Ten Degrees Backward

Chapter XXIII

Chapter 23 of Ten Degrees Backward is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Ellen Thorneycroft Fowler • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for Ten Degrees Backward

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

THE PEACE OF GOD I awoke one morning with a strange feeling that something wonderful had happened during the night: and as my mind gradually cleared, I realised what that something was.

I had forgiven Frank Wildacre.

Or, rather, I had come to the knowledge that there was nothing to forgive: that the man whose insensate folly had spoilt my life and Fay's was not Frank at all, but myself.

But the result was the same.

After nearly three years of the outer darkness I had come once more into the light: I was at peace with Man and therefore with God: and that seemed to be all that signified.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XXIII Reading 1/25

Ten Degrees Backward Ellen Thorneycroft Fowler

Chapter XXIII

Chapter 23 of Ten Degrees Backward is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

THE PEACE OF GOD I awoke one morning with a strange feeling that something wonderful had happened during the night: and as my mind gradually cleared, I realised what that something was. I had forgiven Frank Wildacre. Or, rather, I had come to the knowledge that there was nothing to forgive: that the man whose insensate folly had spoilt my life and Fay's was not Frank at all, but myself. But the result was the same. After nearly three years of the outer darkness I had come once more into the light: I was at peace with Man and therefore with God: and that seemed to be all that signified.

Ten Degrees Backward

Chapter XXIII

Chapter 23 of Ten Degrees Backward is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/25 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

THE PEACE OF GOD I awoke one morning with a strange feeling that something wonderful had happened during the night: and as my mind gradually cleared, I realised what that something was.

/ðə piːs ʌv ɡɑːd aɪ əˈwoʊk wʌn ˈmɔːrnɪŋ wɪð ə streɪndʒ ˈfiːlɪŋ ðæt ˈsʌmθɪŋ ˈwʌndərfəl hæd ˈhæpənd ˈdʊrɪŋ ðə naɪt ənd æz maɪ maɪnd ˈɡrædʒuːəli klɪrd aɪ ˈriːəlaɪzd wʌt ðæt ˈsʌmθɪŋ wɑːz/

Line 2

I had forgiven Frank Wildacre.

Line 3

Or, rather, I had come to the knowledge that there was nothing to forgive: that the man whose insensate folly had spoilt my life and Fay's was not Frank at all, but myself.

Line 4

But the result was the same.

/bʌt ðə rɪˈzʌlt wɑːz ðə seɪm/

Line 5

After nearly three years of the outer darkness I had come once more into the light: I was at peace with Man and therefore with God: and that seemed to be all that signified.

/ˈæftər ˈnɪrli θriː jɪrz ʌv ðə ˈaʊtər ˈdɑːrknəs aɪ hæd kʌm wʌns mɔːr ˈɪntuː ðə laɪt aɪ wɑːz æt piːs wɪð mæn ənd ˈðerfɔːr wɪð ɡɑːd ənd ðæt siːmd tuː biː ɔːl ðæt ˈsɪɡnəfaɪd/

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.

awoke verb US /əˈwoʊk/

inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping

From this reading “THE PEACE OF GOD I awoke one morning with a strange feeling that something wonderful had happened during the night: and as my mind gradually cleared, I realised what that something was.”

cleared adjective US /klɪrd/

rid of objects or obstructions such as e.g. trees and brush

Fay's noun US /feɪz/

possessive form of “fay” — a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers

From this reading “Or, rather, I had come to the knowledge that there was nothing to forgive: that the man whose insensate folly had spoilt my life and Fay's was not Frank at all, but myself.”

folly noun US /ˈfɑːli/

the trait of acting stupidly or rashly

From this reading “Or, rather, I had come to the knowledge that there was nothing to forgive: that the man whose insensate folly had spoilt my life and Fay's was not Frank at all, but myself.”

forgiven verb US /fərˈɡɪvən/

inflected form of “forgive” — stop blaming or grant forgiveness

From this reading “I had forgiven Frank Wildacre.”

outer adjective US /ˈaʊtər/

being on the outside or further from a center

From this reading “After nearly three years of the outer darkness I had come once more into the light: I was at peace with Man and therefore with God: and that seemed to be all that signified.”

realised adjective US /ˈriːəlaɪzd/

successfully completed or brought to an end

signified noun US /ˈsɪɡnəfaɪd/

the meaning of a word or expression; the way in which a word or expression or situation can be interpreted

From this reading “After nearly three years of the outer darkness I had come once more into the light: I was at peace with Man and therefore with God: and that seemed to be all that signified.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

outer darkness adjective + noun

In this reading “After nearly three years of the outer darkness I had come once more into the light: I was at peace with Man and therefore with God: and that seemed to be all that signified.”

three years noun + noun

In this reading “After nearly three years of the outer darkness I had come once more into the light: I was at peace with Man and therefore with God: and that seemed to be all that signified.”

once more adverb + adjective

anew

In this reading “After nearly three years of the outer darkness I had come once more into the light: I was at peace with Man and therefore with God: and that seemed to be all that signified.”

during the night preposition + article + noun counted as “during … night”

In this reading “THE PEACE OF GOD I awoke one morning with a strange feeling that something wonderful had happened during the night: and as my mind gradually cleared, I realised what that something was.”

strange feeling adjective + noun

at peace preposition + noun

dead

In this reading “After nearly three years of the outer darkness I had come once more into the light: I was at peace with Man and therefore with God: and that seemed to be all that signified.”

