Learn English through classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Tales and Novels — Volume 08
Tales and Novels — Volume 08

Chapter XXIII · Chapter 23

Chapter 23 of Tales and Novels — Volume 08 is here in full — 71 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Tales and Novels — Volume 08
Context Illustration Reading 1/14 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE DUCHESS OF ---- TO LEONORA.
Yes, my dear, I advise you by all means to go to town, and to see your husband.
Your desire to accompany him to Russia he will know before you see him, for I have just written and despatched an express to him with your last letter, and with all those which I have received from you within these last six months.
Leave Mr. L---- time to read them before he sees you; and do not hurry or fatigue yourself unnecessarily.
You know that an embassy cannot be arranged in two days; therefore travel by easy journeys: you cannot do otherwise without hazard.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Tales and Novels — Volume 08

Chapter XXIII · Chapter 23

Chapter 23 of Tales and Novels — Volume 08 is here in full — 71 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/14 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE DUCHESS OF ---- TO LEONORA.
Line 2
Yes, my dear, I advise you by all means to go to town, and to see your husband.
/jes maɪ dɪr aɪ ædˈvaɪz juː baɪ ɔːl miːnz tuː ɡoʊ tuː taʊn ənd tuː siː jɔːr ˈhʌzbənd/
Line 3
Your desire to accompany him to Russia he will know before you see him, for I have just written and despatched an express to him with your last letter, and with all those which I have received from you within these last six months.
Line 4
Leave Mr. L---- time to read them before he sees you; and do not hurry or fatigue yourself unnecessarily.
/liːv ˈmɪstər el taɪm tuː red ðem bɪˈfɔːr hiː siːz juː ənd duː nɑːt ˈhɜːri ɔːr fəˈtiːɡ jərˈself ənˈnesəserəli/
Line 5
You know that an embassy cannot be arranged in two days; therefore travel by easy journeys: you cannot do otherwise without hazard.

Learner Dictionary

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.

accompany verb US /əˈkʌmpəni/

be present or associated with an event or entity

From this reading “Your desire to accompany him to Russia he will know before you see him, for I have just written and despatched an express to him with your last letter, and with all those which I have received from you within these last six months.”

advise verb US /ædˈvaɪz/

give advice to

From this reading “Yes, my dear, I advise you by all means to go to town, and to see your husband.”

embassy noun US /ˈembəsi/

a diplomatic building where ambassadors live or work

From this reading “You know that an embassy cannot be arranged in two days; therefore travel by easy journeys: you cannot do otherwise without hazard.”

fatigue noun US /fəˈtiːɡ/

temporary loss of strength and energy resulting from hard physical or mental work

From this reading “Leave Mr. L---- time to read them before he sees you; and do not hurry or fatigue yourself unnecessarily.”

hazard noun US /ˈhæzərd/

a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune

From this reading “You know that an embassy cannot be arranged in two days; therefore travel by easy journeys: you cannot do otherwise without hazard.”

journeys noun US /ˈdʒɜːrniz/

plural of “journey” — the act of traveling from one place to another

From this reading “You know that an embassy cannot be arranged in two days; therefore travel by easy journeys: you cannot do otherwise without hazard.”

Russia noun US /ˈrʌʃə/

a former communist country in eastern Europe and northern Asia; established in 1922; included Russia and 14 other soviet socialist republics (Ukraine and Byelorussia and others); officially dissolved 31 December 1991

From this reading “Your desire to accompany him to Russia he will know before you see him, for I have just written and despatched an express to him with your last letter, and with all those which I have received from you within these last six months.”

unnecessarily adverb US /ənˈnesəserəli/

in an unnecessary manner

From this reading “Leave Mr. L---- time to read them before he sees you; and do not hurry or fatigue yourself unnecessarily.”

