Chapter 19 of When the Birds Begin to Sing is here in full — 208 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIX
Chapter 19 of When the Birds Begin to Sing is here in full — 208 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE IDEAL! DIM VANITIES OF DREAMS BY NIGHT. From the moment those fatal words were uttered: "Go! I, too, am a wicked woman!" the scales fall from Elizabeth's eyes. How natural it seems to her now, the so-called Mrs. Quinton's act of sympathy.
Chapter 19 of When the Birds Begin to Sing is here in full — 208 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/41 · 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.
lacking in light; not bright or harsh
From this reading “DIM VANITIES OF DREAMS BY NIGHT.”
possessive form of “elizabeth” — daughter of George VI who became the Queen of England and Northern Ireland in 1952 on the death of her father (1926-)
From this reading “I, too, am a wicked woman!" the scales fall from Elizabeth's eyes.”
bringing death
From this reading “From the moment those fatal words were uttered: "Go!”
conforming to an ultimate standard of perfection or excellence; embodying an ideal
From this reading “THE IDEAL!”
plural of “scale” — an ordered reference standard
From this reading “I, too, am a wicked woman!" the scales fall from Elizabeth's eyes.”
doubtful or suspect
From this reading “How natural it seems to her now, the so-called Mrs. Quinton's act of sympathy.”
plural of “vanity” — feelings of excessive pride
From this reading “DIM VANITIES OF DREAMS BY NIGHT.”
morally bad in principle or practice
From this reading “I, too, am a wicked woman!" the scales fall from Elizabeth's eyes.”
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 “I, too, am a wicked woman!" the scales fall from Elizabeth's eyes.”
In this reading “How natural it seems to her now, the so-called Mrs. Quinton's act of sympathy.”
In this reading “I, too, am a wicked woman!" the scales fall from Elizabeth's eyes.”
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 I, too, am a wicked woman!" the scales fall from Elizabeth's eyes.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading How natural it seems to her now, the so-called Mrs. Quinton's act of sympathy.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading I, too, am a wicked woman!" the scales fall from Elizabeth's eyes.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading DIM VANITIES OF DREAMS BY NIGHT.
lacking in light; not bright or harsh
From this reading DIM VANITIES OF DREAMS BY NIGHT.
plural of “dream” — a series of mental images and emotions occurring during sleep
From this reading DIM VANITIES OF DREAMS BY NIGHT.
possessive form of “elizabeth” — daughter of George VI who became the Queen of England and Northern Ireland in 1952 on the death of her father (1926-)
From this reading I, too, am a wicked woman!" the scales fall from Elizabeth's eyes.
opinion or judgment
From this reading I, too, am a wicked woman!" the scales fall from Elizabeth's eyes.
descend in free fall under the influence of gravity
From this reading I, too, am a wicked woman!" the scales fall from Elizabeth's eyes.
bringing death
From this reading From the moment those fatal words were uttered: "Go!
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading From the moment those fatal words were uttered: "Go!
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading From the moment those fatal words were uttered: "Go!
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading How natural it seems to her now, the so-called Mrs. Quinton's act of sympathy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How natural it seems to her now, the so-called Mrs. Quinton's act of sympathy.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I, too, am a wicked woman!" the scales fall from Elizabeth's eyes.
conforming to an ultimate standard of perfection or excellence; embodying an ideal
From this reading THE IDEAL!
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading How natural it seems to her now, the so-called Mrs. Quinton's act of sympathy.
a particular point in time
From this reading From the moment those fatal words were uttered: "Go!
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading How natural it seems to her now, the so-called Mrs. Quinton's act of sympathy.
in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature
From this reading How natural it seems to her now, the so-called Mrs. Quinton's act of sympathy.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading DIM VANITIES OF DREAMS BY NIGHT.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading How natural it seems to her now, the so-called Mrs. Quinton's act of sympathy.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading DIM VANITIES OF DREAMS BY NIGHT.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How natural it seems to her now, the so-called Mrs. Quinton's act of sympathy.
plural of “scale” — an ordered reference standard
From this reading I, too, am a wicked woman!" the scales fall from Elizabeth's eyes.
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading How natural it seems to her now, the so-called Mrs. Quinton's act of sympathy.
doubtful or suspect
From this reading How natural it seems to her now, the so-called Mrs. Quinton's act of sympathy.
an inclination to support or be loyal to or to agree with an opinion
From this reading How natural it seems to her now, the so-called Mrs. Quinton's act of sympathy.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE IDEAL!
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading From the moment those fatal words were uttered: "Go!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading How natural it seems to her now, the so-called Mrs. Quinton's act of sympathy.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading I, too, am a wicked woman!" the scales fall from Elizabeth's eyes.
communicated in words
From this reading From the moment those fatal words were uttered: "Go!
plural of “vanity” — feelings of excessive pride
From this reading DIM VANITIES OF DREAMS BY NIGHT.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading From the moment those fatal words were uttered: "Go!
morally bad in principle or practice
From this reading I, too, am a wicked woman!" the scales fall from Elizabeth's eyes.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading I, too, am a wicked woman!" the scales fall from Elizabeth's eyes.
the words that are spoken
From this reading From the moment those fatal words were uttered: "Go!
Chapter 19 of When the Birds Begin to Sing by Winifred (Matilda Winifred Muriel) Graham holds 208 sentences, grouped into 42 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 19 holds 208 sentences of When the Birds Begin to Sing, unabridged, divided into 42 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 19 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 208 sentences, grouped into 42 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 42 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 42 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 19 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.
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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.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in When the Birds Begin to Sing, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
