Chapter 23 of Wives and Daughters is here in full — 527 sentences across 106 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Wives and Daughters is here in full — 527 sentences across 106 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A LOVER'S MISTAKE. It was afternoon. Molly had gone out for a walk. Mrs. Gibson had been paying some calls. Lazy Cynthia had declined accompanying either.
Chapter 23 of Wives and Daughters is here in full — 527 sentences across 106 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/105 · 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.
occurring with or following as a consequence
From this reading “Lazy Cynthia had declined accompanying either.”
(Greek mythology) the virgin goddess of the hunt and the Moon; daughter of Leto and twin sister of Apollo; identified with Roman Diana
From this reading “Lazy Cynthia had declined accompanying either.”
past form of “decline” — grow worse
From this reading “Lazy Cynthia had declined accompanying either.”
United States illustrator remembered for his creation of the “Gibson girl” (1867-1944)
From this reading “Mrs. Gibson had been paying some calls.”
moving slowly and gently
From this reading “Lazy Cynthia had declined accompanying either.”
possessive form of “lover” — a person who loves someone or is loved by someone
From this reading “A LOVER'S MISTAKE.”
popular aquarium fish
From this reading “Molly had gone out for a walk.”
yielding a fair profit
From this reading “Mrs. Gibson had been paying some calls.”
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 A LOVER'S MISTAKE.
occurring with or following as a consequence
From this reading Lazy Cynthia had declined accompanying either.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading It was afternoon.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Mrs. Gibson had been paying some calls.
plural of “call” — a telephone connection
From this reading Mrs. Gibson had been paying some calls.
(Greek mythology) the virgin goddess of the hunt and the Moon; daughter of Leto and twin sister of Apollo; identified with Roman Diana
From this reading Lazy Cynthia had declined accompanying either.
past form of “decline” — grow worse
From this reading Lazy Cynthia had declined accompanying either.
one or the other of two
From this reading Lazy Cynthia had declined accompanying either.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Molly had gone out for a walk.
United States illustrator remembered for his creation of the “Gibson girl” (1867-1944)
From this reading Mrs. Gibson had been paying some calls.
destroyed or killed
From this reading Molly had gone out for a walk.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Molly had gone out for a walk.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was afternoon.
moving slowly and gently
From this reading Lazy Cynthia had declined accompanying either.
possessive form of “lover” — a person who loves someone or is loved by someone
From this reading A LOVER'S MISTAKE.
a wrong action attributable to bad judgment or ignorance or inattention
From this reading A LOVER'S MISTAKE.
popular aquarium fish
From this reading Molly had gone out for a walk.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Gibson had been paying some calls.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Molly had gone out for a walk.
yielding a fair profit
From this reading Mrs. Gibson had been paying some calls.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Mrs. Gibson had been paying some calls.
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading Molly had gone out for a walk.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was afternoon.
Chapter 23 of Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell holds 527 sentences, grouped into 106 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 527 sentences of Wives and Daughters, unabridged, divided into 106 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 527 sentences, grouped into 106 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 106 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 106 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 Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 13287 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4274 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4274, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2658 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Wives and Daughters section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Wives and Daughters 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 Wives and Daughters, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
