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The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 995, January 21, 1899
The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 995, January 21, 1899

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 995, January 21, 1899 is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 995, January 21, 1899
Context Illustration Reading 1/83 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
IN THE YEAR 1807.
More than eighteen months had slid away since the day when Denham Ivor had been summarily despatched with other détenus to Valenciennes.
Once or twice a letter from him had reached the Barons, but it was now long since the arrival of the last.
Whether Denham remained yet at Valenciennes was a matter of supposition, not of certainty.
For aught that his friends knew to the contrary, he might have been passed on to the grim fortress, Bitche, to Sédan, or elsewhere.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 995, January 21, 1899

Chapter II

Chapter 2 of The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 995, January 21, 1899 is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/83 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
IN THE YEAR 1807.
Line 2
More than eighteen months had slid away since the day when Denham Ivor had been summarily despatched with other détenus to Valenciennes.
Line 3
Once or twice a letter from him had reached the Barons, but it was now long since the arrival of the last.
/wʌns ɔːr twaɪs ə ˈletər frʌm hɪm hæd riːtʃt ðə ˈbærənz bʌt ɪt wɑːz naʊ lɔːŋ sɪns ðə ərˈaɪvəl ʌv ðə læst/
Line 4
Whether Denham remained yet at Valenciennes was a matter of supposition, not of certainty.
Line 5
For aught that his friends knew to the contrary, he might have been passed on to the grim fortress, Bitche, to Sédan, or elsewhere.

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.

aught noun US /ɔːt/

a quantity of no importance

From this reading “For aught that his friends knew to the contrary, he might have been passed on to the grim fortress, Bitche, to Sédan, or elsewhere.”

Barons noun US /ˈbærənz/

plural of “baron” — a nobleman (in various countries) of varying rank

From this reading “Once or twice a letter from him had reached the Barons, but it was now long since the arrival of the last.”

certainty noun US /ˈsɜːrtənti/

the state of being certain

From this reading “Whether Denham remained yet at Valenciennes was a matter of supposition, not of certainty.”

elsewhere adverb US /ˈelswer/

in or to another place

From this reading “For aught that his friends knew to the contrary, he might have been passed on to the grim fortress, Bitche, to Sédan, or elsewhere.”

fortress noun US /ˈfɔːrtrəs/

a fortified defensive structure

From this reading “For aught that his friends knew to the contrary, he might have been passed on to the grim fortress, Bitche, to Sédan, or elsewhere.”

slid verb US /slɪd/

inflected form of “slide” — move obliquely or sideways, usually in an uncontrolled manner

From this reading “More than eighteen months had slid away since the day when Denham Ivor had been summarily despatched with other détenus to Valenciennes.”

summarily adverb US /səˈmerɪli/

without delay; in a summary manner

From this reading “More than eighteen months had slid away since the day when Denham Ivor had been summarily despatched with other détenus to Valenciennes.”

supposition noun US /ˌsʌpəˈzɪʃən/

a message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence

From this reading “Whether Denham remained yet at Valenciennes was a matter of supposition, not of certainty.”

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.

eighteen months adjective + noun counted as “eighteen month”

In this reading “More than eighteen months had slid away since the day when Denham Ivor had been summarily despatched with other détenus to Valenciennes.”

For aught preposition + noun

In this reading “For aught that his friends knew to the contrary, he might have been passed on to the grim fortress, Bitche, to Sédan, or elsewhere.”

slid away verb + particle counted as “slide away”

In this reading “More than eighteen months had slid away since the day when Denham Ivor had been summarily despatched with other détenus to Valenciennes.”

since the day preposition + article + noun counted as “since … day”

In this reading “More than eighteen months had slid away since the day when Denham Ivor had been summarily despatched with other détenus to Valenciennes.”

passed on verb + particle counted as “pass on”

place into the hands or custody of

In this reading “For aught that his friends knew to the contrary, he might have been passed on to the grim fortress, Bitche, to Sédan, or elsewhere.”

All words in this reading · 66

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.

1807

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

From this reading IN THE YEAR 1807.

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading Once or twice a letter from him had reached the Barons, but it was now long since the arrival of the last.

arrivalnounUS /ərˈaɪvəl/

accomplishment of an objective

From this reading Once or twice a letter from him had reached the Barons, but it was now long since the arrival of the last.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Whether Denham remained yet at Valenciennes was a matter of supposition, not of certainty.

aughtnounUS /ɔːt/

a quantity of no importance

From this reading For aught that his friends knew to the contrary, he might have been passed on to the grim fortress, Bitche, to Sédan, or elsewhere.

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading More than eighteen months had slid away since the day when Denham Ivor had been summarily despatched with other détenus to Valenciennes.

