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The Two Marys
The Two Marys

Chapter VIII

Chapter 8 of The Two Marys is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Two Marys
Context Illustration Reading 1/31 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
I will not enter into all the particulars of our discussion after this, for time would fail me.
The last part of Mary’s letter, which she said was not to be shown to me, made me angry.
I thought it was vanity on her part to be afraid of interfering with me again.
In what way?”
I could not but ask, and that sharply; how could the last chapter of our lives be repeated?
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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 Two Marys

Chapter VIII

Chapter 8 of The Two Marys is here in full — 159 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/31 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
I will not enter into all the particulars of our discussion after this, for time would fail me.
/aɪ wɪl nɑːt ˈentər ˈɪntuː ɔːl ðə pərˈtɪkjələrz ʌv ˈaʊər dɪˈskʌʃən ˈæftər ðɪs fɔːr taɪm wʊd feɪl miː/
Line 2
The last part of Mary’s letter, which she said was not to be shown to me, made me angry.
/ðə læst pɑːrt ʌv ˈmeriz ˈletər wɪtʃ ʃiː sed wɑːz nɑːt tuː biː ʃoʊn tuː miː meɪd miː ˈæŋɡri/
Line 3
I thought it was vanity on her part to be afraid of interfering with me again.
/aɪ θɔːt ɪt wɑːz ˈvænəti ɑːn hɜːr pɑːrt tuː biː əˈfreɪd ʌv ˌɪntərˈfɪrɪŋ wɪð miː əˈɡen/
Line 4
In what way?”
/ɪn wʌt weɪ/
Line 5
I could not but ask, and that sharply; how could the last chapter of our lives be repeated?

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.

chapter noun US /ˈtʃæptər/

a subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled

From this reading “I could not but ask, and that sharply; how could the last chapter of our lives be repeated?”

discussion noun US /dɪˈskʌʃən/

an extended communication (often interactive) dealing with some particular topic

From this reading “I will not enter into all the particulars of our discussion after this, for time would fail me.”

fail verb US /feɪl/

fail to do something; leave something undone

From this reading “I will not enter into all the particulars of our discussion after this, for time would fail me.”

interfering adjective US /ˌɪntərˈfɪrɪŋ/

intrusive in a meddling or offensive manner

From this reading “I thought it was vanity on her part to be afraid of interfering with me again.”

Mary's noun US /ˈmeriz/

possessive form of “mary” — the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics

particulars noun US /pərˈtɪkjələrz/

plural of “particular” — a fact about some part (as opposed to general)

From this reading “I will not enter into all the particulars of our discussion after this, for time would fail me.”

sharply adverb US /ˈʃɑːrpli/

in an aggressive manner

From this reading “I could not but ask, and that sharply; how could the last chapter of our lives be repeated?”

vanity noun US /ˈvænəti/

feelings of excessive pride

From this reading “I thought it was vanity on her part to be afraid of interfering with me again.”

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.

last chapter adjective + noun

In this reading “I could not but ask, and that sharply; how could the last chapter of our lives be repeated?”

enter into verb + particle

In this reading “I will not enter into all the particulars of our discussion after this, for time would fail me.”

All words in this reading · 53

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.

afraidadjectiveUS /əˈfreɪd/

filled with fear or apprehension

From this reading I thought it was vanity on her part to be afraid of interfering with me again.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading I will not enter into all the particulars of our discussion after this, for time would fail me.

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading I thought it was vanity on her part to be afraid of interfering with me again.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 I will not enter into all the particulars of our discussion after this, for time would fail me.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading I could not but ask, and that sharply; how could the last chapter of our lives be repeated?

angryadjectiveUS /ˈæŋɡri/

feeling or showing anger

From this reading The last part of Mary’s letter, which she said was not to be shown to me, made me angry.

askverbUS /æsk/

make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading I could not but ask, and that sharply; how could the last chapter of our lives be repeated?

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading The last part of Mary’s letter, which she said was not to be shown to me, made me angry.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading I could not but ask, and that sharply; how could the last chapter of our lives be repeated?

chapternounUS /ˈtʃæptər/

a subdivision of a written work; usually numbered and titled

From this reading I could not but ask, and that sharply; how could the last chapter of our lives be repeated?

