A Country Gentleman and His Family

Chapter XXXII

Chapter 32 of A Country Gentleman and His Family is here in full — 134 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant • Curated US English Learning Edition

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Lizzie Hampson heard, like everybody in the village, of what was about to happen.

Miss Chatty was going to be married.

At first all that was known was that the bridegroom was a gentleman from London, which in those days was a description imposing to rustics.

He was a gentleman who had once been visiting at the Rectory, who had been seen in the rector's pew at church, and walking about the village, and on the road to the Warren.

Many of the village gossips remembered, or thought they remembered, to have seen him, and they said to each other, with a natural enjoyment of a love story which never fails in women, that no doubt that was when "it was all made up."

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XXXII Reading 1/26

A Country Gentleman and His Family Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant

Chapter XXXII

Chapter 32 of A Country Gentleman and His Family is here in full — 134 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Lizzie Hampson heard, like everybody in the village, of what was about to happen. Miss Chatty was going to be married. At first all that was known was that the bridegroom was a gentleman from London, which in those days was a description imposing to rustics. He was a gentleman who had once been visiting at the Rectory, who had been seen in the rector's pew at church, and walking about the village, and on the road to the Warren. Many of the village gossips remembered, or thought they remembered, to have seen him, and they said to each other, with a natural enjoyment of a love story which never fails in women, that no doubt that was when "it was all made up."

A Country Gentleman and His Family

Chapter XXXII

Chapter 32 of A Country Gentleman and His Family is here in full — 134 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/26 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Lizzie Hampson heard, like everybody in the village, of what was about to happen.

Line 2

Miss Chatty was going to be married.

/mɪs ˈtʃæti wɑːz ˈɡoʊɪŋ tuː biː ˈmerid/

Line 3

At first all that was known was that the bridegroom was a gentleman from London, which in those days was a description imposing to rustics.

Line 4

He was a gentleman who had once been visiting at the Rectory, who had been seen in the rector's pew at church, and walking about the village, and on the road to the Warren.

Line 5

/ˈmeni ʌv ðə ˈvɪlədʒ ˈɡɑːsəps rɪˈmembərd ɔːr θɔːt ðeɪ rɪˈmembərd tuː hæv siːn hɪm ənd ðeɪ sed tuː iːtʃ ˈʌðər wɪð ə ˈnætʃərəl ˌenˈdʒɔɪmənt ʌv ə lʌv ˈstɔːri wɪtʃ ˈnevər feɪlz ɪn ˈwɪmən ðæt noʊ daʊt ðæt wɑːz wen ɪt wɑːz ɔːl meɪd ʌp/

Learner Dictionary

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.

bridegroom noun US /ˈbraɪdɡruːm/

a man who has recently been married

From this reading “At first all that was known was that the bridegroom was a gentleman from London, which in those days was a description imposing to rustics.”

Chatty adjective US /ˈtʃæti/

full of trivial conversation

From this reading “Miss Chatty was going to be married.”

fails verb US /feɪlz/

third-person singular of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone

From this reading “Many of the village gossips remembered, or thought they remembered, to have seen him, and they said to each other, with a natural enjoyment of a love story which never fails in women, that no doubt that was when "it was all made up."”

gossips noun US /ˈɡɑːsəps/

plural of “gossip” — light informal conversation for social occasions

imposing adjective US /ˌɪmˈpoʊzɪŋ/

impressive in appearance

From this reading “At first all that was known was that the bridegroom was a gentleman from London, which in those days was a description imposing to rustics.”

pew noun US /pjuː/

long bench with backs; used in church by the congregation

From this reading “He was a gentleman who had once been visiting at the Rectory, who had been seen in the rector's pew at church, and walking about the village, and on the road to the Warren.”

Rectory noun US /ˈrektəri/

an official residence provided by a church for its parson or vicar or rector

From this reading “He was a gentleman who had once been visiting at the Rectory, who had been seen in the rector's pew at church, and walking about the village, and on the road to the Warren.”

Warren noun US /ˈwɔːrən/

United States writer and poet (1905-1989)

From this reading “He was a gentleman who had once been visiting at the Rectory, who had been seen in the rector's pew at church, and walking about the village, and on the road to the Warren.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

village gossips noun + noun counted as “village gossip”

In this reading “Many of the village gossips remembered, or thought they remembered, to have seen him, and they said to each other, with a natural enjoyment of a love story which never fails in women, that no doubt that was when "it was all made up."”

at the Rectory preposition + article + noun counted as “at … rectory”

In this reading “He was a gentleman who had once been visiting at the Rectory, who had been seen in the rector's pew at church, and walking about the village, and on the road to the Warren.”

on the road preposition + article + noun counted as “on … road”

travelling about

In this reading “He was a gentleman who had once been visiting at the Rectory, who had been seen in the rector's pew at church, and walking about the village, and on the road to the Warren.”

love story noun + noun

a story dealing with love

in the village preposition + article + noun counted as “in … village”

In this reading “Lizzie Hampson heard, like everybody in the village, of what was about to happen.”

