Chapter 10 of The New Magdalen is here in full — 100 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter X
Chapter 10 of The New Magdalen is here in full — 100 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
FOR a moment Horace stood thunderstruck, looking in blank astonishment at Lady Janet. His first words, as soon as he had recovered himself, were addressed to Julian. “Is this a joke?” he asked, sternly. “If it is, I for one don’t see the humor of it.” Julian pointed to the closely written pages of the consul’s letter.
Chapter 10 of The New Magdalen is here in full — 100 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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.
(of a surface) not written or printed on
From this reading “FOR a moment Horace stood thunderstruck, looking in blank astonishment at Lady Janet.”
Roman lyric poet said to have influenced English poetry (65-8 BC)
From this reading “FOR a moment Horace stood thunderstruck, looking in blank astonishment at Lady Janet.”
a message whose ingenuity or verbal skill or incongruity has the power to evoke laughter
From this reading ““If it is, I for one don’t see the humor of it.””
a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading ““Is this a joke?” he asked, sternly.”
Roman Emperor and nephew of Constantine; he restored paganism as the official religion of the Roman Empire and destroyed Christian temples but his decision was reversed after his death (331?-363)
From this reading “His first words, as soon as he had recovered himself, were addressed to Julian.”
plural of “page” — one side of one leaf (of a book or magazine or newspaper or letter etc.) or the written or pictorial matter it contains
From this reading “Julian pointed to the closely written pages of the consul’s letter.”
with sternness; in a severe manner
From this reading ““Is this a joke?” he asked, sternly.”
as if struck dumb with astonishment and surprise
From this reading “FOR a moment Horace stood thunderstruck, looking in blank astonishment at Lady Janet.”
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 FOR a moment Horace stood thunderstruck, looking in blank astonishment at Lady Janet.
(of mail) marked with a destination
From this reading His first words, as soon as he had recovered himself, were addressed to Julian.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading His first words, as soon as he had recovered himself, were addressed to Julian.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Is this a joke?” he asked, sternly.
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading FOR a moment Horace stood thunderstruck, looking in blank astonishment at Lady Janet.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading FOR a moment Horace stood thunderstruck, looking in blank astonishment at Lady Janet.
(of a surface) not written or printed on
From this reading FOR a moment Horace stood thunderstruck, looking in blank astonishment at Lady Janet.
in a close relation or position in time or space
From this reading Julian pointed to the closely written pages of the consul’s letter.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Julian pointed to the closely written pages of the consul’s letter.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “If it is, I for one don’t see the humor of it.”
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading His first words, as soon as he had recovered himself, were addressed to Julian.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading FOR a moment Horace stood thunderstruck, looking in blank astonishment at Lady Janet.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading His first words, as soon as he had recovered himself, were addressed to Julian.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading His first words, as soon as he had recovered himself, were addressed to Julian.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading His first words, as soon as he had recovered himself, were addressed to Julian.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His first words, as soon as he had recovered himself, were addressed to Julian.
Roman lyric poet said to have influenced English poetry (65-8 BC)
From this reading FOR a moment Horace stood thunderstruck, looking in blank astonishment at Lady Janet.
a message whose ingenuity or verbal skill or incongruity has the power to evoke laughter
From this reading “If it is, I for one don’t see the humor of it.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “If it is, I for one don’t see the humor of it.”
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading “If it is, I for one don’t see the humor of it.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading FOR a moment Horace stood thunderstruck, looking in blank astonishment at Lady Janet.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Is this a joke?” he asked, sternly.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “If it is, I for one don’t see the humor of it.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading FOR a moment Horace stood thunderstruck, looking in blank astonishment at Lady Janet.
a humorous anecdote or remark intended to provoke laughter
From this reading “Is this a joke?” he asked, sternly.
Roman Emperor and nephew of Constantine; he restored paganism as the official religion of the Roman Empire and destroyed Christian temples but his decision was reversed after his death (331?-363)
From this reading His first words, as soon as he had recovered himself, were addressed to Julian.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading FOR a moment Horace stood thunderstruck, looking in blank astonishment at Lady Janet.
a written message addressed to a person or organization
From this reading Julian pointed to the closely written pages of the consul’s letter.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading FOR a moment Horace stood thunderstruck, looking in blank astonishment at Lady Janet.
a particular point in time
From this reading FOR a moment Horace stood thunderstruck, looking in blank astonishment at Lady Janet.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “If it is, I for one don’t see the humor of it.”
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading “If it is, I for one don’t see the humor of it.”
plural of “page” — one side of one leaf (of a book or magazine or newspaper or letter etc.) or the written or pictorial matter it contains
From this reading Julian pointed to the closely written pages of the consul’s letter.
having a point
From this reading Julian pointed to the closely written pages of the consul’s letter.
freed from illness or injury
From this reading His first words, as soon as he had recovered himself, were addressed to Julian.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “If it is, I for one don’t see the humor of it.”
in the near future
From this reading His first words, as soon as he had recovered himself, were addressed to Julian.
with sternness; in a severe manner
From this reading “Is this a joke?” he asked, sternly.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading FOR a moment Horace stood thunderstruck, looking in blank astonishment at Lady Janet.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “If it is, I for one don’t see the humor of it.”
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “Is this a joke?” he asked, sternly.
as if struck dumb with astonishment and surprise
From this reading FOR a moment Horace stood thunderstruck, looking in blank astonishment at Lady Janet.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading His first words, as soon as he had recovered himself, were addressed to Julian.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading His first words, as soon as he had recovered himself, were addressed to Julian.
the words that are spoken
From this reading His first words, as soon as he had recovered himself, were addressed to Julian.
set down in writing in any of various ways
From this reading Julian pointed to the closely written pages of the consul’s letter.
Chapter 10 of The New Magdalen by Wilkie Collins holds 100 sentences, grouped into 20 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 10 holds 100 sentences of The New Magdalen, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of The New Magdalen by Wilkie Collins exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 100 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 10 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 New Magdalen by Wilkie Collins on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7416 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1623 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1623, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1484 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The New Magdalen section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The New Magdalen 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 New Magdalen, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
