Chapter 16 of The Gypsy Queen's Vow is here in full — 188 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of The Gypsy Queen's Vow is here in full — 188 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MASTER RANTY. "A rare compound of oddity, frolic and fun." GOLDSMITH. A little, old, decrepit woman, bent double with age, leaning on a staff, and shaking with palsy, stood as suddenly before them as if she had sprung up through the earth. Her dress was the most astonishing complication of rags that ever hung together on a human back before.
Chapter 16 of The Gypsy Queen's Vow is here in full — 188 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/37 · 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.
surprising greatly
From this reading “Her dress was the most astonishing complication of rags that ever hung together on a human back before.”
the act or process of complicating
From this reading “Her dress was the most astonishing complication of rags that ever hung together on a human back before.”
a whole formed by a union of two or more elements or parts
From this reading “"A rare compound of oddity, frolic and fun."”
worn and broken down by hard use
From this reading “A little, old, decrepit woman, bent double with age, leaning on a staff, and shaking with palsy, stood as suddenly before them as if she had sprung up through the earth.”
gay or light-hearted recreational activity for diversion or amusement
From this reading “"A rare compound of oddity, frolic and fun."”
an artisan who makes jewelry and other objects out of gold
From this reading “GOLDSMITH.”
eccentricity that is not easily explained
From this reading “"A rare compound of oddity, frolic and fun."”
loss of the ability to move a body part
From this reading “A little, old, decrepit woman, bent double with age, leaning on a staff, and shaking with palsy, stood as suddenly before them as if she had sprung up through the earth.”
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.
In this reading “Her dress was the most astonishing complication of rags that ever hung together on a human back before.”
come into existence; take on form or shape
In this reading “A little, old, decrepit woman, bent double with age, leaning on a staff, and shaking with palsy, stood as suddenly before them as if she had sprung up through the earth.”
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 "A rare compound of oddity, frolic and fun."
how long something has existed
From this reading A little, old, decrepit woman, bent double with age, leaning on a staff, and shaking with palsy, stood as suddenly before them as if she had sprung up through the earth.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "A rare compound of oddity, frolic and fun."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading A little, old, decrepit woman, bent double with age, leaning on a staff, and shaking with palsy, stood as suddenly before them as if she had sprung up through the earth.
surprising greatly
From this reading Her dress was the most astonishing complication of rags that ever hung together on a human back before.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Her dress was the most astonishing complication of rags that ever hung together on a human back before.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading A little, old, decrepit woman, bent double with age, leaning on a staff, and shaking with palsy, stood as suddenly before them as if she had sprung up through the earth.
a relatively permanent inclination to react in a particular way
From this reading A little, old, decrepit woman, bent double with age, leaning on a staff, and shaking with palsy, stood as suddenly before them as if she had sprung up through the earth.
the act or process of complicating
From this reading Her dress was the most astonishing complication of rags that ever hung together on a human back before.
a whole formed by a union of two or more elements or parts
From this reading "A rare compound of oddity, frolic and fun."
worn and broken down by hard use
From this reading A little, old, decrepit woman, bent double with age, leaning on a staff, and shaking with palsy, stood as suddenly before them as if she had sprung up through the earth.
increase twofold
From this reading A little, old, decrepit woman, bent double with age, leaning on a staff, and shaking with palsy, stood as suddenly before them as if she had sprung up through the earth.
put on clothes
From this reading Her dress was the most astonishing complication of rags that ever hung together on a human back before.
the 3rd planet from the sun; the planet we live on
From this reading A little, old, decrepit woman, bent double with age, leaning on a staff, and shaking with palsy, stood as suddenly before them as if she had sprung up through the earth.
at any time
From this reading Her dress was the most astonishing complication of rags that ever hung together on a human back before.
gay or light-hearted recreational activity for diversion or amusement
From this reading "A rare compound of oddity, frolic and fun."
activities that are enjoyable or amusing
From this reading "A rare compound of oddity, frolic and fun."
an artisan who makes jewelry and other objects out of gold
From this reading GOLDSMITH.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading A little, old, decrepit woman, bent double with age, leaning on a staff, and shaking with palsy, stood as suddenly before them as if she had sprung up through the earth.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her dress was the most astonishing complication of rags that ever hung together on a human back before.