BaronsnounUS /ˈbærənz/

plural of “baron” — a nobleman (in various countries) of varying rank

From this reading Once or twice a letter from him had reached the Barons, but it was now long since the arrival of the last.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading More than eighteen months had slid away since the day when Denham Ivor had been summarily despatched with other détenus to Valenciennes.

Bitche

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

From this reading For aught that his friends knew to the contrary, he might have been passed on to the grim fortress, Bitche, to Sédan, or elsewhere.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Once or twice a letter from him had reached the Barons, but it was now long since the arrival of the last.

certaintynounUS /ˈsɜːrtənti/

the state of being certain

From this reading Whether Denham remained yet at Valenciennes was a matter of supposition, not of certainty.

contraryadjectiveUS /ˈkɑːntreri/

very opposed in nature or character or purpose

From this reading For aught that his friends knew to the contrary, he might have been passed on to the grim fortress, Bitche, to Sédan, or elsewhere.

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading More than eighteen months had slid away since the day when Denham Ivor had been summarily despatched with other détenus to Valenciennes.

Denham

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

From this reading More than eighteen months had slid away since the day when Denham Ivor had been summarily despatched with other détenus to Valenciennes.

despatched

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

From this reading More than eighteen months had slid away since the day when Denham Ivor had been summarily despatched with other détenus to Valenciennes.

détenus

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

From this reading More than eighteen months had slid away since the day when Denham Ivor had been summarily despatched with other détenus to Valenciennes.

eighteenadjectiveUS /eɪˈtiːn/

being one more than seventeen

From this reading More than eighteen months had slid away since the day when Denham Ivor had been summarily despatched with other détenus to Valenciennes.

elsewhereadverbUS /ˈelswer/

in or to another place

From this reading For aught that his friends knew to the contrary, he might have been passed on to the grim fortress, Bitche, to Sédan, or elsewhere.

ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading For aught that his friends knew to the contrary, he might have been passed on to the grim fortress, Bitche, to Sédan, or elsewhere.

fortressnounUS /ˈfɔːrtrəs/

a fortified defensive structure

From this reading For aught that his friends knew to the contrary, he might have been passed on to the grim fortress, Bitche, to Sédan, or elsewhere.

friendsnounUS /frendz/

plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust

From this reading For aught that his friends knew to the contrary, he might have been passed on to the grim fortress, Bitche, to Sédan, or elsewhere.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Once or twice a letter from him had reached the Barons, but it was now long since the arrival of the last.

grimadjectiveUS /ɡrɪm/

not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty

From this reading For aught that his friends knew to the contrary, he might have been passed on to the grim fortress, Bitche, to Sédan, or elsewhere.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading More than eighteen months had slid away since the day when Denham Ivor had been summarily despatched with other détenus to Valenciennes.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading For aught that his friends knew to the contrary, he might have been passed on to the grim fortress, Bitche, to Sédan, or elsewhere.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading For aught that his friends knew to the contrary, he might have been passed on to the grim fortress, Bitche, to Sédan, or elsewhere.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Once or twice a letter from him had reached the Barons, but it was now long since the arrival of the last.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading For aught that his friends knew to the contrary, he might have been passed on to the grim fortress, Bitche, to Sédan, or elsewhere.

INprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading IN THE YEAR 1807.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Once or twice a letter from him had reached the Barons, but it was now long since the arrival of the last.

Ivor

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

From this reading More than eighteen months had slid away since the day when Denham Ivor had been summarily despatched with other détenus to Valenciennes.

knewverbUS /nuː/

inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading For aught that his friends knew to the contrary, he might have been passed on to the grim fortress, Bitche, to Sédan, or elsewhere.

lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

From this reading Once or twice a letter from him had reached the Barons, but it was now long since the arrival of the last.

letternounUS /ˈletər/

a written message addressed to a person or organization

From this reading Once or twice a letter from him had reached the Barons, but it was now long since the arrival of the last.

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading Once or twice a letter from him had reached the Barons, but it was now long since the arrival of the last.

matternounUS /ˈmætər/

a vaguely specified concern

From this reading Whether Denham remained yet at Valenciennes was a matter of supposition, not of certainty.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading For aught that his friends knew to the contrary, he might have been passed on to the grim fortress, Bitche, to Sédan, or elsewhere.

monthsnounUS /mʌnθs/

plural of “month” — one of the twelve divisions of the calendar year

From this reading More than eighteen months had slid away since the day when Denham Ivor had been summarily despatched with other détenus to Valenciennes.

MoreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

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

From this reading More than eighteen months had slid away since the day when Denham Ivor had been summarily despatched with other détenus to Valenciennes.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Whether Denham remained yet at Valenciennes was a matter of supposition, not of certainty.

