Chapter 17 of Spinster of This Parish is here in full — 523 sentences across 105 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Spinster of This Parish is here in full — 523 sentences across 105 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
News had come; and it was bad news. Except that it conveyed desolation instead of comfort, she did not yet fully understand the long cablegram from Twining. Its one salient statement had been a blow sufficiently cruel to strike her down. Twining had returned to Hobart in the relief ship. He had returned--without Dyke.
Chapter 17 of Spinster of This Parish is here in full — 523 sentences across 105 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/104 · 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.
a telegram sent abroad
From this reading “Except that it conveyed desolation instead of comfort, she did not yet fully understand the long cablegram from Twining.”
past form of “convey” — (of information) make known; pass on
From this reading “Except that it conveyed desolation instead of comfort, she did not yet fully understand the long cablegram from Twining.”
the state of being decayed or destroyed
From this reading “Except that it conveyed desolation instead of comfort, she did not yet fully understand the long cablegram from Twining.”
(slang) offensive term for a lesbian who is noticeably masculine
From this reading “He had returned--without Dyke.”
a port and state capital of Tasmania
From this reading “Twining had returned to Hobart in the relief ship.”
having a quality that thrusts itself into attention
From this reading “Its one salient statement had been a blow sufficiently cruel to strike her down.”
a message that is stated or declared; a communication (oral or written) setting forth particulars or facts etc
From this reading “Its one salient statement had been a blow sufficiently cruel to strike her down.”
-ing form of “twine” — spin, wind, or twist together
From this reading “Except that it conveyed desolation instead of comfort, she did not yet fully understand the long cablegram from Twining.”
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 “News had come; and it was bad news.”
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 Its one salient statement had been a blow sufficiently cruel to strike her down.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading News had come; and it was bad news.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading News had come; and it was bad news.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Its one salient statement had been a blow sufficiently cruel to strike her down.
exhale hard
From this reading Its one salient statement had been a blow sufficiently cruel to strike her down.
a telegram sent abroad
From this reading Except that it conveyed desolation instead of comfort, she did not yet fully understand the long cablegram from Twining.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading News had come; and it was bad news.
a state of being relaxed and feeling no pain
From this reading Except that it conveyed desolation instead of comfort, she did not yet fully understand the long cablegram from Twining.
past form of “convey” — (of information) make known; pass on
From this reading Except that it conveyed desolation instead of comfort, she did not yet fully understand the long cablegram from Twining.
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading Its one salient statement had been a blow sufficiently cruel to strike her down.
the state of being decayed or destroyed
From this reading Except that it conveyed desolation instead of comfort, she did not yet fully understand the long cablegram from Twining.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Except that it conveyed desolation instead of comfort, she did not yet fully understand the long cablegram from Twining.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Its one salient statement had been a blow sufficiently cruel to strike her down.
(slang) offensive term for a lesbian who is noticeably masculine
From this reading He had returned--without Dyke.
apart from; not including
From this reading Except that it conveyed desolation instead of comfort, she did not yet fully understand the long cablegram from Twining.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Except that it conveyed desolation instead of comfort, she did not yet fully understand the long cablegram from Twining.
to the greatest degree or extent; completely or entirely; (“full” in this sense is used as a combining form)
From this reading Except that it conveyed desolation instead of comfort, she did not yet fully understand the long cablegram from Twining.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading News had come; and it was bad news.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had returned--without Dyke.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Its one salient statement had been a blow sufficiently cruel to strike her down.
a port and state capital of Tasmania
From this reading Twining had returned to Hobart in the relief ship.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Twining had returned to Hobart in the relief ship.
in place of, or as an alternative to
From this reading Except that it conveyed desolation instead of comfort, she did not yet fully understand the long cablegram from Twining.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading News had come; and it was bad news.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Its one salient statement had been a blow sufficiently cruel to strike her down.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Except that it conveyed desolation instead of comfort, she did not yet fully understand the long cablegram from Twining.
information about recent and important events
From this reading News had come; and it was bad news.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Except that it conveyed desolation instead of comfort, she did not yet fully understand the long cablegram from Twining.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Except that it conveyed desolation instead of comfort, she did not yet fully understand the long cablegram from Twining.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Its one salient statement had been a blow sufficiently cruel to strike her down.
the feeling that comes when something burdensome is removed or reduced
From this reading Twining had returned to Hobart in the relief ship.
past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before
From this reading Twining had returned to Hobart in the relief ship.
having a quality that thrusts itself into attention
From this reading Its one salient statement had been a blow sufficiently cruel to strike her down.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Except that it conveyed desolation instead of comfort, she did not yet fully understand the long cablegram from Twining.
transport commercially
From this reading Twining had returned to Hobart in the relief ship.
a message that is stated or declared; a communication (oral or written) setting forth particulars or facts etc
From this reading Its one salient statement had been a blow sufficiently cruel to strike her down.
deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon
From this reading Its one salient statement had been a blow sufficiently cruel to strike her down.
to a sufficient degree
From this reading Its one salient statement had been a blow sufficiently cruel to strike her down.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Except that it conveyed desolation instead of comfort, she did not yet fully understand the long cablegram from Twining.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Except that it conveyed desolation instead of comfort, she did not yet fully understand the long cablegram from Twining.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Its one salient statement had been a blow sufficiently cruel to strike her down.
-ing form of “twine” — spin, wind, or twist together
From this reading Except that it conveyed desolation instead of comfort, she did not yet fully understand the long cablegram from Twining.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading Except that it conveyed desolation instead of comfort, she did not yet fully understand the long cablegram from Twining.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading News had come; and it was bad news.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading He had returned--without Dyke.
but in spite of that
From this reading Except that it conveyed desolation instead of comfort, she did not yet fully understand the long cablegram from Twining.
Chapter 17 of Spinster of This Parish by W. B. (William Babington) Maxwell holds 523 sentences, grouped into 105 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 17 holds 523 sentences of Spinster of This Parish, unabridged, divided into 105 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Spinster of This Parish by W. B. (William Babington) Maxwell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 523 sentences, grouped into 105 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 105 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 105 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 17 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 Spinster of This Parish by W. B. (William Babington) Maxwell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6665 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #48685 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #48685, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 555 minutes of reading across 1333 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Spinster of This Parish section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of Spinster of This Parish 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 Spinster of This Parish, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
