Chapter 38 of Sir Tom is here in full — 246 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXVIII
Chapter 38 of Sir Tom is here in full — 246 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE EXPERIENCES OF BICE. Sir Tom was concerned and anxious, but not alarmed like the women. After all it was a complaint of which children recovered every day. It had nothing to do with the child's lungs, which had been enfeebled by his former illness. He had as good a chance as any other in the present malady.
Chapter 38 of Sir Tom is here in full — 246 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/49 · 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.
experiencing a sudden sense of danger
From this reading “Sir Tom was concerned and anxious, but not alarmed like the women.”
possessive form of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading “It had nothing to do with the child's lungs, which had been enfeebled by his former illness.”
an often persistent bodily disorder or disease; a cause for complaining
From this reading “After all it was a complaint of which children recovered every day.”
past form of “enfeeble” — make weak
From this reading “It had nothing to do with the child's lungs, which had been enfeebled by his former illness.”
plural of “experience” — the accumulation of knowledge or skill that results from direct participation in events or activities
From this reading “THE EXPERIENCES OF BICE.”
impairment of normal physiological function affecting part or all of an organism
From this reading “It had nothing to do with the child's lungs, which had been enfeebled by his former illness.”
plural of “lung” — either of two saclike respiratory organs in the chest of vertebrates; serves to remove carbon dioxide and provide oxygen to the blood
From this reading “It had nothing to do with the child's lungs, which had been enfeebled by his former illness.”
any unwholesome or desperate condition
From this reading “He had as good a chance as any other in the present malady.”
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 “It had nothing to do with the child's lungs, which had been enfeebled by his former illness.”
In this reading “THE EXPERIENCES OF BICE.”
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 After all it was a complaint of which children recovered every day.
later than; following
From this reading After all it was a complaint of which children recovered every day.
experiencing a sudden sense of danger
From this reading Sir Tom was concerned and anxious, but not alarmed like the women.
(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 After all it was a complaint of which children recovered every day.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Sir Tom was concerned and anxious, but not alarmed like the women.
eagerly desirous
From this reading Sir Tom was concerned and anxious, but not alarmed like the women.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading He had as good a chance as any other in the present malady.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He had as good a chance as any other in the present malady.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It had nothing to do with the child's lungs, which had been enfeebled by his former illness.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE EXPERIENCES OF BICE.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Sir Tom was concerned and anxious, but not alarmed like the women.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading It had nothing to do with the child's lungs, which had been enfeebled by his former illness.
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading He had as good a chance as any other in the present malady.
possessive form of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading It had nothing to do with the child's lungs, which had been enfeebled by his former illness.
plural of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading After all it was a complaint of which children recovered every day.
an often persistent bodily disorder or disease; a cause for complaining
From this reading After all it was a complaint of which children recovered every day.
feeling or showing worry or solicitude
From this reading Sir Tom was concerned and anxious, but not alarmed like the women.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading After all it was a complaint of which children recovered every day.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading It had nothing to do with the child's lungs, which had been enfeebled by his former illness.
past form of “enfeeble” — make weak
From this reading It had nothing to do with the child's lungs, which had been enfeebled by his former illness.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading After all it was a complaint of which children recovered every day.
plural of “experience” — the accumulation of knowledge or skill that results from direct participation in events or activities
From this reading THE EXPERIENCES OF BICE.
referring to the first of two things or persons mentioned (or the earlier one or ones of several)
From this reading It had nothing to do with the child's lungs, which had been enfeebled by his former illness.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading He had as good a chance as any other in the present malady.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It had nothing to do with the child's lungs, which had been enfeebled by his former illness.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had as good a chance as any other in the present malady.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading It had nothing to do with the child's lungs, which had been enfeebled by his former illness.
impairment of normal physiological function affecting part or all of an organism
From this reading It had nothing to do with the child's lungs, which had been enfeebled by his former illness.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He had as good a chance as any other in the present malady.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading After all it was a complaint of which children recovered every day.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Sir Tom was concerned and anxious, but not alarmed like the women.
plural of “lung” — either of two saclike respiratory organs in the chest of vertebrates; serves to remove carbon dioxide and provide oxygen to the blood
From this reading It had nothing to do with the child's lungs, which had been enfeebled by his former illness.
any unwholesome or desperate condition
From this reading He had as good a chance as any other in the present malady.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Sir Tom was concerned and anxious, but not alarmed like the women.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading It had nothing to do with the child's lungs, which had been enfeebled by his former illness.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE EXPERIENCES OF BICE.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading He had as good a chance as any other in the present malady.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading He had as good a chance as any other in the present malady.
freed from illness or injury
From this reading After all it was a complaint of which children recovered every day.
term of address for a man
From this reading Sir Tom was concerned and anxious, but not alarmed like the women.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE EXPERIENCES OF BICE.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It had nothing to do with the child's lungs, which had been enfeebled by his former illness.
male cat
From this reading Sir Tom was concerned and anxious, but not alarmed like the women.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Sir Tom was concerned and anxious, but not alarmed like the women.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading After all it was a complaint of which children recovered every day.
in the company of; together with
From this reading It had nothing to do with the child's lungs, which had been enfeebled by his former illness.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Sir Tom was concerned and anxious, but not alarmed like the women.
Chapter 38 of Sir Tom by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant holds 246 sentences, grouped into 50 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 38 holds 246 sentences of Sir Tom, unabridged, divided into 50 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 38 of Sir Tom by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 246 sentences, grouped into 50 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 50 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 50 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 38 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.
