Chapter 33 of Sir Tom is here in full — 145 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXIII
Chapter 33 of Sir Tom is here in full — 145 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE LITTLE HOUSE IN MAYFAIR. The little house in Mayfair was very bright and gay. What conventional words are those! It was nothing of the kind. It was dim and poetical.
Chapter 33 of Sir Tom is here in full — 145 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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.
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading “The little house in Mayfair was very bright and gay.”
following accepted customs and proprieties
From this reading “What conventional words are those!”
lacking in light; not bright or harsh
From this reading “It was dim and poetical.”
bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer
From this reading “The little house in Mayfair was very bright and gay.”
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading “THE LITTLE HOUSE IN MAYFAIR.”
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading “It was nothing of the kind.”
of or relating to poetry
From this reading “It was dim and poetical.”
the words that are spoken
From this reading “What conventional words are those!”
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 “THE LITTLE HOUSE IN MAYFAIR.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The little house in Mayfair was very bright and gay.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading What conventional words are those!
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading The little house in Mayfair was very bright and gay.
following accepted customs and proprieties
From this reading What conventional words are those!
lacking in light; not bright or harsh
From this reading It was dim and poetical.
bright and pleasant; promoting a feeling of cheer
From this reading The little house in Mayfair was very bright and gay.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading THE LITTLE HOUSE IN MAYFAIR.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE LITTLE HOUSE IN MAYFAIR.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was nothing of the kind.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading It was nothing of the kind.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading THE LITTLE HOUSE IN MAYFAIR.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE LITTLE HOUSE IN MAYFAIR.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading It was nothing of the kind.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was nothing of the kind.
of or relating to poetry
From this reading It was dim and poetical.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE LITTLE HOUSE IN MAYFAIR.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading What conventional words are those!
precisely as stated
From this reading The little house in Mayfair was very bright and gay.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The little house in Mayfair was very bright and gay.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What conventional words are those!
the words that are spoken
From this reading What conventional words are those!
Chapter 33 of Sir Tom by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant holds 145 sentences, grouped into 29 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 33 holds 145 sentences of Sir Tom, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 33 of Sir Tom by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 145 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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 33 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 Sir Tom by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9204 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30692 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #30692, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1841 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Sir Tom section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Sir Tom 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 Sir Tom, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