All words in this reading · 75

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.

accompanyverbUS /əˈkʌmpəni/

be present or associated with an event or entity

From this reading Your desire to accompany him to Russia he will know before you see him, for I have just written and despatched an express to him with your last letter, and with all those which I have received from you within these last six months.

adviseverbUS /ædˈvaɪz/

give advice to

From this reading Yes, my dear, I advise you by all means to go to town, and to see your husband.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 Yes, my dear, I advise you by all means to go to town, and to see your husband.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading Your desire to accompany him to Russia he will know before you see him, for I have just written and despatched an express to him with your last letter, and with all those which I have received from you within these last six months.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Yes, my dear, I advise you by all means to go to town, and to see your husband.

arrangedadjectiveUS /ərˈeɪndʒd/

disposed or placed in a particular kind of order

From this reading You know that an embassy cannot be arranged in two days; therefore travel by easy journeys: you cannot do otherwise without hazard.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading You know that an embassy cannot be arranged in two days; therefore travel by easy journeys: you cannot do otherwise without hazard.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading Your desire to accompany him to Russia he will know before you see him, for I have just written and despatched an express to him with your last letter, and with all those which I have received from you within these last six months.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Yes, my dear, I advise you by all means to go to town, and to see your husband.

cannot

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading You know that an embassy cannot be arranged in two days; therefore travel by easy journeys: you cannot do otherwise without hazard.

daysnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading You know that an embassy cannot be arranged in two days; therefore travel by easy journeys: you cannot do otherwise without hazard.

dearadjectiveUS /dɪr/

dearly loved

From this reading Yes, my dear, I advise you by all means to go to town, and to see your husband.

desirenounUS /dɪˈzaɪər/

the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state

From this reading Your desire to accompany him to Russia he will know before you see him, for I have just written and despatched an express to him with your last letter, and with all those which I have received from you within these last six months.

despatched

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Your desire to accompany him to Russia he will know before you see him, for I have just written and despatched an express to him with your last letter, and with all those which I have received from you within these last six months.

doauxiliary verbUS /duː/

used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis

From this reading Leave Mr. L---- time to read them before he sees you; and do not hurry or fatigue yourself unnecessarily.

DUCHESSnounUS /ˈdʌtʃəs/

the wife of a duke or a woman holding ducal title in her own right

From this reading THE DUCHESS OF ---- TO LEONORA.

easyadjectiveUS /ˈiːzi/

posing no difficulty; requiring little effort

From this reading You know that an embassy cannot be arranged in two days; therefore travel by easy journeys: you cannot do otherwise without hazard.

embassynounUS /ˈembəsi/

a diplomatic building where ambassadors live or work

From this reading You know that an embassy cannot be arranged in two days; therefore travel by easy journeys: you cannot do otherwise without hazard.

expressverbUS /ɪkˈspres/

give expression to

From this reading Your desire to accompany him to Russia he will know before you see him, for I have just written and despatched an express to him with your last letter, and with all those which I have received from you within these last six months.

fatiguenounUS /fəˈtiːɡ/

temporary loss of strength and energy resulting from hard physical or mental work

From this reading Leave Mr. L---- time to read them before he sees you; and do not hurry or fatigue yourself unnecessarily.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Your desire to accompany him to Russia he will know before you see him, for I have just written and despatched an express to him with your last letter, and with all those which I have received from you within these last six months.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Your desire to accompany him to Russia he will know before you see him, for I have just written and despatched an express to him with your last letter, and with all those which I have received from you within these last six months.

goverbUS /ɡoʊ/

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading Yes, my dear, I advise you by all means to go to town, and to see your husband.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Your desire to accompany him to Russia he will know before you see him, for I have just written and despatched an express to him with your last letter, and with all those which I have received from you within these last six months.

hazardnounUS /ˈhæzərd/

a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune

From this reading You know that an embassy cannot be arranged in two days; therefore travel by easy journeys: you cannot do otherwise without hazard.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Your desire to accompany him to Russia he will know before you see him, for I have just written and despatched an express to him with your last letter, and with all those which I have received from you within these last six months.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Your desire to accompany him to Russia he will know before you see him, for I have just written and despatched an express to him with your last letter, and with all those which I have received from you within these last six months.

hurrynounUS /ˈhɜːri/

a condition of urgency making it necessary to hurry

From this reading Leave Mr. L---- time to read them before he sees you; and do not hurry or fatigue yourself unnecessarily.

husbandnounUS /ˈhʌzbənd/

a married man; a woman's partner in marriage

From this reading Yes, my dear, I advise you by all means to go to town, and to see your husband.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading Yes, my dear, I advise you by all means to go to town, and to see your husband.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading You know that an embassy cannot be arranged in two days; therefore travel by easy journeys: you cannot do otherwise without hazard.

