Chapter 10 of The Tangled Skein is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter X
Chapter 10 of The Tangled Skein is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL The Duchess was frowning for all she was worth. Alicia and Barbara tried to look serious, but were obviously only too ready to join in any frolic which happened to be passing in Ursula Glynde's lively little head. "Oh!" said the latter, as soon as she had partially recovered her breath. "Oh! I vow 'tis the best of the bunch."
Chapter 10 of The Tangled Skein is here in full — 156 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/31 · 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.
a grouping of a number of similar things
From this reading “I vow 'tis the best of the bunch."”
the wife of a duke or a woman holding ducal title in her own right
From this reading “THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL The Duchess was frowning for all she was worth.”
superlative of “fair” — free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules
From this reading “THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL The Duchess was frowning for all she was worth.”
gay or light-hearted recreational activity for diversion or amusement
From this reading “Alicia and Barbara tried to look serious, but were obviously only too ready to join in any frolic which happened to be passing in Ursula Glynde's lively little head.”
showing displeasure or anger
From this reading “THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL The Duchess was frowning for all she was worth.”
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading “Alicia and Barbara tried to look serious, but were obviously only too ready to join in any frolic which happened to be passing in Ursula Glynde's lively little head.”
to some extent; in some degree; not wholly
From this reading “"Oh!" said the latter, as soon as she had partially recovered her breath.”
make a vow; promise
From this reading “I vow 'tis the best of the bunch."”
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 “"Oh!" said the latter, as soon as she had partially recovered her breath.”
In this reading “Alicia and Barbara tried to look serious, but were obviously only too ready to join in any frolic which happened to be passing in Ursula Glynde's lively little head.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alicia and Barbara tried to look serious, but were obviously only too ready to join in any frolic which happened to be passing in Ursula Glynde's lively little head.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL The Duchess was frowning for all she was worth.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Alicia and Barbara tried to look serious, but were obviously only too ready to join in any frolic which happened to be passing in Ursula Glynde's lively little head.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading Alicia and Barbara tried to look serious, but were obviously only too ready to join in any frolic which happened to be passing in Ursula Glynde's lively little head.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Oh!" said the latter, as soon as she had partially recovered her breath.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alicia and Barbara tried to look serious, but were obviously only too ready to join in any frolic which happened to be passing in Ursula Glynde's lively little head.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Alicia and Barbara tried to look serious, but were obviously only too ready to join in any frolic which happened to be passing in Ursula Glynde's lively little head.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading I vow 'tis the best of the bunch."
the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing
From this reading "Oh!" said the latter, as soon as she had partially recovered her breath.
a grouping of a number of similar things
From this reading I vow 'tis the best of the bunch."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Alicia and Barbara tried to look serious, but were obviously only too ready to join in any frolic which happened to be passing in Ursula Glynde's lively little head.
the wife of a duke or a woman holding ducal title in her own right
From this reading THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL The Duchess was frowning for all she was worth.
superlative of “fair” — free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules
From this reading THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL The Duchess was frowning for all she was worth.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL The Duchess was frowning for all she was worth.
gay or light-hearted recreational activity for diversion or amusement
From this reading Alicia and Barbara tried to look serious, but were obviously only too ready to join in any frolic which happened to be passing in Ursula Glynde's lively little head.
showing displeasure or anger
From this reading THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL The Duchess was frowning for all she was worth.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alicia and Barbara tried to look serious, but were obviously only too ready to join in any frolic which happened to be passing in Ursula Glynde's lively little head.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "Oh!" said the latter, as soon as she had partially recovered her breath.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading Alicia and Barbara tried to look serious, but were obviously only too ready to join in any frolic which happened to be passing in Ursula Glynde's lively little head.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Alicia and Barbara tried to look serious, but were obviously only too ready to join in any frolic which happened to be passing in Ursula Glynde's lively little head.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "Oh!" said the latter, as soon as she had partially recovered her breath.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I vow 'tis the best of the bunch."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Alicia and Barbara tried to look serious, but were obviously only too ready to join in any frolic which happened to be passing in Ursula Glynde's lively little head.
