Chapter 23 of Top o' the World: A Once Upon a Time Tale is here in full — 84 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Top o' the World: A Once Upon a Time Tale is here in full — 84 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Maida was grown up. There was no doubt about that. She could go anywhere she liked--she could do anything she chose--but it occurred to her there wasn’t any place she wanted to go--nor anything she cared to do. So she yawned. Her sensations were most peculiar.
Chapter 23 of Top o' the World: A Once Upon a Time Tale is here in full — 84 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/16 · 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.
at or in or to any place
From this reading “She could go anywhere she liked--she could do anything she chose--but it occurred to her there wasn’t any place she wanted to go--nor anything she cared to do.”
past form of “care” — feel concern or interest
From this reading “She could go anywhere she liked--she could do anything she chose--but it occurred to her there wasn’t any place she wanted to go--nor anything she cared to do.”
inflected form of “choose” — pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives
From this reading “She could go anywhere she liked--she could do anything she chose--but it occurred to her there wasn’t any place she wanted to go--nor anything she cared to do.”
(of animals) fully developed
From this reading “Maida was grown up.”
inflected form of “occur” — come to pass
From this reading “She could go anywhere she liked--she could do anything she chose--but it occurred to her there wasn’t any place she wanted to go--nor anything she cared to do.”
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading “Her sensations were most peculiar.”
plural of “sensation” — an unelaborated elementary awareness of stimulation
From this reading “Her sensations were most peculiar.”
past form of “yawn” — utter a yawn, as from lack of oxygen or when one is tired
From this reading “So she yawned.”
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 “She could go anywhere she liked--she could do anything she chose--but it occurred to her there wasn’t any place she wanted to go--nor anything she cared to do.”
In this reading “Her sensations were most peculiar.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading There was no doubt about that.
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading She could go anywhere she liked--she could do anything she chose--but it occurred to her there wasn’t any place she wanted to go--nor anything she cared to do.
any thing at all
From this reading She could go anywhere she liked--she could do anything she chose--but it occurred to her there wasn’t any place she wanted to go--nor anything she cared to do.
at or in or to any place
From this reading She could go anywhere she liked--she could do anything she chose--but it occurred to her there wasn’t any place she wanted to go--nor anything she cared to do.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading She could go anywhere she liked--she could do anything she chose--but it occurred to her there wasn’t any place she wanted to go--nor anything she cared to do.
past form of “care” — feel concern or interest
From this reading She could go anywhere she liked--she could do anything she chose--but it occurred to her there wasn’t any place she wanted to go--nor anything she cared to do.
inflected form of “choose” — pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives
From this reading She could go anywhere she liked--she could do anything she chose--but it occurred to her there wasn’t any place she wanted to go--nor anything she cared to do.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading She could go anywhere she liked--she could do anything she chose--but it occurred to her there wasn’t any place she wanted to go--nor anything she cared to do.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading She could go anywhere she liked--she could do anything she chose--but it occurred to her there wasn’t any place she wanted to go--nor anything she cared to do.
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading There was no doubt about that.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading She could go anywhere she liked--she could do anything she chose--but it occurred to her there wasn’t any place she wanted to go--nor anything she cared to do.
(of animals) fully developed
From this reading Maida was grown up.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She could go anywhere she liked--she could do anything she chose--but it occurred to her there wasn’t any place she wanted to go--nor anything she cared to do.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading She could go anywhere she liked--she could do anything she chose--but it occurred to her there wasn’t any place she wanted to go--nor anything she cared to do.
found pleasant or attractive; often used as a combining form
From this reading She could go anywhere she liked--she could do anything she chose--but it occurred to her there wasn’t any place she wanted to go--nor anything she cared to do.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Maida was grown up.
used to form the superlative
From this reading Her sensations were most peculiar.
not any; not one
From this reading There was no doubt about that.
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading She could go anywhere she liked--she could do anything she chose--but it occurred to her there wasn’t any place she wanted to go--nor anything she cared to do.
inflected form of “occur” — come to pass
From this reading She could go anywhere she liked--she could do anything she chose--but it occurred to her there wasn’t any place she wanted to go--nor anything she cared to do.
beyond or deviating from the usual or expected
From this reading Her sensations were most peculiar.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading She could go anywhere she liked--she could do anything she chose--but it occurred to her there wasn’t any place she wanted to go--nor anything she cared to do.
plural of “sensation” — an unelaborated elementary awareness of stimulation
From this reading Her sensations were most peculiar.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She could go anywhere she liked--she could do anything she chose--but it occurred to her there wasn’t any place she wanted to go--nor anything she cared to do.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So she yawned.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading There was no doubt about that.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was no doubt about that.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She could go anywhere she liked--she could do anything she chose--but it occurred to her there wasn’t any place she wanted to go--nor anything she cared to do.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Maida was grown up.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading She could go anywhere she liked--she could do anything she chose--but it occurred to her there wasn’t any place she wanted to go--nor anything she cared to do.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Maida was grown up.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She could go anywhere she liked--she could do anything she chose--but it occurred to her there wasn’t any place she wanted to go--nor anything she cared to do.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Her sensations were most peculiar.
past form of “yawn” — utter a yawn, as from lack of oxygen or when one is tired
From this reading So she yawned.
Chapter 23 of Top o' the World: A Once Upon a Time Tale by Mark Swan holds 84 sentences, grouped into 17 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 84 sentences of Top o' the World: A Once Upon a Time Tale, unabridged, divided into 17 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Top o' the World: A Once Upon a Time Tale by Mark Swan exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 84 sentences, grouped into 17 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 17 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 17 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 Top o' the World: A Once Upon a Time Tale by Mark Swan on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1583 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #59182 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #59182, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 131 minutes of reading across 317 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Top o' the World: A Once Upon a Time Tale section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of Top o' the World: A Once Upon a Time Tale 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 Top o' the World: A Once Upon a Time Tale, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
