Chapter 10 of The Two Sides of the Shield is here in full — 289 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter X
Chapter 10 of The Two Sides of the Shield is here in full — 289 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
‘The Christmas-tree! Oh, mamma, do let it be the Christmas-tree. It is quite well. We’ve been to look at it.’ ‘Christmas-trees have got so stale, Val,’ said Gillian.
Chapter 10 of The Two Sides of the Shield is here in full — 289 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/57 · 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.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading “We’ve been to look at it.’”
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “‘Christmas-trees have got so stale, Val,’ said Gillian.”
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading “Oh, mamma, do let it be the Christmas-tree.”
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading “We’ve been to look at it.’”
informal terms for a mother
From this reading “Oh, mamma, do let it be the Christmas-tree.”
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading “It is quite well.”
lacking freshness, palatability, or showing deterioration from age
From this reading “‘Christmas-trees have got so stale, Val,’ said Gillian.”
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading “It is quite well.”
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.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading We’ve been to look at it.’
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Oh, mamma, do let it be the Christmas-tree.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading We’ve been to look at it.’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘The Christmas-tree!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Christmas-trees have got so stale, Val,’ said Gillian.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Oh, mamma, do let it be the Christmas-tree.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Christmas-trees have got so stale, Val,’ said Gillian.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading ‘Christmas-trees have got so stale, Val,’ said Gillian.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading ‘Christmas-trees have got so stale, Val,’ said Gillian.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It is quite well.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Oh, mamma, do let it be the Christmas-tree.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading Oh, mamma, do let it be the Christmas-tree.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading We’ve been to look at it.’
informal terms for a mother
From this reading Oh, mamma, do let it be the Christmas-tree.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading Oh, mamma, do let it be the Christmas-tree.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading It is quite well.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading ‘Christmas-trees have got so stale, Val,’ said Gillian.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading ‘Christmas-trees have got so stale, Val,’ said Gillian.
lacking freshness, palatability, or showing deterioration from age
From this reading ‘Christmas-trees have got so stale, Val,’ said Gillian.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading ‘The Christmas-tree!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading We’ve been to look at it.’
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘Christmas-trees have got so stale, Val,’ said Gillian.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We’ve been to look at it.’
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading It is quite well.
Chapter 10 of The Two Sides of the Shield by Charlotte M. (Charlotte Mary) Yonge holds 289 sentences, grouped into 58 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 289 sentences of The Two Sides of the Shield, unabridged, divided into 58 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 10 of The Two Sides of the Shield by Charlotte M. (Charlotte Mary) Yonge exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 289 sentences, grouped into 58 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 58 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 58 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.
Common questions about reading The Two Sides of the Shield by Charlotte M. (Charlotte Mary) Yonge on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5045 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6007 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #6007, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 420 minutes of reading across 1009 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Two Sides of the Shield section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of The Two Sides of the Shield 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 Two Sides of the Shield, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