All words in this reading · 76

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading At first all that was known was that the bridegroom was a gentleman from London, which in those days was a description imposing to rustics.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading Lizzie Hampson heard, like everybody in the village, of what was about to happen.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 At first all that was known was that the bridegroom was a gentleman from London, which in those days was a description imposing to rustics.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading He was a gentleman who had once been visiting at the Rectory, who had been seen in the rector's pew at church, and walking about the village, and on the road to the Warren.

AtprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading At first all that was known was that the bridegroom was a gentleman from London, which in those days was a description imposing to rustics.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Miss Chatty was going to be married.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading He was a gentleman who had once been visiting at the Rectory, who had been seen in the rector's pew at church, and walking about the village, and on the road to the Warren.

bridegroomnounUS /ˈbraɪdɡruːm/

a man who has recently been married

From this reading At first all that was known was that the bridegroom was a gentleman from London, which in those days was a description imposing to rustics.

ChattyadjectiveUS /ˈtʃæti/

full of trivial conversation

From this reading Miss Chatty was going to be married.

churchnounUS /tʃɜːrtʃ/

one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship

From this reading He was a gentleman who had once been visiting at the Rectory, who had been seen in the rector's pew at church, and walking about the village, and on the road to the Warren.

daysnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading At first all that was known was that the bridegroom was a gentleman from London, which in those days was a description imposing to rustics.

descriptionnounUS /dɪˈskrɪpʃən/

a statement that represents something in words

From this reading At first all that was known was that the bridegroom was a gentleman from London, which in those days was a description imposing to rustics.

doubtnounUS /daʊt/

the state of being unsure of something

From this reading Many of the village gossips remembered, or thought they remembered, to have seen him, and they said to each other, with a natural enjoyment of a love story which never fails in women, that no doubt that was when "it was all made up."

eachdeterminerUS /iːtʃ/

every one of two or more people or things, taken separately

enjoymentnounUS /ˌenˈdʒɔɪmənt/

the pleasure felt when having a good time

everybodypronounUS /ˈevribɑːdi/

every person

From this reading Lizzie Hampson heard, like everybody in the village, of what was about to happen.

failsverbUS /feɪlz/

third-person singular of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading At first all that was known was that the bridegroom was a gentleman from London, which in those days was a description imposing to rustics.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading At first all that was known was that the bridegroom was a gentleman from London, which in those days was a description imposing to rustics.

gentlemannounUS /ˈdʒentəlmən/

a man of refinement

From this reading At first all that was known was that the bridegroom was a gentleman from London, which in those days was a description imposing to rustics.

goingnounUS /ˈɡoʊɪŋ/

the act of departing

From this reading Miss Chatty was going to be married.

gossipsnounUS /ˈɡɑːsəps/

plural of “gossip” — light informal conversation for social occasions

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading He was a gentleman who had once been visiting at the Rectory, who had been seen in the rector's pew at church, and walking about the village, and on the road to the Warren.

Hampson

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Lizzie Hampson heard, like everybody in the village, of what was about to happen.

happenverbUS /ˈhæpən/

come to pass

From this reading Lizzie Hampson heard, like everybody in the village, of what was about to happen.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He was a gentleman who had once been visiting at the Rectory, who had been seen in the rector's pew at church, and walking about the village, and on the road to the Warren.

heardadjectiveUS /hɜːrd/

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

From this reading Lizzie Hampson heard, like everybody in the village, of what was about to happen.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

imposingadjectiveUS /ˌɪmˈpoʊzɪŋ/

impressive in appearance

From this reading At first all that was known was that the bridegroom was a gentleman from London, which in those days was a description imposing to rustics.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Lizzie Hampson heard, like everybody in the village, of what was about to happen.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

knownadjectiveUS /noʊn/

apprehended with certainty

From this reading At first all that was known was that the bridegroom was a gentleman from London, which in those days was a description imposing to rustics.

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading Lizzie Hampson heard, like everybody in the village, of what was about to happen.

Lizzie

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Lizzie Hampson heard, like everybody in the village, of what was about to happen.

