Chapter 29 of Wives and Daughters is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIX
Chapter 29 of Wives and Daughters is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
CYNTHIA'S CONFESSION. "You said I might come," said Molly, "and that you would tell me all." "You know all, I think," said Cynthia, heavily. "Perhaps you don't know what excuses I have, but at any rate you know what a scrape I am in." "I've been thinking a great deal," said Molly, timidly and doubtfully.
Chapter 29 of Wives and Daughters is here in full — 419 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
an admission of misdeeds or faults
From this reading “CYNTHIA'S CONFESSION.”
(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 “CYNTHIA'S CONFESSION.”
possessive form of “cynthia” — (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 “CYNTHIA'S CONFESSION.”
plural of “excuse” — a defense of some offensive behavior or some failure to keep a promise etc.
From this reading “"Perhaps you don't know what excuses I have, but at any rate you know what a scrape I am in."”
to a considerable degree
From this reading “"You know all, I think," said Cynthia, heavily.”
popular aquarium fish
From this reading “"You said I might come," said Molly, "and that you would tell me all."”
scratch repeatedly
From this reading “"Perhaps you don't know what excuses I have, but at any rate you know what a scrape I am in."”
in a shy or timid or bashful manner
From this reading “"I've been thinking a great deal," said Molly, timidly and doubtfully.”
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 "Perhaps you don't know what excuses I have, but at any rate you know what a scrape I am in."
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading "You said I might come," said Molly, "and that you would tell me all."
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "Perhaps you don't know what excuses I have, but at any rate you know what a scrape I am in."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "You said I might come," said Molly, "and that you would tell me all."
one or some or every or all without specification
From this reading "Perhaps you don't know what excuses I have, but at any rate you know what a scrape I am in."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Perhaps you don't know what excuses I have, but at any rate you know what a scrape I am in."
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "I've been thinking a great deal," said Molly, timidly and doubtfully.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Perhaps you don't know what excuses I have, but at any rate you know what a scrape I am in."
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "You said I might come," said Molly, "and that you would tell me all."
an admission of misdeeds or faults
From this reading CYNTHIA'S CONFESSION.
(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 "You know all, I think," said Cynthia, heavily.
possessive form of “cynthia” — (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 CYNTHIA'S CONFESSION.
act on verbally or in some form of artistic expression
From this reading "I've been thinking a great deal," said Molly, timidly and doubtfully.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Perhaps you don't know what excuses I have, but at any rate you know what a scrape I am in."
in a doubtful manner
From this reading "I've been thinking a great deal," said Molly, timidly and doubtfully.
plural of “excuse” — a defense of some offensive behavior or some failure to keep a promise etc.
From this reading "Perhaps you don't know what excuses I have, but at any rate you know what a scrape I am in."
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading "I've been thinking a great deal," said Molly, timidly and doubtfully.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Perhaps you don't know what excuses I have, but at any rate you know what a scrape I am in."
to a considerable degree
From this reading "You know all, I think," said Cynthia, heavily.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "You said I might come," said Molly, "and that you would tell me all."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I've been thinking a great deal," said Molly, timidly and doubtfully.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Perhaps you don't know what excuses I have, but at any rate you know what a scrape I am in."
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "You know all, I think," said Cynthia, heavily.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "You said I might come," said Molly, "and that you would tell me all."
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading "You said I might come," said Molly, "and that you would tell me all."
popular aquarium fish
From this reading "You said I might come," said Molly, "and that you would tell me all."
by chance
From this reading "Perhaps you don't know what excuses I have, but at any rate you know what a scrape I am in."
a magnitude or frequency relative to a time unit
From this reading "Perhaps you don't know what excuses I have, but at any rate you know what a scrape I am in."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "You said I might come," said Molly, "and that you would tell me all."
scratch repeatedly
From this reading "Perhaps you don't know what excuses I have, but at any rate you know what a scrape I am in."
express in words
From this reading "You said I might come," said Molly, "and that you would tell me all."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "You said I might come," said Molly, "and that you would tell me all."
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading "You know all, I think," said Cynthia, heavily.
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading "I've been thinking a great deal," said Molly, timidly and doubtfully.
in a shy or timid or bashful manner
From this reading "I've been thinking a great deal," said Molly, timidly and doubtfully.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Perhaps you don't know what excuses I have, but at any rate you know what a scrape I am in."
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading "You said I might come," said Molly, "and that you would tell me all."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You said I might come," said Molly, "and that you would tell me all."
Chapter 29 of Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell holds 419 sentences, grouped into 84 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 29 holds 419 sentences of Wives and Daughters, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 29 of Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 419 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 29 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.