become part of; become a member of a group or organization
From this reading Alicia and Barbara tried to look serious, but were obviously only too ready to join in any frolic which happened to be passing in Ursula Glynde's lively little head.
referring to the second of two things or persons mentioned (or the last one or ones of several)
From this reading "Oh!" said the latter, as soon as she had partially recovered her breath.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Alicia and Barbara tried to look serious, but were obviously only too ready to join in any frolic which happened to be passing in Ursula Glynde's lively little head.
full of life and energy
From this reading Alicia and Barbara tried to look serious, but were obviously only too ready to join in any frolic which happened to be passing in Ursula Glynde's lively little head.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Alicia and Barbara tried to look serious, but were obviously only too ready to join in any frolic which happened to be passing in Ursula Glynde's lively little head.
unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)
From this reading Alicia and Barbara tried to look serious, but were obviously only too ready to join in any frolic which happened to be passing in Ursula Glynde's lively little head.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL The Duchess was frowning for all she was worth.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh!" said the latter, as soon as she had partially recovered her breath.
and nothing more
From this reading Alicia and Barbara tried to look serious, but were obviously only too ready to join in any frolic which happened to be passing in Ursula Glynde's lively little head.
to some extent; in some degree; not wholly
From this reading "Oh!" said the latter, as soon as she had partially recovered her breath.
(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate
From this reading Alicia and Barbara tried to look serious, but were obviously only too ready to join in any frolic which happened to be passing in Ursula Glynde's lively little head.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading Alicia and Barbara tried to look serious, but were obviously only too ready to join in any frolic which happened to be passing in Ursula Glynde's lively little head.
freed from illness or injury
From this reading "Oh!" said the latter, as soon as she had partially recovered her breath.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Oh!" said the latter, as soon as she had partially recovered her breath.
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading Alicia and Barbara tried to look serious, but were obviously only too ready to join in any frolic which happened to be passing in Ursula Glynde's lively little head.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL The Duchess was frowning for all she was worth.
in the near future
From this reading "Oh!" said the latter, as soon as she had partially recovered her breath.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL The Duchess was frowning for all she was worth.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL The Duchess was frowning for all she was worth.
plural of “ti” — a light strong grey lustrous corrosion-resistant metallic element used in strong lightweight alloys (as for airplane parts); the main sources are rutile and ilmenite
From this reading I vow 'tis the best of the bunch."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Alicia and Barbara tried to look serious, but were obviously only too ready to join in any frolic which happened to be passing in Ursula Glynde's lively little head.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Alicia and Barbara tried to look serious, but were obviously only too ready to join in any frolic which happened to be passing in Ursula Glynde's lively little head.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading Alicia and Barbara tried to look serious, but were obviously only too ready to join in any frolic which happened to be passing in Ursula Glynde's lively little head.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Alicia and Barbara tried to look serious, but were obviously only too ready to join in any frolic which happened to be passing in Ursula Glynde's lively little head.
make a vow; promise
From this reading I vow 'tis the best of the bunch."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL The Duchess was frowning for all she was worth.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Alicia and Barbara tried to look serious, but were obviously only too ready to join in any frolic which happened to be passing in Ursula Glynde's lively little head.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading Alicia and Barbara tried to look serious, but were obviously only too ready to join in any frolic which happened to be passing in Ursula Glynde's lively little head.
an indefinite quantity of something having a specified value
From this reading THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL The Duchess was frowning for all she was worth.
Chapter 10 of The Tangled Skein by Emmuska Orczy, Baroness Orczy holds 156 sentences, grouped into 32 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 156 sentences of The Tangled Skein, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of The Tangled Skein by Emmuska Orczy, Baroness Orczy exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 156 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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.
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Yes. All 6135 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #37481 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #37481, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 511 minutes of reading across 1227 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Tangled Skein section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 37 chapters of The Tangled Skein 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 Tangled Skein, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
