Chapter 23 of A Hero of Our Time is here in full — 44 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of A Hero of Our Time is here in full — 44 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I HAVE seen Vera to-day. She has begun to plague me with her jealousy. Princess Mary has taken it into her head, it seems, to confide the secrets of her heart to Vera: a happy choice, it must be confessed! “I can guess what all this is leading to,” said Vera to me. “You had better simply tell me at once that you are in love with her.”
Chapter 23 of A Hero of Our Time is here in full — 44 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/8 · 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.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “She has begun to plague me with her jealousy.”
the person or thing chosen or selected
From this reading “Princess Mary has taken it into her head, it seems, to confide the secrets of her heart to Vera: a happy choice, it must be confessed!”
past form of “confess” — confess to a punishable or reprehensible deed, usually under pressure
From this reading “Princess Mary has taken it into her head, it seems, to confide the secrets of her heart to Vera: a happy choice, it must be confessed!”
reveal in private; tell confidentially
From this reading “Princess Mary has taken it into her head, it seems, to confide the secrets of her heart to Vera: a happy choice, it must be confessed!”
a feeling of jealous envy (especially of a rival)
From this reading “She has begun to plague me with her jealousy.”
indicating the most important performer or role
From this reading ““I can guess what all this is leading to,” said Vera to me.”
cause to suffer a blight
From this reading “She has begun to plague me with her jealousy.”
plural of “secret” — something that should remain hidden from others (especially information that is not to be passed on)
From this reading “Princess Mary has taken it into her head, it seems, to confide the secrets of her heart to Vera: a happy choice, it must be confessed!”
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 Princess Mary has taken it into her head, it seems, to confide the secrets of her heart to Vera: a happy choice, it must be confessed!
(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 “I can guess what all this is leading to,” said Vera to me.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “You had better simply tell me at once that you are in love with her.”
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “You had better simply tell me at once that you are in love with her.”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Princess Mary has taken it into her head, it seems, to confide the secrets of her heart to Vera: a happy choice, it must be confessed!
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading She has begun to plague me with her jealousy.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading “You had better simply tell me at once that you are in love with her.”
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “I can guess what all this is leading to,” said Vera to me.
the person or thing chosen or selected
From this reading Princess Mary has taken it into her head, it seems, to confide the secrets of her heart to Vera: a happy choice, it must be confessed!
past form of “confess” — confess to a punishable or reprehensible deed, usually under pressure
From this reading Princess Mary has taken it into her head, it seems, to confide the secrets of her heart to Vera: a happy choice, it must be confessed!
reveal in private; tell confidentially
From this reading Princess Mary has taken it into her head, it seems, to confide the secrets of her heart to Vera: a happy choice, it must be confessed!
expect, believe, or suppose
From this reading “I can guess what all this is leading to,” said Vera to me.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “You had better simply tell me at once that you are in love with her.”
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading Princess Mary has taken it into her head, it seems, to confide the secrets of her heart to Vera: a happy choice, it must be confessed!
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She has begun to plague me with her jealousy.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I HAVE seen Vera to-day.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Princess Mary has taken it into her head, it seems, to confide the secrets of her heart to Vera: a happy choice, it must be confessed!
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading Princess Mary has taken it into her head, it seems, to confide the secrets of her heart to Vera: a happy choice, it must be confessed!
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She has begun to plague me with her jealousy.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I HAVE seen Vera to-day.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “You had better simply tell me at once that you are in love with her.”
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Princess Mary has taken it into her head, it seems, to confide the secrets of her heart to Vera: a happy choice, it must be confessed!
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “I can guess what all this is leading to,” said Vera to me.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Princess Mary has taken it into her head, it seems, to confide the secrets of her heart to Vera: a happy choice, it must be confessed!
a feeling of jealous envy (especially of a rival)
From this reading She has begun to plague me with her jealousy.
indicating the most important performer or role
From this reading “I can guess what all this is leading to,” said Vera to me.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading “You had better simply tell me at once that you are in love with her.”
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading Princess Mary has taken it into her head, it seems, to confide the secrets of her heart to Vera: a happy choice, it must be confessed!
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She has begun to plague me with her jealousy.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading Princess Mary has taken it into her head, it seems, to confide the secrets of her heart to Vera: a happy choice, it must be confessed!
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Princess Mary has taken it into her head, it seems, to confide the secrets of her heart to Vera: a happy choice, it must be confessed!
on one occasion
From this reading “You had better simply tell me at once that you are in love with her.”
cause to suffer a blight
From this reading She has begun to plague me with her jealousy.
The daughter of a monarch; a female member of a royal family.
From this reading Princess Mary has taken it into her head, it seems, to confide the secrets of her heart to Vera: a happy choice, it must be confessed!
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I can guess what all this is leading to,” said Vera to me.
plural of “secret” — something that should remain hidden from others (especially information that is not to be passed on)
From this reading Princess Mary has taken it into her head, it seems, to confide the secrets of her heart to Vera: a happy choice, it must be confessed!
third-person singular of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Princess Mary has taken it into her head, it seems, to confide the secrets of her heart to Vera: a happy choice, it must be confessed!
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I HAVE seen Vera to-day.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She has begun to plague me with her jealousy.
and nothing more
From this reading “You had better simply tell me at once that you are in love with her.”
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading Princess Mary has taken it into her head, it seems, to confide the secrets of her heart to Vera: a happy choice, it must be confessed!
express in words
From this reading “You had better simply tell me at once that you are in love with her.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “You had better simply tell me at once that you are in love with her.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Princess Mary has taken it into her head, it seems, to confide the secrets of her heart to Vera: a happy choice, it must be confessed!
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “I can guess what all this is leading to,” said Vera to me.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She has begun to plague me with her jealousy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I HAVE seen Vera to-day.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I HAVE seen Vera to-day.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “I can guess what all this is leading to,” said Vera to me.
in the company of; together with
From this reading She has begun to plague me with her jealousy.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You had better simply tell me at once that you are in love with her.”
Chapter 23 of A Hero of Our Time by Mikhail Iurevich Lermontov holds 44 sentences, grouped into 9 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 44 sentences of A Hero of Our Time, unabridged, divided into 9 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of A Hero of Our Time by Mikhail Iurevich Lermontov exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 44 sentences, grouped into 9 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 9 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 9 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 A Hero of Our Time by Mikhail Iurevich Lermontov on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4100 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #913 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #913, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 341 minutes of reading across 820 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Hero of Our Time section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 36 chapters of A Hero of Our Time 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 A Hero of Our Time, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
