Chapter 1 of The Clever Woman of the Family is here in full — 486 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Clever Woman of the Family is here in full — 486 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Thou didst refuse the daily round Of useful, patient love, And longedst for some great emprise Thy spirit high to prove.”—C. M. N. “Che mi sedea con l’antica Rachele.”—DANTE. “It is very kind in the dear mother.” “But what, Rachel? Don’t you like it?
Chapter 1 of The Clever Woman of the Family is here in full — 486 sentences across 98 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/97 · 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.
an argument opposed to a proposal
From this reading ““Che mi sedea con l’antica Rachele.”—DANTE.”
every day; without missing a day
From this reading ““Thou didst refuse the daily round Of useful, patient love, And longedst for some great emprise Thy spirit high to prove.”—C. M. N.”
an Italian poet famous for writing the Divine Comedy that describes a journey through Hell and purgatory and paradise guided by Virgil and his idealized Beatrice (1265-1321)
From this reading ““Che mi sedea con l’antica Rachele.”—DANTE.”
an old form of “did”, used with “thou”
From this reading ““Thou didst refuse the daily round Of useful, patient love, And longedst for some great emprise Thy spirit high to prove.”—C. M. N.”
a person who requires medical care
From this reading ““Thou didst refuse the daily round Of useful, patient love, And longedst for some great emprise Thy spirit high to prove.”—C. M. N.”
(Old Testament) the second wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin
From this reading ““But what, Rachel?”
show unwillingness towards
From this reading ““Thou didst refuse the daily round Of useful, patient love, And longedst for some great emprise Thy spirit high to prove.”—C. M. N.”
being of use or service
From this reading ““Thou didst refuse the daily round Of useful, patient love, And longedst for some great emprise Thy spirit high to prove.”—C. M. N.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “Thou didst refuse the daily round Of useful, patient love, And longedst for some great emprise Thy spirit high to prove.”—C. M. N.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading “But what, Rachel?
a degree on the centigrade scale of temperature
From this reading “Thou didst refuse the daily round Of useful, patient love, And longedst for some great emprise Thy spirit high to prove.”—C. M. N.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Che mi sedea con l’antica Rachele.”—DANTE.
an argument opposed to a proposal
From this reading “Che mi sedea con l’antica Rachele.”—DANTE.
every day; without missing a day
From this reading “Thou didst refuse the daily round Of useful, patient love, And longedst for some great emprise Thy spirit high to prove.”—C. M. N.
an Italian poet famous for writing the Divine Comedy that describes a journey through Hell and purgatory and paradise guided by Virgil and his idealized Beatrice (1265-1321)
From this reading “Che mi sedea con l’antica Rachele.”—DANTE.
dearly loved
From this reading “It is very kind in the dear mother.”
an old form of “did”, used with “thou”
From this reading “Thou didst refuse the daily round Of useful, patient love, And longedst for some great emprise Thy spirit high to prove.”—C. M. N.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Don’t you like it?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Thou didst refuse the daily round Of useful, patient love, And longedst for some great emprise Thy spirit high to prove.”—C. M. N.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “Thou didst refuse the daily round Of useful, patient love, And longedst for some great emprise Thy spirit high to prove.”—C. M. N.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading “Thou didst refuse the daily round Of useful, patient love, And longedst for some great emprise Thy spirit high to prove.”—C. M. N.
greater than normal in degree or intensity or amount
From this reading “Thou didst refuse the daily round Of useful, patient love, And longedst for some great emprise Thy spirit high to prove.”—C. M. N.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “It is very kind in the dear mother.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “It is very kind in the dear mother.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “It is very kind in the dear mother.”
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading “It is very kind in the dear mother.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Che mi sedea con l’antica Rachele.”—DANTE.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Don’t you like it?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Thou didst refuse the daily round Of useful, patient love, And longedst for some great emprise Thy spirit high to prove.”—C. M. N.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading “Thou didst refuse the daily round Of useful, patient love, And longedst for some great emprise Thy spirit high to prove.”—C. M. N.
the basic unit of length adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites (approximately 1.094 yards)
From this reading “Thou didst refuse the daily round Of useful, patient love, And longedst for some great emprise Thy spirit high to prove.”—C. M. N.
destruction of heart tissue resulting from obstruction of the blood supply to the heart muscle
From this reading “Che mi sedea con l’antica Rachele.”—DANTE.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading “It is very kind in the dear mother.”
a common nonmetallic element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless inert diatomic gas; constitutes 78 percent of the atmosphere by volume; a constituent of all living tissues
From this reading “Thou didst refuse the daily round Of useful, patient love, And longedst for some great emprise Thy spirit high to prove.”—C. M. N.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “Thou didst refuse the daily round Of useful, patient love, And longedst for some great emprise Thy spirit high to prove.”—C. M. N.
a person who requires medical care
From this reading “Thou didst refuse the daily round Of useful, patient love, And longedst for some great emprise Thy spirit high to prove.”—C. M. N.
be shown or be found to be
From this reading “Thou didst refuse the daily round Of useful, patient love, And longedst for some great emprise Thy spirit high to prove.”—C. M. N.
(Old Testament) the second wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin
From this reading “But what, Rachel?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Che mi sedea con l’antica Rachele.”—DANTE.
show unwillingness towards
From this reading “Thou didst refuse the daily round Of useful, patient love, And longedst for some great emprise Thy spirit high to prove.”—C. M. N.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading “Thou didst refuse the daily round Of useful, patient love, And longedst for some great emprise Thy spirit high to prove.”—C. M. N.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Che mi sedea con l’antica Rachele.”—DANTE.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading “Thou didst refuse the daily round Of useful, patient love, And longedst for some great emprise Thy spirit high to prove.”—C. M. N.
the vital principle or animating force within living things
From this reading “Thou didst refuse the daily round Of useful, patient love, And longedst for some great emprise Thy spirit high to prove.”—C. M. N.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Thou didst refuse the daily round Of useful, patient love, And longedst for some great emprise Thy spirit high to prove.”—C. M. N.
an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person
From this reading “Thou didst refuse the daily round Of useful, patient love, And longedst for some great emprise Thy spirit high to prove.”—C. M. N.
an old word for “your”, speaking to one person
From this reading “Thou didst refuse the daily round Of useful, patient love, And longedst for some great emprise Thy spirit high to prove.”—C. M. N.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “Thou didst refuse the daily round Of useful, patient love, And longedst for some great emprise Thy spirit high to prove.”—C. M. N.
being of use or service
From this reading “Thou didst refuse the daily round Of useful, patient love, And longedst for some great emprise Thy spirit high to prove.”—C. M. N.
precisely as stated
From this reading “It is very kind in the dear mother.”
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “But what, Rachel?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Don’t you like it?
Chapter 1 of The Clever Woman of the Family by Charlotte M. (Charlotte Mary) Yonge holds 486 sentences, grouped into 98 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 1 holds 486 sentences of The Clever Woman of the Family, unabridged, divided into 98 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Clever Woman of the Family by Charlotte M. (Charlotte Mary) Yonge exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 486 sentences, grouped into 98 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 98 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 98 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 1 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 Clever Woman of the Family by Charlotte M. (Charlotte Mary) Yonge on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8029 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3292 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3292, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1606 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Clever Woman of the Family section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of The Clever Woman of the Family 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 Clever Woman of the Family, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
