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The Girls of St. Cyprian's
The Girls of St. Cyprian's

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of The Girls of St. Cyprian's is here in full — 263 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Angela Brazil • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The Girls of St. Cyprian's
Context Illustration Reading 1/52 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Author of "The School by the Sea," "The Leader of the Lower School," "The Youngest Girl in the Fifth," &c.
&c.
"If there's one slack, slow business in this wide world," said Bess Harrison, stretching her arms in the exigencies of a combined sigh and prodigious yawn, "it's coming back to school after the Easter holidays.
Tame isn't the word for it!
It's absolute milk and water.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Girls of St. Cyprian's

Chapter I

Chapter 1 of The Girls of St. Cyprian's is here in full — 263 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/52 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Author of "The School by the Sea," "The Leader of the Lower School," "The Youngest Girl in the Fifth," &c.
/ˈɔːθər ʌv ðə skuːl baɪ ðə siː ðə ˈliːdər ʌv ðə ˈloʊər skuːl ðə ˈjʌŋɡəst ɡɜːrl ɪn ðə fɪfθ siː/
Line 2
&c.
/siː/
Line 3
"If there's one slack, slow business in this wide world," said Bess Harrison, stretching her arms in the exigencies of a combined sigh and prodigious yawn, "it's coming back to school after the Easter holidays.
Line 4
Tame isn't the word for it!
Line 5
It's absolute milk and water.

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.

Easter noun US /ˈiːstər/

a Christian celebration of the Resurrection of Christ; celebrated on the Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox

From this reading “"If there's one slack, slow business in this wide world," said Bess Harrison, stretching her arms in the exigencies of a combined sigh and prodigious yawn, "it's coming back to school after the Easter holidays.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
exigencies noun US /ˌekˈsɪdʒənsiz/

plural of “exigency” — a pressing or urgent situation

From this reading “"If there's one slack, slow business in this wide world," said Bess Harrison, stretching her arms in the exigencies of a combined sigh and prodigious yawn, "it's coming back to school after the Easter holidays.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Harrison noun US /ˈherɪsən/

English actor on stage and in films (1908-1990)

From this reading “"If there's one slack, slow business in this wide world," said Bess Harrison, stretching her arms in the exigencies of a combined sigh and prodigious yawn, "it's coming back to school after the Easter holidays.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
holidays noun US /ˈhɑːlədeɪz/

plural of “holiday” — leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure

From this reading “"If there's one slack, slow business in this wide world," said Bess Harrison, stretching her arms in the exigencies of a combined sigh and prodigious yawn, "it's coming back to school after the Easter holidays.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
prodigious adjective US /prəˈdɪdʒəs/

so great in size or force or extent as to elicit awe

From this reading “"If there's one slack, slow business in this wide world," said Bess Harrison, stretching her arms in the exigencies of a combined sigh and prodigious yawn, "it's coming back to school after the Easter holidays.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
slack adjective US /slæk/

not tense or taut

From this reading “"If there's one slack, slow business in this wide world," said Bess Harrison, stretching her arms in the exigencies of a combined sigh and prodigious yawn, "it's coming back to school after the Easter holidays.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Tame verb US /teɪm/

correct by punishment or discipline

From this reading “Tame isn't the word for it!”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
yawn verb US /jɔːn/

utter a yawn, as from lack of oxygen or when one is tired

From this reading “"If there's one slack, slow business in this wide world," said Bess Harrison, stretching her arms in the exigencies of a combined sigh and prodigious yawn, "it's coming back to school after the Easter holidays.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

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.

wide world adjective + noun

In this reading “"If there's one slack, slow business in this wide world," said Bess Harrison, stretching her arms in the exigencies of a combined sigh and prodigious yawn, "it's coming back to school after the Easter holidays.”

4,138 times in 426,211 chapters
Youngest Girl adjective + noun counted as “young girl”

a girl or young woman who is unmarried

In this reading “Author of "The School by the Sea," "The Leader of the Lower School," "The Youngest Girl in the Fifth," &c.”

28,041 times in 426,211 chapters
Lower School verb + noun

In this reading “Author of "The School by the Sea," "The Leader of the Lower School," "The Youngest Girl in the Fifth," &c.”

236 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 50

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 "If there's one slack, slow business in this wide world," said Bess Harrison, stretching her arms in the exigencies of a combined sigh and prodigious yawn, "it's coming back to school after the Easter holidays.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
absoluteadjectiveUS /ˈæbsəluːt/

perfect or complete or pure

From this reading It's absolute milk and water.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading "If there's one slack, slow business in this wide world," said Bess Harrison, stretching her arms in the exigencies of a combined sigh and prodigious yawn, "it's coming back to school after the Easter holidays.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading "If there's one slack, slow business in this wide world," said Bess Harrison, stretching her arms in the exigencies of a combined sigh and prodigious yawn, "it's coming back to school after the Easter holidays.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
armsnounUS /ɑːrmz/

weapons considered collectively

From this reading "If there's one slack, slow business in this wide world," said Bess Harrison, stretching her arms in the exigencies of a combined sigh and prodigious yawn, "it's coming back to school after the Easter holidays.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
AuthornounUS /ˈɔːθər/

writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)

From this reading Author of "The School by the Sea," "The Leader of the Lower School," "The Youngest Girl in the Fifth," &c.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading "If there's one slack, slow business in this wide world," said Bess Harrison, stretching her arms in the exigencies of a combined sigh and prodigious yawn, "it's coming back to school after the Easter holidays.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Bess

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

From this reading "If there's one slack, slow business in this wide world," said Bess Harrison, stretching her arms in the exigencies of a combined sigh and prodigious yawn, "it's coming back to school after the Easter holidays.

