Chapter 12 of When the Birds Begin to Sing is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of When the Birds Begin to Sing is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
TO-MORROW, AND TO-MORROW, AND TO-MORROW.--_Shakespeare_. Eleanor is superintending her packing, when Giddy Mounteagle enters her room. "I called and ran straight up, dear," she says, "knowing you were busy. What! are you only taking so small a trunk into the country?" "Yes, no finery, only two stuff dresses and a felt hat.
Chapter 12 of When the Birds Begin to Sing is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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.
plural of “dress” — a one-piece garment for a woman; has skirt and bodice
From this reading “"Yes, no finery, only two stuff dresses and a felt hat.”
third-person singular of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading “Eleanor is superintending her packing, when Giddy Mounteagle enters her room.”
elaborate or showy attire and accessories
From this reading “"Yes, no finery, only two stuff dresses and a felt hat.”
having or causing a whirling sensation; liable to falling
From this reading “Eleanor is superintending her packing, when Giddy Mounteagle enters her room.”
any material used especially to protect something
From this reading “Eleanor is superintending her packing, when Giddy Mounteagle enters her room.”
English poet and dramatist considered one of the greatest English writers (1564-1616)
the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object
From this reading “"Yes, no finery, only two stuff dresses and a felt hat.”
the main stem of a tree; usually covered with bark; the bole is usually the part that is commercially useful for lumber
From this reading “What! are you only taking so small a trunk into the country?"”
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.
a hat made of felt with a creased crown
In this reading “"Yes, no finery, only two stuff dresses and a felt hat.”
In this reading “"I called and ran straight up, dear," she says, "knowing you were busy.”
In this reading “What! are you only taking so small a trunk into the country?"”
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 before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading What! are you only taking so small a trunk into the country?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading TO-MORROW, AND TO-MORROW, AND TO-MORROW.--_Shakespeare_.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading What! are you only taking so small a trunk into the country?"
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading "I called and ran straight up, dear," she says, "knowing you were busy.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "I called and ran straight up, dear," she says, "knowing you were busy.
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading What! are you only taking so small a trunk into the country?"
dearly loved
From this reading "I called and ran straight up, dear," she says, "knowing you were busy.
plural of “dress” — a one-piece garment for a woman; has skirt and bodice
From this reading "Yes, no finery, only two stuff dresses and a felt hat.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Eleanor is superintending her packing, when Giddy Mounteagle enters her room.
third-person singular of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading Eleanor is superintending her packing, when Giddy Mounteagle enters her room.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading "Yes, no finery, only two stuff dresses and a felt hat.
elaborate or showy attire and accessories
From this reading "Yes, no finery, only two stuff dresses and a felt hat.
having or causing a whirling sensation; liable to falling
From this reading Eleanor is superintending her packing, when Giddy Mounteagle enters her room.
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading "Yes, no finery, only two stuff dresses and a felt hat.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Eleanor is superintending her packing, when Giddy Mounteagle enters her room.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I called and ran straight up, dear," she says, "knowing you were busy.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading What! are you only taking so small a trunk into the country?"
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Eleanor is superintending her packing, when Giddy Mounteagle enters her room.
evidencing the possession of inside information
From this reading "I called and ran straight up, dear," she says, "knowing you were busy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Eleanor is superintending her packing, when Giddy Mounteagle enters her room.
not any; not one
From this reading "Yes, no finery, only two stuff dresses and a felt hat.
and nothing more
From this reading What! are you only taking so small a trunk into the country?"
any material used especially to protect something
From this reading Eleanor is superintending her packing, when Giddy Mounteagle enters her room.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading "I called and ran straight up, dear," she says, "knowing you were busy.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Eleanor is superintending her packing, when Giddy Mounteagle enters her room.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading "I called and ran straight up, dear," she says, "knowing you were busy.
English poet and dramatist considered one of the greatest English writers (1564-1616)
From this reading TO-MORROW, AND TO-MORROW, AND TO-MORROW.--_Shakespeare_.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I called and ran straight up, dear," she says, "knowing you were busy.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading What! are you only taking so small a trunk into the country?"
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading What! are you only taking so small a trunk into the country?"
successive (without a break)
From this reading "I called and ran straight up, dear," she says, "knowing you were busy.
the tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object
From this reading "Yes, no finery, only two stuff dresses and a felt hat.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Eleanor is superintending her packing, when Giddy Mounteagle enters her room.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading What! are you only taking so small a trunk into the country?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading What! are you only taking so small a trunk into the country?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading TO-MORROW, AND TO-MORROW, AND TO-MORROW.--_Shakespeare_.
the main stem of a tree; usually covered with bark; the bole is usually the part that is commercially useful for lumber
From this reading What! are you only taking so small a trunk into the country?"
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading "Yes, no finery, only two stuff dresses and a felt hat.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "I called and ran straight up, dear," she says, "knowing you were busy.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "I called and ran straight up, dear," she says, "knowing you were busy.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What! are you only taking so small a trunk into the country?"
at the time that
From this reading Eleanor is superintending her packing, when Giddy Mounteagle enters her room.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes, no finery, only two stuff dresses and a felt hat.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I called and ran straight up, dear," she says, "knowing you were busy.
Chapter 12 of When the Birds Begin to Sing by Winifred (Matilda Winifred Muriel) Graham holds 196 sentences, grouped into 40 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 12 holds 196 sentences of When the Birds Begin to Sing, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 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 196 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 12 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.