All words in this reading · 67

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading THE PEACE OF GOD I awoke one morning with a strange feeling that something wonderful had happened during the night: and as my mind gradually cleared, I realised what that something was.

AfterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading After nearly three years of the outer darkness I had come once more into the light: I was at peace with Man and therefore with God: and that seemed to be all that signified.

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 Or, rather, I had come to the knowledge that there was nothing to forgive: that the man whose insensate folly had spoilt my life and Fay's was not Frank at all, but myself.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Or, rather, I had come to the knowledge that there was nothing to forgive: that the man whose insensate folly had spoilt my life and Fay's was not Frank at all, but myself.

awokeverbUS /əˈwoʊk/

inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading After nearly three years of the outer darkness I had come once more into the light: I was at peace with Man and therefore with God: and that seemed to be all that signified.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Or, rather, I had come to the knowledge that there was nothing to forgive: that the man whose insensate folly had spoilt my life and Fay's was not Frank at all, but myself.

clearedadjectiveUS /klɪrd/

rid of objects or obstructions such as e.g. trees and brush

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading Or, rather, I had come to the knowledge that there was nothing to forgive: that the man whose insensate folly had spoilt my life and Fay's was not Frank at all, but myself.

darknessnounUS /ˈdɑːrknəs/

absence of light or illumination

From this reading After nearly three years of the outer darkness I had come once more into the light: I was at peace with Man and therefore with God: and that seemed to be all that signified.

duringprepositionUS /ˈdʊrɪŋ/

all through a period, or at some point within it

Fay'snounUS /feɪz/

possessive form of “fay” — a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers

From this reading Or, rather, I had come to the knowledge that there was nothing to forgive: that the man whose insensate folly had spoilt my life and Fay's was not Frank at all, but myself.

feelingnounUS /ˈfiːlɪŋ/

the experiencing of affective and emotional states

follynounUS /ˈfɑːli/

the trait of acting stupidly or rashly

From this reading Or, rather, I had come to the knowledge that there was nothing to forgive: that the man whose insensate folly had spoilt my life and Fay's was not Frank at all, but myself.

forgiveverbUS /fərˈɡɪv/

stop blaming or grant forgiveness

From this reading Or, rather, I had come to the knowledge that there was nothing to forgive: that the man whose insensate folly had spoilt my life and Fay's was not Frank at all, but myself.

forgivenverbUS /fərˈɡɪvən/

inflected form of “forgive” — stop blaming or grant forgiveness

From this reading I had forgiven Frank Wildacre.

FrankadjectiveUS /fræŋk/

characterized by directness in manner or speech; without subtlety or evasion

From this reading I had forgiven Frank Wildacre.

GODnounUS /ɡɑːd/

the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions

graduallyadverbUS /ˈɡrædʒuːəli/

in a gradual manner

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

happenedverbUS /ˈhæpənd/

past form of “happen” — come to pass

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

insensateadjective

devoid of feeling and consciousness and animation

From this reading Or, rather, I had come to the knowledge that there was nothing to forgive: that the man whose insensate folly had spoilt my life and Fay's was not Frank at all, but myself.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading After nearly three years of the outer darkness I had come once more into the light: I was at peace with Man and therefore with God: and that seemed to be all that signified.

knowledgenounUS /ˈnɑːlədʒ/

the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning

From this reading Or, rather, I had come to the knowledge that there was nothing to forgive: that the man whose insensate folly had spoilt my life and Fay's was not Frank at all, but myself.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading Or, rather, I had come to the knowledge that there was nothing to forgive: that the man whose insensate folly had spoilt my life and Fay's was not Frank at all, but myself.

lightadjectiveUS /laɪt/

of comparatively little physical weight or density

From this reading After nearly three years of the outer darkness I had come once more into the light: I was at peace with Man and therefore with God: and that seemed to be all that signified.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading Or, rather, I had come to the knowledge that there was nothing to forgive: that the man whose insensate folly had spoilt my life and Fay's was not Frank at all, but myself.

mindnounUS /maɪnd/

The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading After nearly three years of the outer darkness I had come once more into the light: I was at peace with Man and therefore with God: and that seemed to be all that signified.

morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

myselfpronounUS /ˌmaɪˈself/

used when the speaker is also the object of the action

From this reading Or, rather, I had come to the knowledge that there was nothing to forgive: that the man whose insensate folly had spoilt my life and Fay's was not Frank at all, but myself.

nearlyadverbUS /ˈnɪrli/

(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but

From this reading After nearly three years of the outer darkness I had come once more into the light: I was at peace with Man and therefore with God: and that seemed to be all that signified.

nightnounUS /naɪt/

the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Or, rather, I had come to the knowledge that there was nothing to forgive: that the man whose insensate folly had spoilt my life and Fay's was not Frank at all, but myself.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading Or, rather, I had come to the knowledge that there was nothing to forgive: that the man whose insensate folly had spoilt my life and Fay's was not Frank at all, but myself.

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

onceadverbUS /wʌns/

on one occasion

From this reading After nearly three years of the outer darkness I had come once more into the light: I was at peace with Man and therefore with God: and that seemed to be all that signified.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

OrconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Or, rather, I had come to the knowledge that there was nothing to forgive: that the man whose insensate folly had spoilt my life and Fay's was not Frank at all, but myself.

outeradjectiveUS /ˈaʊtər/

being on the outside or further from a center

From this reading After nearly three years of the outer darkness I had come once more into the light: I was at peace with Man and therefore with God: and that seemed to be all that signified.

PEACEnounUS /piːs/

the state prevailing during the absence of war

ratheradverbUS /ˈræðər/

on the contrary

From this reading Or, rather, I had come to the knowledge that there was nothing to forgive: that the man whose insensate folly had spoilt my life and Fay's was not Frank at all, but myself.

realisedadjectiveUS /ˈriːəlaɪzd/

successfully completed or brought to an end

resultnounUS /rɪˈzʌlt/

a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon

From this reading But the result was the same.

sameadjectiveUS /seɪm/

Identical; not different.

From this reading But the result was the same.

seemedverbUS /siːmd/

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading After nearly three years of the outer darkness I had come once more into the light: I was at peace with Man and therefore with God: and that seemed to be all that signified.

signifiednounUS /ˈsɪɡnəfaɪd/

the meaning of a word or expression; the way in which a word or expression or situation can be interpreted

From this reading After nearly three years of the outer darkness I had come once more into the light: I was at peace with Man and therefore with God: and that seemed to be all that signified.

somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

spoiltadjective

having the character or disposition harmed by pampering or oversolicitous attention

From this reading Or, rather, I had come to the knowledge that there was nothing to forgive: that the man whose insensate folly had spoilt my life and Fay's was not Frank at all, but myself.

strangeadjectiveUS /streɪndʒ/

being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading Or, rather, I had come to the knowledge that there was nothing to forgive: that the man whose insensate folly had spoilt my life and Fay's was not Frank at all, but myself.

thereforeadverbUS /ˈðerfɔːr/

for that reason; as a result

From this reading After nearly three years of the outer darkness I had come once more into the light: I was at peace with Man and therefore with God: and that seemed to be all that signified.

threenounUS /θriː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading After nearly three years of the outer darkness I had come once more into the light: I was at peace with Man and therefore with God: and that seemed to be all that signified.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Or, rather, I had come to the knowledge that there was nothing to forgive: that the man whose insensate folly had spoilt my life and Fay's was not Frank at all, but myself.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

whosedeterminerUS /huːz/

belonging to which person

From this reading Or, rather, I had come to the knowledge that there was nothing to forgive: that the man whose insensate folly had spoilt my life and Fay's was not Frank at all, but myself.

Wildacre

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

From this reading I had forgiven Frank Wildacre.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

wonderfuladjectiveUS /ˈwʌndərfəl/

extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers

yearsnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

From this reading After nearly three years of the outer darkness I had come once more into the light: I was at peace with Man and therefore with God: and that seemed to be all that signified.

Chapter 23 of Ten Degrees Backward by Ellen Thorneycroft Fowler holds 129 sentences, grouped into 26 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 Ten Degrees Backward contain?

Chapter 23 holds 129 sentences of Ten Degrees Backward, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 23 of Ten Degrees Backward by Ellen Thorneycroft Fowler exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 129 sentences, grouped into 26 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 Ten Degrees Backward?

Work through the 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 26 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 Ten Degrees Backward

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Is this the complete text of Ten Degrees Backward?

Yes. All 4536 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57464 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Ten Degrees Backward is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #57464, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Ten Degrees Backward take to read?

About 378 minutes of reading across 908 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in Ten Degrees Backward

Words and structures a reader meets early in Ten Degrees Backward, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

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Concerning: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Ten Degrees Backward; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter XXIII

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