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AT THE ALTAR.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Why, dear,” they exclaimed, “up already, and dressed, too!
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading “Why, dear,” they exclaimed, “up already, and dressed, too!
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “Why, dear,” they exclaimed, “up already, and dressed, too!
be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading We were afraid we should wake you.”
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We were afraid we should wake you.”
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading We were afraid we should wake you.”
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Why, dear,” they exclaimed, “up already, and dressed, too!
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading We were afraid we should wake you.”
Chapter 23 of Olivia by Charles Garvice holds 169 sentences, grouped into 34 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 169 sentences of Olivia, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Olivia by Charles Garvice exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 169 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 Olivia by Charles Garvice on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8972 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #70446 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #70446, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1795 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Olivia section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 38 chapters of Olivia 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 Olivia, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