journeysnounUS /ˈdʒɜːrniz/

plural of “journey” — the act of traveling from one place to another

From this reading You know that an embassy cannot be arranged in two days; therefore travel by easy journeys: you cannot do otherwise without hazard.

justadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading Your desire to accompany him to Russia he will know before you see him, for I have just written and despatched an express to him with your last letter, and with all those which I have received from you within these last six months.

knowverbUS /noʊ/

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading Your desire to accompany him to Russia he will know before you see him, for I have just written and despatched an express to him with your last letter, and with all those which I have received from you within these last six months.

LnounUS /el/

a metric unit of capacity, formerly defined as the volume of one kilogram of pure water under standard conditions; now equal to 1,000 cubic centimeters (or approximately 1.75 pints)

From this reading Leave Mr. L---- time to read them before he sees you; and do not hurry or fatigue yourself unnecessarily.

lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

From this reading Your desire to accompany him to Russia he will know before you see him, for I have just written and despatched an express to him with your last letter, and with all those which I have received from you within these last six months.

LeaveverbUS /liːv/

go away from a place

From this reading Leave Mr. L---- time to read them before he sees you; and do not hurry or fatigue yourself unnecessarily.

LEONORA

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading THE DUCHESS OF ---- TO LEONORA.

letternounUS /ˈletər/

a written message addressed to a person or organization

From this reading Your desire to accompany him to Russia he will know before you see him, for I have just written and despatched an express to him with your last letter, and with all those which I have received from you within these last six months.

meansnounUS /miːnz/

thing or person that acts to produce a particular effect or achieve an end

From this reading Yes, my dear, I advise you by all means to go to town, and to see your husband.

monthsnounUS /mʌnθs/

plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year

From this reading Your desire to accompany him to Russia he will know before you see him, for I have just written and despatched an express to him with your last letter, and with all those which I have received from you within these last six months.

MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading Leave Mr. L---- time to read them before he sees you; and do not hurry or fatigue yourself unnecessarily.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading Yes, my dear, I advise you by all means to go to town, and to see your husband.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Leave Mr. L---- time to read them before he sees you; and do not hurry or fatigue yourself unnecessarily.

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE DUCHESS OF ---- TO LEONORA.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Leave Mr. L---- time to read them before he sees you; and do not hurry or fatigue yourself unnecessarily.

otherwiseadverbUS /ˈʌðərwaɪz/

in other respects or ways

From this reading You know that an embassy cannot be arranged in two days; therefore travel by easy journeys: you cannot do otherwise without hazard.

readverbUS /red/

interpret something that is written or printed

From this reading Leave Mr. L---- time to read them before he sees you; and do not hurry or fatigue yourself unnecessarily.

receivedadjectiveUS /rəˈsiːvd/

conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers

From this reading Your desire to accompany him to Russia he will know before you see him, for I have just written and despatched an express to him with your last letter, and with all those which I have received from you within these last six months.

RussianounUS /ˈrʌʃə/

a former communist country in eastern Europe and northern Asia; established in 1922; included Russia and 14 other soviet socialist republics (Ukraine and Byelorussia and others); officially dissolved 31 December 1991

From this reading Your desire to accompany him to Russia he will know before you see him, for I have just written and despatched an express to him with your last letter, and with all those which I have received from you within these last six months.

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading Yes, my dear, I advise you by all means to go to town, and to see your husband.

seesnounUS /siːz/

plural of “see” — the seat within a bishop's diocese where his cathedral is located

From this reading Leave Mr. L---- time to read them before he sees you; and do not hurry or fatigue yourself unnecessarily.

sixnounUS /sɪks/

the cardinal number that is the sum of five and one

From this reading Your desire to accompany him to Russia he will know before you see him, for I have just written and despatched an express to him with your last letter, and with all those which I have received from you within these last six months.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading You know that an embassy cannot be arranged in two days; therefore travel by easy journeys: you cannot do otherwise without hazard.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading THE DUCHESS OF ---- TO LEONORA.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Leave Mr. L---- time to read them before he sees you; and do not hurry or fatigue yourself unnecessarily.