Pending verification
businessnounUS /ˈbɪznəs/

a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it

From this reading "If there's one slack, slow business in this wide world," said Bess Harrison, stretching her arms in the exigencies of a combined sigh and prodigious yawn, "it's coming back to school after the Easter holidays.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Author of "The School by the Sea," "The Leader of the Lower School," "The Youngest Girl in the Fifth," &c.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
cnounUS /siː/

a degree on the centigrade scale of temperature

From this reading Author of "The School by the Sea," "The Leader of the Lower School," "The Youngest Girl in the Fifth," &c.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
combinedadjectiveUS /kəmˈbaɪnd/

made or joined or united into one

From this reading "If there's one slack, slow business in this wide world," said Bess Harrison, stretching her arms in the exigencies of a combined sigh and prodigious yawn, "it's coming back to school after the Easter holidays.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
comingnounUS /ˈkʌmɪŋ/

the act of drawing spatially closer to something

From this reading "If there's one slack, slow business in this wide world," said Bess Harrison, stretching her arms in the exigencies of a combined sigh and prodigious yawn, "it's coming back to school after the Easter holidays.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
EasternounUS /ˈiːstər/

a Christian celebration of the Resurrection of Christ; celebrated on the Sunday following the first full moon after the vernal equinox

From this reading "If there's one slack, slow business in this wide world," said Bess Harrison, stretching her arms in the exigencies of a combined sigh and prodigious yawn, "it's coming back to school after the Easter holidays.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
exigenciesnounUS /ˌekˈsɪdʒənsiz/

plural of “exigency” — a pressing or urgent situation

From this reading "If there's one slack, slow business in this wide world," said Bess Harrison, stretching her arms in the exigencies of a combined sigh and prodigious yawn, "it's coming back to school after the Easter holidays.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
FifthnounUS /fɪfθ/

a quantity of liquor equal to one fifth of a United States gallon

From this reading Author of "The School by the Sea," "The Leader of the Lower School," "The Youngest Girl in the Fifth," &c.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Tame isn't the word for it!

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
GirlnounUS /ɡɜːrl/

a young female

From this reading Author of "The School by the Sea," "The Leader of the Lower School," "The Youngest Girl in the Fifth," &c.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
HarrisonnounUS /ˈherɪsən/

English actor on stage and in films (1908-1990)

From this reading "If there's one slack, slow business in this wide world," said Bess Harrison, stretching her arms in the exigencies of a combined sigh and prodigious yawn, "it's coming back to school after the Easter holidays.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading "If there's one slack, slow business in this wide world," said Bess Harrison, stretching her arms in the exigencies of a combined sigh and prodigious yawn, "it's coming back to school after the Easter holidays.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
holidaysnounUS /ˈhɑːlədeɪz/

plural of “holiday” — leisure time away from work devoted to rest or pleasure

From this reading "If there's one slack, slow business in this wide world," said Bess Harrison, stretching her arms in the exigencies of a combined sigh and prodigious yawn, "it's coming back to school after the Easter holidays.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
IfconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading "If there's one slack, slow business in this wide world," said Bess Harrison, stretching her arms in the exigencies of a combined sigh and prodigious yawn, "it's coming back to school after the Easter holidays.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Author of "The School by the Sea," "The Leader of the Lower School," "The Youngest Girl in the Fifth," &c.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
isn't

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

From this reading Tame isn't the word for it!

Pending verification
itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Tame isn't the word for it!

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
it's

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

From this reading "If there's one slack, slow business in this wide world," said Bess Harrison, stretching her arms in the exigencies of a combined sigh and prodigious yawn, "it's coming back to school after the Easter holidays.

