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The Princess and Curdie
The Princess and Curdie

Chapter XXI · Chapter 21

Chapter 21 of The Princess and Curdie is here in full — 52 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Princess and Curdie
Context Illustration Reading 1/10 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The Loaf His Majesty slept very quietly.
The dawn had grown almost day, and still Curdie lingered, unwilling to disturb the princess.
At last, however, he called her, and she was in the room in a moment.
She had slept, she said, and felt quite fresh.
Delighted to find her father still asleep, and so peacefully, she pushed her chair close to the bed, and sat down with her hands in her lap.
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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 Princess and Curdie

Chapter XXI · Chapter 21

Chapter 21 of The Princess and Curdie is here in full — 52 sentences across 11 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/10 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The Loaf His Majesty slept very quietly.
Line 2
The dawn had grown almost day, and still Curdie lingered, unwilling to disturb the princess.
Line 3
At last, however, he called her, and she was in the room in a moment.
Line 4
She had slept, she said, and felt quite fresh.
Line 5
Delighted to find her father still asleep, and so peacefully, she pushed her chair close to the bed, and sat down with her hands in her lap.

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.

Princess noun US /ˈprɪn.ses/

The daughter of a monarch; a female member of a royal family.

From this reading “The dawn had grown almost day, and still Curdie lingered, unwilling to disturb the princess.”

All words in this reading · 51

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.

a

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

From this reading At last, however, he called her, and she was in the room in a moment.

almost

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

From this reading The dawn had grown almost day, and still Curdie lingered, unwilling to disturb the princess.

and

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

From this reading The dawn had grown almost day, and still Curdie lingered, unwilling to disturb the princess.

asleep

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

From this reading Delighted to find her father still asleep, and so peacefully, she pushed her chair close to the bed, and sat down with her hands in her lap.

At

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

From this reading At last, however, he called her, and she was in the room in a moment.

bed

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

From this reading Delighted to find her father still asleep, and so peacefully, she pushed her chair close to the bed, and sat down with her hands in her lap.

called

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

From this reading At last, however, he called her, and she was in the room in a moment.

chair

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

From this reading Delighted to find her father still asleep, and so peacefully, she pushed her chair close to the bed, and sat down with her hands in her lap.

close

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

From this reading Delighted to find her father still asleep, and so peacefully, she pushed her chair close to the bed, and sat down with her hands in her lap.

Curdie

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

From this reading The dawn had grown almost day, and still Curdie lingered, unwilling to disturb the princess.

dawn

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

From this reading The dawn had grown almost day, and still Curdie lingered, unwilling to disturb the princess.

day

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

From this reading The dawn had grown almost day, and still Curdie lingered, unwilling to disturb the princess.

Delighted

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

From this reading Delighted to find her father still asleep, and so peacefully, she pushed her chair close to the bed, and sat down with her hands in her lap.

disturb

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

From this reading The dawn had grown almost day, and still Curdie lingered, unwilling to disturb the princess.

down

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

From this reading Delighted to find her father still asleep, and so peacefully, she pushed her chair close to the bed, and sat down with her hands in her lap.

father

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

From this reading Delighted to find her father still asleep, and so peacefully, she pushed her chair close to the bed, and sat down with her hands in her lap.

felt

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

From this reading She had slept, she said, and felt quite fresh.

find

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

From this reading Delighted to find her father still asleep, and so peacefully, she pushed her chair close to the bed, and sat down with her hands in her lap.

fresh

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

From this reading She had slept, she said, and felt quite fresh.

grown

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

From this reading The dawn had grown almost day, and still Curdie lingered, unwilling to disturb the princess.

had

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

From this reading The dawn had grown almost day, and still Curdie lingered, unwilling to disturb the princess.

hands

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

From this reading Delighted to find her father still asleep, and so peacefully, she pushed her chair close to the bed, and sat down with her hands in her lap.

he

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

From this reading At last, however, he called her, and she was in the room in a moment.

her

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

From this reading At last, however, he called her, and she was in the room in a moment.

His

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

From this reading The Loaf His Majesty slept very quietly.

however

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

From this reading At last, however, he called her, and she was in the room in a moment.

in

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

From this reading At last, however, he called her, and she was in the room in a moment.

lap

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

From this reading Delighted to find her father still asleep, and so peacefully, she pushed her chair close to the bed, and sat down with her hands in her lap.

last

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

From this reading At last, however, he called her, and she was in the room in a moment.

lingered

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

From this reading The dawn had grown almost day, and still Curdie lingered, unwilling to disturb the princess.

Loaf

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

From this reading The Loaf His Majesty slept very quietly.

Majesty

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

From this reading The Loaf His Majesty slept very quietly.

moment

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

From this reading At last, however, he called her, and she was in the room in a moment.

peacefully

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

From this reading Delighted to find her father still asleep, and so peacefully, she pushed her chair close to the bed, and sat down with her hands in her lap.

princessnounUS /ˈprɪn.ses/

The daughter of a monarch; a female member of a royal family.

From this reading The dawn had grown almost day, and still Curdie lingered, unwilling to disturb the princess.

pushed

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

From this reading Delighted to find her father still asleep, and so peacefully, she pushed her chair close to the bed, and sat down with her hands in her lap.

quietly

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

From this reading The Loaf His Majesty slept very quietly.

quite

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

From this reading She had slept, she said, and felt quite fresh.

room

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

From this reading At last, however, he called her, and she was in the room in a moment.

said

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

From this reading She had slept, she said, and felt quite fresh.

sat

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

From this reading Delighted to find her father still asleep, and so peacefully, she pushed her chair close to the bed, and sat down with her hands in her lap.

she

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

From this reading At last, however, he called her, and she was in the room in a moment.

slept

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

From this reading The Loaf His Majesty slept very quietly.

so

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

From this reading Delighted to find her father still asleep, and so peacefully, she pushed her chair close to the bed, and sat down with her hands in her lap.

still

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

From this reading The dawn had grown almost day, and still Curdie lingered, unwilling to disturb the princess.

The

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

From this reading The Loaf His Majesty slept very quietly.

to

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

From this reading The dawn had grown almost day, and still Curdie lingered, unwilling to disturb the princess.

unwilling

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

From this reading The dawn had grown almost day, and still Curdie lingered, unwilling to disturb the princess.

very

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

From this reading The Loaf His Majesty slept very quietly.

was

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

From this reading At last, however, he called her, and she was in the room in a moment.

with

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

From this reading Delighted to find her father still asleep, and so peacefully, she pushed her chair close to the bed, and sat down with her hands in her lap.

Chapter 21 of The Princess and Curdie by George MacDonald holds 52 sentences, grouped into 11 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 21 of The Princess and Curdie contain?

Chapter 21 holds 52 sentences of The Princess and Curdie, unabridged, divided into 11 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 21 of The Princess and Curdie by George MacDonald exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 52 sentences, grouped into 11 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 21 of The Princess and Curdie?

Work through the 11 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 11 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 21 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 21 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 Princess and Curdie

Common questions about reading The Princess and Curdie by George MacDonald on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Princess and Curdie?

Yes. All 2790 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #709 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Princess and Curdie is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #709, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Princess and Curdie take to read?

About 232 minutes of reading across 558 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Princess and Curdie section by section

How to work through The Princess and Curdie section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 35 chapters of The Princess and Curdie 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 Princess and Curdie

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Princess and Curdie, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Curdie
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Princess and Curdie; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Peter
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Princess and Curdie; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Miner
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Princess and Curdie; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Lived
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Princess and Curdie; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.