Chapter 10 of The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter X
Chapter 10 of The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Well, mademoiselle," I said, "do you remember how Miranda first saw Ferdinand?" She smiled and blushed again--she was such a little blusher. "I know what you would say," she said. "You English are blunt. You talk to young ladies so strangely."
Chapter 10 of The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories is here in full — 418 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
having a broad or rounded end
From this reading “"You English are blunt.”
past form of “blush” — turn red, as if in embarrassment or shame
From this reading “She smiled and blushed again--she was such a little blusher.”
an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries
From this reading “"You English are blunt.”
the king of Castile and Aragon who ruled jointly with his wife Isabella
From this reading “"Well, mademoiselle," I said, "do you remember how Miranda first saw Ferdinand?"”
plural of “lady” — a polite name for any woman
From this reading “You talk to young ladies so strangely."”
small silvery drumfish often mistaken for white perch; found along coasts of United States from New York to Mexico
From this reading “"Well, mademoiselle," I said, "do you remember how Miranda first saw Ferdinand?"”
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading “She smiled and blushed again--she was such a little blusher.”
in a strange manner
From this reading “You talk to young ladies so strangely."”
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.
a young female
In this reading “You talk to young ladies so strangely."”
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 She smiled and blushed again--she was such a little blusher.
anew
From this reading She smiled and blushed again--she was such a little blusher.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She smiled and blushed again--she was such a little blusher.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "You English are blunt.
having a broad or rounded end
From this reading "You English are blunt.
past form of “blush” — turn red, as if in embarrassment or shame
From this reading She smiled and blushed again--she was such a little blusher.
yellowish edible agaric that usually turns red when touched
From this reading She smiled and blushed again--she was such a little blusher.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Well, mademoiselle," I said, "do you remember how Miranda first saw Ferdinand?"
an Indo-European language belonging to the West Germanic branch; the official language of Britain and the United States and most of the commonwealth countries
From this reading "You English are blunt.
the king of Castile and Aragon who ruled jointly with his wife Isabella
From this reading "Well, mademoiselle," I said, "do you remember how Miranda first saw Ferdinand?"
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading "Well, mademoiselle," I said, "do you remember how Miranda first saw Ferdinand?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, mademoiselle," I said, "do you remember how Miranda first saw Ferdinand?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Well, mademoiselle," I said, "do you remember how Miranda first saw Ferdinand?"
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I know what you would say," she said.
plural of “lady” — a polite name for any woman
From this reading You talk to young ladies so strangely."
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading She smiled and blushed again--she was such a little blusher.
small silvery drumfish often mistaken for white perch; found along coasts of United States from New York to Mexico
From this reading "Well, mademoiselle," I said, "do you remember how Miranda first saw Ferdinand?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Well, mademoiselle," I said, "do you remember how Miranda first saw Ferdinand?"
To recall to mind.
From this reading "Well, mademoiselle," I said, "do you remember how Miranda first saw Ferdinand?"
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Well, mademoiselle," I said, "do you remember how Miranda first saw Ferdinand?"
cut with a saw
From this reading "Well, mademoiselle," I said, "do you remember how Miranda first saw Ferdinand?"
express in words
From this reading "I know what you would say," she said.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She smiled and blushed again--she was such a little blusher.
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading She smiled and blushed again--she was such a little blusher.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading You talk to young ladies so strangely."
in a strange manner
From this reading You talk to young ladies so strangely."
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading She smiled and blushed again--she was such a little blusher.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading You talk to young ladies so strangely."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading You talk to young ladies so strangely."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She smiled and blushed again--she was such a little blusher.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, mademoiselle," I said, "do you remember how Miranda first saw Ferdinand?"
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "I know what you would say," she said.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "I know what you would say," she said.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Well, mademoiselle," I said, "do you remember how Miranda first saw Ferdinand?"
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading You talk to young ladies so strangely."
Chapter 10 of The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories by Grant Allen holds 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 10 holds 418 sentences of The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories by Grant Allen exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 418 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 10 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 The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories by Grant Allen on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7828 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #38531 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #38531, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1566 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories 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 The Beckoning Hand, and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