Pending verification
LeadernounUS /ˈliːdər/

a person who rules or guides or inspires others

From this reading Author of "The School by the Sea," "The Leader of the Lower School," "The Youngest Girl in the Fifth," &c.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
LowerverbUS /ˈloʊər/

move something or somebody to a lower position

From this reading Author of "The School by the Sea," "The Leader of the Lower School," "The Youngest Girl in the Fifth," &c.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
milknounUS /mɪlk/

a white nutritious liquid secreted by mammals and used as food by human beings

From this reading It's absolute milk and water.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Author of "The School by the Sea," "The Leader of the Lower School," "The Youngest Girl in the Fifth," &c.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading "If there's one slack, slow business in this wide world," said Bess Harrison, stretching her arms in the exigencies of a combined sigh and prodigious yawn, "it's coming back to school after the Easter holidays.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
prodigiousadjectiveUS /prəˈdɪdʒəs/

so great in size or force or extent as to elicit awe

From this reading "If there's one slack, slow business in this wide world," said Bess Harrison, stretching her arms in the exigencies of a combined sigh and prodigious yawn, "it's coming back to school after the Easter holidays.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "If there's one slack, slow business in this wide world," said Bess Harrison, stretching her arms in the exigencies of a combined sigh and prodigious yawn, "it's coming back to school after the Easter holidays.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
SchoolnounUS /skuːl/

an educational institution

From this reading Author of "The School by the Sea," "The Leader of the Lower School," "The Youngest Girl in the Fifth," &c.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
SeanounUS /siː/

a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land

From this reading Author of "The School by the Sea," "The Leader of the Lower School," "The Youngest Girl in the Fifth," &c.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sighverbUS /saɪ/

heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily

From this reading "If there's one slack, slow business in this wide world," said Bess Harrison, stretching her arms in the exigencies of a combined sigh and prodigious yawn, "it's coming back to school after the Easter holidays.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
slackadjectiveUS /slæk/

not tense or taut

From this reading "If there's one slack, slow business in this wide world," said Bess Harrison, stretching her arms in the exigencies of a combined sigh and prodigious yawn, "it's coming back to school after the Easter holidays.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
slowadjectiveUS /sloʊ/

not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time

From this reading "If there's one slack, slow business in this wide world," said Bess Harrison, stretching her arms in the exigencies of a combined sigh and prodigious yawn, "it's coming back to school after the Easter holidays.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
stretchingnounUS /ˈstretʃɪŋ/

act of expanding by lengthening or widening

From this reading "If there's one slack, slow business in this wide world," said Bess Harrison, stretching her arms in the exigencies of a combined sigh and prodigious yawn, "it's coming back to school after the Easter holidays.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
TameverbUS /teɪm/

correct by punishment or discipline

From this reading Tame isn't the word for it!

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Author of "The School by the Sea," "The Leader of the Lower School," "The Youngest Girl in the Fifth," &c.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
there's

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

From this reading "If there's one slack, slow business in this wide world," said Bess Harrison, stretching her arms in the exigencies of a combined sigh and prodigious yawn, "it's coming back to school after the Easter holidays.

Pending verification
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading "If there's one slack, slow business in this wide world," said Bess Harrison, stretching her arms in the exigencies of a combined sigh and prodigious yawn, "it's coming back to school after the Easter holidays.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading "If there's one slack, slow business in this wide world," said Bess Harrison, stretching her arms in the exigencies of a combined sigh and prodigious yawn, "it's coming back to school after the Easter holidays.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
waternounUS /ˈwɔːtər/

binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent

From this reading It's absolute milk and water.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wideadjectiveUS /waɪd/

having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other

From this reading "If there's one slack, slow business in this wide world," said Bess Harrison, stretching her arms in the exigencies of a combined sigh and prodigious yawn, "it's coming back to school after the Easter holidays.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wordnounUS /wɜːrd/

a unit of language that native speakers can identify

From this reading Tame isn't the word for it!

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
worldnounUS /wɜːrld/

everything that exists anywhere

From this reading "If there's one slack, slow business in this wide world," said Bess Harrison, stretching her arms in the exigencies of a combined sigh and prodigious yawn, "it's coming back to school after the Easter holidays.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
yawnverbUS /jɔːn/

utter a yawn, as from lack of oxygen or when one is tired

From this reading "If there's one slack, slow business in this wide world," said Bess Harrison, stretching her arms in the exigencies of a combined sigh and prodigious yawn, "it's coming back to school after the Easter holidays.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
YoungestadjectiveUS /ˈjʌŋɡəst/

superlative of “young” — (used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading Author of "The School by the Sea," "The Leader of the Lower School," "The Youngest Girl in the Fifth," &c.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Chapter 1 of The Girls of St. Cyprian's by Angela Brazil holds 263 sentences, grouped into 53 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 1 of The Girls of St. Cyprian's contain?

Chapter 1 holds 263 sentences of The Girls of St. Cyprian's, unabridged, divided into 53 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of The Girls of St. Cyprian's by Angela Brazil exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 263 sentences, grouped into 53 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 1 of The Girls of St. Cyprian's?

Work through the 53 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 53 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 1 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Girls of St. Cyprian's

Common questions about reading The Girls of St. Cyprian's by Angela Brazil on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Girls of St. Cyprian's?

Yes. All 3957 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37161 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Girls of St. Cyprian's is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #37161, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Girls of St. Cyprian's take to read?

About 329 minutes of reading across 792 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Girls of St. Cyprian's section by section

How to work through The Girls of St. Cyprian's section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Girls of St. Cyprian's

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Girls of St. Cyprian's, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Girls of St. Cyprian's; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
School
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Girls of St. Cyprian's; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Leader
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Girls of St. Cyprian's; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Lower
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Girls of St. Cyprian's; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.