Chapter 17 of The first soprano is here in full — 202 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The first soprano is here in full — 202 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
LET THE DEAD BURY THEIR DEAD Winifred and Hubert walked a part of the way home in silence. At length the former spoke. "It seems to me we have been rather blind concerning the object of missions," she said. "What do you think of it now, Hubert?" "I am convinced that I have taken a very shallow view of it," Hubert replied.
Chapter 17 of The first soprano is here in full — 202 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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.
people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group
From this reading “"It seems to me we have been rather blind concerning the object of missions," she said.”
cover from sight
From this reading “LET THE DEAD BURY THEIR DEAD Winifred and Hubert walked a part of the way home in silence.”
-ing form of “concern” — be relevant to
From this reading “"It seems to me we have been rather blind concerning the object of missions," she said.”
persuaded of; very sure
From this reading “"I am convinced that I have taken a very shallow view of it," Hubert replied.”
referring to the first of two things or persons mentioned (or the earlier one or ones of several)
From this reading “At length the former spoke.”
plural of “mission” — an organization of missionaries in a foreign land sent to carry on religious work
From this reading “"It seems to me we have been rather blind concerning the object of missions," she said.”
a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow
From this reading “"It seems to me we have been rather blind concerning the object of missions," she said.”
lacking physical depth; having little spatial extension downward or inward from an outer surface or backward or outward from a center
From this reading “"I am convinced that I have taken a very shallow view of it," Hubert replied.”
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 LET THE DEAD BURY THEIR DEAD Winifred and Hubert walked a part of the way home in silence.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "I am convinced that I have taken a very shallow view of it," Hubert replied.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading LET THE DEAD BURY THEIR DEAD Winifred and Hubert walked a part of the way home in silence.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At length the former spoke.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "It seems to me we have been rather blind concerning the object of missions," she said.
people who have severe visual impairments, considered as a group
From this reading "It seems to me we have been rather blind concerning the object of missions," she said.
cover from sight
From this reading LET THE DEAD BURY THEIR DEAD Winifred and Hubert walked a part of the way home in silence.
-ing form of “concern” — be relevant to
From this reading "It seems to me we have been rather blind concerning the object of missions," she said.
persuaded of; very sure
From this reading "I am convinced that I have taken a very shallow view of it," Hubert replied.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading LET THE DEAD BURY THEIR DEAD Winifred and Hubert walked a part of the way home in silence.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "What do you think of it now, Hubert?"
referring to the first of two things or persons mentioned (or the earlier one or ones of several)
From this reading At length the former spoke.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "It seems to me we have been rather blind concerning the object of missions," she said.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading LET THE DEAD BURY THEIR DEAD Winifred and Hubert walked a part of the way home in silence.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LET THE DEAD BURY THEIR DEAD Winifred and Hubert walked a part of the way home in silence.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I am convinced that I have taken a very shallow view of it," Hubert replied.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading LET THE DEAD BURY THEIR DEAD Winifred and Hubert walked a part of the way home in silence.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It seems to me we have been rather blind concerning the object of missions," she said.
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading At length the former spoke.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading LET THE DEAD BURY THEIR DEAD Winifred and Hubert walked a part of the way home in silence.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "It seems to me we have been rather blind concerning the object of missions," she said.
plural of “mission” — an organization of missionaries in a foreign land sent to carry on religious work
From this reading "It seems to me we have been rather blind concerning the object of missions," she said.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "What do you think of it now, Hubert?"
a tangible and visible entity; an entity that can cast a shadow
From this reading "It seems to me we have been rather blind concerning the object of missions," she said.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading LET THE DEAD BURY THEIR DEAD Winifred and Hubert walked a part of the way home in silence.
something determined in relation to something that includes it
From this reading LET THE DEAD BURY THEIR DEAD Winifred and Hubert walked a part of the way home in silence.
on the contrary
From this reading "It seems to me we have been rather blind concerning the object of missions," she said.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "I am convinced that I have taken a very shallow view of it," Hubert replied.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "It seems to me we have been rather blind concerning the object of missions," she said.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading "It seems to me we have been rather blind concerning the object of missions," she said.
lacking physical depth; having little spatial extension downward or inward from an outer surface or backward or outward from a center
From this reading "I am convinced that I have taken a very shallow view of it," Hubert replied.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "It seems to me we have been rather blind concerning the object of missions," she said.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading LET THE DEAD BURY THEIR DEAD Winifred and Hubert walked a part of the way home in silence.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading At length the former spoke.
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading "I am convinced that I have taken a very shallow view of it," Hubert replied.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I am convinced that I have taken a very shallow view of it," Hubert replied.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading LET THE DEAD BURY THEIR DEAD Winifred and Hubert walked a part of the way home in silence.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading LET THE DEAD BURY THEIR DEAD Winifred and Hubert walked a part of the way home in silence.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "What do you think of it now, Hubert?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "It seems to me we have been rather blind concerning the object of missions," she said.
precisely as stated
From this reading "I am convinced that I have taken a very shallow view of it," Hubert replied.
a way of regarding situations or topics etc.
From this reading "I am convinced that I have taken a very shallow view of it," Hubert replied.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading LET THE DEAD BURY THEIR DEAD Winifred and Hubert walked a part of the way home in silence.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading LET THE DEAD BURY THEIR DEAD Winifred and Hubert walked a part of the way home in silence.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "It seems to me we have been rather blind concerning the object of missions," she said.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What do you think of it now, Hubert?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading LET THE DEAD BURY THEIR DEAD Winifred and Hubert walked a part of the way home in silence.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What do you think of it now, Hubert?"
Chapter 17 of The first soprano by Mary Hitchcock holds 202 sentences, grouped into 41 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 17 holds 202 sentences of The first soprano, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The first soprano by Mary Hitchcock exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 202 sentences, grouped into 41 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 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 41 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 17 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 first soprano by Mary Hitchcock on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The first soprano section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The first soprano 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 first soprano, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
