Chapter 8 of When the Birds Begin to Sing is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of When the Birds Begin to Sing is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
KIND HEARTS ARE MORE THAN CORONETS. Giddy Mounteagle's face is wreathed in smiles as she talks animatedly to Eleanor. "Yes, my dear," she says triumphantly, "Lady MacDonald comes to me to-morrow. She is one of the smartest women in town and moves in the best circles. She will stay the night and be the belle of my 'At home' the following day.
Chapter 8 of When the Birds Begin to Sing is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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 young woman who is the most charming and beautiful of several rivals
From this reading “She will stay the night and be the belle of my 'At home' the following day.”
plural of “circle” — ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point
From this reading “She is one of the smartest women in town and moves in the best circles.”
plural of “coronet” — a small crown; usually indicates a high rank but below that of sovereign
From this reading “KIND HEARTS ARE MORE THAN CORONETS.”
having or causing a whirling sensation; liable to falling
From this reading “Giddy Mounteagle's face is wreathed in smiles as she talks animatedly to Eleanor.”
plural of “move” — the act of deciding to do something
From this reading “She is one of the smartest women in town and moves in the best circles.”
superlative of “smart” — showing mental alertness and calculation and resourcefulness
From this reading “She is one of the smartest women in town and moves in the best circles.”
a discussion intended to produce an agreement
From this reading “Giddy Mounteagle's face is wreathed in smiles as she talks animatedly to Eleanor.”
in a triumphant manner
From this reading “"Yes, my dear," she says triumphantly, "Lady MacDonald comes to me to-morrow.”
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 will stay the night and be the belle of my 'At home' the following day.”
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.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She is one of the smartest women in town and moves in the best circles.
in an animated manner
From this reading Giddy Mounteagle's face is wreathed in smiles as she talks animatedly to Eleanor.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading KIND HEARTS ARE MORE THAN CORONETS.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Giddy Mounteagle's face is wreathed in smiles as she talks animatedly to Eleanor.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She will stay the night and be the belle of my 'At home' the following day.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading She will stay the night and be the belle of my 'At home' the following day.
a young woman who is the most charming and beautiful of several rivals
From this reading She will stay the night and be the belle of my 'At home' the following day.
the supreme effort one can make
From this reading She is one of the smartest women in town and moves in the best circles.
plural of “circle” — ellipse in which the two axes are of equal length; a plane curve generated by one point moving at a constant distance from a fixed point
From this reading She is one of the smartest women in town and moves in the best circles.
plural of “come” — the thick white fluid containing spermatozoa that is ejaculated by the male genital tract
From this reading "Yes, my dear," she says triumphantly, "Lady MacDonald comes to me to-morrow.
plural of “coronet” — a small crown; usually indicates a high rank but below that of sovereign
From this reading KIND HEARTS ARE MORE THAN CORONETS.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading She will stay the night and be the belle of my 'At home' the following day.
dearly loved
From this reading "Yes, my dear," she says triumphantly, "Lady MacDonald comes to me to-morrow.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Giddy Mounteagle's face is wreathed in smiles as she talks animatedly to Eleanor.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Giddy Mounteagle's face is wreathed in smiles as she talks animatedly to Eleanor.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading She will stay the night and be the belle of my 'At home' the following day.
having or causing a whirling sensation; liable to falling
From this reading Giddy Mounteagle's face is wreathed in smiles as she talks animatedly to Eleanor.
a form of whist in which players avoid winning tricks containing hearts or the queen of spades
From this reading KIND HEARTS ARE MORE THAN CORONETS.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading She will stay the night and be the belle of my 'At home' the following day.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Giddy Mounteagle's face is wreathed in smiles as she talks animatedly to Eleanor.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Giddy Mounteagle's face is wreathed in smiles as she talks animatedly to Eleanor.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading KIND HEARTS ARE MORE THAN CORONETS.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading "Yes, my dear," she says triumphantly, "Lady MacDonald comes to me to-morrow.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes, my dear," she says triumphantly, "Lady MacDonald comes to me to-morrow.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Yes, my dear," she says triumphantly, "Lady MacDonald comes to me to-morrow.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading KIND HEARTS ARE MORE THAN CORONETS.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Giddy Mounteagle's face is wreathed in smiles as she talks animatedly to Eleanor.
plural of “move” — the act of deciding to do something
From this reading She is one of the smartest women in town and moves in the best circles.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Yes, my dear," she says triumphantly, "Lady MacDonald comes to me to-morrow.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading She will stay the night and be the belle of my 'At home' the following day.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She is one of the smartest women in town and moves in the best circles.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading She is one of the smartest women in town and moves in the best circles.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading "Yes, my dear," she says triumphantly, "Lady MacDonald comes to me to-morrow.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Giddy Mounteagle's face is wreathed in smiles as she talks animatedly to Eleanor.
superlative of “smart” — showing mental alertness and calculation and resourcefulness
From this reading She is one of the smartest women in town and moves in the best circles.
plural of “smile” — a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading Giddy Mounteagle's face is wreathed in smiles as she talks animatedly to Eleanor.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading She will stay the night and be the belle of my 'At home' the following day.
a discussion intended to produce an agreement
From this reading Giddy Mounteagle's face is wreathed in smiles as she talks animatedly to Eleanor.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading KIND HEARTS ARE MORE THAN CORONETS.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She is one of the smartest women in town and moves in the best circles.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Giddy Mounteagle's face is wreathed in smiles as she talks animatedly to Eleanor.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Yes, my dear," she says triumphantly, "Lady MacDonald comes to me to-morrow.
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading She is one of the smartest women in town and moves in the best circles.
in a triumphant manner
From this reading "Yes, my dear," she says triumphantly, "Lady MacDonald comes to me to-morrow.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading She will stay the night and be the belle of my 'At home' the following day.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading She is one of the smartest women in town and moves in the best circles.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Giddy Mounteagle's face is wreathed in smiles as she talks animatedly to Eleanor.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, my dear," she says triumphantly, "Lady MacDonald comes to me to-morrow.
Chapter 8 of When the Birds Begin to Sing by Winifred (Matilda Winifred Muriel) Graham holds 204 sentences, grouped into 41 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 8 holds 204 sentences of When the Birds Begin to Sing, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of When the Birds Begin to Sing by Winifred (Matilda Winifred Muriel) Graham exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 204 sentences, grouped into 41 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 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 41 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 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.
Common questions about reading When the Birds Begin to Sing by Winifred (Matilda Winifred Muriel) Graham on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4384 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #26186 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #26186, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 365 minutes of reading across 877 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through When the Birds Begin to Sing section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of When the Birds Begin to Sing 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 When the Birds Begin to Sing, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