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading I could not but ask, and that sharply; how could the last chapter of our lives be repeated?

discussionnounUS /dɪˈskʌʃən/

an extended communication (often interactive) dealing with some particular topic

From this reading I will not enter into all the particulars of our discussion after this, for time would fail me.

enterverbUS /ˈentər/

to come or go into

From this reading I will not enter into all the particulars of our discussion after this, for time would fail me.

failverbUS /feɪl/

fail to do something; leave something undone

From this reading I will not enter into all the particulars of our discussion after this, for time would fail me.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading I will not enter into all the particulars of our discussion after this, for time would fail me.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading I thought it was vanity on her part to be afraid of interfering with me again.

how

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

From this reading I could not but ask, and that sharply; how could the last chapter of our lives be repeated?

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading I will not enter into all the particulars of our discussion after this, for time would fail me.

InprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading “In what way?”

interferingadjectiveUS /ˌɪntərˈfɪrɪŋ/

intrusive in a meddling or offensive manner

From this reading I thought it was vanity on her part to be afraid of interfering with me again.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading I will not enter into all the particulars of our discussion after this, for time would fail me.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading I thought it was vanity on her part to be afraid of interfering with me again.

lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

From this reading The last part of Mary’s letter, which she said was not to be shown to me, made me angry.

letternounUS /ˈletər/

a written message addressed to a person or organization

From this reading The last part of Mary’s letter, which she said was not to be shown to me, made me angry.

livesnounUS /lɪvz/

plural of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading I could not but ask, and that sharply; how could the last chapter of our lives be repeated?

madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading The last part of Mary’s letter, which she said was not to be shown to me, made me angry.

Mary'snounUS /ˈmeriz/

possessive form of “mary” — the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics

From this reading The last part of Mary’s letter, which she said was not to be shown to me, made me angry.

mepronounUS /miː/

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

From this reading I will not enter into all the particulars of our discussion after this, for time would fail me.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading I will not enter into all the particulars of our discussion after this, for time would fail me.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading I will not enter into all the particulars of our discussion after this, for time would fail me.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading I thought it was vanity on her part to be afraid of interfering with me again.

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading I will not enter into all the particulars of our discussion after this, for time would fail me.

partnounUS /pɑːrt/

something determined in relation to something that includes it

From this reading The last part of Mary’s letter, which she said was not to be shown to me, made me angry.

particularsnounUS /pərˈtɪkjələrz/

plural of “particular” — a fact about some part (as opposed to general)

From this reading I will not enter into all the particulars of our discussion after this, for time would fail me.

repeatedadjectiveUS /rɪˈpiːtɪd/

recurring again and again

From this reading I could not but ask, and that sharply; how could the last chapter of our lives be repeated?

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading The last part of Mary’s letter, which she said was not to be shown to me, made me angry.

sharplyadverbUS /ˈʃɑːrpli/

in an aggressive manner

From this reading I could not but ask, and that sharply; how could the last chapter of our lives be repeated?

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading The last part of Mary’s letter, which she said was not to be shown to me, made me angry.

shownverbUS /ʃoʊn/

inflected form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience

From this reading The last part of Mary’s letter, which she said was not to be shown to me, made me angry.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading I could not but ask, and that sharply; how could the last chapter of our lives be repeated?

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading I will not enter into all the particulars of our discussion after this, for time would fail me.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading I will not enter into all the particulars of our discussion after this, for time would fail me.

thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading I thought it was vanity on her part to be afraid of interfering with me again.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading I will not enter into all the particulars of our discussion after this, for time would fail me.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The last part of Mary’s letter, which she said was not to be shown to me, made me angry.

vanitynounUS /ˈvænəti/

feelings of excessive pride

From this reading I thought it was vanity on her part to be afraid of interfering with me again.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The last part of Mary’s letter, which she said was not to be shown to me, made me angry.

waynounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading “In what way?”

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading “In what way?”

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading The last part of Mary’s letter, which she said was not to be shown to me, made me angry.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading I will not enter into all the particulars of our discussion after this, for time would fail me.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading I thought it was vanity on her part to be afraid of interfering with me again.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading I will not enter into all the particulars of our discussion after this, for time would fail me.

Chapter 8 of The Two Marys by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant holds 159 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.

What does chapter 8 of The Two Marys contain?

Chapter 8 holds 159 sentences of The Two Marys, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 8 of The Two Marys by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 159 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.

How do I study chapter 8 of The Two Marys?

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.

Can chapter 8 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 8 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 Two Marys

Common questions about reading The Two Marys by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Two Marys?

Yes. All 4581 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #52615 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Two Marys is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #52615, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Two Marys take to read?

About 381 minutes of reading across 917 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Two Marys section by section

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

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 24 chapters of The Two Marys 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 Two Marys

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

Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Two Marys; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Chronicles
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Two Marys; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Carlingford
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Two Marys; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Wizard
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Two Marys; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.