Chapter 5 of Poor, Dear Margaret Kirby is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of Poor, Dear Margaret Kirby is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Nobody stirred. The case had reached the open court, and no little girl present could have given a verdict to save her little soul. "But--but--" the nun was bewildered, "but whoever did wear a surplice for an exhibition dress? I never heard of such a thing!" Something in the silence was suddenly significant.
Chapter 5 of Poor, Dear Margaret Kirby is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
From this reading “"But--but--" the nun was bewildered, "but whoever did wear a surplice for an exhibition dress?”
the act of exhibiting
From this reading “"But--but--" the nun was bewildered, "but whoever did wear a surplice for an exhibition dress?”
no person; not anyone
From this reading “Nobody stirred.”
a woman religious
From this reading “"But--but--" the nun was bewildered, "but whoever did wear a surplice for an exhibition dress?”
important in effect or meaning
From this reading “Something in the silence was suddenly significant.”
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading “Nobody stirred.”
(law) the findings of a jury on issues of fact submitted to it for decision; can be used in formulating a judgment
From this reading “The case had reached the open court, and no little girl present could have given a verdict to save her little soul.”
be dressed in
From this reading “"But--but--" the nun was bewildered, "but whoever did wear a surplice for an exhibition dress?”
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 case had reached the open court, and no little girl present could have given a verdict to save her little soul.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "But--but--" the nun was bewildered, "but whoever did wear a surplice for an exhibition dress?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The case had reached the open court, and no little girl present could have given a verdict to save her little soul.
perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment
From this reading "But--but--" the nun was bewildered, "but whoever did wear a surplice for an exhibition dress?
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But--but--" the nun was bewildered, "but whoever did wear a surplice for an exhibition dress?
an occurrence of something
From this reading The case had reached the open court, and no little girl present could have given a verdict to save her little soul.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading The case had reached the open court, and no little girl present could have given a verdict to save her little soul.
an assembly (including one or more judges) to conduct judicial business
From this reading The case had reached the open court, and no little girl present could have given a verdict to save her little soul.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "But--but--" the nun was bewildered, "but whoever did wear a surplice for an exhibition dress?
put on clothes
From this reading "But--but--" the nun was bewildered, "but whoever did wear a surplice for an exhibition dress?
the act of exhibiting
From this reading "But--but--" the nun was bewildered, "but whoever did wear a surplice for an exhibition dress?
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "But--but--" the nun was bewildered, "but whoever did wear a surplice for an exhibition dress?
a young female
From this reading The case had reached the open court, and no little girl present could have given a verdict to save her little soul.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading The case had reached the open court, and no little girl present could have given a verdict to save her little soul.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The case had reached the open court, and no little girl present could have given a verdict to save her little soul.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The case had reached the open court, and no little girl present could have given a verdict to save her little soul.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading I never heard of such a thing!"
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The case had reached the open court, and no little girl present could have given a verdict to save her little soul.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I never heard of such a thing!"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Something in the silence was suddenly significant.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading The case had reached the open court, and no little girl present could have given a verdict to save her little soul.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading I never heard of such a thing!"
not any; not one
From this reading The case had reached the open court, and no little girl present could have given a verdict to save her little soul.
no person; not anyone
From this reading Nobody stirred.
a woman religious
From this reading "But--but--" the nun was bewildered, "but whoever did wear a surplice for an exhibition dress?
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I never heard of such a thing!"
To move from a closed position.
From this reading The case had reached the open court, and no little girl present could have given a verdict to save her little soul.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading The case had reached the open court, and no little girl present could have given a verdict to save her little soul.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading The case had reached the open court, and no little girl present could have given a verdict to save her little soul.
except for; apart from
From this reading The case had reached the open court, and no little girl present could have given a verdict to save her little soul.
important in effect or meaning
From this reading Something in the silence was suddenly significant.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading Something in the silence was suddenly significant.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Something in the silence was suddenly significant.
the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life
From this reading The case had reached the open court, and no little girl present could have given a verdict to save her little soul.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading Nobody stirred.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading I never heard of such a thing!"
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Something in the silence was suddenly significant.
a loose-fitting white ecclesiastical vestment with wide sleeves
From this reading "But--but--" the nun was bewildered, "but whoever did wear a surplice for an exhibition dress?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The case had reached the open court, and no little girl present could have given a verdict to save her little soul.
a special situation
From this reading I never heard of such a thing!"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The case had reached the open court, and no little girl present could have given a verdict to save her little soul.
(law) the findings of a jury on issues of fact submitted to it for decision; can be used in formulating a judgment
From this reading The case had reached the open court, and no little girl present could have given a verdict to save her little soul.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "But--but--" the nun was bewildered, "but whoever did wear a surplice for an exhibition dress?
be dressed in
From this reading "But--but--" the nun was bewildered, "but whoever did wear a surplice for an exhibition dress?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But--but--" the nun was bewildered, "but whoever did wear a surplice for an exhibition dress?
Chapter 5 of Poor, Dear Margaret Kirby by Kathleen Thompson Norris holds 420 sentences, grouped into 84 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 5 holds 420 sentences of Poor, Dear Margaret Kirby, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of Poor, Dear Margaret Kirby by Kathleen Thompson Norris exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 420 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 5 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 Poor, Dear Margaret Kirby by Kathleen Thompson Norris on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6931 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4348 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4348, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 577 minutes of reading across 1387 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Poor, Dear Margaret Kirby section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of Poor, Dear Margaret Kirby 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 Poor, Dear Margaret Kirby, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
