Chapter 23 of The Top of the World is here in full — 296 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of The Top of the World is here in full — 296 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
EVERYBODY'S FRIEND When Burke came in to lunch half an hour later, he found Sylvia alone in the sitting-room, laying the cloth. She glanced up somewhat nervously at his entrance. "I've frightened Rosamond away," she said. "Little cuss! Good thing too!" he said.
Chapter 23 of The Top of the World is here in full — 296 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/59 · 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.
British statesman famous for his oratory; pleaded the cause of the American colonists in British Parliament and defended the parliamentary system (1729-1797)
From this reading “EVERYBODY'S FRIEND When Burke came in to lunch half an hour later, he found Sylvia alone in the sitting-room, laying the cloth.”
artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers
From this reading “EVERYBODY'S FRIEND When Burke came in to lunch half an hour later, he found Sylvia alone in the sitting-room, laying the cloth.”
a persistently annoying person
From this reading “"Little cuss!”
something that provides access (to get in or get out)
From this reading “She glanced up somewhat nervously at his entrance.”
past form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading “She glanced up somewhat nervously at his entrance.”
the production of eggs (especially in birds)
From this reading “EVERYBODY'S FRIEND When Burke came in to lunch half an hour later, he found Sylvia alone in the sitting-room, laying the cloth.”
take the midday meal
From this reading “EVERYBODY'S FRIEND When Burke came in to lunch half an hour later, he found Sylvia alone in the sitting-room, laying the cloth.”
in an anxiously nervous manner
From this reading “She glanced up somewhat nervously at his entrance.”
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.
Having no one else present.
From this reading EVERYBODY'S FRIEND When Burke came in to lunch half an hour later, he found Sylvia alone in the sitting-room, laying the cloth.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading EVERYBODY'S FRIEND When Burke came in to lunch half an hour later, he found Sylvia alone in the sitting-room, laying the cloth.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She glanced up somewhat nervously at his entrance.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading "I've frightened Rosamond away," she said.
British statesman famous for his oratory; pleaded the cause of the American colonists in British Parliament and defended the parliamentary system (1729-1797)
From this reading EVERYBODY'S FRIEND When Burke came in to lunch half an hour later, he found Sylvia alone in the sitting-room, laying the cloth.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading EVERYBODY'S FRIEND When Burke came in to lunch half an hour later, he found Sylvia alone in the sitting-room, laying the cloth.
artifact made by weaving or felting or knitting or crocheting natural or synthetic fibers
From this reading EVERYBODY'S FRIEND When Burke came in to lunch half an hour later, he found Sylvia alone in the sitting-room, laying the cloth.
a persistently annoying person
From this reading "Little cuss!
something that provides access (to get in or get out)
From this reading She glanced up somewhat nervously at his entrance.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading EVERYBODY'S FRIEND When Burke came in to lunch half an hour later, he found Sylvia alone in the sitting-room, laying the cloth.
set up or found
From this reading EVERYBODY'S FRIEND When Burke came in to lunch half an hour later, he found Sylvia alone in the sitting-room, laying the cloth.
a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading EVERYBODY'S FRIEND When Burke came in to lunch half an hour later, he found Sylvia alone in the sitting-room, laying the cloth.
made afraid
From this reading "I've frightened Rosamond away," she said.
past form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading She glanced up somewhat nervously at his entrance.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading Good thing too!" he said.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading EVERYBODY'S FRIEND When Burke came in to lunch half an hour later, he found Sylvia alone in the sitting-room, laying the cloth.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading EVERYBODY'S FRIEND When Burke came in to lunch half an hour later, he found Sylvia alone in the sitting-room, laying the cloth.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading She glanced up somewhat nervously at his entrance.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading EVERYBODY'S FRIEND When Burke came in to lunch half an hour later, he found Sylvia alone in the sitting-room, laying the cloth.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I've frightened Rosamond away," she said.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading EVERYBODY'S FRIEND When Burke came in to lunch half an hour later, he found Sylvia alone in the sitting-room, laying the cloth.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading EVERYBODY'S FRIEND When Burke came in to lunch half an hour later, he found Sylvia alone in the sitting-room, laying the cloth.
the production of eggs (especially in birds)
From this reading EVERYBODY'S FRIEND When Burke came in to lunch half an hour later, he found Sylvia alone in the sitting-room, laying the cloth.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading "Little cuss!
take the midday meal
From this reading EVERYBODY'S FRIEND When Burke came in to lunch half an hour later, he found Sylvia alone in the sitting-room, laying the cloth.
in an anxiously nervous manner
From this reading She glanced up somewhat nervously at his entrance.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I've frightened Rosamond away," she said.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I've frightened Rosamond away," she said.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She glanced up somewhat nervously at his entrance.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading EVERYBODY'S FRIEND When Burke came in to lunch half an hour later, he found Sylvia alone in the sitting-room, laying the cloth.
to a small degree or extent
From this reading She glanced up somewhat nervously at his entrance.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading EVERYBODY'S FRIEND When Burke came in to lunch half an hour later, he found Sylvia alone in the sitting-room, laying the cloth.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading EVERYBODY'S FRIEND When Burke came in to lunch half an hour later, he found Sylvia alone in the sitting-room, laying the cloth.
a special situation
From this reading Good thing too!" he said.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading EVERYBODY'S FRIEND When Burke came in to lunch half an hour later, he found Sylvia alone in the sitting-room, laying the cloth.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading Good thing too!" he said.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading She glanced up somewhat nervously at his entrance.
at the time that
From this reading EVERYBODY'S FRIEND When Burke came in to lunch half an hour later, he found Sylvia alone in the sitting-room, laying the cloth.
Chapter 23 of The Top of the World by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell holds 296 sentences, grouped into 60 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 23 holds 296 sentences of The Top of the World, unabridged, divided into 60 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of The Top of the World by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 296 sentences, grouped into 60 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 60 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 60 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 23 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 Top of the World by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 10126 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12360 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12360, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2026 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Top of the World section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Top of the World 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 Top of the World, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
