Chapter 23 of Poor Miss Finch is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Poor Miss Finch is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Here is a tear on the paper. What a fool I am! Why can't I write about something else? I sent my second letter to my father to-day; telling him of Oscar's return from abroad, and taking no notice of his not having replied to my first letter. The only way to manage my father is not to take notice, and to let him come right by himself.
Chapter 23 of Poor Miss Finch is here in full — 412 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
to or in a foreign country
From this reading “I sent my second letter to my father to-day; telling him of Oscar's return from abroad, and taking no notice of his not having replied to my first letter.”
a person who lacks good judgment
From this reading “What a fool I am!”
be successful; achieve a goal
From this reading “The only way to manage my father is not to take notice, and to let him come right by himself.”
an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading “I sent my second letter to my father to-day; telling him of Oscar's return from abroad, and taking no notice of his not having replied to my first letter.”
possessive form of “oscar” — an annual award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for achievements in motion picture production and performance
From this reading “I sent my second letter to my father to-day; telling him of Oscar's return from abroad, and taking no notice of his not having replied to my first letter.”
separate or cause to separate abruptly
From this reading “Here is a tear on the paper.”
disclosing unintentionally something concealed
From this reading “I sent my second letter to my father to-day; telling him of Oscar's return from abroad, and taking no notice of his not having replied to my first letter.”
produce a literary work
From this reading “Why can't I write about something else?”
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 Here is a tear on the paper.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading Why can't I write about something else?
to or in a foreign country
From this reading I sent my second letter to my father to-day; telling him of Oscar's return from abroad, and taking no notice of his not having replied to my first letter.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading What a fool I am!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I sent my second letter to my father to-day; telling him of Oscar's return from abroad, and taking no notice of his not having replied to my first letter.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The only way to manage my father is not to take notice, and to let him come right by himself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Why can't I write about something else?
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The only way to manage my father is not to take notice, and to let him come right by himself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Why can't I write about something else?
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading I sent my second letter to my father to-day; telling him of Oscar's return from abroad, and taking no notice of his not having replied to my first letter.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading I sent my second letter to my father to-day; telling him of Oscar's return from abroad, and taking no notice of his not having replied to my first letter.
a person who lacks good judgment
From this reading What a fool I am!
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading I sent my second letter to my father to-day; telling him of Oscar's return from abroad, and taking no notice of his not having replied to my first letter.
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading I sent my second letter to my father to-day; telling him of Oscar's return from abroad, and taking no notice of his not having replied to my first letter.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Here is a tear on the paper.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I sent my second letter to my father to-day; telling him of Oscar's return from abroad, and taking no notice of his not having replied to my first letter.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading The only way to manage my father is not to take notice, and to let him come right by himself.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading I sent my second letter to my father to-day; telling him of Oscar's return from abroad, and taking no notice of his not having replied to my first letter.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading What a fool I am!
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Here is a tear on the paper.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading The only way to manage my father is not to take notice, and to let him come right by himself.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading I sent my second letter to my father to-day; telling him of Oscar's return from abroad, and taking no notice of his not having replied to my first letter.
be successful; achieve a goal
From this reading The only way to manage my father is not to take notice, and to let him come right by himself.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I sent my second letter to my father to-day; telling him of Oscar's return from abroad, and taking no notice of his not having replied to my first letter.
not any; not one
From this reading I sent my second letter to my father to-day; telling him of Oscar's return from abroad, and taking no notice of his not having replied to my first letter.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I sent my second letter to my father to-day; telling him of Oscar's return from abroad, and taking no notice of his not having replied to my first letter.
an announcement containing information about an event
From this reading I sent my second letter to my father to-day; telling him of Oscar's return from abroad, and taking no notice of his not having replied to my first letter.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I sent my second letter to my father to-day; telling him of Oscar's return from abroad, and taking no notice of his not having replied to my first letter.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Here is a tear on the paper.
and nothing more
From this reading The only way to manage my father is not to take notice, and to let him come right by himself.
possessive form of “oscar” — an annual award by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for achievements in motion picture production and performance
From this reading I sent my second letter to my father to-day; telling him of Oscar's return from abroad, and taking no notice of his not having replied to my first letter.
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading Here is a tear on the paper.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading I sent my second letter to my father to-day; telling him of Oscar's return from abroad, and taking no notice of his not having replied to my first letter.
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading I sent my second letter to my father to-day; telling him of Oscar's return from abroad, and taking no notice of his not having replied to my first letter.
precisely, exactly
From this reading The only way to manage my father is not to take notice, and to let him come right by himself.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading I sent my second letter to my father to-day; telling him of Oscar's return from abroad, and taking no notice of his not having replied to my first letter.
100 senti equal 1 kroon in Estonia
From this reading I sent my second letter to my father to-day; telling him of Oscar's return from abroad, and taking no notice of his not having replied to my first letter.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading Why can't I write about something else?
carry out
From this reading The only way to manage my father is not to take notice, and to let him come right by himself.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading I sent my second letter to my father to-day; telling him of Oscar's return from abroad, and taking no notice of his not having replied to my first letter.
separate or cause to separate abruptly
From this reading Here is a tear on the paper.
disclosing unintentionally something concealed
From this reading I sent my second letter to my father to-day; telling him of Oscar's return from abroad, and taking no notice of his not having replied to my first letter.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Here is a tear on the paper.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I sent my second letter to my father to-day; telling him of Oscar's return from abroad, and taking no notice of his not having replied to my first letter.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I sent my second letter to my father to-day; telling him of Oscar's return from abroad, and taking no notice of his not having replied to my first letter.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading The only way to manage my father is not to take notice, and to let him come right by himself.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What a fool I am!
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why can't I write about something else?
produce a literary work
From this reading Why can't I write about something else?
Chapter 23 of Poor Miss Finch by Wilkie Collins holds 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 23 holds 412 sentences of Poor Miss Finch, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Poor Miss Finch by Wilkie Collins exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 412 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 Poor Miss Finch by Wilkie Collins on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 11370 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3632 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3632, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2274 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Poor Miss Finch section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of Poor Miss Finch 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 Miss Finch, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