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading Once or twice a letter from him had reached the Barons, but it was now long since the arrival of the last.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Once or twice a letter from him had reached the Barons, but it was now long since the arrival of the last.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading For aught that his friends knew to the contrary, he might have been passed on to the grim fortress, Bitche, to Sédan, or elsewhere.

OnceadverbUS /wʌns/

on one occasion

From this reading Once or twice a letter from him had reached the Barons, but it was now long since the arrival of the last.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Once or twice a letter from him had reached the Barons, but it was now long since the arrival of the last.

otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading More than eighteen months had slid away since the day when Denham Ivor had been summarily despatched with other détenus to Valenciennes.

passedverbUS /pæst/

past form of “pass” — go across or through

From this reading For aught that his friends knew to the contrary, he might have been passed on to the grim fortress, Bitche, to Sédan, or elsewhere.

reachedverbUS /riːtʃt/

past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract

From this reading Once or twice a letter from him had reached the Barons, but it was now long since the arrival of the last.

remainedverbUS /rɪˈmeɪnd/

past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state

From this reading Whether Denham remained yet at Valenciennes was a matter of supposition, not of certainty.

sinceprepositionUS /sɪns/

from a time in the past until now

From this reading More than eighteen months had slid away since the day when Denham Ivor had been summarily despatched with other détenus to Valenciennes.

slidverbUS /slɪd/

inflected form of “slide” — move obliquely or sideways, usually in an uncontrolled manner

From this reading More than eighteen months had slid away since the day when Denham Ivor had been summarily despatched with other détenus to Valenciennes.

summarilyadverbUS /səˈmerɪli/

without delay; in a summary manner

From this reading More than eighteen months had slid away since the day when Denham Ivor had been summarily despatched with other détenus to Valenciennes.

suppositionnounUS /ˌsʌpəˈzɪʃən/

a message expressing an opinion based on incomplete evidence

From this reading Whether Denham remained yet at Valenciennes was a matter of supposition, not of certainty.

Sédan

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

From this reading For aught that his friends knew to the contrary, he might have been passed on to the grim fortress, Bitche, to Sédan, or elsewhere.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading More than eighteen months had slid away since the day when Denham Ivor had been summarily despatched with other détenus to Valenciennes.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading For aught that his friends knew to the contrary, he might have been passed on to the grim fortress, Bitche, to Sédan, or elsewhere.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading IN THE YEAR 1807.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading More than eighteen months had slid away since the day when Denham Ivor had been summarily despatched with other détenus to Valenciennes.

twiceadverbUS /twaɪs/

two times

From this reading Once or twice a letter from him had reached the Barons, but it was now long since the arrival of the last.

Valenciennesnoun

a town in northeastern France long noted for its lace industry

From this reading More than eighteen months had slid away since the day when Denham Ivor had been summarily despatched with other détenus to Valenciennes.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Once or twice a letter from him had reached the Barons, but it was now long since the arrival of the last.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading More than eighteen months had slid away since the day when Denham Ivor had been summarily despatched with other détenus to Valenciennes.

WhetherconjunctionUS /ˈweðər/

used to introduce two or more possibilities

From this reading Whether Denham remained yet at Valenciennes was a matter of supposition, not of certainty.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading More than eighteen months had slid away since the day when Denham Ivor had been summarily despatched with other détenus to Valenciennes.

YEARnounUS /jɪr/

a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days

From this reading IN THE YEAR 1807.

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading Whether Denham remained yet at Valenciennes was a matter of supposition, not of certainty.

Chapter 2 of The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 995, January 21, 1899 by Various holds 417 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.

What does chapter 2 of The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 995, January 21, 1899 contain?

Chapter 2 holds 417 sentences of The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 995, January 21, 1899, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 2 of The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 995, January 21, 1899 by Various exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 417 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.

How do I study chapter 2 of The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 995, January 21, 1899?

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.

Can chapter 2 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 2 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 Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 995, January 21, 1899

Common questions about reading The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 995, January 21, 1899 by Various on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 995, January 21, 1899?

Yes. All 1218 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54735 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 995, January 21, 1899 is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #54735, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 995, January 21, 1899 take to read?

About 101 minutes of reading across 244 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 995, January 21, 1899 section by section

How to work through The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 995, January 21, 1899 section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 5 chapters of The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 995, January 21, 1899 to begin.

  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 Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 995, January 21, 1899

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 995, January 21, 1899, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Darcy
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 995, January 21, 1899; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Young
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 995, January 21, 1899; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
People
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 995, January 21, 1899; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Themselves
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Girl's Own Paper, Vol. XX, No. 995, January 21, 1899; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.