Chapter 21 of Sparrows: The Story of an Unprotected Girl is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of Sparrows: The Story of an Unprotected Girl is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Blow you!" complained Miss Toombs, as she signalled to the waiter. Mavis looked at her surprised, when her hostess said: "You're prettier than ever. When I first saw you, I was delighted to think you were 'going off.'" Mavis, regardless what others might think of her, lit the cigarette.
Chapter 21 of Sparrows: The Story of an Unprotected Girl is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
finely ground tobacco wrapped in paper; for smoking
From this reading “Mavis, regardless what others might think of her, lit the cigarette.”
past form of “complain” — express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness
From this reading “"Blow you!" complained Miss Toombs, as she signalled to the waiter.”
a woman host
From this reading “Mavis looked at her surprised, when her hostess said:”
common Old World thrush noted for its song
From this reading “Mavis looked at her surprised, when her hostess said:”
comparative of “pretty” — pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading “"You're prettier than ever.”
in spite of everything; without regard to drawbacks
From this reading “Mavis, regardless what others might think of her, lit the cigarette.”
inflected form of “signal” — communicate silently and non-verbally by signals or signs
From this reading “"Blow you!" complained Miss Toombs, as she signalled to the waiter.”
a person whose occupation is to serve at table (as in a restaurant)
From this reading “"Blow you!" complained Miss Toombs, as she signalled to the waiter.”
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.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Blow you!" complained Miss Toombs, as she signalled to the waiter.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Mavis looked at her surprised, when her hostess said:
exhale hard
From this reading "Blow you!" complained Miss Toombs, as she signalled to the waiter.
finely ground tobacco wrapped in paper; for smoking
From this reading Mavis, regardless what others might think of her, lit the cigarette.
past form of “complain” — express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness
From this reading "Blow you!" complained Miss Toombs, as she signalled to the waiter.
greatly pleased
From this reading When I first saw you, I was delighted to think you were 'going off.'"
at any time
From this reading "You're prettier than ever.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading When I first saw you, I was delighted to think you were 'going off.'"
the act of departing
From this reading When I first saw you, I was delighted to think you were 'going off.'"
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Mavis looked at her surprised, when her hostess said:
a woman host
From this reading Mavis looked at her surprised, when her hostess said:
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading When I first saw you, I was delighted to think you were 'going off.'"
provided with artificial light
From this reading Mavis, regardless what others might think of her, lit the cigarette.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Mavis looked at her surprised, when her hostess said:
common Old World thrush noted for its song
From this reading Mavis looked at her surprised, when her hostess said:
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading Mavis, regardless what others might think of her, lit the cigarette.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading "Blow you!" complained Miss Toombs, as she signalled to the waiter.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Mavis, regardless what others might think of her, lit the cigarette.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading When I first saw you, I was delighted to think you were 'going off.'"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mavis, regardless what others might think of her, lit the cigarette.
comparative of “pretty” — pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading "You're prettier than ever.
in spite of everything; without regard to drawbacks
From this reading Mavis, regardless what others might think of her, lit the cigarette.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Mavis looked at her surprised, when her hostess said:
cut with a saw
From this reading When I first saw you, I was delighted to think you were 'going off.'"
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Blow you!" complained Miss Toombs, as she signalled to the waiter.
inflected form of “signal” — communicate silently and non-verbally by signals or signs
From this reading "Blow you!" complained Miss Toombs, as she signalled to the waiter.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading Mavis looked at her surprised, when her hostess said:
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading "You're prettier than ever.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Blow you!" complained Miss Toombs, as she signalled to the waiter.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading When I first saw you, I was delighted to think you were 'going off.'"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Blow you!" complained Miss Toombs, as she signalled to the waiter.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Blow you!" complained Miss Toombs, as she signalled to the waiter.
a person whose occupation is to serve at table (as in a restaurant)
From this reading "Blow you!" complained Miss Toombs, as she signalled to the waiter.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When I first saw you, I was delighted to think you were 'going off.'"
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading When I first saw you, I was delighted to think you were 'going off.'"
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Mavis, regardless what others might think of her, lit the cigarette.
at the time that
From this reading Mavis looked at her surprised, when her hostess said:
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Blow you!" complained Miss Toombs, as she signalled to the waiter.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You're prettier than ever.
Chapter 21 of Sparrows: The Story of an Unprotected Girl by Horace W. C. (Horace Wykeham Can) Newte holds 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 21 holds 404 sentences of Sparrows: The Story of an Unprotected Girl, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of Sparrows: The Story of an Unprotected Girl by Horace W. C. (Horace Wykeham Can) Newte exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 21 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 Sparrows: The Story of an Unprotected Girl by Horace W. C. (Horace Wykeham Can) Newte on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 11065 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4345 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4345, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2213 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Sparrows: The Story of an Unprotected Girl section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of Sparrows: The Story of an Unprotected Girl 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 Sparrows: The Story of an Unprotected Girl, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
