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The Princess Virginia
The Princess Virginia

Chapter XIX

Chapter 19 of The Princess Virginia is here in full — 38 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Princess Virginia
Context Illustration Reading 1/7 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE THIRD COURSE The Prince came forward.
"What a delightful surprise," he said.
"How good of you both to look me up!
But I wish my prophetic soul had warned me to keep back dinner.
We have just reached the third course."
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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 Virginia

Chapter XIX

Chapter 19 of The Princess Virginia is here in full — 38 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/7 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE THIRD COURSE The Prince came forward.
/ðə θɜːrd kɔːrs ðə prɪns keɪm ˈfɔːrwərd/
Line 2
"What a delightful surprise," he said.
/wʌt ə dɪˈlaɪtfəl sərˈpraɪz hiː sed/
Line 3
"How good of you both to look me up!
Line 4
But I wish my prophetic soul had warned me to keep back dinner.
/bʌt aɪ wɪʃ maɪ prəˈfetɪk soʊl hæd wɔːrnd miː tuː kiːp bæk ˈdɪnər/
Line 5
We have just reached the third course."
/wiː hæv dʒʌst riːtʃt ðə θɜːrd kɔːrs/

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.

delightful adjective US /dɪˈlaɪtfəl/

greatly pleasing or entertaining

From this reading “"What a delightful surprise," he said.”

dinner noun US /ˈdɪnər/

the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday

From this reading “But I wish my prophetic soul had warned me to keep back dinner.”

Prince noun US /prɪns/

a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign (especially the son of a sovereign)

From this reading “THE THIRD COURSE The Prince came forward.”

prophetic adjective US /prəˈfetɪk/

foretelling events as if by supernatural intervention

From this reading “But I wish my prophetic soul had warned me to keep back dinner.”

soul noun US /soʊl/

the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life

From this reading “But I wish my prophetic soul had warned me to keep back dinner.”

surprise noun US /sərˈpraɪz/

the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you

From this reading “"What a delightful surprise," he said.”

third noun US /θɜːrd/

one of three equal parts of a divisible whole

From this reading “THE THIRD COURSE The Prince came forward.”

warned verb US /wɔːrnd/

past form of “warn” — notify of danger, potential harm, or risk

From this reading “But I wish my prophetic soul had warned me to keep back dinner.”

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.

prophetic soul adjective + noun

In this reading “But I wish my prophetic soul had warned me to keep back dinner.”

delightful surprise adjective + noun

In this reading “"What a delightful surprise," he said.”

came forward verb + particle counted as “come forward”

make oneself visible; take action

In this reading “THE THIRD COURSE The Prince came forward.”

keep back verb + particle

secure and keep for possible future use or application

In this reading “But I wish my prophetic soul had warned me to keep back dinner.”

All words in this reading · 36

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 "What a delightful surprise," he said.

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading But I wish my prophetic soul had warned me to keep back dinner.

bothdeterminerUS /boʊθ/

the two together, not just one

From this reading "How good of you both to look me up!

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But I wish my prophetic soul had warned me to keep back dinner.

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading THE THIRD COURSE The Prince came forward.

COURSEnounUS /kɔːrs/

education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings

From this reading THE THIRD COURSE The Prince came forward.

delightfuladjectiveUS /dɪˈlaɪtfəl/

greatly pleasing or entertaining

From this reading "What a delightful surprise," he said.

dinnernounUS /ˈdɪnər/

the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday

From this reading But I wish my prophetic soul had warned me to keep back dinner.

forwardadverbUS /ˈfɔːrwərd/

at or to or toward the front

From this reading THE THIRD COURSE The Prince came forward.

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading "How good of you both to look me up!

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading But I wish my prophetic soul had warned me to keep back dinner.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading We have just reached the third course."

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading "What a delightful surprise," he said.

How

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

From this reading "How good of you both to look me up!

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading But I wish my prophetic soul had warned me to keep back dinner.

justadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading We have just reached the third course."

keepverbUS /kiːp/

cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”

From this reading But I wish my prophetic soul had warned me to keep back dinner.

lookverbUS /lʊk/

perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading "How good of you both to look me up!

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading "How good of you both to look me up!

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading But I wish my prophetic soul had warned me to keep back dinner.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading "How good of you both to look me up!

PrincenounUS /prɪns/

a male member of a royal family other than the sovereign (especially the son of a sovereign)

From this reading THE THIRD COURSE The Prince came forward.

propheticadjectiveUS /prəˈfetɪk/

foretelling events as if by supernatural intervention

From this reading But I wish my prophetic soul had warned me to keep back dinner.

reachedverbUS /riːtʃt/

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

From this reading We have just reached the third course."

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "What a delightful surprise," he said.

soulnounUS /soʊl/

the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life

From this reading But I wish my prophetic soul had warned me to keep back dinner.

surprisenounUS /sərˈpraɪz/

the astonishment you feel when something totally unexpected happens to you

From this reading "What a delightful surprise," he said.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE THIRD COURSE The Prince came forward.

THIRDnounUS /θɜːrd/

one of three equal parts of a divisible whole

From this reading THE THIRD COURSE The Prince came forward.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading "How good of you both to look me up!

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading "How good of you both to look me up!

warnedverbUS /wɔːrnd/

past form of “warn” — notify of danger, potential harm, or risk

From this reading But I wish my prophetic soul had warned me to keep back dinner.

WepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading We have just reached the third course."

WhatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading "What a delightful surprise," he said.

wishverbUS /wɪʃ/

hope for; have a wish

From this reading But I wish my prophetic soul had warned me to keep back dinner.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "How good of you both to look me up!

Chapter 19 of The Princess Virginia by C. N. (Charles Norris) Williamson holds 38 sentences, grouped into 8 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 19 of The Princess Virginia contain?

Chapter 19 holds 38 sentences of The Princess Virginia, unabridged, divided into 8 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 19 of The Princess Virginia by C. N. (Charles Norris) Williamson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 38 sentences, grouped into 8 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 19 of The Princess Virginia?

Work through the 8 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 8 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 19 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 19 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 Virginia

Common questions about reading The Princess Virginia by C. N. (Charles Norris) Williamson on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Princess Virginia?

Yes. All 3282 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29715 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Princess Virginia is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #29715, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Princess Virginia take to read?

About 273 minutes of reading across 657 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Princess Virginia section by section

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

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 20 chapters of The Princess Virginia 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 Virginia

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

Friend
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Princess Virginia; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Chauffeur
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Princess Virginia; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Betty
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Princess Virginia; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Across
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Princess Virginia; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.