Chapter 28 of Wilfrid Cumbermede is here in full — 219 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVIII
Chapter 28 of Wilfrid Cumbermede is here in full — 219 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
UMBERDEN CHURCH. My companion chatted away, lauded my mare, asked if I had seen Clara lately, and how the library was getting on. I answered him carelessly, without even a hint at my troubles. ‘You seem out of spirits, Mr Cumbermede?’ he said. ‘You’ve been taking too little exercise.
Chapter 28 of Wilfrid Cumbermede is here in full — 219 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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.
without care or concern
From this reading “I answered him carelessly, without even a hint at my troubles.”
inflected form of “chat” — talk socially without exchanging too much information
From this reading “My companion chatted away, lauded my mare, asked if I had seen Clara lately, and how the library was getting on.”
the activity of exerting your muscles in various ways to keep fit
From this reading “‘You’ve been taking too little exercise.”
an indirect suggestion
From this reading “I answered him carelessly, without even a hint at my troubles.”
in the recent past
From this reading “My companion chatted away, lauded my mare, asked if I had seen Clara lately, and how the library was getting on.”
past form of “laud” — praise, glorify, or honor
From this reading “My companion chatted away, lauded my mare, asked if I had seen Clara lately, and how the library was getting on.”
female equine animal
From this reading “My companion chatted away, lauded my mare, asked if I had seen Clara lately, and how the library was getting on.”
plural of “trouble” — a source of difficulty
From this reading “I answered him carelessly, without even a hint at my troubles.”
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 answered him carelessly, without even a hint at my troubles.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading My companion chatted away, lauded my mare, asked if I had seen Clara lately, and how the library was getting on.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading I answered him carelessly, without even a hint at my troubles.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading My companion chatted away, lauded my mare, asked if I had seen Clara lately, and how the library was getting on.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I answered him carelessly, without even a hint at my troubles.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading My companion chatted away, lauded my mare, asked if I had seen Clara lately, and how the library was getting on.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading ‘You’ve been taking too little exercise.
without care or concern
From this reading I answered him carelessly, without even a hint at my troubles.
inflected form of “chat” — talk socially without exchanging too much information
From this reading My companion chatted away, lauded my mare, asked if I had seen Clara lately, and how the library was getting on.
one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship
From this reading UMBERDEN CHURCH.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading My companion chatted away, lauded my mare, asked if I had seen Clara lately, and how the library was getting on.
a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading My companion chatted away, lauded my mare, asked if I had seen Clara lately, and how the library was getting on.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘You seem out of spirits, Mr Cumbermede?’ he said.
divisible by two
From this reading I answered him carelessly, without even a hint at my troubles.
the activity of exerting your muscles in various ways to keep fit
From this reading ‘You’ve been taking too little exercise.
the act of acquiring something
From this reading My companion chatted away, lauded my mare, asked if I had seen Clara lately, and how the library was getting on.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading My companion chatted away, lauded my mare, asked if I had seen Clara lately, and how the library was getting on.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading ‘You seem out of spirits, Mr Cumbermede?’ he said.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I answered him carelessly, without even a hint at my troubles.
an indirect suggestion
From this reading I answered him carelessly, without even a hint at my troubles.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading My companion chatted away, lauded my mare, asked if I had seen Clara lately, and how the library was getting on.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading My companion chatted away, lauded my mare, asked if I had seen Clara lately, and how the library was getting on.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading My companion chatted away, lauded my mare, asked if I had seen Clara lately, and how the library was getting on.
in the recent past
From this reading My companion chatted away, lauded my mare, asked if I had seen Clara lately, and how the library was getting on.
past form of “laud” — praise, glorify, or honor
From this reading My companion chatted away, lauded my mare, asked if I had seen Clara lately, and how the library was getting on.
a room where books are kept
From this reading My companion chatted away, lauded my mare, asked if I had seen Clara lately, and how the library was getting on.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading ‘You’ve been taking too little exercise.
female equine animal
From this reading My companion chatted away, lauded my mare, asked if I had seen Clara lately, and how the library was getting on.
a form of address for a man
From this reading ‘You seem out of spirits, Mr Cumbermede?’ he said.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My companion chatted away, lauded my mare, asked if I had seen Clara lately, and how the library was getting on.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading ‘You seem out of spirits, Mr Cumbermede?’ he said.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading My companion chatted away, lauded my mare, asked if I had seen Clara lately, and how the library was getting on.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading ‘You seem out of spirits, Mr Cumbermede?’ he said.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading ‘You seem out of spirits, Mr Cumbermede?’ he said.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading ‘You seem out of spirits, Mr Cumbermede?’ he said.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading My companion chatted away, lauded my mare, asked if I had seen Clara lately, and how the library was getting on.
an alcoholic beverage that is distilled rather than fermented
From this reading ‘You seem out of spirits, Mr Cumbermede?’ he said.
the act of someone who picks up or takes something
From this reading ‘You’ve been taking too little exercise.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading My companion chatted away, lauded my mare, asked if I had seen Clara lately, and how the library was getting on.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading ‘You’ve been taking too little exercise.
plural of “trouble” — a source of difficulty
From this reading I answered him carelessly, without even a hint at my troubles.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading UMBERDEN CHURCH.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading My companion chatted away, lauded my mare, asked if I had seen Clara lately, and how the library was getting on.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading I answered him carelessly, without even a hint at my troubles.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading ‘You seem out of spirits, Mr Cumbermede?’ he said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading ‘You’ve been taking too little exercise.
Chapter 28 of Wilfrid Cumbermede by George MacDonald holds 219 sentences, grouped into 44 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 28 holds 219 sentences of Wilfrid Cumbermede, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 28 of Wilfrid Cumbermede by George MacDonald exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 219 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 28 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 Wilfrid Cumbermede by George MacDonald on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 10072 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9183 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9183, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2015 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Wilfrid Cumbermede section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Wilfrid Cumbermede 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 Wilfrid Cumbermede, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