LondonnounUS /ˈlʌndən/

the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center

From this reading At first all that was known was that the bridegroom was a gentleman from London, which in those days was a description imposing to rustics.

lovenounUS /lʌv/

a strong positive emotion of regard and affection

madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

ManyadjectiveUS /ˈmeni/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number

marriedadjectiveUS /ˈmerid/

joined in matrimony

From this reading Miss Chatty was going to be married.

MissverbUS /mɪs/

fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind

From this reading Miss Chatty was going to be married.

naturaladjectiveUS /ˈnætʃərəl/

in accordance with nature; relating to or concerning nature

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Lizzie Hampson heard, like everybody in the village, of what was about to happen.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading He was a gentleman who had once been visiting at the Rectory, who had been seen in the rector's pew at church, and walking about the village, and on the road to the Warren.

onceadverbUS /wʌns/

on one occasion

From this reading He was a gentleman who had once been visiting at the Rectory, who had been seen in the rector's pew at church, and walking about the village, and on the road to the Warren.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

pewnounUS /pjuː/

long bench with backs; used in church by the congregation

From this reading He was a gentleman who had once been visiting at the Rectory, who had been seen in the rector's pew at church, and walking about the village, and on the road to the Warren.

rector's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading He was a gentleman who had once been visiting at the Rectory, who had been seen in the rector's pew at church, and walking about the village, and on the road to the Warren.

RectorynounUS /ˈrektəri/

an official residence provided by a church for its parson or vicar or rector

From this reading He was a gentleman who had once been visiting at the Rectory, who had been seen in the rector's pew at church, and walking about the village, and on the road to the Warren.

rememberedverbUS /rɪˈmembərd/

past form of “remember” — recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection

roadnounUS /roʊd/

an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation

From this reading He was a gentleman who had once been visiting at the Rectory, who had been seen in the rector's pew at church, and walking about the village, and on the road to the Warren.

rustics

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading At first all that was known was that the bridegroom was a gentleman from London, which in those days was a description imposing to rustics.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

seenverbUS /siːn/

inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading He was a gentleman who had once been visiting at the Rectory, who had been seen in the rector's pew at church, and walking about the village, and on the road to the Warren.

storynounUS /ˈstɔːri/

a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading At first all that was known was that the bridegroom was a gentleman from London, which in those days was a description imposing to rustics.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Lizzie Hampson heard, like everybody in the village, of what was about to happen.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading At first all that was known was that the bridegroom was a gentleman from London, which in those days was a description imposing to rustics.

thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Lizzie Hampson heard, like everybody in the village, of what was about to happen.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

villagenounUS /ˈvɪlədʒ/

a community of people smaller than a town

From this reading Lizzie Hampson heard, like everybody in the village, of what was about to happen.

visitingnounUS /ˈvɪzɪtɪŋ/

the activity of making visits

From this reading He was a gentleman who had once been visiting at the Rectory, who had been seen in the rector's pew at church, and walking about the village, and on the road to the Warren.

walkingadjectiveUS /ˈwɔːkɪŋ/

close enough to be walked to

From this reading He was a gentleman who had once been visiting at the Rectory, who had been seen in the rector's pew at church, and walking about the village, and on the road to the Warren.

WarrennounUS /ˈwɔːrən/

United States writer and poet (1905-1989)

From this reading He was a gentleman who had once been visiting at the Rectory, who had been seen in the rector's pew at church, and walking about the village, and on the road to the Warren.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Lizzie Hampson heard, like everybody in the village, of what was about to happen.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading Lizzie Hampson heard, like everybody in the village, of what was about to happen.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading At first all that was known was that the bridegroom was a gentleman from London, which in those days was a description imposing to rustics.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading He was a gentleman who had once been visiting at the Rectory, who had been seen in the rector's pew at church, and walking about the village, and on the road to the Warren.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

womennounUS /ˈwɪmən/

plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

Chapter 32 of A Country Gentleman and His Family by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant holds 134 sentences, grouped into 27 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.

What does chapter 32 of A Country Gentleman and His Family contain?

Chapter 32 holds 134 sentences of A Country Gentleman and His Family, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 32 of A Country Gentleman and His Family by Mrs. (Margaret) Oliphant exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 134 sentences, grouped into 27 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.

How do I study chapter 32 of A Country Gentleman and His Family?

Work through the 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 27 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.

Can chapter 32 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 32 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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Yes. All 8403 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30835 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #30835, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 600 minutes of reading across 1681 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in A Country Gentleman and His Family

Words and structures a reader meets early in A Country Gentleman and His Family, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Theodore: A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Country Gentleman and His Family; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
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Chapter XXXII

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