Chapter 29 of Tales and Novels — Volume 08 is here in full — 63 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIX
Chapter 29 of Tales and Novels — Volume 08 is here in full — 63 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MRS. C---- TO THE DUCHESS OF ----. MY DEAR MADAM, I believe, when I wrote last to your grace, I said that I had no hopes of the child’s life. From the moment of his birth there was but little probability of his being any thing but a source of misery to his mother. I cannot, on her account, regret that the struggle is over.
Chapter 29 of Tales and Novels — Volume 08 is here in full — 63 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/12 · 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.
the time when something begins (especially life)
From this reading “From the moment of his birth there was but little probability of his being any thing but a source of misery to his mother.”
possessive form of “child” — a young person of either sex
the wife of a duke or a woman holding ducal title in her own right
From this reading “C---- TO THE DUCHESS OF ----.”
a state of ill-being due to affliction or misfortune
From this reading “From the moment of his birth there was but little probability of his being any thing but a source of misery to his mother.”
a measure of how likely it is that some event will occur; a number expressing the ratio of favorable cases to the whole number of cases possible
From this reading “From the moment of his birth there was but little probability of his being any thing but a source of misery to his mother.”
feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about
From this reading “I cannot, on her account, regret that the struggle is over.”
the place where something begins, where it springs into being
From this reading “From the moment of his birth there was but little probability of his being any thing but a source of misery to his mother.”
make a strenuous or labored effort
From this reading “I cannot, on her account, regret that the struggle is over.”
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 From the moment of his birth there was but little probability of his being any thing but a source of misery to his mother.
a record or narrative description of past events
From this reading I cannot, on her account, regret that the struggle is over.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading From the moment of his birth there was but little probability of his being any thing but a source of misery to his mother.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading From the moment of his birth there was but little probability of his being any thing but a source of misery to his mother.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading MY DEAR MADAM, I believe, when I wrote last to your grace, I said that I had no hopes of the child’s life.
the time when something begins (especially life)
From this reading From the moment of his birth there was but little probability of his being any thing but a source of misery to his mother.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading From the moment of his birth there was but little probability of his being any thing but a source of misery to his mother.
a degree on the centigrade scale of temperature
From this reading C---- TO THE DUCHESS OF ----.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I cannot, on her account, regret that the struggle is over.
possessive form of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading MY DEAR MADAM, I believe, when I wrote last to your grace, I said that I had no hopes of the child’s life.
dearly loved
From this reading MY DEAR MADAM, I believe, when I wrote last to your grace, I said that I had no hopes of the child’s life.
the wife of a duke or a woman holding ducal title in her own right
From this reading C---- TO THE DUCHESS OF ----.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading From the moment of his birth there was but little probability of his being any thing but a source of misery to his mother.
(Christian theology) a state of sanctification by God; the state of one who is under such divine influence
From this reading MY DEAR MADAM, I believe, when I wrote last to your grace, I said that I had no hopes of the child’s life.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading MY DEAR MADAM, I believe, when I wrote last to your grace, I said that I had no hopes of the child’s life.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading I cannot, on her account, regret that the struggle is over.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading From the moment of his birth there was but little probability of his being any thing but a source of misery to his mother.
plural of “hope” — a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading MY DEAR MADAM, I believe, when I wrote last to your grace, I said that I had no hopes of the child’s life.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading MY DEAR MADAM, I believe, when I wrote last to your grace, I said that I had no hopes of the child’s life.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I cannot, on her account, regret that the struggle is over.
immediately past
From this reading MY DEAR MADAM, I believe, when I wrote last to your grace, I said that I had no hopes of the child’s life.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading MY DEAR MADAM, I believe, when I wrote last to your grace, I said that I had no hopes of the child’s life.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading From the moment of his birth there was but little probability of his being any thing but a source of misery to his mother.
a woman of refinement
From this reading MY DEAR MADAM, I believe, when I wrote last to your grace, I said that I had no hopes of the child’s life.
a state of ill-being due to affliction or misfortune
From this reading From the moment of his birth there was but little probability of his being any thing but a source of misery to his mother.
a particular point in time
From this reading From the moment of his birth there was but little probability of his being any thing but a source of misery to his mother.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading From the moment of his birth there was but little probability of his being any thing but a source of misery to his mother.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading MRS.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading MY DEAR MADAM, I believe, when I wrote last to your grace, I said that I had no hopes of the child’s life.
not any; not one
From this reading MY DEAR MADAM, I believe, when I wrote last to your grace, I said that I had no hopes of the child’s life.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading C---- TO THE DUCHESS OF ----.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I cannot, on her account, regret that the struggle is over.
above and across; more than
From this reading I cannot, on her account, regret that the struggle is over.
a measure of how likely it is that some event will occur; a number expressing the ratio of favorable cases to the whole number of cases possible
From this reading From the moment of his birth there was but little probability of his being any thing but a source of misery to his mother.
feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about
From this reading I cannot, on her account, regret that the struggle is over.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading MY DEAR MADAM, I believe, when I wrote last to your grace, I said that I had no hopes of the child’s life.
the place where something begins, where it springs into being
From this reading From the moment of his birth there was but little probability of his being any thing but a source of misery to his mother.
make a strenuous or labored effort
From this reading I cannot, on her account, regret that the struggle is over.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading MY DEAR MADAM, I believe, when I wrote last to your grace, I said that I had no hopes of the child’s life.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading C---- TO THE DUCHESS OF ----.
in or at that place or location
From this reading From the moment of his birth there was but little probability of his being any thing but a source of misery to his mother.
a special situation
From this reading From the moment of his birth there was but little probability of his being any thing but a source of misery to his mother.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading C---- TO THE DUCHESS OF ----.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading From the moment of his birth there was but little probability of his being any thing but a source of misery to his mother.
at the time that
From this reading MY DEAR MADAM, I believe, when I wrote last to your grace, I said that I had no hopes of the child’s life.
inflected form of “write” — produce a literary work
From this reading MY DEAR MADAM, I believe, when I wrote last to your grace, I said that I had no hopes of the child’s life.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading MY DEAR MADAM, I believe, when I wrote last to your grace, I said that I had no hopes of the child’s life.
Chapter 29 of Tales and Novels — Volume 08 by Maria Edgeworth holds 63 sentences, grouped into 13 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 29 holds 63 sentences of Tales and Novels — Volume 08, unabridged, divided into 13 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 29 of Tales and Novels — Volume 08 by Maria Edgeworth exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 63 sentences, grouped into 13 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 13 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 13 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 29 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 Tales and Novels — Volume 08 by Maria Edgeworth on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7898 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9321 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9321, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1580 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Tales and Novels — Volume 08 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Tales and Novels — Volume 08 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 Tales and Novels — Volume 08, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