thereforeadverbUS /ˈðerfɔːr/

for that reason; as a result

From this reading You know that an embassy cannot be arranged in two days; therefore travel by easy journeys: you cannot do otherwise without hazard.

thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading Your desire to accompany him to Russia he will know before you see him, for I have just written and despatched an express to him with your last letter, and with all those which I have received from you within these last six months.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading Your desire to accompany him to Russia he will know before you see him, for I have just written and despatched an express to him with your last letter, and with all those which I have received from you within these last six months.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading Leave Mr. L---- time to read them before he sees you; and do not hurry or fatigue yourself unnecessarily.

TOparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading THE DUCHESS OF ---- TO LEONORA.

townnounUS /taʊn/

an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city

From this reading Yes, my dear, I advise you by all means to go to town, and to see your husband.

travelverbUS /ˈtrævəl/

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading You know that an embassy cannot be arranged in two days; therefore travel by easy journeys: you cannot do otherwise without hazard.

twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading You know that an embassy cannot be arranged in two days; therefore travel by easy journeys: you cannot do otherwise without hazard.

unnecessarilyadverbUS /ənˈnesəserəli/

in an unnecessary manner

From this reading Leave Mr. L---- time to read them before he sees you; and do not hurry or fatigue yourself unnecessarily.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading Your desire to accompany him to Russia he will know before you see him, for I have just written and despatched an express to him with your last letter, and with all those which I have received from you within these last six months.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading Your desire to accompany him to Russia he will know before you see him, for I have just written and despatched an express to him with your last letter, and with all those which I have received from you within these last six months.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Your desire to accompany him to Russia he will know before you see him, for I have just written and despatched an express to him with your last letter, and with all those which I have received from you within these last six months.

withinprepositionUS /wɪˈðɪn/

inside; before a period of time has passed

From this reading Your desire to accompany him to Russia he will know before you see him, for I have just written and despatched an express to him with your last letter, and with all those which I have received from you within these last six months.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading You know that an embassy cannot be arranged in two days; therefore travel by easy journeys: you cannot do otherwise without hazard.

writtenadjectiveUS /ˈrɪtən/

set down in writing in any of various ways

From this reading Your desire to accompany him to Russia he will know before you see him, for I have just written and despatched an express to him with your last letter, and with all those which I have received from you within these last six months.

YesnounUS /jes/

an affirmative

From this reading Yes, my dear, I advise you by all means to go to town, and to see your husband.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Yes, my dear, I advise you by all means to go to town, and to see your husband.

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Yes, my dear, I advise you by all means to go to town, and to see your husband.

yourselfpronounUS /jərˈself/

used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action

From this reading Leave Mr. L---- time to read them before he sees you; and do not hurry or fatigue yourself unnecessarily.

Chapter 23 of Tales and Novels — Volume 08 by Maria Edgeworth holds 71 sentences, grouped into 15 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.

What does chapter 23 of Tales and Novels — Volume 08 contain?

Chapter 23 holds 71 sentences of Tales and Novels — Volume 08, unabridged, divided into 15 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 23 of Tales and Novels — Volume 08 by Maria Edgeworth exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 71 sentences, grouped into 15 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.

How do I study chapter 23 of Tales and Novels — Volume 08?

Work through the 15 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 15 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.

Can chapter 23 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 23 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.

Questions about reading Tales and Novels — Volume 08

Common questions about reading Tales and Novels — Volume 08 by Maria Edgeworth on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Tales and Novels — Volume 08?

Yes. All 7898 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9321 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Tales and Novels — Volume 08 is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #9321, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Tales and Novels — Volume 08 take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1580 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Tales and Novels — Volume 08 section by section

How to work through Tales and Novels — Volume 08 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 40 chapters of Tales and Novels — Volume 08 to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Tales and Novels — Volume 08

Words and structures a reader meets early in Tales and Novels — Volume 08, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Event
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tales and Novels — Volume 08; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Alfred
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tales and Novels — Volume 08; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Marriage
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tales and Novels — Volume 08; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Calling
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Tales and Novels — Volume 08; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.