characteristic of humanity
From this reading Her dress was the most astonishing complication of rags that ever hung together on a human back before.
inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging
From this reading Her dress was the most astonishing complication of rags that ever hung together on a human back before.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading A little, old, decrepit woman, bent double with age, leaning on a staff, and shaking with palsy, stood as suddenly before them as if she had sprung up through the earth.
departing or being caused to depart from the true vertical or horizontal
From this reading A little, old, decrepit woman, bent double with age, leaning on a staff, and shaking with palsy, stood as suddenly before them as if she had sprung up through the earth.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading A little, old, decrepit woman, bent double with age, leaning on a staff, and shaking with palsy, stood as suddenly before them as if she had sprung up through the earth.
an artist of consummate skill
From this reading MASTER RANTY.
used to form the superlative
From this reading Her dress was the most astonishing complication of rags that ever hung together on a human back before.
eccentricity that is not easily explained
From this reading "A rare compound of oddity, frolic and fun."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "A rare compound of oddity, frolic and fun."
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading A little, old, decrepit woman, bent double with age, leaning on a staff, and shaking with palsy, stood as suddenly before them as if she had sprung up through the earth.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A little, old, decrepit woman, bent double with age, leaning on a staff, and shaking with palsy, stood as suddenly before them as if she had sprung up through the earth.
loss of the ability to move a body part
From this reading A little, old, decrepit woman, bent double with age, leaning on a staff, and shaking with palsy, stood as suddenly before them as if she had sprung up through the earth.
plural of “rag” — a small piece of cloth or paper
From this reading Her dress was the most astonishing complication of rags that ever hung together on a human back before.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MASTER RANTY.
not widely known; especially valued for its uncommonness
From this reading "A rare compound of oddity, frolic and fun."
the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements
From this reading A little, old, decrepit woman, bent double with age, leaning on a staff, and shaking with palsy, stood as suddenly before them as if she had sprung up through the earth.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A little, old, decrepit woman, bent double with age, leaning on a staff, and shaking with palsy, stood as suddenly before them as if she had sprung up through the earth.
inflected form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading A little, old, decrepit woman, bent double with age, leaning on a staff, and shaking with palsy, stood as suddenly before them as if she had sprung up through the earth.
personnel who assist their superior in carrying out an assigned task
From this reading A little, old, decrepit woman, bent double with age, leaning on a staff, and shaking with palsy, stood as suddenly before them as if she had sprung up through the earth.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading A little, old, decrepit woman, bent double with age, leaning on a staff, and shaking with palsy, stood as suddenly before them as if she had sprung up through the earth.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading A little, old, decrepit woman, bent double with age, leaning on a staff, and shaking with palsy, stood as suddenly before them as if she had sprung up through the earth.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Her dress was the most astonishing complication of rags that ever hung together on a human back before.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A little, old, decrepit woman, bent double with age, leaning on a staff, and shaking with palsy, stood as suddenly before them as if she had sprung up through the earth.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading A little, old, decrepit woman, bent double with age, leaning on a staff, and shaking with palsy, stood as suddenly before them as if she had sprung up through the earth.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading A little, old, decrepit woman, bent double with age, leaning on a staff, and shaking with palsy, stood as suddenly before them as if she had sprung up through the earth.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading Her dress was the most astonishing complication of rags that ever hung together on a human back before.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading A little, old, decrepit woman, bent double with age, leaning on a staff, and shaking with palsy, stood as suddenly before them as if she had sprung up through the earth.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Her dress was the most astonishing complication of rags that ever hung together on a human back before.
in the company of; together with
From this reading A little, old, decrepit woman, bent double with age, leaning on a staff, and shaking with palsy, stood as suddenly before them as if she had sprung up through the earth.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading A little, old, decrepit woman, bent double with age, leaning on a staff, and shaking with palsy, stood as suddenly before them as if she had sprung up through the earth.
Chapter 16 of The Gypsy Queen's Vow by May Agnes Fleming holds 188 sentences, grouped into 38 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 16 holds 188 sentences of The Gypsy Queen's Vow, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of The Gypsy Queen's Vow by May Agnes Fleming exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 188 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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 16 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.
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Yes. All 8141 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43489 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43489, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1629 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Gypsy Queen's Vow section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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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 Gypsy Queen's Vow, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
