Chapter 30 of Shirley is here in full — 376 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXX
Chapter 30 of Shirley is here in full — 376 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
RUSHEDGE--A CONFESSIONAL. Everybody said it was high time for Mr. Moore to return home. All Briarfield wondered at his strange absence, and Whinbury and Nunnely brought each its separate contribution of amazement. Was it known why he stayed away? Yes.
Chapter 30 of Shirley is here in full — 376 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/75 · 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 state of being absent
From this reading “All Briarfield wondered at his strange absence, and Whinbury and Nunnely brought each its separate contribution of amazement.”
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading “All Briarfield wondered at his strange absence, and Whinbury and Nunnely brought each its separate contribution of amazement.”
a booth where a priest sits to hear confessions
From this reading “RUSHEDGE--A CONFESSIONAL.”
the effort contributed by a person in bringing about a result
From this reading “All Briarfield wondered at his strange absence, and Whinbury and Nunnely brought each its separate contribution of amazement.”
United States composer of works noted for their use of the American vernacular (1893-1969)
From this reading “Everybody said it was high time for Mr. Moore to return home.”
act as a barrier between; stand between
From this reading “All Briarfield wondered at his strange absence, and Whinbury and Nunnely brought each its separate contribution of amazement.”
past form of “stay” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “Was it known why he stayed away?”
past form of “wonder” — have a wish or desire to know something
From this reading “All Briarfield wondered at his strange absence, and Whinbury and Nunnely brought each its separate contribution of amazement.”
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 “Everybody said it was high time for Mr. Moore to return home.”
stay clear of, avoid
In this reading “Was it known why he stayed away?”
the latest possible moment
In this reading “Everybody said it was high time for Mr. Moore to return home.”
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 RUSHEDGE--A CONFESSIONAL.
the state of being absent
From this reading All Briarfield wondered at his strange absence, and Whinbury and Nunnely brought each its separate contribution of amazement.
(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 All Briarfield wondered at his strange absence, and Whinbury and Nunnely brought each its separate contribution of amazement.
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading All Briarfield wondered at his strange absence, and Whinbury and Nunnely brought each its separate contribution of amazement.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading All Briarfield wondered at his strange absence, and Whinbury and Nunnely brought each its separate contribution of amazement.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading All Briarfield wondered at his strange absence, and Whinbury and Nunnely brought each its separate contribution of amazement.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Was it known why he stayed away?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading All Briarfield wondered at his strange absence, and Whinbury and Nunnely brought each its separate contribution of amazement.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading All Briarfield wondered at his strange absence, and Whinbury and Nunnely brought each its separate contribution of amazement.
a booth where a priest sits to hear confessions
From this reading RUSHEDGE--A CONFESSIONAL.
the effort contributed by a person in bringing about a result
From this reading All Briarfield wondered at his strange absence, and Whinbury and Nunnely brought each its separate contribution of amazement.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading All Briarfield wondered at his strange absence, and Whinbury and Nunnely brought each its separate contribution of amazement.
every person
From this reading Everybody said it was high time for Mr. Moore to return home.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Everybody said it was high time for Mr. Moore to return home.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Was it known why he stayed away?
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading Everybody said it was high time for Mr. Moore to return home.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading All Briarfield wondered at his strange absence, and Whinbury and Nunnely brought each its separate contribution of amazement.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Everybody said it was high time for Mr. Moore to return home.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Everybody said it was high time for Mr. Moore to return home.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading All Briarfield wondered at his strange absence, and Whinbury and Nunnely brought each its separate contribution of amazement.
apprehended with certainty
From this reading Was it known why he stayed away?
United States composer of works noted for their use of the American vernacular (1893-1969)
From this reading Everybody said it was high time for Mr. Moore to return home.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Everybody said it was high time for Mr. Moore to return home.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading All Briarfield wondered at his strange absence, and Whinbury and Nunnely brought each its separate contribution of amazement.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading All Briarfield wondered at his strange absence, and Whinbury and Nunnely brought each its separate contribution of amazement.
go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading Everybody said it was high time for Mr. Moore to return home.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading RUSHEDGE--A CONFESSIONAL.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Everybody said it was high time for Mr. Moore to return home.
act as a barrier between; stand between
From this reading All Briarfield wondered at his strange absence, and Whinbury and Nunnely brought each its separate contribution of amazement.
past form of “stay” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading Was it known why he stayed away?
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading All Briarfield wondered at his strange absence, and Whinbury and Nunnely brought each its separate contribution of amazement.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Everybody said it was high time for Mr. Moore to return home.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Everybody said it was high time for Mr. Moore to return home.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Everybody said it was high time for Mr. Moore to return home.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading All Briarfield wondered at his strange absence, and Whinbury and Nunnely brought each its separate contribution of amazement.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Was it known why he stayed away?
past form of “wonder” — have a wish or desire to know something
From this reading All Briarfield wondered at his strange absence, and Whinbury and Nunnely brought each its separate contribution of amazement.
an affirmative
From this reading Yes.
Chapter 30 of Shirley by Charlotte Brontë holds 376 sentences, grouped into 76 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 30 holds 376 sentences of Shirley, unabridged, divided into 76 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 30 of Shirley by Charlotte Brontë exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 376 sentences, grouped into 76 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 76 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 76 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 30 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 Shirley by Charlotte Brontë on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 14226 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30486 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #30486, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2846 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Shirley section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 37 chapters of Shirley 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 Shirley, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
